Denver Broncos: Vic Fangio getting extra face time with John Elway

The Denver Broncos were supposed to wrap up their head coaching interviews on Monday morning, but Vic Fangio is getting extra time.

In case you were wondering if Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio impressed in his interview with the Denver Broncos (which he said he hadn’t done any prep for prior to the Bears’ game Sunday), here’s your answer:

Fangio and the Broncos completed their interview in Chicago early this afternoon or late Monday morning. Pat Bowlen’s private jet was supposed to leave Chicago at noon but was pushed back.

The Broncos are very clearly taking a significant interest in Fangio, who has never been a head coach in the NFL before.

Fangio has been a successful defensive coordinator in the NFL for a long time, specifically since he jumped on board Jim Harbaugh’s staff in San Francisco starting in 2011.

Most of Fangio’s defenses since that time have been phenomenal, and the 2018 Bears were no different. The Bears were one of the league’s best not only at preventing other teams from scoring but taking the ball away and getting pressure on the quarterback.

The fit with Denver would seem obvious, then, as the Broncos’ most attractive building blocks right now are Von Miller and Bradley Chubb.

If Denver’s greatest roster strength is off the edge, does any coaching candidate make more sense than Fangio?

As of Monday morning (before Fangio’s interview) it seemed like Mike Munchak was the favorite, but momentum has very clearly taken a swing in Fangio’s advantage. Fangio, a huge baseball fan, clearly swung for the fences in his interview and knocked it out of the park.

Corny analogies aside, it really does seem like Fangio impressed Elway and company in his interview. Shortly after the interview, Fangio was seen at Bears headquarters and apparently had his end-of-season meeting with players.

Did he inform his players of an impending move, or did he tell them nothing was certain?

There are a lot of tea leaves to read into, most notably the fact that the Broncos pushed back their flight and are taking extra time to meet with Fangio this evening.

In addition to that, the Miami Dolphins apparently decided to cancel their interview with Fangio, and a Steelers reporter doesn’t seem to think it’s a foregone conclusion that Mike Munchak is getting Denver’s job.

There were rumors that the Broncos’ flight was pushed back due to weather, but that’s clearly no longer the case.

The Broncos wanted more face time with Fangio after their initial meeting. If Munchak was their selection, there would be no need to spend more time with Fangio. It’s up to him now to make sure he seals the deal on his first ever NFL head coaching job.