John Elway has been there before — and is there again.

The Duke of Denver’s advice to young Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow for his first NFL playoff game Sunday: “Pull the trigger.”

A year ago tonight, Elway, always a gunslinger, officially became the Broncos’ executive vice president of football operations. Twenty-eight seasons ago, in his second season with the Broncos, Elway started his first NFL playoff game against, as irony would have it, the Steelers.

Elway knows exactly what Tebow feels like.

With Tebow at quarterback, the Broncos won seven of eight. However, they’ve dropped the last three. Tebow seems to have lost his confidence and has been tentative, or fearful, throwing the football, I suggested to Elway.

“That’s human nature, especially when you’re young, to become more cautious,” Elway said. “He had a tough week before (the Chiefs game) against Buffalo. The key thing for (Tebow) is to go out, put everything behind him, go through his progressions and pull the trigger.

“When you get into these playoff situations, he’s a good enough athlete, you know what, to pull the trigger. He’s obviously upset with last week. He’s already got an edge to him, so he’s ready to go. I like seeing the edge. Oh, yeah. I actually love it. I have full confidence he’ll bounce back and have a good week.”

Elway started in 21 postseason games, winning 14 — including his last seven.

In his 16-year career as a Hall of Fame quarterback, Elway advanced to the postseason after several late Broncos letdowns in the regular season. In fact, the Broncos lost three of their final five in 1986, three of their final four in 1989, two of their last three in 1997 and two of their final three in 1998. Each time, the Broncos got to the Super Bowl. They won the world championship the last two. “

It doesn’t matter how you win it as long as you win it,” Elway said.

The January 2011 night he was reintroduced to Denver as the club’s executive VP, Elway, who had led to the Broncos to the promise land as a player, promised that as the chief of football operations: “I won’t let the Broncos down.”

He hasn’t.

Elway has changed the culture of the Broncos in the community, in the locker room and on the field. He has returned the Broncos to respectability, the AFC West Division title and the playoffs.

He reorganized the franchise and spread the responsibilities, hired John Fox as coach, kept Brian Xanders as the real general manager, forced out the remaining disgruntled and disgraceful elements of the Broncos, added important free agents, drafted well, re-signed free agents and raced way ahead of his three-year game plan with the Broncos.

There have been controversies along the way — the trading of Brandon Lloyd, waiving Kyle Orton, and his uncertain statements about Tebow — but Elway has proven his front-office capabilities, become the leader of this team again and is a viable candidate for the league’s executive of the year.

Elway is not some pretty face with a famous smile and a smooth golf swing, living life as a legend. He has produced another heroic Broncos comeback.

The late-season fade can’t diminish the positives Elway and the Broncos have achieved in year one.

“I feel great about what we’ve accomplished,” Elway said. “I think the hardest mentality of change is winning games, and winning close games, and we’ve changed that mind-set.”

After Sunday’s defeat, the locker room was not filled with celebration, champagne and championship caps.

“The 24-hour rule is over,” Elway said. “You’ve got to keep things in perspective. I think we all look at things in the short term, not the whole season. John is a positive guy and will make sure the players realize this is the second season. Once you get to it, the excitement level goes up so quickly. Everybody’s in the hunt.”

In regard to the Pittsburgh game, Tebow and the Broncos offense must “do a better job of making plays in the passing game. It’s never going to be totally pretty, but if they show us defenses with eight or nine men in the box, we’ve got to make some big plays like we did against Minnesota.

“The guys in that locker room hung in there and have kept battling. One thing the fans should be proud of is the guys playing their tails off. They’ve been resilient all year and they’ll play well this weekend.

“We need energy from our fans right away Sunday.”

Elway cited the hiring of Fox as “the central key here — his excitement and energy, and the way he and his staff created that bond among the players.”

I asked Elway to grade his first year.

“Where we were and where we are, we’ve come a long way, but we’ve still got a long way to go. To be able to rebuild and win your division at the same time is what we’re most proud of. We’ve built a positive culture. I also know I’ve got to get better. I’ve learned a whole lot this year about working with our people here and the intricacies of the league.”

Last year Elway was approached about running for governor. Which John had the better year? Elway or Hickenlooper?

“I’m not sure who gets more heat — me or the governor. I’m happier with where I am than being the governor.

“It wasn’t necessarily the power … but having the final decisions over football operations. Getting back into (the NFL) was really something I wanted to do for a long time. I enjoyed retirement, but this year has been great — especially working for (owner) Pat Bowlen and (team president) Joe Ellis.”

Any regrets?

“You’d like to do things perfectly. I’ve made missteps, but there are few things I would change. I’m not sure I would be where I am now if I hadn’t made those mistakes.”

Once the season ends “we will dig in and evaluate the whole team. Eight and eight is a good start, but we’ve got to make more strides in the second year and find more players to fill those holes.”

Elway said the season “had been the most unusual in the NFL in a long, long time, and then there was everything (the Broncos) went through — the lockout, the 1-4 start, the twists and turns, the change in quarterbacks and our great run. And it’s not over.”

But, in the final analysis, Elway said: “I always believe God has put me in tough situations because he wants me to learn fast.”

Woody Paige: 303-954-1095 or wpaige@denverpost.com