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We are about to witness a nationwide epidemic of sympathy for John Elway. Poor John. Dear John. He has never won a Super Bowl. On the topic of Deprived John, his life in tatters without that Super Bowl triumph, some of us are heartless enough to say: So what? John Elway has been a great quarterback, in the AFC. We were thrilled to pieces that he could always beat the Cleveland Browns when it counted. Beyond that, if you don’t win the big one–most people don’t–join the crowd. The thing is, even the greatest of the great players don’t get validated until their teams win championships. Even the coronation of Michael Jordan as the biggest individual force in team sports was not complete until the Bulls started winning championships. You cannot mention John Elway in the same breath as Michael Jordan. But you can mention him in the same breath as Ernie Banks.