Those preaching continuity for the Broncos aren’t dealing with reality
Nov 16, 2020, 6:19 AM
Those preaching continuity have a lot to support their case. There are plenty of examples to show that constantly changing things doesn’t lead to better results.
The Browns are a recent example. The revolving door of quarterbacks and head coaches has resulted in Cleveland being an NFL doormat for two decades.
The Rockets are a good team that could also qualify. They keep trying different co-stars alongside James Harden, as well new systems, but can’t get over the hump in the NBA.
And back in the day, the Yankees were guilty of this trap. George Steinbrenner would fire managers on a whim, but New York didn’t start winning champions until they settled on Joe Torre and left him alone.
That’s the argument for the Broncos being patient, even as their season circles the drain after an embarrassing loss to the Raiders on Sunday. Even though their head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterback are struggling, there’s a group contending that change wouldn’t solve the problem.
It’s a bunch of balderdash, at least when it comes to the coaching staff.
Patience is a virtue, most of the time. But it’s also a way to avoid dealing with reality, ignoring the facts pointing out that a different approach is necessary.
That’s clearly the case with the Broncos. They aren’t heading in the right direction. And there’s no evidence to suggest that it’s going to change.
If there were positive signs, patience would make sense. That argument can be made about Drew Lock.
Even though the quarterback threw four interceptions against Las Vegas, he also showed some flashes. Lock made some big-time throws. Objective observers can see that’s the case.
That argument can’t be made for Vic Fangio, however. Or Pat Shurmur.
As a team, the Broncos are regressing. In each of the last three games, they’ve trailed by 21 points or more in the second half.
Fangio’s defense is getting worse. Four weeks in a row, they’ve surrendered 30-plus points. And on Sunday, they once again failed to force any turnovers, failing to make a potential game-changing play at any point.
They’re an undisciplined group that makes silly, costly mistakes every week. That’s on the head coach; he allows it to happen.
The Broncos had a first down erased because Tim Patrick got a penalty, and was ejected, for throwing a punch. They gave up a touchdown when they had 10 men on the field. They later had to waste a timeout because they had 12.
Those are inexcusable mistakes, as are the constant blunders on special teams. That’s a phase of the game that is all about discipline and attention to details. Denver is laughingly bad at everything other than Brandon McManus field goals.
That’s also on the head coach. Good teams, those with the right guy in charge, excel on special teams. When’s the last time a Bill Belichick, Andy Reid, Nick Saban or Dabo Sweeney team beat themselves with a special teams blunder?
The Broncos are also awful on offense. Yards in garbage time the last three weeks has slightly hidden that fact, but it remains largely true.
They’ve scored two first-half touchdowns all season. In nine games!
Denver had two first downs in the first half against the Chargers. They scored three points in the first half against the Falcons. They had one yard of second-half offense well into the fourth quarter against the Raiders.
Week after week, game after game, the Broncos start poorly on offense. In part, this is because they try to play a safe, conservative brand of football. They’re afraid of making mistakes, so they dink and dunk until they’re so far behind that riskier plays are necessary.
This has resulted in Lock looking worse on a weekly basis. Other than his fourth-quarter performance against the Chargers, leading the Broncos to a 31-30 win, the quarterback has gone backwards. He looks worse each week.
That’s on Shurmur. Last season, Rich Scangarello got much more out of Lock, despite the quarterback being even less experienced, the previous OC was more effective than the current one.
This shouldn’t be a shock. Shurmur’s resume never suggested that he was some sort of offensive genuine. He’s only had three top-10 offenses in his two-plus decades in the NFL, two of which were Chip Kelly attacks in Philadelphia. Getting something out of Case Keenum in 2017 was Shurmur’s only shining moment.
But he’s the guy Fangio wanted. The head coach was behind the change.
So he’s responsible for it being a disaster. His decision to move on from Scangarello was a mistake.
That sounds like an argument for continuity. But it’s not.
There were signs that Scangarello was trending in the right direction. That’s not the case this season.
The Broncos are getting worse, in every phase of the game. And there’s no reason to believe that sticking with the current regime will change that trajectory.
Once that’s obvious, not making a change is simply wasting time, burning games and seasons in a misguided hope that things will magically change. Continuity is a convenient excuse for repeatedly getting the same bad results.
It’s better to fail fast, to know things aren’t working so the organization can move in a different direction. The Broncos would be wise to take that approach.
The current setup isn’t working, an embarrassing loss to the Raiders is proof of that fact. It’s time to admit it and try another approach, continuity be damned.
