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R.I.P Pat Bowlen


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14 minutes ago, 7DnBrnc53 said:

I know that this is an old thread, but I felt like this would be an appropriate place to post this:

https://www.rotoworld.com/football/nfl/player/2278/pat-bowlen

 

I didn’t get to hear the Ellis press conference today. When I heard it was happening my first thought was “of course he’s going to try to get in front of the media and take some modicum of credit for the 4-1 finish.”

Truthfully, Ellis admitting that, publicly, is fascinating. I’ll have to find some time to listen. 

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30 minutes ago, AnAngryAmerican said:

I didn’t get to hear the Ellis press conference today. When I heard it was happening my first thought was “of course he’s going to try to get in front of the media and take some modicum of credit for the 4-1 finish.”

Truthfully, Ellis admitting that, publicly, is fascinating. I’ll have to find some time to listen. 

Honestly it came across more as a threat to Beth. I forget the exact wording but he essentially Brittany was the only worthy heir and if the family didn’t get behind her the team could get sold

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2 hours ago, broncos_fan _from _uk said:

Honestly it came across more as a threat to Beth. I forget the exact wording but he essentially Brittany was the only worthy heir and if the family didn’t get behind her the team could get sold

Yeah I just gave it a listen via podcast on the way home. Also heard Daren Rovell on The Drivel, I mean, The Drive (I know, I know).

But I reached the same conclusion.

Frankly it doesn’t surprise me one bit a snake like Ellis would float that possibility but it also speaks to the absolute desperation he and the trust are in; seems to me that’s the last bullet he has in his chamber and he just fired it. What’s interesting is gaming how that can play out, would the Bowlen kids just prefer to take their money or are the other 6, especially the two from Mr B’s first marriage, willing to let Ellis/Brittany run the team? 

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the idea of a trust was always going to be a mess - if there is one thing family members will fall out over it is an inheritance - and the Broncos is one hell of an inheritance. 

I really cannot see any other outcome except for the Broncos to be sold - with likely the Bowlen family retaining a place on the board and maybe one or two of them employed by the team. And to be honest - it is probably the best outcome and it should happen sooner or later - and who knows - maybe Manning will be in the mix.

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2 hours ago, jolly red giant said:

the idea of a trust was always going to be a mess - if there is one thing family members will fall out over it is an inheritance - and the Broncos is one hell of an inheritance. 

I really cannot see any other outcome except for the Broncos to be sold - with likely the Bowlen family retaining a place on the board and maybe one or two of them employed by the team. And to be honest - it is probably the best outcome and it should happen sooner or later - and who knows - maybe Manning will be in the mix.

Hmmmm...and all of a sudden Eli is thinking retirement...maybe the Mannings come in and takeover Colorado?  It would be the Louisiana of the West.  

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I’ve heard it said by people in the know that Mike Shanahan does not believe it was Pat Bowlen that fired him but rather Joe Ellis, who was interested in a power grab. And that Ellis hired Mac because he believed that given Mac’s age and lack of experience he would be easier to control. We all know how that went.

It was very, very clear that Bowlen was not of sound mind in 2009 and likely was not of sound mind much earlier. Ellis saw the opportunity for a power grab and took it. Since then, when he has been involved in any decision that was even remotely related to football, all of them except hiring Elway to be the GM has been disastrous (and some believe the Elway hire was a mistake). Ellis’ stewardship of the business side of things hasn’t exactly been exemplary, to put it nicely. 

It has been known for a long time that Ellis is and has been problem #1 with this franchise for more than a decade and that his primary motivation for championing Brittany Bowlen is to assure his own longevity with the club and within the elite circles of NFL ownership. 

Here’s something for the Bowlen family to think about - Brittany’s reputation is already being tarnished as a result of her association with Ellis. The longer it goes on, the more tainted her relationship with the fanbase is going to be if and when she does take over. 

Sure, a lot of the casual fans still blame Elway for everything, for now, which is what Ellis wants. That won’t last forever.

What would be best - sell the team now to someone like Robert B Smith, who can start with a clean slate, or continue this charade that will only make things worse when a real change in the ownership structure is finally realized? 

And, FWIW, I’d love the Mannings to buy the team but that’s never going to happen. Robert B Smith, from what I understand, already has the right of first refusal and with the full backing of the other 31 owners.  

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34 minutes ago, AnAngryAmerican said:

What would be best - sell the team now to someone like Robert B Smith, who can start with a clean slate, or continue this charade that will only make things worse when a real change in the ownership structure is finally realized? 

And, FWIW, I’d love the Mannings to buy the team but that’s never going to happen. Robert B Smith, from what I understand, already has the right of first refusal and with the full backing of the other 31 owners.  

This is pretty big news. Was that something mentioned in an interview/article in the past couple days or something you've personally heard from your own sources? 

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5 minutes ago, BroncoBruin said:

This is pretty big news. Was that something mentioned in an interview/article in the past couple days or something you've personally heard from your own sources? 

It was actually what I heard from Darren Rovell or whatever his name is on The Drivel yesterday. My Broncos beat reporter friend did confirm he has heard similar.

1043thefan.com probably has the audio up, it was during the 4:00-5:00 hour yesterday 12/30. 

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1 hour ago, BroncoBruin said:

This is pretty big news. Was that something mentioned in an interview/article in the past couple days or something you've personally heard from your own sources? 

Actually it's Robert F Smith. Google him, lots of backup for AAA's post.

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This franchise isn’t going to be sold anytime soon (if it even is going to be sold).  Beth Bowlen and Pat’s brothers have already lost in court.  The NFL is backing the trust, and the trust had to be approved by the other 31 owners.  Further, Bill Bowlen’s argument against the trust isn’t incorrect, the 3 members of the trust are their own bosses, they’re going to keep that control as long as possible and tabbing the 30 year old Brittany (as opposed to the 50 year old Beth) makes sense.  The trust also doesn’t need the approval of the rest of the family to announce a controlling owner...so all the hoopla coming from the oldest 2 sisters and Bowlen’s brothers means very little unless the NFL turns on the trust and professional sports organizations RARELY do that, I don’t expect anything to happen and if it does nothing in the next 5-10 years.

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8 hours ago, germ-x said:

This franchise isn’t going to be sold anytime soon (if it even is going to be sold).  Beth Bowlen and Pat’s brothers have already lost in court.  The NFL is backing the trust, and the trust had to be approved by the other 31 owners.  Further, Bill Bowlen’s argument against the trust isn’t incorrect, the 3 members of the trust are their own bosses, they’re going to keep that control as long as possible and tabbing the 30 year old Brittany (as opposed to the 50 year old Beth) makes sense.  The trust also doesn’t need the approval of the rest of the family to announce a controlling owner...so all the hoopla coming from the oldest 2 sisters and Bowlen’s brothers means very little unless the NFL turns on the trust and professional sports organizations RARELY do that, I don’t expect anything to happen and if it does nothing in the next 5-10 years.

I don't know about that. Cugel on the Broncos Forums had an interesting take on the situation:

 

Quote

RIGHT NOW , Ellis needs Elway a LOT more than Elway needs him. The reason Ellis is able to run the team without interference from the league is because Elway is actually running the day to day personnel decisions. He's the front man which gives the league cover NOT to demand that the Broncos name an owner -- in accord with league policy.

So, if the trust wins the lawsuit (more likely than not -- capacity cases are tough to prove), then Ellis moves Brittany into management and he's safe for another 5 years.

But, Elway could torpedo this because he's unlikely to want to stay as Team President beyond 2021 when his current contract expires. Dude has over $150 million and recent years have not been any fun for him. He HATES losing and unless the team is competing for championships by then nobody in touch with the Broncos insiders thinks he will stay.

If he goes, Ellis will lose a LOT of legitimacy. Who can he get to replace Elway? The iron fist inside the velvet glove becomes a LOT more obvious and intervention by the NFL to force a sale becomes a lot more likely.

But, if Beth Bowlen wins, then a move to sell the team is likely. The NFL might very well NOT approve a transfer of ownership to Beth Bowlen --- nor is there a shred of evidence that she'd be any better at running the team than the trust is now.

Think of Joe Ellis as an elderly Stalin in the early 1950s. Absolute dictator? Yes, but he's unlikely to last for another 7 years.

The only thing that could change that is if:

1. The Broncos start competing for SBs.
2. Elway stays as team president beyond 2021.

Neither of these things seems terribly likely at this point.

 

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 That is a good post there. 

One thing to remember is that Ellis the snake sees his reputation among Broncos fans, especially those of us who are in the know and follow the team extremely closely, continue to deteriorate. The more Brittany cozies up to him (and why wouldn't she, he's the one championing her) the less legitimate her eventual take over of the team will be viewed by fans. The Mike Klis of the world can continue to kiss Ellis' ring but, outside of the casual fans who get their Broncos news from his 3-minute segments on 9news, Brittany is likely to take over as a damaged owner. 

The point about Ellis needing Elway more than Elway needs him is spot on. When Elway does leave, who does Ellis promote to President/GM? Matt "pour me another drink" Russell? Yeah, that will be well-received by the fan base. Once Elway is gone, Ellis is the one on whom the spotlight gets turned. Elway gets bashed regularly for the last three-plus years of suckage but eventually its going to be Ellis' dealings that come under the scrutiny of the wider fan base. 

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