Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio suggests that Shelby Harris could do multiple things for them on the defensive line.
Nose tackle Shelby Harris was a key cog for the Denver Broncos defense during the last two seasons. He was one of the players that teams really had to gameplan for.
In 2018, Harris recorded 1.5 sacks, 39 tackles, and an interception. The year before, he had 5.5 sacks and 34 tackles. Now, in Vic Fangio and Ed Donatell’s defense, the team is hoping for an even bigger year.
By the sounds of it, Fangio envisions Harris being an even better player for the team under the new coaching staff.
"“I think he can play anywhere along the defensive line for us hopefully. I think D-Linemen are interchangeable. I think the days of a nose tackle and an end—to me, they’re all tackles. They play from lining up on this tackle all the way to that tackle and anywhere in between. They all have to react to the same type of blocking schemes and the same type of blocks to be able to pass rush. To me, they’re defensive linemen. Period. End of story.”Vic Fangio (quotes via Broncos PR)"
That is potentially good news for the defense. In 2018, the defense had a string of games giving up a ton of rushing yards, including over 300 yards to the New York Jets.
Being successful is a two-way street in sports. Not only do you have to have the right players; you have to have the right coaches for the job. The last coaching staff clearly was not the answer to the problems.
Fangio’s defense in Chicago during the 2018 season gave up the least amount of yards on the ground (77.8 yards per game).
The potential of the current players is there. Harris could be a dominant force on the defensive line, wherever he is lined up. I predict that he is going to have a breakout season for the Broncos, and thrive in Fangio’s defense.
Hopefully, the 2019 Denver Broncos will accumulate close to the same number of sacks as the Chicago Bears defense of 2018 (50 sacks). They certainly have some phenomenal players to rack of that type of stat.
We always talk about how Von Miller and Bradley Chubb are going to do in this new defense. I would be highly surprised if they didn’t have an amazing 2019 season.
The same goes for Harris.