Nathaniel Hackett Admits to Growing Pains in Transition to HC

The Denver Broncos head coach is still learning on the job, it would seem.

An NFL head coach must always analyze things from a broad perspective. Taking stock of all the moving parts and making the correct split-second decisions requires a unique skill set — and it borders on a sporting art form if mastered.

Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett is learning the hard way that the same rules that applied as an offensive coordinator aren't immediately interchangeable in his new role. The Broncos' Week 3 tilt with the San Francisco 49ers will require Hackett to make complete a few quick-fire adjustments if he's to find success.

Hackett is wheeling as fast as he can to catch the prevailing wind that might help lift the Broncos out of the current uproar to the heights of relative safety. His repeated admissions of his early coaching failings aim to make the necessary improvements, rather than being designed to buy time.

“Yeah, it definitely has been a transition," Hackett admitted on Thursday. "I think that you have always been a coordinator, you have always been from the standpoint that you want to score touchdowns [and] that’s always your initial gut reaction. As I am learning more, you have to remove that emotion as an offensive play caller. You have to look at it from a head coach standpoint [and] what is best for the team at that time.”

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Hopes were high during the offseason that Hackett's collaborative approach would allow Denver to hit the ground running. Assistant coaches were being empowered to teach their players, while they all bought into exchanging information freely to help improve the team.

To that end, the results have been encouraging, especially if you focus in on how well first-year defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero is performing his role. On the flip side, few had forecasted the extent to which coach Hackett would struggle with the procedural demands of his job as head coach of the Broncos. 

In order to master the craft of play calling, give Hackett remains open to the process of learning wherever possible. By stoically sticking to his inclusive mission statement, Hackett is trying to keep an eye on how outside NFL coaches are going about their business.

“I think that is part of the fun thing about being a coach. During this time, you’re always trying to gain knowledge [and] you’re always trying to grow,” Hackett said. “Whenever you hear about anything, or you’re always trying to look for something new, some idea you can get off of it, that’s what we are always doing—all coaches do that.”

Hackett must also remind himself that a lot of the Broncos' heavily publicized red-zone struggles have boiled down to tough breaks and downright bad luck. Keeping positive is absolutely fundamental if the entire operation is going to stay on the tracks through 15 more weeks.

When addressing the red-zone elephant in the room, Hackett sounds convinced the Broncos are tantalizingly close to cracking the code offensively and finishing drives with touchdowns. 

“I kind of look at the offense as a whole and it’s been very efficient. The guys have executed at a high level,” Hackett said. “When things haven’t been great, they have been able to make plays, which is great to see. In the end for us, it’s about finishing. When it comes to the offense, again, I just love how they are running off the ball. I love how they are executing the run game, they are completing the ball down the field, we’re utilizing the play-pass and we’re utilizing the keepers. All those things have been very good to sustain those drives. Now, it’s just about finishing.”

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