Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio once said that tackling is a non-negotiable in defensive prospects he evaluates. So where’s the tackling?
In light of how terrible the Denver Broncos have been at tackling — teams are running all over them this season to the tune of 597 yards (4th-worst in the NFL) and 5.1 yards per carry (3rd-worst in the NFL) — I thought it would be fun to take a stroll back in time to the NFL Scouting Combine where Vic Fangio was asked about what he views as “non-negotiables” on the defensive side of the ball when evaluating prospects.
"“Tackling is one. Everyone’s got to be able to tackle.”Vic Fangio (from February, via Broncos PR)"
If tackling is a non-negotiable for Fangio, I can’t wait to find out what the consequences are for his team’s complete ineptitude in the tackling department, put on display on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
#Broncos D -- 15 missed tackles vs. #Jaguars (14 in second half).
— Ryan O'Halloran (@ryanohalloran) September 30, 2019
The Broncos had a wide variety of plays rushing the passer, after the catch, and especially in the running game when their tackling absolutely failed.
Tackling Leonard Fournette with a full head of steam is easier said than done, but making open-field tackles is the literal job of NFL defensive players.
Guys up front were not getting nearly enough push. Linebackers were getting washed out looking tentative reading run plays and filling gaps. Defensive backs made too many weak, diving attempts to tackle Fournette and Ryquell Armstead throughout the game.
Perhaps because of the weird roughing the passer rules, the front seven missed too many opportunities to sack Gardner Minshew (even though they racked up five sacks in this game) and allowed him to extend plays, one near-sack resulting in a touchdown throw.
The Broncos’ ineptitude against the run this season has created a ripple effect that is hurting their pass rush. Because the Broncos can’t stop the run, they can’t force teams into third-and-long situations frequent enough and they seem to be ‘guessing’ far too often what plays are going to be run rather than dictating things.
What’s the reason behind this?
The Broncos’ interior defensive line is too small and their linebacker duo of Josey Jewell and Todd Davis has hardly been on the field at the same time at all this season.
Although Corey Nelson is a fantastic special teams player, he’s getting washed out of way too many run plays and the Broncos’ defensive line is not stout enough on a consistent basis in the middle to prevent runs from getting to the second level.
This is one area teams have exploited in all four of the Broncos’ games so far and that doesn’t figure to change until Denver figures out a way to stop it.
At this particular point in time, tackling seems to be a ‘negotiable’ for Vic Fangio’s defense, and I’ll bet it’s driving him crazy.