Denver Post Broncos writer Ryan O’Halloran posts his Broncos Mailbag periodically during the season. Submit questions to Ryan here.
I read a story by Mark Kiszla about how after the Broncos lost to Cleveland, coach Vic Fangio knew he was in trouble and that he needed to get involved in the offense and special teams. I would think the coach should be involved in all phases of the game throughout every week, not just when the team is on a four-game losing streak. Shouldn’t this be concerning for general manager George Paton?
— Brandon Brown, Rogers, Minn.
I believe Fangio is involved with the offense and special teams, but certainly not as much as he is with the defense since he calls the plays for that side. The same holds true with offensive play-calling head coaches like the Rams’ Sean McVay, Arizona’s Kliff Kingsbury, New Orleans’ Sean Payton, etc. They let their defensive coordinators run that side.
If I’m Paton, the on-field product would be more of a concern than how Fangio splits up his workday. He offers suggestions to offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur (and might have been more vocal after the Cleveland game) and special teams coordinator Tom McMahon.
Would the Broncos’ offense and special teams be that much better if Fangio was a CEO-type of coach and didn’t call the defense? Doubtful.
Being both a team captain and quarterback for a franchise with a fanbase that scrutinizes the position more than almost anything, Teddy “I don’t want to break a fingernail” Bridgewater has failed as both a leader and captain against Philadelphia. We all know the quarterback is the true leader of a team and he completely failed. Melvin Gordon fumbled the football, but the real fumble in that sequence is Bridgewater. He gave up on his team and when the team sees that, they should give up on him. He needs to go. Start Drew Lock!
— Victor, Alameda
Victor is referring to Bridgewater’s lack of effort (no effort?) on Philadelphia cornerback Darius Slay’s 83-yard fumble return touchdown in Week 10. Bridgewater doubled down on the play after the game, but came clean a day later, admitting his effort was unacceptable.
It would be fascinating to have an open locker room for the media so I could ask players — privately and not at the podium for all the world to see — how Bridgewater can recover from that play … or if he needs to recover.
Is that play enough reason to move to Lock? No, but Bridgewater also didn’t throw it well against the Eagles. But Fangio is committed to Bridgewater.
Admittedly, Broncos coaches have forgotten more about football than I will ever know. My struggle is trying to understand why a team that runs the ball effectively would come out in an empty backfield set with five wide-outs … on first down. It seems like the threat of the run makes the passing game work, and a team that runs the ball well probably shouldn’t make itself one-dimensional. Thoughts?
— Jaye, Cheyenne
I looked at the Broncos’ 11 drive-starting plays against Philadelphia. The breakdown:
Play selection: Three rushes and eight passes.
Personnel: Four plays of “12”personnel (2WR-2TE-1RB) and seven plays of “11” personnel (3WR-1RB-1TE).
Teams become one-dimensional when the score gets out of hand like it did for the Broncos against Philadelphia.
When the Broncos win, they are averaging 31.4 rush attempts per game; when they lose, it’s 18.0.
Do the Broncos really need to narrow it down to an offensive-minded coach to replace Vic Fangio? I saw Mark Kiszla make the case for a coach like Kellen Moore. After what appears to be a second miss with a rookie head coach, should the Broncos really swing again with a rookie or do they need to take a shot this time with a more experienced hand at the job?
— Yoann, Beine-Nauroy (France)
If Paton decides to make a move after the season, he should and will keep all options open. His search should be both quick (that’s the way of the NFL) and wide (you never know who will impress during the process).
Moore and other offensive coordinators such as Brian Daboll (play-caller in Buffalo) and Nathaniel Hackett (non-play-caller in Green Bay) will be atop the list for us charged with doing hot boards.
But Paton should also talk to defensive-minded assistants and former head coaches to get their take on the Broncos’ offensive personnel.
Since Paton doesn’t have a track record of hiring a head coach, all I can look at is Minnesota’s history when he was there (Leslie Frazier and Mike Zimmer were first-time head coaches with a defensive background). But if Paton wants to pair the new coach with a new quarterback, then going offense is the best route.
I have always been the optimist, always (almost) ready to give someone a second … or third chance with the Broncos. I always (almost) want, hope and even trust that each player and coach will be successful and do their part to bring the Broncos to their next Super Bowl. I’m sorry, I finally give up. It is time, right now, today. Replace offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. Give Drew Lock the rest of the season. It is absolutely clear that although Teddy Bridgewater is a great guy and not the worst quarterback, he’ll never be an elite, franchise quarterback. Why waste any more time on him as starter? Drew has earned the right to finish the season. Then George Paton will know for sure if Drew has what it takes. I am not too optimistic that he does, but we’ll never know if he can’t play a few games consistently as starter.
— Michael Hert, Durango
Happy Thanksgiving, Michael! Let’s try and cheer you up. The Broncos are 5-5 entering Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers and as flawed as they may be, they have five AFC West games remaining. The season is in their hands.
If Fangio didn’t make sweeping changes — coaching staff and quarterback — during the bye week, he is adopting the status quo, believing the Broncos are more the team that beat Dallas and less the team that lost to Philadelphia.
Also, I think upper management has made their decision on Lock. If they really felt he could spark the offense and really believed he could be an option in 2022, he would have played by now (like the Washington game after a four-game losing streak).
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November 24, 2021 at 01:51AM
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