Hackett Singles Out Unsung Player for Broncos' Big Rushing Day

Long have the Denver Broncos been searching for complementary football. Time and time again, Denver's quest has stumbled into more obstacles than an Indiana Jones movie.

Head coach Nathaniel Hackett is still desperately running from the wrecking ball that is rolling toward the organization and himself. Disaster might ultimately catch up with Hackett, but stringing some wins together might provide an unlikely route back to a second year in charge.

It's easy to demand strong fundamentals in all three phases but for a first-year head coach to get it right out of the gate isn't easy. Sunday’s win provided some infuriatingly-timed evidence that the Broncos can indeed play the kind of complementary football Hackett has identified as a winning formula.

“I think for me, coaches always want more. We want it for four quarters,” Hackett said on Monday. “To see the back end of those two quarters and the turnovers from the defense. Turnovers are so huge. It’s the No. 1 way you win and lose football games in today’s NFL. To see those turnovers happen. We’ve gotten some turnovers this year, but we haven’t been able to capitalize on them enough. That’s the offense’s job.”

Hackett has received plenty of criticism for over-engineering elements of the offense that he’s determined to run. Given that he had a new quarterback running his scheme and was hit with a slew of injuries, simplifying things might have been a more prudent approach.

But on Monday, Coach Hackett pointed more towards the fact that he was getting some key components positioned correctly within his engine to provide tangible results, especially in the run game. Enter fullback Andrew Beck, who helped spring Latavius Murray to his 130-yard day on the ground. Denver finished with 168 rushing yards as a team.

“It was great to get Beck back. He’s been out for two games," Hackett said. "The past two games, he’s missed. When you have him back there, it gives you another dimension with his ability to move and lead block to gain some angles. We use all those guys. We use ‘Saub’ (TE Eric Saubert), we use [TE Eric] Tomlinson and [TE Greg] Dulcich. All four of them did a really good job. We were able to present some different pictures, go with some different personnel, and we really committed to the run game.”

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That being said, nobody is under any illusions that beating a poor Arizona Cardinals team doesn’t amount to a hill of beans in the bigger picture. Perhaps only winning their next three games would realistically give Hackett anything concrete to convince GM George Paton and team ownership that he deserves another year.

On a positive note, the win over the Cardinals with backup QB Brett Rypien at the helm gives the Broncos some increased confidence heading into the Christmas Day fixture against the Los Angeles Rams.

“I think the guys can really build on that because they know every week—they’re all excited to see. ‘Hey, how can I get some points? How can I break out?’ That’s what you want from the offense,” Hackett said. “That’s what gives them that excitement each week to come in and see what the plan is. It’s definitely something to build on. We just have to string it together for four quarters now.”

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