Member of Nathaniel Hackett’s staff defends the ex-Broncos coach

It’s fashionable to blame the Broncos struggles during the 2022 season on Nathaniel Hackett. After all, he was the head coach; he was the guy in charge of things. So when the team ends up 5-12, he’s going to get the finger of blame pointed at him.

Ultimately, that cost Hackett is job. He was fired after just 15 games, departing with a 4-11 record at the time.

The fact that the Broncos played better in their final two games, especially on offense, just added fuel to the anti-Hackett fire. Jerry Rosburg seemed to get much more out of the team than the guy he replaced.

But don’t count Bill Kollar amongst those who is ready to chuck Hackett under the bus. The long-time coach spent the 2022 season as a defensive assistant and special projects consultant on the first-year head coach’s staff. And he came away impressed with what he saw.

“I really like Nate Hackett,” Kollar told DMac and Derek Wolfe on 104.3 The Fan’s “The Drive” on Tuesday. “I thought he did a heckuva job.”

The coach who spent nearly four decades in the NFL, working for six different teams, saw positive things right away.

“Last spring, it was as good of OTAs as I’ve ever seen,” Kollar added. “Guys were going nuts, trying to impress the new staff.”

He felt that carried over into the season.

“Training camp was the same way,” Kollar continued. “I keep hearing people say, ‘They’re too soft.’ I didn’t see that at all. I promise you.”

Then, what went wrong? How did a team with playoff aspirations end up at the bottom of the AFC West?

“Just think of all those games that came right down to the wire,” Kollar explained. “You’ve got to win them. Somebody has to make a play. You can’t fumble the ball at the one-yard line. Everybody has to be accountable – not only coaches, but players too.”

Kollar might be right. Hackett might’ve done a lot of things right. He might’ve had a lot of skills that will eventually translate to good results on the field.

But they didn’t in Denver, for whatever reason. And that’s why the Broncos are looking for their fourth head coach since the end of the 2016 season.

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