COMMERCE CITY - John Elway's comebacks as quarterback of the Broncos are legendary.

However, one of the most significant comebacks he engineered came in the Arena Football League three years ago.

After the Crush went 2-14 in its 2003 inaugural season, Elway, the team's CEO and co-owner, hired Mike Dailey as coach. The next season, the Crush finished 11-5 to record the biggest turnaround in AFL history.

The Crush has compiled a 36- 15 record under Dailey, won two division titles and won the ArenaBowl championship.

"We've built a good organization, especially on the football side," Elway said. "We've been a good, competitive team for the last three years.

"Mike has done a heck of a job. For him to turn it around, as quickly as he did, was huge for us. He won the championship in his second year here. That's an unbelievable turnaround."

Colorado will begin its fifth AFL season Sunday, against the Grand Rapids Rampage at the Pepsi Center, and Elway is confident the Crush will have another formidable team.

"We'll have another good, competitive team this year," Elway said. "We just have to continue working on (the season-ticket base) and get people out to experience the game."

The Crush sold out every game its first year but only won twice, and never at the Pepsi Center.

"It was a tough year," Elway said. "Going 2-14, and there was so much work putting everything together and trying to get everything lined up and getting it done and trying to learn the game. We struggled on the football side, but on the business side did well. It was just a matter, over time, of putting it all together."

Elway admits it was a tumultuous year for him personally.

"I jump into everything headfirst and try to swim from there," he said. "I never said, 'What did I get myself into?' because I enjoyed it. I didn't like the losing part of it. That made it miserable. I knew eventually that would calm down, plus, I was getting divorced at the same time. Everything kind of came to a head at the same time."

That's when Elway fired Bob Beers as coach and hired Dailey, who was coaching the Indiana Firebirds.

"I was lucky to find him when I found him," Elway said. "Everybody that I had ever talked to around the league, they all raved about him. They talked about having Arena experience, which was huge.

"I didn't know what it was or what it took until after that first year. We didn't realize what a different game it was."

One of Elway's biggest jobs has been selling the indoor game to Denver-area fans.

Colorado averaged 17,427 fans a game its first season. That averaged dropped to 14,219 in its championship season in 2005 but increased to 15,009 last year.

The season-ticket base for 2007 will be an estimated 7,500, down from 15,000 the initial season but improved from 6,500 two years ago.

"The football purist is not going to like (Arena football)," Elway said. "They think football has to be played on a 100-yard field and played outdoors, which is understandable. I was a football purist, but I think if you really look at the game, we're not a field-position game like the outdoor. We're a possession game. There are a lot more decisions that a head coach has to make during a game than the coach in the outdoor game.

"We did a good job of getting people to come down and see it the first year. Unfortunately, we didn't have the product to win. I was just glad we were able to turn it around that quickly."IN HIS OWN WORDS

• On his first impression of the AFL

"To be honest with you, the first time I saw it, I didn't like all the scoring. I still think there is a little too much scoring. You have to put defense in it, because a lot of people like to see defense."

• On the future of the league

"The league as a whole is getting stronger. A new five-year deal with ESPN is going to help. We've just got to keep getting eyeballs on the game and getting people to understand what we are about. Getting rid of the substitution rule will help. The talent level has increased and the speed of the game, just from what I've seen this year at training camp, has increased greatly. "

• On how free substitution will change the game

"The two-way guy is not gone, he is just not as prevalent. He is needed for depth purposes because of the size of the roster. I think it is going to be a lot better for the game. We have better athletes. Instead of guys going up to Canada or going to Europe, we're going to get them in the Arena league.

• On his relationship with coach Mike Dailey

"I can tell you that Mike and I hit about 20 percent of the time on what I think he should do. That's the fun part. "

• On his increased role with the AFL as chairman of the Executive Committee

"I like to be involved and say, 'OK, this is my viewpoint on what's going to grow this game.' "

• On his comfort level with front-office duties

"I enjoyed being part of a team. Having invested time and money into that, it means something whether you win or lose. That tickled my fancy. It's not like playing, but it's the next best thing. You're involved without getting hit. I enjoy that, and working with Mike (Dailey) on the players' side and helping him evaluating talent."

bentonj@RockyMountainNews.com

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