ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — When the Broncos open their 2019 season in a few months, new Head Coach Vic Fangio should find a comforting level of consistency.
His title may change as he goes from the Bears' defensive coordinator to the Broncos' head coach, but he won't forfeit any defensive responsibilities as he gains the duties that come along with the head-coaching position.
Fangio said Thursday during his introductory press conference that he will continue to call defensive plays. Asked why he intends to retain that responsibility, Fangio referred to his background that includes 19 years as an NFL defensive coordinator.
"They hired me because of my work on the defensive side of the ball, [so] I'm going to give them my work on the defensive side of the ball," Fangio said. "I believe for the most part, I'm pretty good at it. So I'm going to do it. There's several offensive head coaches that still call plays — [but] not all of them. I will have a [defensive] staff that I work close with. They will understand everything we want to do and are doing. And I think it's important that I do it. And I want to do it and look forward to it."
Fangio will hire an offensive staff to handle the play-calling responsibilities on that side of the ball, but as head coach of the Denver Broncos, he'll stick to what he knows.
And as the Broncos try to catch the Chiefs and Chargers — each led by quarterbacks in the MVP conversation — there may be no better antidote than a Fangio-led defense.
