Fangio defends Broncos Garett Bolles, no change coming at left tackle

Vic Fangio is once again standing behind his struggling left tackle. But for how much longer?

Man, it got bleak at times for Garett Bolles on Sunday. In the Denver Broncos' Week 2 loss to the Chicago Bears, Bolles was flagged five times for holding, four of which were accepted and enforced.

Four of the flags came in the first half, as the Broncos struggled to find any purchase offensively. It was bad, bad football from Bolles — a 2017 first-round pick of the team's. 

The hope was that hiring Mike Munchak, widely considered to be the best O-line coach in the NFL, would have a palpable effect on Bolles' play. Through two games, that hasn't appeared to be the case. 

Bolles was a straight-up liability for the Broncos in Week 2. The fans are sick of it, taking to social media by the thousands to crucify the third-year offensive tackle and castigate the Broncos for not benching him. 

Head coach Vic Fangio hears that noise but remains steadfast in his support of Bolles. 

“We have the best offensive line coach in the business here, and Garett’s going to learn from this game," Fangio said from the podium following the Broncos' heartbreaking 16-14 loss. "They have some good players and he’s going to learn from it. He’ll move on, but he’s our left tackle and he’s going to be our left tackle and he needs to play without holding. Again, I haven’t seen the plays that he was called for, so my comments are a little bit of the ignorant nature right now.” 

Just you wait, coach. 

Immediately following the game, of course Fangio is supportive of Bolles. After he watches the tape, though, and sees how egregious Bolles' penalties were and calculates how much it set back the Broncos, you have to wonder whether the coach's tune will change. 

Bolles was that bad. For his part, Bolles acknowledged that he's under the microscope from NFL officials. As a consistent perpetrator, he's got a bullseye on his back. You'd think that would affect his play and breakdowns in discipline. 

“It was frustrating. I’ve built a reputation for myself in this league of holding," Bolles said from the locker room. "I disagree with it, to be honest. There are some calls I disagree with, and there are some things that I understand. I have to go back and watch the film and see what I can do. But I have the best O-line coach in the National Football League with Coach [Mike] Munchak. I’m grateful for him. I know he’s going to get me on the right path and just believe in me."

Bolles might think Munchak has his back, and maybe he does, but the young tackle's performance was so bad in Week 2, Munchak has to be wondering how it reflects on him. The Broncos are strapped right now at the tackle position with Ja'Wuan James sidelined for another few weeks. 

All bets are OFF on the Broncos' 2019 season! Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Maybe the Broncos gut it out with Bolles at left tackle until James returns, but if I were calling the shots in the front office, I'd be calling Washington right now and moving whatever mountain I needed to in order to pry perennial All-Pro Trent Williams away from the Redskins. 

"I know my teammates believe in me, I know my coaches believe in me, I know the front office believes in me," Bolles continued. "I’m going to turn this around. I promise you all that. I promise Broncos Country that. I promise my teammates that. That was just unfortunate that they keep coming after me, but it is what it is. Like I said, I disagree with some of them. I’ve got to move forward and get back to work on Monday.”

More words and platitudes. The fans are sick of it. 

When you tackle your opponent, you're going to get flagged. You're going to draw the attention of the officials. Bolles would be wise at this point to cease making any excuses whatsoever. 

The Broncos don't want to admit another first-round mistake but at the same time, every snap Bolles is out on the field is just an opportunity for a drive to get derailed by a penalty or even — God forbid — Joe Flacco getting hurt due to a left-tackle lapse. 

We'll see whether Coach Fangio's tune changes after he watches the tape. And whether the front office is ready to finally call a spade a spade, accept the egg on its face, and bench Bolles. 

Even if a Trent Williams trade isn't in the cards, could Jake Rodgers really be any worse than Garett Bolles has been? 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.