Nathaniel Hackett Dishes on Why Broncos Spent so Much Time on Red-Zone Work Day 1
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Training camp has officially opened across the NFL, and the Denver Broncos got into their on-field work on Wednesday morning. With all of the change surrounding the organization — including a new quarterback, coaching staff, and ownership group — coming into the fold, optimism is at an all-time high.
Public interest in the team is boiling over, as thousands of fans crowded the hillside at UCHealth Training Center next to the practice field once again, creating an energetic environment for all of the roster and coaching staff to enjoy.
"The crowd was great. Just that hill with all the people there was awesome," head coach Nathaniel Hackett said following his first ever practice as the lead man in charge. "Watching [QB] Russell [Wilson] come out with all the guys and everyone cheering. It was great. It’s great to see the fans out there supporting and everything. I appreciate them being here.”
Gone are the days of a lifeless practice environment at training camp. With loud cheers from the crowd in attendance and music ringing through the air, as well as a rampant pace of play on the field, things are moving at a rapid pace in Dove Valley.
That rapid pace could pay dividends for the Broncos in the long run. Getting as many reps as possible while still understanding situational football appears to be the focus of the early portion of training camp, especially when it comes to the quarterback position.
"As a coach, you want to get as many reps as you possibly can, but you want to do it within the confines of taking care of the players," Hackett said. "The whole thing is based off [of] that QB. So how those guys run the practice is how it’s going to look. As we keep moving forward and they get used to it—the play calls and continue to master the system—then they will maybe go a little bit quicker, and maybe slow it down some. Once again, it’s all about that quarterback. As fast as he wants to go, I want to go.”
Having a quality player at the quarterback position like Wilson not only allows you to work faster, but it allows you to focus more on situational football and get quality reps in critical areas.
Like the red zone, where a large portion of the practice was focused on. Wilson threw a pair of touchdown passes in his red zone work and followed the practice of continuing to work with his receivers in those kinds of situations.
Hackett, knowing that putting six points on the board in the red area rather than kicking field goals is optimal, lauded the fire and competitiveness of his players while they focused on what he calls the "most important area on the field."
Shortening the field is paramount, and understanding how to finish drives when you get in scoring position is an early focus for this team.
"I love the competitiveness," Hackett said. "You don’t want to get big, long fields right out of the gate. I think it’s so important to shorten the field. We have a shorter practice, so we just want to get in as many reps as we can within the time frame and work the most important area of the field.”
There's still a long way to go in this process, but seeing a major focus in a critical area this early in camp is a positive sign for this team moving forward. While the Broncos have fielded one of the best red-zone defenses over the past couple of years, they haven't been able to capitalize on scoring chances inside the 20-yard line for quite some time now.
At this point, as is the case with each team every year, it's all a learning process. How players learn and understand the system, what their assignments are and how to operate when things break down are still yet to be discovered. The fact that the emphasis on putting the ball in the end zone when in scoring position is of premium focus is a breath of fresh air.
Once the pads come on, things will come into better focus on how this team can perform when it matters most.
"I think it’s just about understanding your assignments, understanding where they have to go, what they’re doing and just feeling them within the systems," Hackett said. "It’s so important for communication and chemistry. I just love watching the energy and the competitiveness. That’s all good, and then once we get the pads on, you’re going to learn more.”
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