The Broncos preach a lot accountability, but they don’t practice it

Week after week after week, it’s the same song-and-dance from the Broncos. From Vic Fangio to Teddy Bridgewater, from Tom McMahon to Justin Simmons, the talking points are always the same. The coaches and the players repeatedly talk about accountability.

It sounds good. It’s the right attitude. But it doesn’t translate onto the field.

Week after week after week, the Broncos get the same results. And often, it’s due to the same issues.

They make mistakes on special teams. They can’t convert in the red zone. They can’t get the opposing team off the field. They make critical blunders in big moments.

After games, the answers to questions are always the same. They preach that they all have to be more accountable.

Here’s the problem: No one ever is.

The head coach certainly isn’t. Fangio is 17-25 since taking over the Broncos. He’s 9-12 at home, with eight double-digit losses. It’s been one embarrassment after another.

But he’s still here. There’s no sign that Fangio is on the hot seat.

The special teams coordinator certainly isn’t. McMahon’s group has had a blunder in seven of the 10 games this season. On a weekly basis, they commit a mistake that some teams don’t have happen all season.

But he’s still here. His boss reiterated on Monday that nothing will change in that phase.

The quarterback certainly isn’t. Bridgwater was brought in to jumpstart an offense that struggled a year ago. But they’re still averaging a measly 20.0 points per game. They’re still throwing short of the sticks on third down. And the QB admitted that he quit on a game-changing, season-defining play on Sunday.

But he’s still here. Fangio doubled-down on Monday, saying that Bridgewater is the Broncos quarterback.

The Broncos talk about accountability, but no one is held accountable. Except Drew Lock, of course, as the young QB was the cause of all that ailed the team.

The head coach hasn’t been fired. The special teams coordinator hasn’t been replaced. The quarterback hasn’t been benched.

Perhaps those moves are too extreme. That’s a fair point, given that Denver is 5-5 and still squarely in the AFC playoff chase.

Has anyone been cut for making a special teams blunder? What end-of-the-roster has been sent packing for failing to do his job?

That would send a message. But it doesn’t happen.

Instead, the Broncos act like everything is fine. They don’t see anything wrong with what they’re doing. That’s why they keep doing it week after week after week.

Pat Shurmur doesn’t change. Instead, he rips the media for questioning him when they don’t have the practice script.

Fangio doesn’t change. Instead, he does a victory lap when he racks up his first impressive win in 40-plus games.

McMahon doesn’t change. Instead, he just rattles off another head-scratching sound bite.

Bridgewater doesn’t change. Instead, he just admits that he didn’t try to make a tackle and waits for everyone to forget all about it.

As a result, nothing changes. The Broncos get the same result week after week after week.

They talk about accountability. But they don’t act upon it.

Right now, that’s the biggest problem at Dove Valley. No one has to pay the price for mistakes, so they keep happening.

How low will things have to get for someone to step in and make a move? Is there a rock bottom that would cause action?

If there are 20,000 no-shows for the Chargers or Lions game, will Joe Ellis notice?

If the Broncos lose to the Chargers and Chiefs to fall to 5-7, will George Paton care?

If more players make “business decisions” on plays, something we seen from Bridgewater, Courtland Sutton and others this season, will Fangio make a change?

It doesn’t seem so. And that’s a hopeless feeling. It makes Broncos Country lose faith in the organization.

Of course, most will say that change is coming. It’ll happen when the ownership situation is resolved. That sounds good, but it’s not based in fact, either.

For one thing, there are zero rumors about someone stepping up to buy the team. Given that a coaching change would have to happen in eight weeks, it seems unlikely that a $4 billion transaction will come together by then.

A change by the NFL Owners Meetings in March seems more likely. But if it takes that long, the window to make a coaching change will have come and gone. If the franchise didn’t want to axe Fangio last offseason because they didn’t know who the new owner would be, why would they be willing to do so this time around?

So the team is stuck. And everyone in Broncos Country is stuck.

Nothing changes. And there’s no reason to believe it will.

So nothing improves. And there’s no reason to believe it will, either.

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