ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The images were everywhere and the headlines popped up coast to coast. In the span of roughly 14 days, first-year Denver Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett went from a potential breath of fresh air to a coach whose team identity included penalties, clock management problems and puzzling end-of-game decisions.
Hackett may be the first coach in Broncos history to have his home fans frustrated enough, during what is usually the new coach's honeymoon period, to count down the play clock before each snap in the fourth quarter of … a win.
“I love how passionate our fans are, I really do,'' Broncos offensive coordinator Justin Outten said last week as he mustered a smile and echoed Hackett's it's-all-good sentiments.