Denver Broncos: 2019 Rookie report card at the bye week

Head coach Vic Fangio

Although he’s 61 years old, Vic Fangio is a rookie head coach in the NFL, but like we’ve been saying all along — he’s anything but a rookie coach.

There’s nothing under the NFL sun Fangio hasn’t seen or experienced, he’s just getting his first crack at being the captain of the ship.

Clarity with the media: A-

This was a huge issue I think many in Broncos Country took with Vance Joseph. Vic Fangio’s words carry authority because of his 30 years of coaching experience and his proven track record as a highly successful defensive coach in the NFL.

Fangio has been pretty forthcoming with the media from the start, and we don’t get a lot of ‘coachspeak’ from him. He’s straight-forward and clear in how he explains situations and decisions he makes.

I am, however, giving Fangio a bit of a knock on this grade for the way the team is handling Drew Lock’s situation. They are not obligated to reveal their plan there, but it’s getting off-putting the way they keep talking about how Lock needs to practice in order to play, yet they are delaying his practice time very deliberately.

Defensive coaching: A+

We can’t overstate the job Fangio has done with this defense.

Remember when the Broncos weren’t piling up sacks and turnovers in the first few weeks of the season? That was certainly not fun, but it also hasn’t affected the big picture for this Vic Fangio defense, which ranks among the NFL’s best through nine games.

Sacks and turnovers will eventually come, but for Fangio to have this defense in the position it is while dealing with:

• season-ending injury to Bradley Chubb
• season-ending injury to De’Vante Bausby
• nothing (yet) from Bryce Callahan
• injuries at MLB
• in-season change of starting DL alignment

is impressive.

Culture of the team: A

From an outsider’s perspective, the culture of the Broncos appears to have taken a turn for the better in 2019.

Of course, nobody likes losing. Players get frustrated in the midst of losing, and everyone hates being last place in the division. But unlike with the previous regime, it doesn’t appear as though you have a bunch of different people trying to create or maintain a strong culture.

The Broncos seem to understand where they’re at as a whole, and they seem to be handling taking these lumps along the way quite well. That’s a testament to Fangio and his staff. The players seem to love playing for him.

Personnel decisions: B

There are a couple of huge pendulum swings here for Fangio.

The personnel decisions he’s made defensively are an A+. He’s pulled all of the right strings there, including putting Mike Purcell in as the starting nose tackle, AJ Johnson at inside linebacker, Kareem Jackson back at safety, getting Duke Dawson ready as the slot corner, Davontae Harris coming in and starting at the other outside corner spot, and benching Isaac Yiadom.

Fangio has done a good job of putting together a really good defense with a lot of seemingly random pieces really working out great.

Offensively? We’re not in as great of a position.

The Broncos have not had the luxury of benching Garett Bolles because they don’t have anyone behind him who can truly play, but why bench a guy like Isaac Yiadom, who struggled in the first few games, and not Bolles?

The same can be said of Joe Flacco, who looked absolutely awful prior to his neck injury.

I’m sure some of this is out of his control, but I’m also not a huge fan of keeping Drew Lock on ice for as long as the Broncos have.

Overall Grade: A-