Getty According to the Mile High Report's Jess Place, the Denver Broncos saw "historic ineptitude" from fired head coach Nathaniel Hackett in 2022
The Denver Broncos experienced “historic ineptitude” from fired head coach Nathaniel Hackett — who was let go on Box Day 2022 with a 4-11 record despite high expectations -with 9x Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson in tow – according to the Mile High Report’s Jess Place.
“Like many of you, I was surprised by how poorly Russell Wilson played,” Place prefaced before saying, “There’s plenty of blame to go around as to why the 2022 debacle happened: Poor offensive line play, injuries, Nathaniel Hackett’s historic ineptitude as a head coach (remember the crowd counting down the playclock? That’s going to stick with me for some time).”
Place praised the removal of a fixture of Hackett’s Broncos being removed and took a shot at the New York Jets’ new offensive coordinator.
“The gilded comforts of Wilson’s personal training staff and office at the facility have been taken from him,” Place wrote. “Nathaniel Hackett and his goofy blubbering are now New York’s problem.”
Nathaniel Hackett Thought Russell Wilson Can Be John Elway
Place believes that there were unfair expectations given to Wilson by Hackett during the 2022 season — i.e. asking the Super Bowl XXVII champion quarterback to do his best imitation of the Broncos franchise’s greatest quarterback legend without the same resources.
“I think help on the offensive line and the run-first approach that Sean Payton is taking will benefit Wilson a great deal,” Place wrote. “Hackett’s mistakes were in thinking that Wilson could be John Elway and in putting him in situations where not even John Elway could be successful. Quarterback ego be damned, Sean Payton is already changing the focus of this team so that it won’t all be on Wilson.”
Place believes fans misplaced a narrative burden on Wilson to cover for what was simply a down year under a new coaching staff.
“Folks love to paint Wilson as a diva or as a charlatan that was propped up by the genius of Pete Carrol (look what he did with Geno Smith!),” Place prefaced before saying, “All that is just noise that served to pile on an ineffective and woefully underperforming giant of the game.”
Any Improvement a ‘Success’ For Russell Wilson in 2023
The same mistake of expecting too much from Wilson in Denver won’t be made by many in 2023, with Place believing that any improvement over last season would be a “success” for the 34-year-old.
“How much better will Wilson be over last year?” Place asked before answering, “While my hopes are that the real Russell Wilson the Broncos traded for will emerge from the carcass of suckitude we saw last year, my expectations are that any improvement will a success.”
Place begged for fans to fully back the Broncos quarterback given the franchise’s $245 million investment into Wilson.
“At this point in Wilson’s massive contract, (Broncos fans) have to be behind him to make this work,” Place said before pleading, “The Broncos are shackled to him through at least next season and so we really need to make this work. Please. Make it work.”