Vic Fangio’s defense isn’t nearly as good he wants everyone to think
Jan 4, 2022, 6:00 AM | Updated: 12:09 pm
On Monday, Vic Fangio met the media to talk about the Broncos latest loss. In the process, Denver’s head coach rattled off his normal array of excuses and tossed plenty of people under the bus.
He let everyone know that they need to call better plays in the red zone, execute better on special teams and catch some breaks when it comes to personnel. Fangio said the Broncos were “close” to getting over the hump, while also offering nearly a dozen things the team needs to improve.
It was a dizzying performance, a rapid-fire attempt to save his own hide. It might just work, as the Broncos are still allegedly undecided about what to do with their head coach after the season. Someone will be the scapegoat, but it might not be Fangio.
That’s because he’s executing a master class in passing the buck. He’s positioning himself as the victim, given how good his defense has been. The Fangio propaganda is out there, as many people are buying that he’s somehow not to blame for offensive and special teams woes.
During his press conference, however, Fangio inadvertently threw himself under the bus. He poked holes in his defense. He explained how it’s a bit of a mirage.
On the surface, the Broncos appear to have a very good defense. They’re third in points allowed and ninth in yards allowed. That’s resume-building stuff for a defensive “guru” like Fangio.
But there’s more to defense than those two stats. There are situational things that are often the difference between winning and losing. And the head coach knows it.
“Finding a way to get off the field defensively one or two more times on third down,” Fangio offered when explaining what his defense could do better. “Get another takeaway or two.”
It sounds like a vague, throw-away comment. But there’s substance to it.
The Broncos are currently 21st in terms of drive length (plays) and 22nd in terms of time. They aren’t very good at getting off the field, allowing opponents to hold the ball for extended periods of time. In part, that’s because they aren’t very good on third downs, as Fangio mentioned.
In addition, the Broncos are also 19th in turnovers forced. Through 16 games, they’ve forced just 19 turnovers. That continues a trend of the Fangio era. During the head coach’s tenure, his teams have forced 52 turnovers in 48 games. That’s not going to cut it, as the head coach pointed out.
When it comes to listing the Broncos problems, it’s easy to point the finger at the team’s offense and/or their special teams. But that’s letting one of the main culprits off the hook.
The Broncos defense is a part of the issue too. And Vic Fangio knows it.
