Scangarello Echoes Broncos Players, Says La Canfora Report 'Farthest Thing From the Truth'

The Denver Broncos woke up on Sunday morning in Minneapolis to a 'bombshell' report by Jason La Canfora that cast Vic Fangio as a meddling, overbearing presence at head coach. It wasn't quite as explosive or incendiary as perhaps the author expected.

We've since heard from multiple Broncos players who refuted the La Canfora report, as did GM John Elway, the latter of whom referred to "unknown sources" as "B.S.". That gave us insight into how the players and the man who hired Fangio feel about the job he's done thus far.

But one of the components to the La Canfora report was that Fangio was domineering with his assistant coaches, painting the picture that offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello couldn't get a play-call down to the field without hearing Fangio's voice in the headset saying something "negative".

On Thursday, as the Broncos prepare for another road trip, this one to Upstate New York to take on the 7-3 Buffalo Bills, Scangarello took to the podium for his weekly presser. He was asked point-blank about the La Canfora report and he echoed what his players said.

“Farthest thing from the truth," Scangarellos said. "He’s been great, he’s helped me grow as a coach and I think everyone in this building respects him as a man and his leadership. We know we’re going to win a championship under him. That’s the goal and that’s what we’re fighting for.”

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Scangarello did not paint the picture that everything has been perfectly peachy since he was hired by Fangio — it is the game of football after all — and intimated that there have maybe been bumps in the road. But it's to be expected for a first-year head coach and a first-time offensive coordinator working toward the same goal.

“He’s been—[it’s] our first time working together," Scangarello said. "There’s always going to be dynamics, but he’s been great and he’s been supportive. He’s got a defensive perspective, I said it from day one, that just gives you insight that you don’t get anywhere, and I’ve appreciated it.”

As for the notion that Fangio smothers Scangarello in the headset on gamedays, the offensive coordinator squashed that, pointing out that head coaches communicating with the assistants in the booth is a common occurrence in the NFL.

“I don’t think it’s any more than anywhere else," Scangarello said. "Head coach is always going to have to make decisions during the course of a game. No more than anywhere else.”

What it Means

Look, the Broncos are a 3-7 football team. They've squandered four fourth-quarter leads in games that they should have won.

This team has faced a brutal strength-of-schedule and they've had to all learn together on the fly, from the coaching to the execution. We'd be naive to think that along the way, tempers haven't flown at some point, or that there haven't been disagreements between players and coaches, or coaches and coaches.

The question is, has it been an inordinate occurrence? Has Fangio been the control-freak dictator struggling to connect with assistants and players the La Canfora report portrays him as?

There's no way to know for certain but I doubt it. La Canfora told the Stokley and Zach radio show on Wednesday that the three sources he referenced in his Fangio story all reached out to him unsolicited.

Even if that's true, and I have no reason to doubt the veracity of La Canfora's claim, my bet would be that it came from sources who are no longer with the team. In other words, from sources who might be sucking on sour grapes and might have a bit of an ax to grind.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.