Hall-of-Fame Game tonight a dry-run for players - as well as coaches

Happy Hall-of-Fame Game Day, Broncos Country!

WooHoo! The Denver Broncos will finally begin their 60th season and kickoff the NFL’s 100th season at the 2019 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, tonight as Broncos new head coach Vic Fangio will make his head-coaching debut.

And while it will be tempting to watch certain players and position groups with an eagle eye of skepticism and evaluation, it’s good to remember what this game really is - a dry run. For everyone.

A dry run for players, for coaches, for referees - heck, even for fans (special editor’s note - MHR’s Jess Place and Casey Barrett will be at the Hall of Fame game as well as the ceremony and tons of special events in between and will be bringing first-hand coverage to Mile High Report.)

It’s a chance to put young players, new players, players fighting to move up in game-like conditions to see how they react.

And when reporters asked head coach Vic Fangio (aka, VFF) how much people should “read into” his first depth chart for the game, he totally “Fangioed” his reply:

“I’m going to be honest with you. I wouldn’t read it at all,” he said on Monday. “They came to me and asked me to put this depth chart together. I gave it to the coaches and said just put it there. Anything — you guys know who’s been working with the ones. Anything after that is a free-for-all, and if you put any stock in to it you’re mistaken.”

In fact, Fangio is not putting any stock into his depth chart until Week 1 after he has cut down to 53 players.

Because Vic Freakin’ Fangio knows that preseason is about working out the kinks, finding the best combination of players, seeing which players rise to the competition, which ones can’t handle the pressure, which ones just need more development. It’s a practice.

“The main thing that we want to accomplish is get the individual and the team ready for the regular season,” he said, noting that one of his biggest jobs is getting the right 53 players. “There will be times whereas coaches we may have a good feel for what the other team is going to run, but we’re going to call something that’s hard for us just to see if guys can handle it. ...Can guys cover receivers? Can guys rush the passer? Can we stop the run? So, it’s an evaluation tool, mainly.”

And lest you think he’s not including coaches, Fangio sees this week’s game as much about him doing his job right as the players moving the ball. As a first-time head coach, Fangio knows his role will be a little different - and he wants to practice.

“Experiment with where the best place for me to stand is when we’re on defense,” he said. “I’m going to try and get an end zone view of it. I won’t be on the line of scrimmage starting off. I’m going to try and be back a little ways, one way or the other, so at least I have somewhat of a wider view. We’ll see how that works.”

He’s also not worrying about what plays offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello is calling (it’s preseason for crying out loud, who cares?). Instead, he’s concerned about how coaches on the sidelines are helping players do their jobs on the field.

“I’m going to be more interested in the operation. How the players are going in. Do we have a flow? Are we making sure we’re not up against the play clock too many times?” Fangio said. “I’ll be helping him with that. More so the operation than the exact plays being called.”

But Scangarello will definitely be paying attention to his offense on the field.

Choosing to be in the box rather on the sideline, the first-time coordinator believes that with a strong o-line coach, quarterbacks coach and veteran QB on the sidelines, he can afford to take advantage of the quiet atmosphere the box allows for him to think through the play calling.

Asked how he’d measure his performance as a play caller on Thursday, Scangarello did not hesitate - “By points (laughing).”

“I know everyone says it’s [my] first time [calling plays] in the NFL, and yes, the NFL is the biggest stage and all that, but I’ve called a lot of plays,” he said, pointing out that calling this kind of offense in college where coaches can’t communicate with the quarterback is actually tougher. “So, in a lot of ways, the communication process is much smoother in the NFL. In the end, it’s the best defensive coordinators in the league, and I’ve got to be on it, and I have to do my job to help guys be in a position to be successful.”

But Scangarello - like his head coach - has a very grounded view of what he’s looking for tonight and throughout the preseason.

“In the end, our job is to be at our best come September when we start the season. ...I know when you’re watching it, things are going to look a certain way offensively and defensively. And rightfully so to say the offense struggled, or whatever. I understand all that from the outside. For us, it’s about measuring — we are putting in different schemes, and things don’t necessarily fit what we’re seeing and what we have to teach the quarterback and the players — and you have to install things. So, it’s not always going to be smooth, and vice-versa,” Scangarello said. “...Offensively we’ve just got to gel, [and] we’re coming together. By far, we’re not there, we still have a ways to go, but I feel the confidence.”

And for all these reasons, Fangio likes the five-game preseason the Broncos will have thanks to the HOF game.

“I like it. I think the guys that benefit the most from it are the young players. They’re going to get more reps,” Fangio said, adding that a lot of young players often feel squeezed by just four games to show what they’ve got. “So they’re going to get enough opportunities here and get their play on tape. The good thing about being a football player, you don’t have to make a resume up. Your resume’s on tape, and every team gets it.”

Horse Tracks - docllv’s pick of the day

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Horse Tracks - Broncos News

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Von Miller on whether he's already a Hall of Famer: 'No, I haven't done enough' | 9news
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It may be just a preseason game. But for Vic Fangio, his staff and Broncos players vying for roster spots, Thursday's game carries weight.

Horse Tracks - NFL News

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