Denver Broncos: Vic Fangio’s seat should be blazing hot
If Denver Broncos Head Coach Vic Fangio cannot help guide his team to the playoffs, his tenure as head coach should end immediately.
I may be in the minority on this, but I truly do not believe there are 5 teams in the NFL who have a more talented roster than the Denver Broncos, and much of their success will hinge on Vic Fangio.
I’d argue this current Denver Broncos roster is stronger than in 2015 when the team won in all.
In such a pivotal year for the team, and specifically the coaching staff, the bare minimum should be a playoff appearance.
In my opinion, if Vic Fangio wants to keep his job, that’s all he needs to do for 2021: help guide the Broncos to the playoffs. If he cannot do that, he should be fired.
Don’t get me wrong, I love that Vic Fangio is the Denver Broncos head coach. I think he’s the right type of coach for this team. He’s a bit rugged, old school, has the respect of his players, and is still ‘hip’ for his age.
In fact, I want Vic Fangio to coach the Denver Broncos until he can’t stand anymore, but if he cannot help guide this team to the playoffs, he deserves to be fired.
The Broncos have gotten a bit of national media attention this offseason for their talented roster, and for good reason. I’d argue that outside of the QB position, the Broncos ‘weakest’ position group is the linebackers, who PFF ranked as 4th best in the NFL.
I think many Denver Broncos fans, as it stands now, will naturally gravitate towards some form of negativity, but it’s hard for me to be negative about this loaded roster.
Not only that, Fangio is perhaps the best defensive mind of this generation, so the defense should be a top 5 unit, at the very least.
Moreover, I don’t think it’s outrageous to suggest the Broncos will have better QB play in 2021, even if the team doesn’t land Aaron Rodgers.
With Drew Lock having a more full offseason overall, and not having to learn a new offense, he should theoretically be marginally better, at least.
As for Teddy Bridgewater, I don’t think he’s been on a team with this much offensive weaponry, so it’s very possible we see a better-than-average Teddy if he wins the job.
Given the loads of talent on defense especially, the offense does not have to be an elite unit by any means.
Vic Fangio has a great opportunity here. Year one was promising; the team started slow but turned the gas on and finished just a couple of horrific roughing the passer calls away from a playoff berth.
In year two, I’d argue the team’s performance had nothing to do with Fangio. The violent regression from Drew Lock coupled with mounting injuries would force even the best coaches to struggle.
Just look at Kyle Shanahan, who was in the same boat in 2020 as Vic Fangio. Some hurdles are simply too high to jump.
George Paton’s first offseason as the Denver Broncos’ General Manager should tell us all that he wants to compete now. The team could have very well moved up a few slots in the NFL Draft, taken a quarterback, and hit the reset button a bit, but that obviously wasn’t the case.
Instead of trying to solve the hardest problem in professional sports, George Paton gave Vic Fangio the most talented defensive personnel he’s ever had and brought in a solid quarterback to hopefully yield better results.
It’s understandable why many in Broncos Country, including Vic Fangio, would be upset that the QB position is still the way it is, but this defense should win the team some games.
Vic Fangio needs to guide the Denver Broncos to the playoffs in 2021 if he wants to keep his job, and I think the team has the firepower to make a deep run.