Is John Elway waiting in wings?  With the recent firing of the Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan, is John Elway in the future of the team he took to two NFL championships?

The Hall of Famer and lifelong Denver Bronco has been mentioned as part of a new management team to bring the Denver Broncos back into contention.  Even fired coach, Mike Shanahan, believes that bringing back Elway would be a great move.

But is he interested?

Considering that Elway is co-owner of the Arena Football League’s Colorado Rush with Broncos owner Pat Bowden, the chances are good.  And I’m sure the two have spoken about it recently. 

As much as John Elway is a competitor, the opportunity of coming back to “big leagues”, to the team he led twice to NFL championships, much be enticing.

Elway is Mr. Colorado! He recently sold several car dealerships and his name is on a Steak House chain in the Denver area. He is also a shareholder in the Colorado-based Profesional Bull Riders Inc. and has teamed up with a store to produce his own line of signature furniture.

If Elway returns to the Broncos, it will not be as coach, but may he may be ripe for taking over as executive vice president of football operations - a role just vacated by the firing of Shanahan. 

Expect to hear more about this very soon.  Denver needs a coach and Elway is the guy to pick to right one!

GAME INFO:
Indianapolis Colts vs. San Diego Chargers

Game Date/Time: Sat, Jan 3, 2009 8:00 pm EST

Location: Qualcomm Stadium, California
TV: NBC

THE TEAMS AGAINST THE SPREAD (ATS)
The Colts are 9-7 ATS overall, 4-4 ATS away, 1-1 ATS as the underdog and 0-0 as an away underdog in 2008

The Chargers are 11-5 ATS overall, 7-1 ATS at home, 8-3 ATS as the favorite and 6-1 as home favorite this season

THE LINE
The Colts are favorite by 1 point (but that spread can be different based on individual casino and betting parlor lines)
The Over/Under is 51 points

THE PREVIEW
The Colts are 9-1 in there in last 10 games and Peyton Manning is considered by many experts to be in the front running for MVP. The Chargers are a mere 5-5 over their last 10 games but beat up the Denver Broncos last week by a score of 52-21 tp knock the Broncos out of the playoffs that ended Mike Shanahan’s coaching career in Denver.
In a matchup earlier in week 12, the Colts beat the Chargers in San Diego by a score of 23-20

THE PREDICTION
Indianapolis Colts 35 San Diego Chargers 28
Indianapolis is a very dangerous team. Peyton Manning is completely healthy and they have won their last 9 in a row. One big statistic is the fact that over the last three years the Colts are 4-1 this season and 10-3 in the last three seasons when the spread is +3 to -3. The Chargers are 1-3 this year when the spread is +3 to -3.
Peyton Manning will have time to throw the ball against a sackless defense. And even Phillip Rivers won’t be able to match the points put up by the Colts.

Take Peyton Manning and the Colts in a high scoring affair.

NOTE: thenflthisweek.com has a record of 9-1-1 in their last ATS picks of the regular season.