Nicknames usually spawn from admiration and affection, and around these parts John Elway has received more than most.

There is only one “No. 7” in the Rocky Mountain region. Nestled between Hollywood and the Mississippi, “The Duke” refers not to movie star John Wayne.

“Captain Comeback” must have appealed to Elway’s competitive pride. “The Drive,” “The Helicopter” and “This One’s for John!” are forever part of his legacy.

In a couple more days, people walking the halls at Broncos headquarters will have another name for Elway:

Boss.

The Broncos and owner Pat Bowlen are expected to call a news conference around midweek to announce Elway as their vice president of football operations.

“If and when we reach an agreement with John Elway, Pat is very confident that John’s intelligence, his leadership, business savvy, his knowledge of the game, and competitive fire — plus the respect that everyone in this building will have for him — will make us better right away,” said Joe Ellis, the Broncos’ chief operating officer.

Take this seriously, Broncos fans. Elway is not rejoining the organization with the idea of extending a glad hand. This is not an image-enhancing tactic, even if it is a nice byproduct for an organization that could use a shot or two of integrity after the unfortunate Josh McDaniels’ era.

Elway will have an upstairs office at the Paul D. Bowlen Memorial Broncos Centre, and he will show up every day. There’s no need to punch a clock because high-ranking management officials never count their endless hours.

His title — vice president of football operations — will be the same one Mike Shanahan carried on top of his head coaching position. On top of everybody else. Remember all that power Shanahan held at Dove Valley from 1995-2008?

Starting with the New Year, a new decade, the Broncos will enter a new era.

Elway will be in charge.

“I’m not going to get too far into that now,” Elway said Friday on his radio show on 87.7 FM The Ticket. “Hopefully, we get something done (this week). We’ll get that all settled. There is a process that has to be followed. If you understand, I don’t want to say too much about it right now.”

Overcoming the Millen effect

Might as well get this out of the way: There are people who don’t believe Elway will succeed as the Broncos’ football boss. Matt Millen did no favors for former star players attempting the transition from main floor locker room to upstairs office.

Neither did Dan Marino, Elway’s quarterback mate from the draft class of 1983.

“I’ve been around John a long time, and there’s nothing he can’t do,” said Bubby Brister, Elway’s backup quarterback in the back-to-back Super Bowl championship seasons of 1997-98. “They couldn’t have picked a better person. He can evaluate. He knows football, he knows people. He’s been in the business world and knows that. I felt like when he got out of football, he should have gone right back in there. He could have helped Mike (Shanahan). Heck, he is the Denver Broncos. He can handle it.”

But there were glowing testimonials for Bart Starr, too, before he became the Green Bay Packers’ head coach. Nine seasons and 24 more losses than wins later, Green Bay booed the legendary Starr out of town.

So what makes Elway different from so many other stars who have failed in coaching or management positions?

“It’s something that’s been on his to-do list forever,” former teammate Karl Mecklenberg said. “It’s not like the team came to him and said, ‘We need your help, we need you to be a figurehead.’ When he came to Mr. Bowlen before, Mr. Bowlen made sure he ran him through that whole Arena (Football League) thing. Mr. Bowlen had John run the Crush, and he learned the ropes there.

“It’s about time. They need something. I don’t know if a guy in the front office is necessarily the answer. But I think John will figure it out.”

Besides his experience with the Colorado Crush, which won the AFL title in its third season of 2005, Elway is the son of the late Jack Elway, a longtime college coach, who finished his career with the Broncos as one of Bowlen’s most trusted consultants.

As John Elway waited until he felt the timing was right to join the Broncos, he turned his golf hobby into a serious passion. Although he became a scratch golfer, Elway is ready to put away the clubs. He may keep his bag in the trunk. But it’s not like he’s going to show up to work at 11 wearing a sweater vest and visor.

“I kind of felt like I plateaued at that level, anyway,” Elway said about his golf game. “I love the game of football. That’s what I’m excited about. The game is something that’s in my blood. It’s been there forever. I got involved in the Arena League because I wanted to be close to football and learn that front-office side. It was a great learning experience for me. It got me a chance to be close to the game, even though it was obviously a very different game at a different level. The competitive side of it is definitely the lure.”

Getting down to brass tacks

Once Broncos general manager Brian Xanders helps get Elway up to speed on the team’s roster, the free-agent market and the draft market, ol’ No. 7 will start making the calls.

Xanders will report to Elway. The new head coach will report to the man who helped hire him.

“He has true leadership skills, mental toughness. I can tell that,” Xanders said. “And he’s going to hold everybody accountable. I think it’s a great opportunity for him to oversee the whole football operations of the Denver Broncos, because he knows the expectations of the fans and the organization. And he’s going to try and lead us there.”

Understand, this is not a mere public relations move. This is the Broncos in their most worrisome state since posting a 2-7 record in the strike season of 1982 — otherwise known as the Year Before Elway. This is the 4-11 Broncos once again calling “Captain Comeback” to the rescue.

“It is not a PR move,” Ellis said. “That would be a waste of John’s time and our time and the fans’ time. Because we need to win.

“He’ll roll up his sleeves and do his job. I’ve had enough meetings with him to know that. This isn’t about him. This is about the Denver Broncos and this community and our fans, and us getting better as quickly as we can.”

Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com