Uncle Vic is in a tough spot. With injured stars on both sides of the football and a roomful of future Hall of Fame quarterbacks on the upcoming schedule, the Broncos teeter on the brink after only one tough loss.
So what should coach Vic Fangio do?
I’d suggest a timeout.
For deep reflection. And to make a change of direction. Maybe over a glass of fine Italian red wine. Nebbiolo is the best grape in the world.
Fangio should be able to find the timeout in his pocket, right where he left it, alongside his car keys, during a 16-14 loss to Tennessee.
At 0-1, Denver already has last place to itself in the AFC West. So I humbly suggest Uncle Vic comes out swinging and goes down fighting. Take the shackles off Drew Lock and open up the offense. Blitz more often and flash more aggression on defense. Embrace the underdog role. Play football like the head coach’s job depends on it.
We will address these issues momentarily. But can we first douse one of the more overwrought red-hot takes in the recent history of Broncos Country?
Yes, it was dumb for Fangio to not use his timeouts late in the fourth quarter, as the Titans drove for the winning field goal, as the coach himself has admitted.
But failure to burn the timeouts is not what lost the game for Denver.
It is Fangio’s mentality that cost his team a victory, in a season when nine Ws will probably earn a playoff berth.
If he’s not careful, this same mentality will cost Fangio his job, because if this team finishes 6-10, Broncos Country won’t need some knucklehead columnist to scream for the coach’s head, because the air will already be smoky with discontent from steaming fans.
The timeouts Fangio took home with him Monday night are not emblematic of a man who doesn’t know football, but represent a defensive-minded coach who keeps trying to win games 14-13.
It’s not working. Or have you forgotten last September, when the Broncos couldn’t hang on after taking a late 14-13 lead against Chicago? This Denver D ain’t what it used to be, no matter how Fangio schemes to revive the glory of Super Bowl 50. And if the Broncos can’t make a late-game stand against Mitch Trubisky or Ryan Tannehill, what chance do they have against Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady or Drew Brees?
We all saw Lock go on the road to Houston as a rookie and mess with the playoff-bound Texans by throwing three touchdowns in a rousing Denver victory. On Thursday, I asked Fangio how much confidence he has in putting more on Lock’s plate now.
“We want to do as much as we can, while making sure we can execute it. We can look fancy and do a lot of things, but if it’s not executed right, it doesn’t really matter,” Fangio replied.
“We’re trying to push it and use our guys to the best of their abilities, but we’re just trying to handle that fine line of execution, too. I have confidence in our guys to be able to do a lot of things offensively.”
With linebacker Von Miller on the mend from ankle surgery, new starting cornerback A.J. Bouye sidelined by injury and Bradley Chubb still rounding into top form, I’m not sure the Broncos have enough talent to be a big-play defense without a little extra juice squeezed in the game plan.
Let’s review Tennessee’s game-winning drive. If you ask me, the closest Denver came to stopping the Titans was when linebacker Alexander Johnson came free on a blitz at midfield on the first snap after the two-minute warning. Tannehill threw the pass away a blink before getting drilled by Johnson with a hit so ferocious it could’ve easily caused a turnover to preserve a Denver victory.
To generate more turnovers, the Broncos need to take more calculated risks.
“We love your enthusiasm about it, so we’re going to bring you in to help us a little bit,” defensive coordinator Ed Donatell told me.
Touche. I wouldn’t suit up, even for one of the Vonster’s paychecks.
Turnovers, however, are “at the front of our minds …we need those, because those turn games,” Donatell said.
I like Uncle Vic. And feel empathy the tough spot he’s in. In many ways, Fangio reminds me of forever-beloved Wade Phillips, a Hall-worthy defensive coordinator who did gold jacket worthy work for the Broncos, except for the brief stint Phillips served as head coach from 1993-94.
The only way this young, beat-up Broncos team is going to make noise in the playoff race is to get loud. Go big or go home. Let Lock throw it deep. Bring Justin Simmons on the safety blitz.
OK, it cannot be bombs away or the blitzing Broncos on every snap. Denver, however, cannot be a big-play team if Fangio doesn’t let down his hair. (OK, maybe that’s bad metaphor, especially coming from an old, balding guy like me. But you know what I mean.)
The Broncos do not have legit championship expectations. So why not play loose and free?
Losing 16-14 will get a coach fired. Sure, a 31-28 loss counts the same in the standings. But give the fan base reason to believe this team might really have something in Lock and his young weapons, and there might be a little more wiggle room of forgiveness for the defeats.
Here’s all we’re asking, coach:
Less Uncle Vic.
More cowbell.
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