Harris backs Fangio, calls out Broncos' defensive players: 'It's a player's league'

Chris Harris, Jr. remains steadfast in his belief in Vic Fangio's scheme.

From the outside looking in, the 0-3 Denver Broncos have been a team grasping for answers. The Football Gods have been deaf to the Broncos' cries. 

Internally, though, the perspective is different. Yes, the Broncos are losing. But none of the questions swirling around Vic Fangio as a play-caller and a head coach outside the building seem to be issues inside Dove Valley. 

Fangio has been under fire, however, and rightfully so after the Broncos became the first team since sacks became an official statistic to post zero sacks and zero takeaways through the first three games of a season. Those splash plays Von Miller built his career on have been non-existent. 

Bradley Chubb, after posting a franchise-record 12 sacks as a rookie last year, was expected to take a massive leap forward under Fangio's tutelage. All we can really say at this point, though, is that Miller and Chubb have been good against the run.

You know, at least they're setting the edge. It could be worse. 

Fangio's penchant for playing coverage in third-down situations, rushing three, maybe four, guys at the quarterback, has not been a winning philosophy thus far. Not only because the Broncos have yet to win a game, but because the statistical production hasn't been there either. 

How are the players on the defensive side of the ball feeling about Fangio's scheme? We got to hear from four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Chris Harris, Jr. on Tuesday and he set the record straight. 

“He is aggressive," Harris said from Broncos HQ. "He’s calling all-out blitzes. He’s calling man [coverage]. I don’t know what else Coach Fangio can call. He’s putting us in every defense possible to be able to make plays. It’s really, you have to have players—it’s the NFL, you can have great coaches, but at the end of the day if the players don’t execute, it’s a player’s league. We have to be able to go out there and make the plays.”

Boom. 

Harris is taking the onus off of Fangio and the coaches and placing it squarely on the players. While I would beg to differ somewhat about the efficacy of Fangio's scheme thus far, Harris is absolutely right about the Broncos' players. 

They've appeared to be swimming in the new scheme. Miller hasn't seemed to be playing with the same fire and intensity fans have grown accustomed to in years past, and the same could be said for multiple other players on defense. 

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How bad do the Broncos want to climb out of this hole? That's the question. Until the players themselves decide to put a stop to this slide, the losing will continue. 

Harris believes the players are executing at an 'almost' level. Not quite good enough to get the job done. 

“I would say we’re executing probably like 75 percent, not good enough," Harris said. "To be able to win in this league you probably have to execute around 85-90 percent.”

It's encouraging to hear that at least one high-profile player still has Fangio's back and remains bought-in to the scheme and philosophy. If Harris feels that way, odds are, the majority of the locker room — and the leadership — does too. 

Fans have worried that in the wake of what was actually the Broncos' seventh-straight loss dating back to 2018 (longest active losing streak in the league), some of the star players might follow the most recent NFL trend and demand to be traded. That hasn't happened, though. 

“I’m not worried about any of that," Harris said. "Why would you want to trade me? I’m shutting down the number one receiver every game.”

The Broncos, despite their losing ways of late, are one of the NFL's premier franchises. They're just four seasons removed from winning the Super Bowl. The character of these star players and the organizational culture is anathema to the 'me-first' mentality these young, entitled players around the NFL demanding trades are espousing. 

For what it's worth, Harris hasn't been great but he's right that for the most part, the opponent's No. 1 receiver each week has been limited and kept from breaking open the game. Green Bay's Davante Adams caught four passes for 56 yards, which is nothing for the Packers to write home about, but every time Aaron Rodgers targeted him, it was a completion. It's been a while since I can remember Harris breaking up a pass. 

However, Harris doesn't believe the players are still struggling to understand Fangio's scheme. Rather, the Broncos aren't playing fundamental football, which also happens to reflect on Fangio, but Harris knows what the sacks/takeaways formula is and remains confident the Broncos are close to opening up the floodgates. 

“They go together," Harris said. "I think they work together just like the secondary and the D-line work together and right now, sometimes we’re kind of off. We’ll have great coverage in the back end and then D-line rush will be lacking. They’ll have a great rush and we’ll be lacking in the coverage. We have to get on the same page, working together and making sure we have great coverage and great pressure at the same time. We haven’t been able to do that at the same time. That’s what we need.”

The Broncos will get a great chance to right the ship this week with the Jacksonville Jaguars and their rookie QB coming to town. Gardner Minshew has been impressive thus far but he's still a rookie. 

That makes guys like Harris, Miller, Chubb and Fangio lick their chops. Can everyone work together on defense to execute at a high level at the same time? The stakes won't get any greater for a Broncos' squad now firmly entrenched in a must-win situation. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.