ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- John Elway has said, often, the Denver Broncos "don't draft All-Pros, we have to develop them."
One of the most sobering football lessons the Broncos could take away from their 5-11 finish is that their younger players have not contributed as much as the team has either hoped or predicted over the past two seasons.
The team has arrived at a point where it will take honest assessments of its own work to halt an uncomfortable trend.
For the first time in his tenure as the Broncos' chief football decision-maker -- he was hired in 2011 -- the developmental job ahead is big enough Elway has hinted it may take some time to bounce back.