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The once proud Denver Broncos have completely crumbled

By Travis Wakeman

17 Jan 1999: Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen of the Denver Broncos holds up the trophy after winning the AFC Championship Game against the New York Jets at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Jets 23-10. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Laforet /Allsport
17 Jan 1999: Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen of the Denver Broncos holds up the trophy after winning the AFC Championship Game against the New York Jets at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Jets 23-10. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Laforet /Allsport /
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Jan 2, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio reacts before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

The destruction of the Denver Broncos: Terrible coaching hires

Gary Kubiak led the team to a victory in Super Bowl 50 and then stayed around for the 2016 season. It seemed that differences between he and the front office led to him stepping down.

Since then, the team has gradually gotten worse at one of the most important spots on the team: head coach.

Vance Joseph was chosen after a relatively simple interview process despite not being anything better than an average defensive coordinator. But he did play at Colorado University and had that connection with Matt Russell who at the time, was the Broncos’ director of player personnel and Elway’s right-hand man.

Joseph’s tenure as head coach was laughable. He was also chosen when names like Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay were available.

But the guy who replaced him, gave him a run for his money to be even worse.

Vic Fangio was the team’s next head coach despite being in the league since the mid-1980s and never being offered a head coaching job. The team allowed him to stick around for three miserable seasons.

General manager George Paton decided to conduct a widespread search for a successor, interviewing no less than 10 candidates. He settled on Nathaniel Hackett, a young, offensive-minded guy who fit the trend of the direction the league is heading in.

Yet Hackett has been far worse than either Joseph or Fangio and it’s unbelievable to say that.

Hackett’s struggles have put Paton in a bad position. If he fires him now, he admits what a horrible mistake he made in hiring him. If he sticks with him, he certainly puts his future on the line there, particularly since the new ownership group didn’t hire either of them.

A change absolutely has to be made between Paton, Hackett and Wilson though and it’s not going to be Wilson.

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