Nathaniel Hackett brings all of the things the Broncos have been missing
Jan 27, 2022, 1:47 PM
There’s no such thing as a perfect hire. That’s because there isn’t a candidate with a perfect resume.
Not this time around for the Broncos. Nor for any team searching for a head coach.
If they’re on the open market, it’s for a reason. Or two. There are bound to be a few blemishes on their track record. There are going to be some question marks.
That’s why it seems silly to pick apart the hiring of Nathaniel Hackett. The Broncos new head coach is a great choice. For his plusses. And his minuses.
Clearly, the past three seasons with the Packers have been fantastic. During that time, he’s guided an offense that’s finished in the top 10 the last two years in terms of points scored. That’s music to the ears of Broncos fans who’ve been watching a team struggle to reach 20 points per game for the past five seasons. Hackett’s also helped Aaron Rodgers post an MVP season in 2020 and likely another one this year. That’s also great news, as quarterback remains an issue in Denver.
The new head coach’s resume also includes highlights that don’t center around a Hall of Fame quarterback. During his stint as the offensive coordinator in Jacksonville, he helped the Jaguars reach an AFC Championship Game with Blake Bortles at QB. He did it by building a run-heavy offense that relied on Leonard Fournette.
That flexibility is key. Hackett isn’t a square-peg, round-hole coach. He’s someone who takes the talent on his roster and figures out the best way to maximize their abilities.
In other words, he’s the antithesis of Vic Fangio and Pat Shurmur. And not just in that way.
Hackett will be a breath of fresh air at Dove Valley. Some personality will return to the building.
The new head coach has energy and enthusiasm. He has a sense of humor. And he’s engaged with what’s happening in the world today. All of that will help him relate to his players.
Plus, he’s intellectually curious. Hackett originally studied to become a doctor. He also was a hip-hop dance instructor. So he has interests outside of football.
That may seem like a negative, but it’s not. The football-only personality tends to get set in its ways. Those types of people aren’t able to see other answers to problems. They aren’t very creative.
That’s what the Broncos endured with Fangio and Shurmur. They couldn’t think outside of the box, looking at things through a different lens. Hackett is the opposite. He’s all about creative approaches to situations.
He’s also someone who lands on his feet. Which leads to the negatives.
Less than a season after helping the Jaguars reach the AFC title game, he was out of a job. A Monday morning meeting with Jacksonville head coach Doug Marrone didn’t go as planned, as the team’s seven-game losing streak was placed on his shoulders. Hackett was fired after Week 12 of the 2018 season.
The Jaguars went on to struggle in his absence. They scored 6, 9, 13, 17 and 3 points in their final five games, a whopping 9.6 points per outing. It was vindication for the OC.
But Hackett didn’t wallow. He didn’t pout. He didn’t watch his career get derailed.
Instead, he landed a plum job, being hired by Matt LaFleur to be the offensive coordinator in Green Bay. He went from Bortles to Rodgers. That’s the definition of turning a negative into a positive.
Will it be a perfect landing in Denver? Of course not. There will be issues with a first-time head coach. There will be growing pains with someone who hasn’t been calling plays the past three seasons.
But the pieces are there. Hackett has the resume and he has the intangible.
The long nightmare is over in Broncos Country. Nathaniel Hackett is going to roll into town and change things for the better.
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