The Denver Broncos are in the midst of a playoff push, but many fans still feel the team does not have the right man at the helm.
Even if the Broncos manage to squeak into a Wild Card spot in the playoffs, fans are still going to be down on head coach Vic Fangio. That’s with good reason.
Known for his defensive prowess, being a head coach, or at least a good one, is not something most would say for Fangio. Even when his team wins, he still makes silly mistakes.
It has been discussed going back to the offseason that 2021 would likely be a “make or break” season for Fangio, meaning that he absolutely must get the team into the postseason for the first time since 2015.
But that may not necessarily be the case. There are reasons why it might not be a great idea to give Fangio his walking papers after the season but here, we are going to discuss some reasons why it may not happen even if the team completely misses the playoffs.
I’ll be quite clear here. If he misses the postseason, he should be gone. No excuses. But the team’s front office may see things differently.
The team is in playoff position
If the season ended today, the Broncos would not be in the playoffs. But that could easily change.
With the logjam of teams in position in the AFC, the Broncos are among them and have a clear path to the postseason if they can find a way to win three of their last four games.
The Broncos have not played in a playoff game since winning Super Bowl 50 and sadly, they haven’t even really come close to making the playoffs since then. Right now, they sit with a winning record heading into the final stretch of the season and that is something those in charge may view quite favorably in Fangio’s favor.
In a league where teams are having to navigate through COVID protocols and an even longer regular season, the fact that Fangio has been able to get the team to 7-6, particularly with the average-at-best quarterback play, could be a sign that he deserves another chance.
Lack of quality candidates
If the Broncos were to move on from Fangio, there really isn’t a clear-cut option to replace him. Earlier this year, I put together a list of potential replacements for Fangio.
Eric Bienemy is a name that comes up every offseason, but do team’s really see him as a head coach?
Matt Campbell likes where he is at with Iowa State and Joe Brady was recently let go by the struggling Carolina Panthers.
What about a big name coming over? Two of the biggest names in the rumor mill are current college coaches, Lincoln Riley and Jim Harbaugh. Riley left Oklahoma to be the new head coach at USC and there is no way Harbaugh is going to go anywhere after finally taking Michigan where many fans always hoped he would.
That leaves several coordinators around the league as the main candidates. Guys like Leslie Frazier and Todd Bowles have been head coaches before, while guys like Kellen Moore and Matt Eberflus will likely get some interviews in the offseason.
But do any of those names excite you?
Current Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is an intriguing option but it’s hard to say if he is one that the Broncos would see as a better choice than simply sticking with what they already have.
Current ownership situation
This is the biggest reason why the team could decide to stick with Fangio if he were to miss the playoffs. It’s also the situation the Broncos need to get cleared up more than any other.
This could go in one of several different ways, but nothing will happen until a court settles the lawsuit pitting the Bowlen Trust v. the Kaiser Estate.
Does the team stay within the Bowlen family or will it go to an outside buyer? If it stays in the family, Pat Bowlen’s daughter, Brittany, will be the favorite to become the team’s primary owner. But if not, all bets will be off.
If it goes to an outside buyer, it could be a group of investors that comes together to buy the team, as it seems all of the potential billionaire buyers, including Jeff Bezos, don’t seem interested. That group of investors could include John Elway, Peyton Manning, or both.
Depending on when this sale occurs, it could be bad timing as shaking up the front office may be so much change for one offseason that the new owners decide to give Fangio one more year, at the least.
There will be many moving parts but the team’s ownership situation has been a big distraction for far too long unless of course, you feel that the Bowlen Trust, led by Joe Ellis, has provided a stable enough situation.
The team needs to become more stable at the top. But making that decision and getting all of those ducks in a row could provide enough to detract from Fangio, even if he misses the playoffs again.