There’s nothing wrong with specializing on one side of the ball.
Mike Shanahan was an offensive genius who helped the Denver Broncos win two Super Bowls. Sean McDermott is a defensive-minded coach and he’s reached the playoffs in four of his first five seasons with the Buffalo Bills.
A good head coach needs balance, though. Vic Fangio, while a great defensive mind, arguably didn’t have enough balance.
Fangio seemingly got so caught up in his defense that it at times hurt his game management, and Denver’s special teams struggled throughout his tenure. Defense was Fangio’s forte, but a head coach needs to balance all three elements of a team.
New Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett is offensive-minded, but he’s not a one-trick pony.
“I’ve been very lucky in my career because – I played middle linebacker – I’m not going to say I was very good, but I did get to play middle linebacker, and I was also a long snapper and a short snapper,” Hackett said during his introductory press conference on Jan. 28. “That was kind of where the start was. Heck, I started coaching linebackers — that was one of my first jobs that I got for a couple of days and then I ended up going back to Stanford. I coached special teams, I coached defense, I coached offense and now here I am as an offensive coach in front of y’all.”
Having experience in all three phases of the game has helped Hackett develop a “complementary” style of football.
Hackett’s balanced approach made him an intriguing option for general manager George Paton, who interviewed 10 head coach candidates.
“He has a proven track record of developing younger players, working with quarterbacks, and helping great players become even better, but it was his vision in all three phases of our football team that really separated him [from] the rest of the group,” Paton said in January.
Nathaniel’s father, Paul Hackett, coached at the college and pro level from 1969-2010, winning a Super Bowl as an assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers in 1984.
“He’s the son of a very successful college and NFL coach,” Paton said. “He grew up around football. He’s all about ball, he’s a student of the game, [and] he’s a unique competitor who’s all about winning.”
The Broncos needed to make a change, and while the defense had been phenomenal, Denver needed to improve on offense and special teams. Hackett’s vision for “all three phases” should help them get there.
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