Broncos Must Fix These 4 Problems in Preseason Game 3

The onus is on Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett to show some progress on correcting these four problem areas this preseason has exposed.

The Denver Broncos are hoping to punctuate an up and down preseason with a home victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday night. Nathaniel Hackett's squad of second and third-stringers has something to prove after a shockingly bad performance in preseason Game 2 at Buffalo. 

Without trying to invalidate the genuine misgivings Broncos fans have after that wretched performance in Upstate New York, remember: it's only the preseason. Game 2 was bad — it was ugly and downright repugnant — but there were hardly any first-teamers, or key players, on the field for Denver. 

Even if it had been starters stinking it up at that level, it still wouldn't be wise to go knee-jerking off the cliff of despair. After all, NFL coaches do not show their schematic hand during exhibition games, and the first-teamers aren't exactly trying to leave it all out there on the preseason field, knowing the war of attrition that awaits in the 17-game regular-season campaign. 

However, fully recognizing how Broncos Country wandered the NFL desert alongside its team for the preceding six years, I'm not going to tell any fan that your fears are completely unfounded. But context is key.

What must Hackett's Broncos squad comprised of twos and threes do on Saturday night in the preseason finale to assuage those fears and put every fan back on the track to confidence and excitement entering the 2022 season opener? Let's dive in. 

Running Game: Do Better

Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Much has been made of Hackett's wide zone rushing attack this offseason, and the purported return of Mike Shanahan's vaunted ground philosophy. But it's yet to come out in the wash. 

Through two preseason games, the Broncos are averaging 1.85 yards per attempt on the ground. Yeesh. 

While transitioning from the power/gap rushing principles of the previous regime to the zone system was expected to come with a learning curve, failing to net even two yards per attempt is downright embarrassing. I don't care if it's second and third-stringers: the onus is on Coach Hackett to show Broncos Country that his scheme is sound and that there is light at the end of the rushing tunnel. 

D-Line: Do Lots Better

Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Many NFL analysts believe that you can divine the spiritual constitution of a team based on how it executes in the trenches on both sides of the ball. The Broncos would seem to be in the throes of a spiritual crisis because the defensive line has been just as bad as the O-line, if not worse. 

In Saturday's ugly loss to the Bills, the Broncos' big uglies got manhandled. Not a single Broncos D-lineman could win a one-on-one matchup if his mortgage payment depended on it. 

This tweet by 9NEWS' Mike Klis illustrates just how explosively the Broncos' D-line was getting blown off the ball. 

Holy cow. Look at the line of scrimmage here. #9sports pic.twitter.com/nQBme1QMI5

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) August 21, 2022

I get it; these aren't starters. But nearly half of the defensive linemen who suited up for the Broncos last week will be on this 53-man roster as depth. And in the NFL, D-line depth gets utilized in every game because 300-pound trenchmen need to be spelled after exploding off the ball repeatedly. 

Go figure. 

The Broncos opted to hire Marcus Dixon to coach the D-line, while Bill Kollar stayed on in an advisory role of sorts. That decision, at this moment, isn't being viewed kindly. 

Off-Ball Linebackers: Do Better

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

It would seem that Broncos' defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero's memo on competent tackling technique either got stuck in the fax machine or in the outbox because based on the game tape, the position coaches have failed to emphasize it. In all seriousness, Denver's inside linebackers could not get off a block to save their lives on Saturday. 

It was egregiously bad. And guys like Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad are likely going to make this roster. The Broncos' linebackers have to do better at stacking and shedding blocks, and when it comes to sizing up the ball carrier, they have to actually make the tackle, too. 

Here's to hoping that Buffalo was just one gigantic anomaly. Even if it wasn't, it's incumbent upon Coach Evero to fix this immediately. 

Collective Heart & Want-To: Do Better

Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

This is a direct reflection on the coaches, regardless of whether it's ones, twos, or threes out on the grid-iron. When a team, almost to a man, seemingly gives up the ghost in the midst of a game, it reflects poorly on the coaching staff. 

Coach Hackett apologized to Broncos Country for how badly his team performed in Game 2 and that took guts. But admitting to a problem is only part of the equation — doing what it takes to fix it is the other key. 

A head coach has to wear many hats. If he's going to be a 'love 'em up' players' coach, that's cool, but he also must have the wherewithal and cache within that locker room to drop the hammer. And be taken seriously in the execution thereof. 

Again, it wasn't just that the Broncos got blown out in a 'meaningless' preseason game. It was how it happened. It was the complexion of the fiasco that has Broncos Country subconsciously reaching for the panic button. 

Whether it comes in the form of victory or not, Hackett's team has to level up its intensity and show the type of grit and tenacity it takes to contend in the NFL. This preseason finale against the Vikings could tell us a lot about how Hackett is truly viewed within that locker room. 

If the players answer the bell, and execute with the want-to commensurate with NFL-level competition, then it probably means that the players actually do fear and respect Hackett as much as they might also love and appreciate him. Vic Fangio was all stick and no carrot. 

Hackett has to prove that there's more to his coaching philosophy than a pie-in-the-sky carrot. That's a fine line to walk as a head coach, but figuring out how to balance on that razor's edge is what separates the wheat from the chaff. 

And the men from the boys. 

 

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Bottom Line

“First thing I tell the fans is, I'm sorry for that game two days ago because that is not what we're looking for," Hackett said on Monday. "But I think the fans will understand more when we get all the way to Week 17. It goes with all those guys, [WR] Courtland [Sutton], [WR] Jerry [Jeudy] and all those guys. We want to see them in real games. We want that to happen. Looking at my past, we were 0-3 in the preseason last year with the Green Bay Packers and those guys didn't play. But in the end, they were healthy and they were strong as we finished throughout that season. That's what you're always looking for.”

Coach Hackett seems savvy enough to read the temperature of the room. He knows that he still has a lot to prove. 

Preseason games might not count, but they do matter. As much as Coach Hackett might dislike the preseason, it's a part of the NFL tapestry, and as such, it's incumbent upon him to meet the high expectations of Broncos Country when his team takes the field. 

If the Broncos look as bad as they did in Buffalo (which I seriously doubt. The Bills are one of the best clubs in the league), there might be genuine cause to worry. 

But some first-year foibles from Hackett were always to be expected. That's what, in part, makes landing Russell Wilson such a coup for GM George Paton. 

A bonafide franchise quarterback can cover for a lot of coaching imperfections, and microwave the trial-and-error learning curve of a young and relatively inexperienced staff. 

The Broncos are going to be okay. Don't go chasing waterfalls.

I had to say it. 

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