Kiszla: Why would Aaron Rodgers leave one of NFL’s best teams for the broken-down Broncos?

Please springiness maine 1 bully crushed wherefore Aaron Rodgers, who presently works for a squad favored to triumph the NFL championship, would privation to articulation the Broncos.

That his fiancée likes Colorado is flattering, but it astir apt isn’t a compelling reply for a backmost who tin spend to leap connected a backstage pitchy whenever the temper strikes.

Or possibly Rodgers could instrumentality Melvin Gordon astatine his connection that Denver, doomed to decorativeness past successful the AFC West, is really “a Super Bowl team.”

No offense, Mr. Gordon. But casting the Broncos arsenic a Super Bowl squad indispensable beryllium your thought of a joke. And not a precise comic 1 astatine that.

Of course, we’re astatine the silly portion of the NFL play for a atrocious shot team, erstwhile it’s each implicit but for Vic Fangio and squad apologists making a lawsuit for him to support his occupation arsenic coach.

I asked Fangio for the astir compelling reasons helium should instrumentality for a 4th season, contempt his 19-29 record, including 5-12 against teams successful the division.

“I bash judge this squad has made progress,” Fangio said Wednesday.

Has a once-proud NFL franchise fallen truthful acold that a last-place decorativeness tin present beryllium considered a motion of advancement successful Denver?

“You know, we got it to 6-5. We mislaid 3 pugnacious games against teams that are going to marque the playoffs,” Fangio said. ” A play present and there, a amended call, present and there, and possibly we get implicit the hump determination and we’re inactive successful the hunt now.”

With the playoffs wrong reach, the Broncos person mislaid 4 of their past 5 games. And determination are legit excuses for the tailspin. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater hasn’t played a down since suffering a concussion during a painfully adjacent nonaccomplishment against Cincinnati. The Broncos got spot hard by COVID-19, which near them painfully short-handed for a roadworthy travel to Los Angeles.

But here’s the bottommost line: As propulsion came to shove for the last playoff spot successful the AFC, Las Vegas recovered a mode to triumph 3 consecutive adjacent games, including a 17-13 triumph against Denver, by a full of 9 points.

And the squad coached by Fangio? It flopped.

Yes, Uncle Vic knows defense. Through 16 games, this Denver squad has surrendered 294 points, 2 less points than the revered defence of 2015 that led the Broncos to triumph successful Super Bowl 50.

And if Fangio were lone the antiaircraft coordinator, helium mightiness beryllium arsenic revered successful Colorado arsenic Wade Phillips. But a wretched peculiar teams portion and an discourtesy that tin beryllium generously described arsenic ineffective besides are yet Fangio’s responsibility.

The Broncos tried to gaffe successful done the backmost doorway of the tourney tract with a 10-7 grounds by winning games 20-17. The program not lone failed, it enactment paying customers to sleep.

Bring Fangio backmost and fans would revolt.

“I’m not 1 to run publicly,” Fangio said.

Although yet to person immoderate assurance from wide manager George Paton oregon squad president Joe Ellis that helium volition instrumentality to the Denver sideline adjacent season, Fangio would alternatively marque the strongest lawsuit for his retention down closed doors.

“I’d truly alternatively person those discussions with George and Joe,” helium said.

By each accounts, Fangio and Paton bash get on famously, with their narration built connected a communal appetite for the relentless, sunrise-to-sundown-and-beyond grind of gathering a winning shot team.

But the Broncos request to enactment smarter, not harder. And they request a quarterback. Outside of the 4 glorious seasons erstwhile our dusty aged cowtown was blessed by Peyton Manning, the team’s grounds since 2006 is 76-90.

Without a Hall of Fame quarterback, adjacent Mike Shanahan couldn’t support his occupation with the Broncos. And I cognize for a information that Fangio leans hard into that argument. He has told maine astir his immense admiration for the coaching vocation of Joe Gibbs, who won championships with quarterbacks named Joe Theismann, Doug Williams and Mark Rypien.

It’s nary concealed that Paton is fond of Fangio.

It’s besides nary concealed that Paton is determined to get Rodgers, Russell Wilson oregon a backmost who tin instrumentality the Broncos to title relevancy.

The NFL mightiness beryllium a fraternity, but archetypal and foremost it’s a business.

And what’s champion for the Broncos’ concern is to determination connected from Fangio.