Broncos’ head coach Hackett doubles down on traits he wants in a QB

Speaking at the NFL Combine on Tuesday, Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett sounded a lot like he did his first day on the job.

He knows what type of quarterback he’s looking for.

“I think for quarterbacks the one most important thing, they have to be tough,” Hackett said. “You look at the physical aspect of it to be able to take hits, because even if it’s perfect, you’re going to be hit and it’s a long season, so that’s a form of toughness.”

So if toughness is No. 1, what else do you want, coach?

“In the end, it’s about that intelligence. It’s to be able to get out there and process quickly because it’s the hardest position in all (of) sports in my opinion. I mean, it’s unbelievable,” Hackett said.

This sounds familiar.

Back on January 28, the day he was introduced as Denver’s next head coach, Hackett joined “The Drive” and provided a similar answer. Hackett even coined the word “Intelli-tough” as what’s needed to succeed at the QB position.

“Quarterbacks take some massive hits and they’ve got to still get up,” Hackett added to DMac and Tyler Polumbus. “It’s both mentally and physically. They have to talk and answer for a lot of things. It’s one of the hardest positions in all of football. Then intelligence is so important to be able to do the different things you would like to do on offense.”

While it isn’t shocking that Hackett’s QB philosophy hasn’t changed over the last month, it’s nice to see some consistency and passion from the head coach. Vic Fangio or Vance Joseph never “won” a press conference or brought the energy that Hackett has. And other than Joseph infamously saying the Broncos “had a good week of practice,” neither brought a ton of consistency, either.

For Hackett, it’s clear what he wants in a quarterback, and now he and George Paton have to go find that guy.

I remember a QB Hackett used to work with in Green Bay that checks both the tough and intelligent boxes.

Just sayin’.

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