Broncos roundtable: Is the Nathaniel Hackett Era the worst in franchise history?

The roundtable is back after a week’s hiatus caused not by the holiday season, but instead Nathaniel Hackett’s firing on Dec. 26.

Parker Gabriel, Post Broncos reporter

Didn’t Broncos Country just do this? First time in franchise history the team has fired two full-time head coaches in the same calendar year, as 2022 started with Vic Fangio’s dismissal and ended with Hackett’s. So, where does the latest coaching tenure rank in Broncos infamy? Certainly near the top of the list, right, fellas? We all brushed up on our Mac Speedie history earlier this season when the Broncos were threatening his 1966 team’s mark for worst scoring offense in team history (14.0). Speedie’s tenure finished at 6-19-1.

Since the merger (1970), Josh McDaniels and Vance Joseph tied for the fewest number of total wins at 11 before Hackett oversaw just four. None of that trio took the Broncos to a postseason game, nor did Fangio. Hackett’s less-than-a-year tenure wasn’t only because of his poor first season — the timing of new ownership arriving in August clearly played a role — but it does make for perhaps the strangest tenure. Is it the worst? There are several candidates.

Kyle Newman, Post Broncos reporter

Only 10 other teams in the Broncos’ 63-year history finished with four wins or less, which will be Denver’s fate should they fall to the Chargers in the season finale on Sunday. Considering Hackett’s the only coach in franchise history to not make it through his first season — and just the fifth coach in NFL history to reach that dubious feat — he’s already in rare territory. Add in his long list of game-management gaffes, the Broncos’ need to bring in a senior assistant in Week 3 to help him with that, and the fact he turned over play-calling duties after just nine games, and the sum is a shockingly inept tenure.

Yes, the 1963 team coached by Jack Faulkner set the franchise low for wins with two, a feat matched in 1964 (a team coached by Faulkner and then Speedie) and in the 1982 strike-shortened season. Faulker’s winning percentage with Denver was .290 (9-22-1 from 1962-64) and Speedie’s was a franchise-worst .240 from 1964-66. But relative to expectations, the stint by Hackett (4-11, .267) is easily the most disappointing.

Sean Keeler, Post sports columnist

As long as pictures exist of those mustard-and-chocolate socks with vertical stripes? Probably not. With apologies to the great Lionel Taylor and Frank Tripucka, the ‘60s Broncos were a hot mess right out of the gate, 1962’s 7-7 club notwithstanding. Huggy Bear Hackett (.267) still has a higher batting average — er, win percentage — than Speedie’s infamous 6-19-1 (.240) stench from 1964-66. But when you’re talking about your coaches in the context of Rockies utilty infielders, that’s pretty sad company. Man, was this offense stinky. The pain was in the promise, the expectations. To be sold to Broncos Country as a smart, capable play-caller, then produce an attack that averages just 16.0 points per game in a league that scores 22 per tilt — a whole touchdown more — is gonna age like 8-tracks and prog rock. Badly.

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