ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Nearly every week, especially after their six losses, there is talk about how people need to be held accountable. The term, accountability, is thrown around by Broncos coaches and players like candy from a float at a local parade.
Yet, despite their 3-6 record, there have been no reassignments, no firings, no benchings, no cuts. What does accountability mean, exactly? Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett’s deserves a nod for putting ego aside and admitting he needed help in game management operations and bringing in veteran NFL coach Jerry Rosburg to assist.
But now the offense is dead last in scoring. No. 32 out of 32 NFL teams with a 14.6 point per game average – a full point worse than No. 31 Pittsburgh. Who is accountable for such ineptness?
"We’re evaluating everything," Hackett said Monday at his day-after-game press conference. "It starts with me. We’ve got to make sure the play calls are the right play calls, the ones that are going to put the guys in the right position to be successful. We’ll evaluate that. We’ll evaluate everything that we do.
"We’re 3-6. We’re not where we want to be. Nobody’s accepting that. That’s not the standard where we want to be. We’re not scoring enough points. It’s that simple."
Hackett is the play-caller. In 7 of the Broncos’ 9 games, they have scored 16 points or less. In the two exceptions, the point totals were 21 and 23 – not exactly robust. The No. 32 scoring offense is wasting the Broncos’ No. 1 scoring defense. Denver is only allowing 16.6 points per game.
Asked if he thinks he'll be coaching for his job Sunday against the 2-7 Las Vegas Raiders, Hackett said: "I learned a long time ago you're coaching for your job every day."
All but one game in the Broncos’ 3-6 season has exceeded a 7-point differential in the final score. And that was a 9-point loss to the Raiders. Hackett was asked if he takes any consolation in playing so many close games.
"We’re close but that’s not what we’re here for," he said. "We’re not here to be No. 1 in close games. We’re here to win football games. It shows that the men in that locker room stay together and they battle all the way till the end of the game, which is what I believe in. And I love all those guys that are in that locker room. And it shows we have the potential to win some of these games. But we’ve got to get this stuff fixed."
Like the running game. The Broncos still don’t have a 20-yard gain off a run play this season. Their top two running backs, Melvin Gordon III and Latavius Murray, are each averaging a mere 3.5 yards per carry as the second-level room to run hasn’t been there.
"Surprised, I would say," Hackett said about the team’s inability to run the ball. Hackett was hired as the Broncos’ head coach in part because his offensive system was built on running game principles. "When you have the outcome that you had you’re always disappointed as a coach. But, yeah, we need to run the ball. We need to run the ball efficiently and consistently. And it starts with me, it starts with the offensive staff. We have to find better ways to get better runs and then execute those."
Love for Hinton
For half of practice Wednesday and all of Thursday, Kendall Hinton was preparing to replace the hamstring-injured KJ Hamler. Then Hinton was sick and didn’t practice Friday. During the game Sunday in Nashville, Hinton was thrown in to replace Jerry Jeudy, who suffered an ankle injury on the first play. Hinton had three catches for 61 yards through the first play of the second quarter but only got 1 more catch for 1 more yard the rest of the game.
Still he was mixing up against much bigger defenders while blocking throughout the game.
"One guy I want to give credit to right away is Kendall Hinton," Hackett said, veering off subject to make sure Hinton got his due. "What Kendall did, he was under the weather. And he had not played that position of Jerry’s that week because he was getting ready for a different position (Hamler’s).
"And for him to miss practice due to sickness and then go out there and play at that position the whole game. I mean he didn’t have any mental errors, he went out there, made some plays. He toughed it out. He did a great job."
Love for Evero
Inside linebacker Josey Jewell was asked about playing for Ejiro Evero, the Broncos’ first-year defensive coordinator who should become a strong head coaching candidate at season’s end.
"I’ve really enjoyed him so far," Jewell said Monday in a Zoom press conference with the local media. "This is probably the most fun I’ve had – this is the most fun I’ve had since I’ve been in the league. Playing this type of defense, this amount of control. It’s been fun to play with him.
"And then just to hear his insight. Very vocal about it. He’ll talk about every single small little thing. And there’s no miscommunication there. It’s fun to talk to him and he’s an open book on the defense and very great teacher."
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