4 reasons Vic Fangio might want to consider giving up play-calling duties for Broncos' defense

The Denver Broncos made a big splash and shocked many in their hiring of an old defensive coach instead of a young offensive mind. Vic Fangio has a great track record as a defensive coordinator, but the start of his head coaching career has been rough with Denver sitting at 0-4.

There is one big change Fangio had to make in the wake of the promotion and it could be why Denver is struggling defensively. No longer could Fangio call plays from the booth, as the head coach has to be on the sideline to manage the game.

In light of what we've seen thus far, should Vic Fangio give up defensive play-calling? There are several indicators as to why he should consider it.

Of course, the Broncos lack talent on their defense and it's showing. Missed tackles continue to be an issue, which means that execution (or lack thereof) has been an element to the Broncos' struggles. But Fangio has had a lesser talented defense before and helped it to perform better than what he is getting out of Denver right now.

Let's examine the factors that have led to Fangio's play-calling prowess on the sideline being in question and why he might want to consider making a change.

A different view

Being able to see the field can really help with play-calling. Coaches get a good look at the offensive formations, and how their guys on lining up. When the coach sees an issue, and it is easy to see, they can fix it.

There is clearly an issue with Fangio calling plays from the sideline. He has a bad view of the field and can’t see everything that is going on.

This was always going to take time for him to adjust to, but Denver can’t continue to have these same issues. Until he figures out a solution, Fangio should consider giving up play-calling. Not being able to see the whole field is clearly a detriment to his coaching and he hasn't shown a propensity to adjust yet (through four games).

A lack of aggressiveness/Stubborn ways

Fangio is a firm believer in getting pressure with as few rushers as possible. He has some of the lowest blitzing rates in the NFL each year.

This has bitten the Broncos in the butt multiple times. Several times this season, under Fangio’s calls, Denver has rushed three players only to fail to get pressure and still give up the big play with eight players in coverage.

Fangio is also an old school coach in the way he wants players to fit his scheme. Modern, younger coaches have learned that you find players and make your scheme fit for them.

Maybe part of this issue with Fangio is not being in the booth and unable to see what he can do to fix it. It is possible, but the issue with that is, after watching the game tape, why isn’t he fixing it then?

There were multiple reasons why Fangio hadn’t received a head coaching gig before. He is very much a 'my way or the highway' type of coach, and you have to buy into his system. His scheme is sacrosanct and you, as a player, better learn to play in it.

Even if Fangio gives up play-calling duties, the Broncos can still run his playd but make the adjustments needed in order to help their struggling players. Maybe a new play-caller can help alleviate these issues. A fresh perspective could call more aggressive plays, make adjustments, and get personnel playing to their strengths.

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Too much on his plate

When you are the head coach, you really have to focus on the whole team, obviously. Fangio is a great defensive coordinator partially because he's been able to just focus on that side of the ball.

A coordinator doesn't have to make the same tough decisions that a head coach does. Being able to focus on the one thing you’re great at can be huge. With there being so much on his plate, and a lot of it things he isn’t used to, Fangio might be wise to cede play-calling duties until he gets his feet beneath him.

Protoge waiting in the wings

Ed Donatell has been working with Vic Fangio since 2011. Donatell knows this scheme probably as well as Fangio does. Donatell would be able to be in the booth and see the whole field, which could help with the play-calls.

We might even see more aggressiveness from Donatell. I don’t really want to use the term protege, since Donatell is older than Fangio, but in a way, he is. Donatell has been getting groomed, for lack of a better term, in the Fangio scheme for nearly a decade.

Maybe a change of play-caller doesn’t have a palpable effect. Maybe it would. The fact is, though, we know that Fangio calling plays from the sideline isn’t working.

Fangio needs to make some kind of change, and sooner than later. It doesn’t have to be permanent, but the Broncos need to do something while Fangio figures out a way to be a better play-caller from the sidelines.

Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel and @MileHighHuddle.

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