The Denver Broncos elected to fire head coach Nathaniel Hackett following their Christmas Day defeat to the Los Angeles Rams. The loss is their sixth in seven games and means that the 43-year-old, in his first lead coaching role in the NFL, lasted less than a year in charge of the Empower Field franchise.
Under new ownership, with the Walton-Penner group running the show, it became clear that Hackett wasn’t going to see out the season and comes as the team sits bottom of the AFC West with a 4-11 record.
Hackett’s dismissal may well lead sports betting fans to consider who might be the next NFL head coachto be fired, with the Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury and the Houston Texans’ Lovie Smith being potential victims in waiting.
As for Hackett’s departure, Greg Penner released a statementdetailing the reasons for his inevitable exit, stating;
“Following extensive conversations with [general manager] George [Paton] and our ownership group, we determined a new direction would ultimately be in the best interest of the Broncos,”
“This change was made now out of respect for everyone involved and allows us to immediately begin the search for a new head coach.”
“Moving forward, we will carefully evaluate every aspect of our football operations and make whatever changes are necessary to restore this franchise’s winning tradition.”
The absence of Hackett didn’t exactly alter matters in terms of the Broncos’ season, but it is worth noting that in the first game following his sacking, Denver put up an intense fight against Super Bowl favorites Kansas City.
The Chiefs edged the Broncos 27-24 in a game that saw Denver bring in Jerry Rosburg as interim coach. The 67-year-old, who won a Super Bowl during his time as special teams coordinator at the Baltimore Ravens, will hope to go out with a bang in the season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers.
It’s seven years since the Broncos last made the play-offs, and a failure to win against the Chargers would represent the first time since 1982 that they will complete a winless season against the AFC West, something Rosburg is keen to avoid;
“I want these guys, these families, and these fans to experience winning is its own reward,”
“We can talk about the streaks and negative things, but I’m not trying to end any negative streak. I’m not going to go tell these guys, ‘well, don’t lose again.’ That’s silly.”
Rosburg won’t be in charge next season, and the experienced coach does believe that he will learn from this brief tenure;
“I thought overall I made some decisions that I would reconsider. I guess that’s the best way to say that. Overall, to your point, I felt that was where I belonged, quite frankly.’’
Stability is needed in Denver, the Broncos having had three different head coaches in six years since Gary Kubiak retired, with Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh among the big names linked with the soon-to-be vacant post.
