What is said in front of the cameras should never hold the same weight as what is done behind the scenes.

Tuck that rule away. It has helped me make sense of things as a fan of the Broncos for decades.

John Elway can keep saying, “We’re about winning football games.” He can say it as many ways as he wants using any number of catch phrases and canned answers.

But as of yesterday, the Denver Broncos are no longer about winning in the 2019 NFL season.

Why do I make such a bold proclamation based off of one move?

It is simple.

There is no world where the Denver Broncos have a better chance of winning without Emmanuel Sanders than with him. I don’t care about the drummed up talk about the Tennessee game or any not so hidden statements showing distaste for Sanders by Elway (which is how I read most of his press conference from yesterday, by the way).

If the Denver Broncos wanted to win games in 2019, Emmanuel Sanders was their guy.

The thing I’ve loved most about him is that he absolutely embodies what we want from every football player on the field. He sells out to make catches even when he knows a big hit from the safety is coming. He keeps fighting until the game is over each and every play.

But at the end of the day what’s done is done. Elway traded a guy away for draft picks that made the team better (by the way, I’m honestly a fan of the move...he got great value). The only thing that irks me about it is that Elway wants to still quip about winning.

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