For five days in the blistering heat, Broncos general manager John Elway has stood at his usual spot along the sidelines of the team’s practice fields in Englewood, wearing his usual navy shorts and usual white T-shirt and watching a familiar offense take shape.



He’s stood to watch the same play-action, zone-blocking scheme that helped him to a pair of Super Bowl victories as a player in the late ’90s and again as an executive three years ago. He’s stood to watch coach Vic Fangio run music-less practices that mimic game days more than weekdays. He’s stood to watch Mike Munchak leave his touch on the offensive line, stood to see a once-dominant defense regain its footing and stood to watch Joe Flacco take the reins as starting quarterback.



It’s a lot of standing, but Elway is cautiously optimistic that he’s witnessing a new beginning. With Fangio at the helm, the Broncos have taken a different approach and have, so far,...