SAN FRANCISCO — John Elway lived the dream 17 years ago when he hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl champion before riding off into the sunset of retirement after a Hall of Fame career with the Denver Broncos.
Now Elway is trying to orchestrate another happy ending for the Broncos as general manager and possibly another perfect exit for one of the game's best players, Peyton Manning, when Denver meet the Carolina Panthers in Sunday's Super Bowl 50.
Two years ago, Denver rode a high-scoring offense to the NFL title game, with Manning throwing for an NFL record 55 touchdown passes and record yardage before suffering a 43-8 shellacking at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks.