Will the Broncos new GM favor continuity for continuity’s sake?
Jan 6, 2021, 6:00 AM
According to reports, the Broncos will have continuity with their coaching staff for the first time in almost a decade. Vic Fangio will return for his third year as head coach, and he will keep his offensive and defensive coordinators.
It has been seven years since the Broncos entered a season with the same coaching staff from the previous year. With that said, continuity for the sake of continuity is not the right move.
Vic Fangio did not show much growth, if any, in his second year as head coach. The Broncos will finish with a worse record than 2019, and many of these losses fall on on Fangio’s poor clock management and decision-making. He started and ended the 2020 season botching the end of games with poor timeouts.
He is clearly in over his head, and simply giving him another year is not the answer. The league has gotten younger and more offensive. Vic is old and defensive. It’s time to get with the times.
Drew Lock will have his offensive coordinator return for a consecutive season for the second time in his football career. That sounds like good news.
But Pat Shurmur does not have a history of developing QBs and he and Lock looked uncoordinated at times. Will a second year help? Probably, but will it be enough? Probably not.
Keeping Pat Shurmur, along with Vic Fangio is like a married couple staying together for the kids. It is not the right move.
The Broncos do need continuity, but they need continuity with the right guys. If the Broncos were serious about the development of Drew Lock, they would pair him with a younger and more offensive-minded head coach. Instead, they’re staying on the path with an older and defensive-minded head coach who continues to make the same mistakes, week in and week out.
