DENVER — Vic Fangio is the new 30.
With the advance of technology back home and circus atmosphere at the NFL Combine in downtown Indianapolis, Fangio, the Broncos’ 61-year-old head coach, has decided not to bring his assistant coaches to the event that begins in 10 days (February 24).
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay heard about Fangio’s move, or non-move, and decided to also keep many of his assistant coaches home for the combine.
Fangio the trend-setter.
Fangio, Broncos’ general manager John Elway, top personnel assistant Matt Russell and several other personnel staff and scouts will attend the full week of the Combine from Monday (February 24) through Sunday (March 1).
A Broncos videographer will record the 15-minute formal interviews with up to 45 college prospects and send them to the appropriate assistant coaches back home. The workouts can also be downloaded onto computers.
The Broncos’ assistant coaches won’t have a presence at the nightly line of informal interviews with prospects at the players’ hotel. But with the NFL increasingly turning the combine from a prospect scouting service to a primetime, fan-filled event, Fangio believes his assistants can be more productive working from the team’s UCHealth Training Center headquarters.
The team says this is not a cost-cutting measure. Elway is the football operations cost-cutter and it was Fangio’s idea. Elway listened to his coach, realized the reasoning was sound, and approved the move. Or non-move.
At the same time, Fangio has established a team rule that his assistants can only watch tape of the rookie prospects – no pro players – during Combine week.
The Broncos currently have nine draft picks – seven within the first four rounds – and are expected to be awarded two or three additional compensatory picks next month.
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