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Broncos Briefs: Wade Harman Hired As TE Coach; Zach Azzanni, Curtis Modkins Set to Return by Ryan O’Halloran the Denver Post January 18, 2019

Broncos Briefs: Wade Harman Hired As TE Coach; Zach Azzanni, Curtis Modkins Set to Return by Ryan O’Halloran the Denver Post January 18, 2019

Broncos Briefs: hired as TE coach; Zach Azzanni, set to return By Ryan O’Halloran The Denver Post January 18, 2019

The Broncos continued reshaping their staff of assistant coaches Thursday by hiring Wade Harman as tight ends coach and Renaldo Hill as defensive backs coach.

Harman, 55, has been in the NFL since 1997 and was most recently the ’ tight ends coach. In 2015, he was on the same staff as new Broncos . Harman replaces Geep Chryst, who was with the Broncos for two years.

Hill, 40, finished his playing career with the Broncos in July 2011 and was most recently the ’ assistant defensive backs coach.

Also, receivers coach Zach Azzanni announced on Twitter that he had been retained by coach . Running backs coach Curtis Modkins is also expected to return after joining the Broncos last year, according to a league source.

Harman spent two years with Minnesota (coaching assistant) and 15 years with Baltimore (tight ends coach) before joining the Falcons as offensive line coach for one year and then tight ends coach for four years.

Harman was a coach on two winning teams while on the Ravens’ staff and coached , , and , among others.

For the Falcons in 2018, Austin Hooper was second on the team with 71 catches.

Harman joins a Broncos tight end group that was decimated by injuries. In order, Troy Fumagalli (groin), Jake Butt (torn ACL) and starter Jeff Heuerman (ribs/lung) were all lost before or during the season. Heuerman will be a free agent in March.

Hill played at Michigan State and was a seventh-round pick by Arizona in 2001. He played for the Cardinals, Oakland, Miami and the Broncos. He appeared in 141 NFL games (114 starts) and had 19 .

With the Broncos in 2009-10, Hill played for , who returned to the organization this week as .

Hill started his coaching career at Wyoming (graduate assistant) before moving to the University of Pittsburgh (three years) and the Dolphins.

Azzanni led a young receivers group that included first-year players Courtland Sutton (42 catches), DaeSean Hamilton (30 catches) and Tim Patrick (23 catches). Following the trade of Demaryius Thomas and the Achilles injury to Emmanuel Sanders, the Broncos’ top four receivers were all first-year players.

Modkins also coached a young group, led by rookie Pro Bowler (1,037 yards) and third- round pick Royce Freeman (521 yards). With Harman on board and Azzanni and Modkins set to return, that leaves coach as the last remaining piece. Mike Sullivan coached the position in 2018.

Fangio honored. Fangio was honored named Assistant Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association for his work as the ’ defensive coordinator. The Bears won the NFC North and led the league in fewest points allowed (17.7) and most takeaways (37) and interceptions (27).

Bears coach Matt Nagy was named Coach of the Year and general manager Chris Ballard was Executive of the Year.

Footnotes. Former Broncos coach was hired last week as the ’ defensive coordinator and has brought two of his former assistants with him. Marcus Robertson and Greg Williams will coach the Cardinals’ secondary. … Replaced by Scangarello, now-former Broncos offensive coordinator will not have a role moving forward and has left the organization.

Deandre Baker to the Broncos? Mel Kiper Jr. has Denver selecting Georgia CB in NFL mock draft. By Joe Nguyen The Denver Post January 18, 2019

ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. on Thursday unveiled his first predictions for the 2019 NFL draft and he has the Broncos selecting Georgia Deandre Baker with the 10th overall pick.

“Cornerback is the No. 1 need for the Broncos,” Kiper writes. “Baker isn’t far behind Greedy Williams as the top corner in this class.”

Denver’s once-vaunted “No Fly Zone” took hits last year, first with cornerback Aqib Talib being traded to the Rams before the season, followed by numerous injuries, including a broken leg suffered by All-Pro corner Chris Harris Jr. Kiper notes that Harris’ age — he turns 30 in June — and Bradley Roby becoming a free agent makes the position a priority for the Broncos.

“ hit on his 2018 draft class, and he needs another good one to get the team back on track under new coach Vic Fangio,” Kiper writes.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Baker was a consensus All-American last season. In four seasons with the Bulldogs, he tallied seven interceptions.

Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa is predicted to go No. 1 overall to the Arizona Cardinals. As for quarterbacks, Kiper has Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins going to the Giants at No. 6, Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray to the Dolphins at No. 13, and Duke’s Daniel Jones to the Patriots at No. 29.

The NFL draft takes place April 25-27 in Nashville, Tenn.

Broncos to interview Chris Kuper for coaching position, hire Renaldo Hill, Wade Harman By Mike Klis 9 News January 18, 2019

A couple hours after Rich Scangarello was named the Broncos’ new offensive coordinator, word came he was bringing in his own tight ends coach.

It turned out to be Wade Harman, who has coached NFL tight ends for 19 years, including the 2015 Atlanta Falcons whose offensive staff included , Matt and Mike LaFleur, Mike McDaniel and a quality control coach named Rich Scangarello.

Matt LaFleur is now of the , Kyle Shanahan is head coach of the , and Mike LaFleur, McDaniel and Scangarello were part of Shanahan’s staff until Scangarello branched off to Denver.

Harman, 55, has coached the tight end likes of Shannon Sharpe, Todd Heap, Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson in Baltimore and Austin Hooper in Atlanta. Harman also won two Super Bowl rings while coaching for the Ravens.

The Broncos also turned to a couple of their former players to help fill out their coaching staff. The team hired Renaldo Hill to serve as their defensive backs coach. Hill was a Broncos’ starting safety alongside during the Josh McDaniels’ era from 2009-10.

Hill will work alongisde Ed Donatell, the Broncos' new defensive coordinator who will run the secondary. Vic Fangio will double as the Broncos' new head coach who will also serve as the defensive coordinator.

Hill coached last season for the Miami Dolphins under head coach . So did Chris Kuper, another former Broncos’ starter turned coach. The Broncos will interview Kuper for their assistant offensive line coach early next week.

Kuper was part of the Broncos’ terrific 2006 draft class that also included Jay Cutler, Elvis Dumervil, receiver Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler.

Kuper, 36, was a starting guard five full seasons until a dislocated ankle shortened his career. He has spent the past three seasons working his way up the coaching chain.

Broncos long snapper Casey Kreiter named to By Alexander Kirk 9 News January 18, 2019

Denver Broncos long snapper Casey Kreiter is headed to Orlando.

The third-year long snapper has been named to the 2019 Pro Bowl, the NFL announced on Wednesday.

Kreiter joins Von Miller and Phillip Lindsay as Pro Bowl selections for the Broncos.

Bradley Chubb, Chris Harris Jr. and Emmanuel Sanders are Pro Bowl alternates.

Kreiter is the first Broncos long snapper to earn a Pro Bowl selection.

Kreiter played 16 games in 2018 and handled 146 snaps without an unplayable delivery.

AFC (and ) Head Coach chose Kreiter as a "need" player for the Pro Bowl roster.

The 2019 Pro Bowl will be held on Sunday, Jan. 27 at Orlando's Camping World Stadium.

Rich Scangarello heads to Denver — will a 49ers follow? By Matt Barrows The Athletic January 18, 2019

The 49ers were expecting to lose quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello to the , and that’s exactly what happened Wednesday. After a two-day interview, the Broncos made him their new offensive coordinator. He’ll join a staff full of one-time 49ers assistants: Vic Fangio (head coach), Ed Donatell (defensive coordinator), Curtis Modkins (running backs coach) and Geep Chryst (tight ends coach).

Some thoughts about the hire and how it affects — and reflects on — the 49ers:

Who takes over as quarterbacks coach? The 49ers likely will move one of their current assistants to that spot, either Mike LaFleur, who has the title of wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator, or Mike McDaniel, who is the team’s run-game coordinator.

If it’s LaFleur, McDaniel becomes a candidate to coach the wide receivers. He already spends the early part of practices with that group, working alongside LaFleur and special offensive assistant Katie Sowers. McDaniel also served one season each as wide receivers coach under Shanahan in Washington and in Cleveland.

Why did Shanahan allow Scangarello to interview with other teams and not McDaniel and LeFleur? The Arizona Cardinals wanted to talk to McDaniel for their offensive coordinator spot. Other teams, including the Green Bay Packers, where Mike LaFleur’s brother, Matt, is the new head coach, wanted to interview LaFleur for offensive coordinator. Shanahan blocked both.

For one, those would not have been true promotions. LaFleur and McDaniel are heavily involved in game- planning already with the 49ers, have “coordinator” in their job titles, but do not call plays. They wouldn’t have had that duty in Arizona or Green Bay, either. For Scangarello, on the other hand, going to Denver is a true step up the ladder. He will call Denver’s offensive plays.

That Shanahan denied interview requests for LaFleur and McDaniel also underscores how important they are to him. They’re both young and don’t get much publicity, but they are his top lieutenants on . All you need to do is watch with whom Shanahan consults on the practice field before the daily sessions begin: defensive coordinator , McDaniel and LaFleur.

Does this increase the chance of the quarterback-needy Broncos trading for one of the 49ers’ passers? Nick Mullens is someone whom Scangarello identified, then championed, during the 2017 draft process and there is a clear affinity — and resemblance — between the two.

But it’s hard to see any deals getting done. For one, the 49ers love the idea of having Mullens and C.J. Beathard duke it out this offseason while Jimmy Garoppolo continues his ACL rehabilitation. It sets the tone for the offseason competition they want up and down the roster.

Two, it seems like the Broncos want/need to go big at that position in the form of a more experienced starter or early-round draft pick.

Three, Scangarello will be eager to work with , who still has another year on his contract. After the 2017 season, Scanagarello sent Mullens into the offseason with a homework assignment: study two NFL quarterbacks who are built and wired similarly to him. Those two quarterbacks were Drew Brees and Keenum.

One more thought on this topic. Yes, Scangarello is most associated with Mullens. But he likes Beathard, too. Here’s what he told The Athletic about Beathard last month:

“C.J. has a quick release, great arm talent. He is very good, pre-snap, at processing, extracting information, knowing what he wants to do with the football. Post-snap, he’s very good seeing things. He’s very good. Does he need to do a better job moving in the pocket, getting things (out) on time and all that? Yes, I definitely believe — and he believes — there’s room for improvement. But it’s definitely do-able, and I saw signs of it during some of the games this year. To where I’m really optimistic that C.J.’s going to have an opportunity to break out in the NFL.”

How does Scangarello’s departure reflect on the 49ers? It reflects well. Four-win teams usually don’t have their coaching staffs pilfered by other squads. That three 49ers assistants were hot commodities shows just how en vogue Shanahan’s system is right now. The success Sean McVay — another Shanahan disciple — is having with the Rams obviously is a huge factor. But there’s a perception at least that the 49ers are on the right track as well.

That Scangarello, who three years ago was the offensive coordinator at Wagner College, is now an NFL offensive coordinator who calls plays also is a signal to any young coaches that a stop in Santa Clara can be great for your career.

Is it weird that two former 49ers coaches, Fangio and Scangarello, would wind up together? Not really. This has been a move in the making. Fangio still spends time in the Bay Area in the offseason, and he and Scangarello met each other — had golf outings together — this past offseason. Which is to say, Scangarello wasn’t off on a blind date when he flew to Denver earlier in the week for his interview. One can only imagine the union was orchestrated by their agent, Richmond Flowers, who managed to get a head-coaching gig for a guy who had been passed over earlier in his career and a coordinator job for another with only four years of NFL coaching experience. Not bad.

Broncos coach Vic Fangio hires 2 more assistants By STAFF Associated Press January 18, 2019

New Broncos head coach Vic Fangio has hired two more members of his staff: tight ends coach Wade Harman and defensive backs coach Renaldo Hill.

Harman has spent 19 of his 22 years as an NFL assistant coaching tight ends, including the last four years in Atlanta, where he was instrumental in Austin Hooper's development.

Harman also worked with the Vikings (1997-98) and Ravens (1999-2013), where he was the only assistant coach that was part of Baltimore's two Super Bowl championship seasons. Among the tight ends he worked with there were Shannon Sharpe, Todd Heap, Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson.

Hill played 10 years in the NFL with the Cardinals, Raiders, Dolphins and Broncos, where he finished his playing career in 2010. He coached five seasons at the collegiate level before spending last season as the Dolphins' assistant defensive backs coach.

Woody Paige: John Elway hopes this go-round with Vic Fangio goes better than the first By Woody Paige Colorado Springs Gazette January 18, 2019

In 1988 an unknown 30-year-old coach, who had not played college or pro football, was assigned the task of shutting down a renowned college and professional quarterback who, at 28, had started in the past two Super Bowls.

On that Nov. 20 Sunday afternoon at the Superdome, the Saints, including defensive assistant Vic Fangio, shut down John Elway and shut out the Broncos, 42-0.

It was the highest point-differential regular-season loss of Elway’s 16-season Hall of Fame career, and it would be the highest-scoring margin in a shutout victory for Fangio in 33 years in the NFL.

Elway returned to New Orleans the next season for his third Super Bowl and suffered his most devastating defeat — 55-10 to the 49ers.

Elway never played in New Orleans again.

In 2012 the Broncos, with Elway as the executive vice president of football operations, the Broncos were AFC favorites to reach Super Bowl XLVII ... in New Orleans. However, in a playoff game, the Broncos were upset by the Ravens in overtime after a last moment-Hail Mary near the end of regulation.

That day lives in infamy in Colorado.

So, instead, the Bros. Harbaugh — John of Baltimore and Jim of San Francisco — were matched in New Orleans.

Assuming Elway would represent the Broncos in New Orleans, I left a message asking him to meet and revisit his five Super Bowls. He soon called back. I was in a restaurant in the French Quarter. Elway was in a hammock in Hawaii.

“I thought you’d be here,’’ I said.

“No way.’’

“Well, yes, there was the game against Joe Montana here.’’

“And we got killed by the Saints one year,’’ Elway said.

“I forgot.’’

“I want to forget.’’

At that Ravens-49ers Super Bowl I interviewed the San Francisco coordinator because he worked under both Harbaughs, and each possessed a premier defense. He was friendly, unassuming, direct, a football lifer and not very quotable. He was Fangio.

But he did say: “My older brother lives in Colorado Springs.’’ Tony Fangio still does.

In his only trip to the championship game, Vic was on the losing side, 34-31, on the night the lights went out in New Orleans and delayed the Super Bowl for 34 minutes.

Despite never meeting over the past 30 years, Elway and Fangio have been in the same stadium on opposite sides since that first confrontation when Fangio was developing four Pro Bowl linebackers with the Saints. He had several others in Carolina, San Francisco and Chicago. No wonder The Linebacker Whisperer eventually would join the Broncos with Von Miller and Bradley Chubb.

In 1996 Elway was a quarterback on the AFC team at the Pro Bowl, and Fangio was on the NFC staff of Panthers coach Dom Capers (who had been the secondary coach with Fangio with the Saints, where Steve Sidwell, a former University of Colorado player and assistant coach, was the defensive coordinator).

Fangio first coached in Mile High Stadium in the old USFL (Philadelphia Stars) and against the Broncos in 1994 — a 30-28 Saints’ victory. He was with the Panthers in ’94 when Elway got some measure of revenge — a 34-0 shutout. Fangio served as defensive coordinator of the Colts when they, led by Peyton Manning, beat the Broncos, without a retired Elway, in 2001, 29-10. Fangio next appeared in Denver in 2004 with the Texans, who were thrashed 31-13. In 2006 the Ravens, and Fangio, nudged the Broncos 13-3.

Fangio and Elway were reunited, without knowing it, in 2014 as the Broncos beat the 49ers at new Mile High, 42-17.

And the last time — with Elway the chief executive of the Broncos and Fangio the coordinator of the Bears — the Broncos prevailed in Chicago with Brock Osweiler outdueling Jay Cutler 17-15.

One degree of separation. Both spent time with John Fox as their coach.

Elway played at Stanford, and Fangio coached at Stanford. Now they are joined, somewhat, at the hip in Denver, and “Forever and Forever Stanford Red’’ has turned into Broncos’ Orange.

Could John Elway and Vic Fangio become Rick Blaine and Captain Renault?

“Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.’’

They’ll always have New Orleans ’88, and Denver ’19.

Broncos name Renaldo Hill as defensive backs coach By Aric DiLalla DenverBroncos.com January 18, 2019

The Broncos have named Renaldo Hill as the team’s defensive backs coach, Head Coach Vic Fangio announced Thursday.

Hill, who played safety for the Broncos from 2009-10, will enter his second season in the NFL as a coach.

He served as an assistant defensive backs coach for the Miami Dolphins in 2018. During that season, the Dolphins ranked second in the NFL in interceptions and pick-sixes. Miami also ranked third in the NFL in red-zone takeaways.

Hill was one of the coaches to work with first-time Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard, who tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with seven picks last year.

Before arriving in Miami, Hill spent three years coaching the secondary at the University of Pittsburgh. While coaching the Panthers, he guided two future NFL Draft picks in Avonte Maddox and Jordan Whitehead. Both players earned All-ACC honors in 2017 — and Whitehead also earned the same honor in 2015 and 2016.

Whitehead earned Freshman All-American honors and was named ACC Rookie of the Year in 2015.

Hill started his coaching career at Wyoming, where he served as a graduate assistant and coach.

A seventh-round pick in the 2001 NFL Draft, Hill played 141 games and started 114 during his career. He recorded 19 interceptions, including four in Denver as he started 31 games at safety in his two seasons with the Broncos.

The Broncos’ new defensive coordinator, Ed Donatell, coached Denver’s defensive backs during those two seasons.

Broncos name Wade Harman as tight ends coach By Aric DiLalla DenverBroncos.com January 18, 2019

The Broncos have named Wade Harman as the team’s tight ends coach, Head Coach Vic Fangio announced Thursday.

Harman’s most recent coaching stop was in Atlanta, where he spent five seasons. He led the tight end group during the last four years (2015-18). During his time in Atlanta, the Falcons ranked third in the NFL in total offense and ranked fifth in scoring.

While with the Falcons, Harman worked with tight end Austin Hooper, who ranks eighth in the league in receptions (139) and is tied for 10th in (10) by a tight end during the last three seasons.

Harman will work with new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello, whose hiring the Broncos announced on Wednesday. Scangarello served as an offensive quality control coach in Atlanta in 2015, which was Harman's first year as the team's tight ends coach.

Fangio, meanwhile, previously worked on the same staff as Harman in Baltimore from 2006-2009. Harman spent 15 years in Baltimore, and he was a part of both of the team’s Super Bowl wins. Hall of Famer and former Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe and two-time Pro Bowler Todd Heap played for Harman in Baltimore.

More recently, Harman worked with Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson in Baltimore. Both players recorded at least one season with at least 50 catches and five touchdowns.

In total, Harman holds 22 years of NFL experience and 10 years of collegiate experience. He has coached tight ends in 19 of his 22 NFL seasons. PFWA selects Vic Fangio as 2018 NFL Assistant Coach of the Year By Ben Swanson DenverBroncos.com January 18, 2019

After helping the Bears' defense surge to the top of the NFL, new Broncos Head Coach Vic Fangio has been selected as the 2018 NFL Assistant Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America.

In Fangio's fourth season as Chicago's defensive coordinator, the Bears ranked in the league's top 10 in almost every major category. No team allowed fewer yards per play and the Bears also led the NFL in interceptions (27), defensive touchdowns (six) and points allowed per game. With the arrival of Khalil Mack via a Sept. 1 trade with Oakland, the Bears acquired the star they needed to make their defense the NFL's most dangerous in 2018. Due in no small part to Fangio's masterful defense, the Bears captured their first NFC North title since 2010.

Pro Football Writers @PFWAwriters Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who oversaw a Bears defense that led the NFL in takeaways and interceptions and included three PFWA All-NFL selections and one PFWA All-Rookie pick, was selected as the 2018 NFL Assistant Coach of the Year.

Fangio's efforts successfully transformed a Bears defense that had ranked 30th in yards allowed per game, 31st in passing yards per plays and 31st in points allowed per game in 2014, the season before he was hired.

Five great moments from Steve Atwater's Broncos career By Andrew Mason DenverBroncos.com January 18, 2019

As we hear constantly, safety is perhaps the hardest position to evaluate for members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's selection committee. The criteria is based less on quantifiable numbers that help define most other positions, and instead is built on honors, respect from peers of his time and a general aura of intimidation that forced opponents to rethink their plans.

Those attributes place Steve Atwater in a favorable light. In a career of standout performances, here are five moments that stand out and define just what he meant to the Broncos and how he became one of the players who defined football in the 1990s.

Announcing his presence early

The Broncos made Atwater an immediate starter as a rookie in 1989 after selecting him with their first- round pick, and it only took him three games to show that their choice was wise.

Denver burst to a 28-0 lead over the Los Angeles Raiders on the strength of a dominant defensive performance that included Atwater's first career , a pick of quarterback Jay Schroeder that led to a 30-yard return. It was one of four takeaways by the Broncos in the first half as they built a 28-0 halftime lead.

That edge nearly evaporated in the second half, as the Raiders narrowed the gap to 28-21 and had the football with under five minutes left and a chance to tie. Atwater then ended it, intercepting Schroeder again to set up David Treadwell's game-clinching field goal.

So many of Atwater's biggest moments revolved around hits, but this game showed that he could make game-changing plays on the ball, as well.

Ending the Nigerian Nightmare

If Atwater had not worn an NFL Films microphone when the Broncos faced the Chiefs on a warm September Monday night in 1990, his shivering blast on Kansas City's Christian Okoye might have been just a historical footnote. Instead, it became a touchstone that was not only the defining hit of his career, but a symbol of a different, now-bygone era of pro football.

Okoye entered Denver at the peak of his powers. He led the NFL in rushing one year earlier and had broken 100 rushing yards in half of his previous 16 games. A 260-pound back with speed worthy of a runner 60 pounds lighter, he was a blend of swiftness and power that the NFL had rarely seen before.

Atwater gave up 42 pounds to Okoye. But as Okoye burst through a hole up front, Atwater had momentum, and lowered his right shoulder into Okoye, sending the bulky back to the Mile High Stadium grass as the sellout crowd roared.

Never a notorious trash talker, Atwater couldn't hold back, looking over Okoye and saying, "Yeah, you tried, baby."

The Broncos went on to win, 24-23. Okoye was never quite the same after that. He broke 100 yards just four times in his next 39 games, and his career ended three years later.

To this day, outside of Denver, whenever Atwater's name is mentioned, Okoye's often follows, forever connected by one hit that echoes to this day.

"A lot of places I go, that is the thing they ask me about," he said.

Stopping the Broncos' bleeding

One of the Broncos' worst all-time starts came in 1994, when they stumbled to an 0-4 September that included three one-score losses, two of which came to the previous year's AFC champion (Buffalo) and that season's eventual AFC winner (San Diego).

Desperate after a bye week to stew over the poor start and seven-game losing streak dating back to the previous December, the Broncos trudged to Seattle, where Atwater single-handledly got the Broncos out of their funk and started a 7-2 run that nearly saved their season.

In the first quarter, Atwater intercepted Seattle quarterback Rick Mirer's third-and-11 pass, stopping a scoring drive and returning it 24 yards to Denver's 33-yard line. The theft ignited the Broncos, who subsequently drove 58 yards in nine plays to a Jason Elam field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.

The Broncos lurched around for the next 15 minutes before Atwater came to the rescue again, recovering a forced by Randy Hilliard at the Denver 13-yard line. Atwater returned it to the Denver 30, and the offense seized the momentum from there, driving to their only touchdown of the day.

Knocking you off your feet

Believe it or not, the usually-hapless Buccaneers were a tough foe for the Broncos in the 1990s, beating them in two of their three meetings. The exception was in 1996, when he broke up two passes and notched seven tackles in a 27-23 win on “Sunday Night Football.”

But one jarring hit stands out.

With the Bucs leading 13-10, running back Reggie Brooks plowed up the middle. Atwater raced into the box to the right of Brooks, who appeared to have a clear shot at reaching the second level. But Atwater accelerated and drove his right shoulder squarely into Brooks, knocking him completely off of his feet.

The Bucs punted, the Broncos went on to win, and a template for a dominant season was established. They won six of their next seven one-score games before dropping a meaningless season-ending game at San Diego, and Atwater's timely hits were frequently a root cause of the Broncos' success. The 1996 season was also Atwater's eighth consecutive campaign with at least 100 total tackles. atwater_favre_190117 Delivering a Super Bowl triumph

One of the best cases for Atwater as a Hall of Famer is that he was at his best when it mattered the most. In the Broncos' 31-24 Super Bowl XXXII win over the Green Bay Packers, he delivered one of the key defensive plays that made the Broncos' first world championship possible.

Atwater overcame shoulder injuries that plagued him throughout the season to break up two passes, notch six tackles and force a fumble on a sack of Brett Favre that defensive end Neil Smith recovered. One of Atwater's two passes defensed led directly to a , as it prevented a completion to Robert Brooks that would have moved Green Bay into field-goal range with the game deadlocked at 24-24.

But the play most remember is the one that saw him knock three players out of the game -- including himself. With the Packers facing third-and-6 and the Broncos clinging to a 31-24 lead, Favre looked for Brooks at the Denver 10-yard line down the left seam. But Atwater lurked and lunged left-shoulder-first at Brooks as the ball arrived.

The pass sailed over the heads of Brooks, Atwater and Hilliard, who flanked Brooks from the other side. However, Brooks' descent toward the grass ensured that Atwater's shoulder plowed over him and into Hilliard's upper chest. With three players injured, both teams were assessed timeouts.

Atwater, Brooks and Hilliard all sat out the fateful, final snap, but after John Mobley deflected Favre's fourth-down attempt to Mark Chmura, Atwater was well enough to celebrate a franchise milestone that might have never happened without his presence.

Shutdown could lead to airport chaos on Super Bowl Monday By Jay Busbee Yahoo! Sports January 18, 2019

Visitors to Atlanta in town for the Super Bowl, here’s some advice for getting through Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport’s security on the Monday morning after the game: leave for the airport at halftime.

Everyone else, anywhere in the country, who’s flying on that Monday: bring a good book and a lot of patience to your local airport.

While “perfect storm” is both a cliche and an uncomfortable metaphor for air travel, it fits for the situation shaping up on Monday, Feb. 4 at the world’s busiest airport. Start with your typical start-of-the-business- week travel. Add in more than a 100,000 visiting passengers, bleary-eyed with either celebration or dejection. Filter the majority of them through a single security checkpoint. And then factor in that the people working that checkpoint might not have been paid for more than a month, if they show up at all, thanks to the ongoing federal government shutdown.

It’s going to be a hell of a Monday.

Shutdown + Volume = Long, Long Delays Even under the sunniest scenarios, the Super Bowl is a phenomenal logistical challenge. Atlanta’s Super Bowl host committee expects more than a million visitors to the city during the week of the game. An estimated 200,000 passengers will arrive every day of the weekend leading up to the game, a 33 percent increase over standard numbers. Hartsfield-Jackson is expecting an additional 1,500 arrivals and departures each day. On the Monday after the Super Bowl, a day Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms dubbed “Mass Exodus Monday,” the city projects 110,000 passengers will travel through the airport.

That kind of volume would present a serious test even to a highly motivated, fully paid security staff. But the government shutdown — whose nuances we will not argue here — has left 800,000 federal workers without paychecks. Some are sitting at home, but others, deemed essential personnel, are working without pay. Transportation Service Authority employees, responsible for maintaining security at the nation’s airports, fall into that latter category.

TSA employees are forbidden by law to strike. But as the shutdown reaches the one-month mark with no end in sight, many TSA employees are staging impromptu “sick-outs,” calling in sick as a form of silent (and absent) protest, and it’s tough to blame them for being frustrated. Earlier this week, reports indicated that the absentee rates across TSA’s 51,000 employees were about 6.8 percent, up from 2.5 percent on the same days last year. The result has been what you’d expect: the machinery of the screening process grinding to a near-halt.

This week’s delays could be a grim preview Delays on Monday at Hartsfield-Jackson reached from the security line all the way through the concourse and into baggage claim, a Moebius loop of passengers waiting to get on flights mingling with passengers arriving to claim their baggage. Atlanta reported delays of 88 minutes, the longest in the nation. As recently as Thursday morning, traditionally a quieter day for business travel, passengers reported hour- long delays even in TSA pre-check lines.

Hartsfield-Jackson officials declined comment to Yahoo Sports on Wednesday on possible shutdown- related delays. Earlier in the week, Elise Durham, the airport’s director of communications, told U.S. News & World Report that the airport will be bringing in 1,800 volunteers to help passengers throughout the airport. Durham also noted that the TSA had committed to sending additional resources to Atlanta even before the shutdown. “That commitment still stands,” Durham said, “and we expect to have additional TSA officers to support the increased operations.”

Without injecting politics into your football any more than it already is, it’s worth noting that the Super Bowl/TSA situation might be the key to unlocking this entire shutdown crisis. The Washington Post’s Robert Costa notes that Republican sources have hinted that only public pressure — spurred by outrage at flight problems — might bust the gridlock:

If that’s the case, the Monday after the Super Bowl might be the flashpoint. Airport troubles in Atlanta cascade across the entire country, as missed connections and delayed flights pile up at gates from JFK to DFW to LAX. If you’re flying on that Monday, download some movies and podcasts and get yourself a comfortable set of headphones right now.

The only fight in the country more watched than the one happening on Super Bowl Sunday is the one happening now between Capitol Hill and the White House. It’d be a bit of slow, grinding synchronicity if they overlapped in the Atlanta airport.

N.F.L. Playoff Predictions: Conference Championship Picks By Benjamin Hoffman New York Times January 18, 2019

For all the excitement created by the N.F.L.’s offensive fireworks this season, the league could be accused of being predictable. From roughly Week 5 forward, the Rams, the Saints and the Chiefs were considered favorites to get to this point. And while it was a down season for the Patriots, relatively speaking, it will probably be several years after Tom Brady’s retirement before people stop assuming he will find a way into the A.F.C. championship game.

So after all those yards and touchdowns, it comes down to the top four offenses battling to reach the Super Bowl. Four elite quarterbacks, four teams with terrific running games and four head coaches who seem more than capable of getting the most out of their players.

There will almost certainly be a great deal of scoring in both games, but the results could hinge on a key takeaway or a key pressure from one of the less-heralded defenses. And whichever teams eke out a win will meet in Atlanta two weeks later in Super Bowl LIII.

Here are our predictions for how the conference championships will sort out, both in terms of who will win and who will win against the spread.

N.F.C.

Los Angeles Rams at 3:05 p.m., Fox

Somehow the Week 9 showdown between Los Angeles and New Orleans did not receive the hype or the praise of the Rams’ thrilling win against Kansas City in Week 11, but it was not for a lack of excitement or importance. The teams combined for 80 points and 970 yards of offense, and the Saints ended the Rams’ undefeated start to the season.

While that result essentially decided home-field advantage for this game, and there are certainly aspects of that game that could serve as a preview for this one, the Rams’ roster gained two important additions after that day: Aqib Talib and C.J. Anderson.

First and foremost is Talib, the Pro Bowl cornerback who was among the Rams’ most prominent acquisitions last off-season. He injured his ankle in Week 3, had an operation and did not return until Week 13. Talib, 32, immediately took the team’s secondary from awful to adequate.

On top of that, Los Angeles has gotten a boost in the last three games from Anderson, a running back who never quite reached his potential in Denver, and spent this season on three teams. He appears to have found a home as a second running option alongside Todd Gurley, helping spare Gurley’s balky knee from abuse and providing a different look at the position.

Those additions level the playing field considerably, but there are plenty of reasons the Saints were the N.F.C.’s top team in the regular season, and all of them hold true. Quarterback Drew Brees is still firing on all cylinders. The team’s running game is among the best — and the most versatile — in the entire N.F.L. Michael Thomas is among the game’s most talented wide receivers. And the New Orleans defense does a terrific job of stopping the run.

In what should be a fantastic game between evenly matched teams, the deciding factor could be which overmatched secondary performs better. There will be a lot of yardage regardless, but if Talib can limit Thomas, the opportunity is there for the Rams to come away with a road upset and their first trip to the Super Bowl since the 2001 season.

Pick to win: Rams

Pick against the spread: Rams +3.5

A.F.C.

New England Patriots at 6:40 p.m., CBS

Tom Brady and the rest of the Patriots seem to believe that the football world has lost faith in them. It’s true that many people picked the Chargers to win last week — though the Patriots were officially 4-point favorites in the game — but even the most ardent believers in Los Angeles’s chances seemed aware that the combination of Brady, and Foxborough could easily lead to a win for New England.

Fast-forward one week, and the Patriots are underdogs not just in spirit but also in reality against a team that spent most of the season with people assuming it would reach the Super Bowl. The faith in quarterback Patrick Mahomes came quickly, but it was also warranted, as he followed his 5,097-yard, 50- touchdown regular season by easily dispatching the Indianapolis Colts in his playoff debut last weekend.

When the Patriots and Chiefs met in Week 6, Mahomes had about as much success as a visiting young starter could expect in New England, throwing for 352 yards and four touchdowns. But he also threw a pair of interceptions and endured the first loss of his professional career.

Of concern to the Patriots, however, is that Mahomes seemed to be figuring things out against them as the game went along. Kansas City outscored New England, 31-19, in the second half of that game, and Mahomes tied the score with just over three minutes to play by hitting Tyreek Hill for a 75-yard touchdown — only to have Brady march his team downfield for a game-winning, 28-yard field goal as time expired.

Now the Chiefs get a turn to host, and Arrowhead Stadium should be nice and frigid, with temperatures expected to be in the low 20s. Last weekend, in the Chiefs’ win over Indianapolis, Coach Andy Reid compensated for the snow and cold by focusing on the run, and it worked: Four Kansas City players scored rushing touchdowns. The defense did its part by harassing Colts quarterback Andrew Luck into a poor game.

This time, the Chiefs may want to focus on the pass. New England is vulnerable there, having allowed 3,943 passing yards this season and 29 touchdowns through the air, though the damage was mitigated by a decent number of interceptions. As Mahomes has proved repeatedly, he can take chances while still minimizing turnover risk, and if he can turn this game into a shootout, he has the advantage, thanks to his team’s superior skill players.

This all adds up to Kansas City’s rightly being the favorite, with an extremely good shot of playing in the Super Bowl for the first time since Len Dawson led the Chiefs to a win over the Vikings in Super Bowl IV. Brady has every right to feel confident in his chances, based on the fact that things virtually always work out for him and his team. Chiefs fans have every right to be worried, based on their franchise’s playoff history, but if Mahomes is Mahomes, that will be enough to warrant Las Vegas’s faith in Kansas City.

Pick to win: Chiefs

Pick against the spread: Chiefs -3.

The N.F.L.’s Obesity Scourge By Ken Belson New York Times January 18, 2019

An insidious scourge that has nothing to do with head trauma is ravaging retired N.F.L. players.

In the past few decades, the N.F.L.’s emphasis on the passing game and quarterback protection has led teams to stock their offensive and defensive lines with ever-larger men, many of them weighing well over 300 pounds. But their great girth, which coaches encouraged and which helped turn some players into multimillion-dollar commodities, leaves many of them prone to obesity problems.

In retirement, these huge men are often unable to lose the weight they needed to do their jobs. Without the structure of a team and the guidance of coaches for the first time in decades, many of them lose the motivation to stay in shape, or cannot even try, as damage to their feet, knees, backs and shoulders limits their ability to exercise.

This is a big reason that former linemen, compared with other football players and the general population, have higher rates of hypertension, obesity and sleep apnea, which can lead to chronic fatigue, poor diet and even death. Blocking for a $25-million-a-year quarterback, it turns out, can put linemen in the high- risk category for many of the ailments health experts readily encourage people to avoid.

“Linemen are bigger, and in today’s world, rightly or wrongly, they are told to bulk up,” said Henry Buchwald, a specialist in bariatric surgery at the University of Minnesota who works with the Living Heart Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides free medical tests to former N.F.L. players. “Their eating habits are hard to shed when they stop playing, and when they get obese, they get exposed to diabetes, hypertension and cardiac problems.”

Many linemen say they were encouraged by their high school and college coaches to gain weight to win scholarships and to be drafted by the N.F.L., where a lot of players were required to become even bigger. In some cases, players were converted from tight ends to down linemen, and needed extra weight to play the new position. Coaches often leave it up to the players to decide how to gain weight.

Joe Thomas, an All-Pro lineman with the , said that as a freshman in college he ate every few hours to gain the 40 pounds he needed to get to 290 pounds. He gobbled burgers, frozen pizzas and large bowls of ice cream. “It was see food, eat food,” Thomas said.

The Living Heart Foundation has examined several thousand former players since it was formed in 2001 with financial backing from the N.F.L. players’ union. About two-thirds of those players — not just linemen — had a body mass index above 30, which is considered moderately obese. A third of those screened were at 35 or above, or significantly obese. The index, which is viewed as a general indication of weight relative to size, does not take into account muscle mass.

Linemen have been getting heavier, faster. From 1942 to 2011, they have gained an average of three- quarters of a pound to two pounds a year, about twice the average gain for all N.F.L. players, according to a study published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

Another study showed that the average weight of offensive linemen ballooned 27 percent, from 249 pounds in the 1970s to 315 pounds in the 2000s, as the passing game evolved.

The consequences can be dire. A study published in The American Journal of Medicine found that for every 10 pounds football players gained from high school to college, or from college to the professional level, the risk of heart disease rose 14 percent compared with players whose weight changed little during the same period.

Plenty of linemen do lose weight. The former linemen and Nick Hardwick shed dozens of pounds after retiring and publicized their achievement. Thomas, who retired last year after 11 seasons with the Browns, gained roughly 30 pounds after entering the N.F.L. He has since lost about 50 pounds by eating less and eating healthier.

“I reversed everything I was doing,” said Thomas, who weighed about 320 pounds in the N.F.L. “No more freezer pizzas before bed. I dialed back the carbs, added whole grains, couscous, quinoa.”

The N.F.L. and the players’ union, recognizing more must be done, offer retired players medical exams, health club memberships and other services. Dozens of retired players, for instance, get free health screenings at the Super Bowl.

Still, many players are unreachable, said Archie Roberts, a former N.F.L. quarterback and retired heart surgeon who started the Living Heart Foundation. “If you don’t guide players through it, they won’t show up. If we can’t get them to follow through, they won’t get the health care they deserve.”

Derek Kennard: Sleep Apnea Many former linemen said they woke to the dangers of being obese when the Hall of Famer Reggie White died in 2004 of cardiac arrhythmia. White also had sleep apnea.

Linemen are prone to the affliction, in which a person’s breathing repeatedly stops and starts because the muscles in their neck press against the breathing passage as they sleep. This cuts off the flow of oxygen and wakes the player, often for a second or two. The continual sleep interruptions can make it difficult for those with sleep apnea to feel fully rested.

Former linemen have big necks, and as they age their throat tissue becomes flabby, so their tongues can block their airways, said Anthony Scianni, a dentist who runs the Center for Dental Sleep Medicine, which works with former N.F.L. players.

The lack of oxygen, Scianni said, stimulates the body to produce more sugars, which can cause Type 2 diabetes and lead to overeating and other problems.

Derek Kennard, a guard for 11 seasons with the Cardinals, the Saints and the Cowboys, has battled to reverse this cycle. He snored so loudly — a common symptom of sleep apnea — that his roommate in his last season asked for a different room. After Kennard retired in 1996, the years of sleep deprivation led to other problems. He ate poorly and gained 100 pounds. He took Vicodin to deal with the pain of his football injuries. The pain, lack of sleep and extra weight made it difficult to exercise. His cholesterol levels and blood pressure jumped. He would fall asleep behind the wheel while stopped at traffic lights.

“You’re not sleeping well, so your body is not healing itself,” said Kennard, whose son Devon is a linebacker for the Lions.

After his brother died in 2009, Kennard, who is 6-foot-3 and whose weight peaked at 465 pounds, sought help. He was tested for sleep apnea and was told he woke 77 times per hour. One episode of not breathing lasted 1 minute 32 seconds. Because he flips in bed as he sleeps, Kennard had trouble wearing the mask of a CPAP machine, which delivers continuous positive airway pressure and is the standard treatment for sleep apnea. He switched to a mouthpiece that kept his airways open. He now wakes just twice an hour, and sleeps about seven hours a night. His weight fell to about 350 pounds, and he stopped taking painkillers.

“A hundred pounds came off quickly because I had energy to do exercise,” he said at a conference for retired players in Phoenix, where he lives.

Kennard urges other former players to be checked for sleep apnea, and tries to convince them that wearing a mask does not make them weak.

“I had so much death in my life, I could see it in front of me,” he said.

Vaughn Parker: Overeating, a Constant Battle Vaughn Parker, a who played 11 years, mostly with the Chargers, struggled with overeating, and after a dozen surgeries on his shoulders, ankles and triceps, he had a hard time exercising to shed weight.

He also got busy. Parker invested in real estate in San Diego until the market collapsed in 2008. He had two children, split with his wife and studied for an M.B.A., which he finished in May 2017. The stress led him to eat more, and before he knew it, he had added 90 pounds to his 6-foot-3 frame and weighed more than 400 pounds.

Weight gain and health worries motivate Vaughn Parker to keep exercising. “How many 400-pound offensive linemen are walking around in their 50s?” he said.CreditBrian L. Frank for The New York Times

“Everyone has their cross to bear,” said Parker, 47, who also has high blood pressure. “For some people, it’s gambling or alcohol. For me, it’s food.”

In 2013, Parker received a phone call from Aaron Taylor, a former teammate, who encouraged him to work out with other retired N.F.L. players who received free gym memberships from the Trust, a group started by the N.F.L. and the players’ union to assist retirees.

Parker started driving 40 minutes to Carlsbad, north of San Diego, several times a week to EXOS, a high- end fitness club, where a trainer tailored workouts to his abilities and injuries. Afterward, the handful of former players discussed their progress and drank nutritional shakes. They learned about portion control and shopping for healthy food. Parker knew he had lost his best chance to become fit, which is right after retirement, but he tried to catch up.

His workouts were exhausting, but he stuck with the program, in part driven by the camaraderie of the other ex-players, and shed nearly 100 pounds the first year. “There wasn’t a day I didn’t sit at the edge of my bed and say I’m not going today,” Parker said.

Keeping the weight off has been a challenge. At home, he drinks protein shakes and eats made-to-order meals. But he also likes sugary drinks, and eating healthily on business trips has been tough. When he dines out with friends, he eats nachos, chicken wings and fried foods.

But the prospect of cascading health problems motivates Parker to keep exercising. He recently re- enrolled in a six-week training program at EXOS.

“How many 400-pound offensive linemen are walking around in their 50s?” he said.

Jimmie Giles: Avoiding Surgery, Managing Pain Linemen are not the only players who need to keep the pounds on to play their position. Tight ends and linebackers often do as well.

That was true for Jimmie Giles, who because of his size and soft hands was one of the best blocking tight ends of his day. Nearly 30 years after he retired, Giles, who lives in Tampa, Fla., where he starred for the Buccaneers, checks in at roughly 350 pounds, about 100 pounds above his playing weight.

After 13 years in the N.F.L., ending in 1989, he had done lasting damage to his back, knees and feet. He had regular headaches, the result of about a dozen concussions. When he retired he took up golf to stay in shape. But the effects of his football injuries added up, limiting his activity. He had four degenerative disks in his back and no feeling in his right leg, and he had sleep apnea. His inability to exercise exacerbated his problems.

“It’s not like I gained 100 pounds right away,” he said.

To relieve the pain in his back, Giles received five epidurals a year, an ordeal he gave up when he started taking painkillers. But they can be highly addictive and caused sluggishness.

“That’s not living — that’s surviving,” Giles said in his family’s insurance office in Tampa.

About two years ago, Giles quit taking painkillers. He now receives cortisone shots instead. He said he does not even take aspirin “because I want to know when I hurt.”

“As long as I’m at a 5 out of 10 in terms of pain, I’m all right,” he added.

Giles, though, has put off back surgery for as long as possible, wary of the side effects. Every six months or so, he also receives radio frequency epidurals to deaden the nerves in his left leg, where he suffers shooting pain.

Giles’s father died from a heart attack, and his brother, who had congestive heart failure, is also dead. So Giles, who receives disability benefits from the N.F.L., regularly visits doctors to keep his high blood pressure and other vital signs in check.

Losing weight has been difficult. He rode a bicycle until it affected his prostate. Now he swims for an hour several times a week. He tries to eat moderately, and he avoids sweets and breads.

“It’s hard for him,” his wife, Vivian, said. “It’s not the food — it’s the injuries.”

David Lewis: Diabetes, Heart Condition When David Lewis played linebacker in the 1970s and early 1980s, he was 6-foot-4 and weighed 236 pounds. Like many other players, he was pushed out of the game by injuries.

“I’ve had sprains, broken knuckles, hyperextended elbows, nerve problems in my neck, shoulders,” Lewis, 64, said. “I’d be guessing how much concussions I had.”

By about 40, he was receiving disability payments, and he has qualified for the 88 Plan, a league and union benefit that pays for medical care for players with dementia, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Unable to run or exert himself much, he now weighs about 300 pounds.

“As time went on, all the sickness started to add up,” he said.

The sickness includes Type 2 diabetes, a kidney ailment and a congested heart from hypertension. He receives iron transfusions to correct a deficiency. He takes a half-dozen pills each day.

Aside from taking medicine, combating those problems has not been easy. Lewis said he needed a knee replacement which should allow him to exercise more. But he said he could not have the surgery because of his heart condition.

He goes to a Y.M.C.A. to walk on the treadmill and ride a stationary bicycle. He has also tried to eat healthier, like dropping sausages in favor of oatmeal, egg whites and fruit.

This has helped him lose about 30 pounds this year and ease the stress on his knees and back.

Lewis knows he has to keep moving. Metabolically, the more weight you have, the harder it is to lose weight because the fat cells replicate, said Rudi Ferrate, a doctor who helps players with sleep apnea. “We’re designed to store energy,” he said.

Willie Roaf: Injuries Accumulate Willie Roaf knew it was time to retire in 2005. After 13 years at left tackle with the Saints and the Chiefs, he was destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which he entered in 2012. Many of the 189 games he played were on unforgiving turf, and his body was breaking down.

Roaf, 48, tore his hamstring and had back and knee injuries, episodes of gout, a staph infection and periodic lymphatic swelling in his leg. Prediabetic, meaning his blood glucose levels were higher than normal, he was determined to keep his weight down and went to the gym after he retired. He weighed about 320 pounds, similar to during his playing career.

But within a few years, he became less mobile. Doctors told him he had spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal. In 2013, a doctor told him he had the back of a 70-year-old. He had surgery to relieve pressure on the sciatic nerves. He wanted to keep the pounds off, but working out was difficult.

“I can’t do anything more than stretching,” he said in his Florida kitchen. He takes medicine to prevent gout and to regulate his blood pressure, cholesterol, arthritis and uric acid.

His mobility has increased, and he has returned to the gym, where he does 30 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical machine several times a week. He takes about 7,000 steps a day, which he monitors with a Fitbit. He competes with friends to see who can walk the most. He tries to drink smoothies, eat fewer sweets and take vitamins.

“The more I move around, the better my numbers,” Roaf said.

Still, his injuries limit how much he can do, which has made it hard for him to lose 50 pounds to reach his target of 300 pounds.

“If it’s a bad day, I’ll just sit in the recliner and not go anywhere,” he said.

At the end of an hourlong conversation, Roaf’s Fitbit buzzed to remind him to get up and move. He got out of his chair, walked to a couch in the living room and sat again. The gym would have to wait.

Matt Nagy and Vic Fangio pick up coaching honors from the PFWA By Larry Hawley WGN-TV January 18, 2019

Unfortunately for the Bears and their fans, they only had one year to work together. But what a season it was for the offensive and defensive combination that fueled an incredible turnaround for a struggling franchise.

Head coach Matt Nagy and his creative offense added in with Vic Fangio’s shrewd moves on defense helped the Bears go from 5-11 to 12-4. They were NFC North champions for the first time in eight years and put the Bears back on the NFL map.

Because Fangio was so good at his job, however, that it got him his first head coaching job with the Broncos less than a week after the conclusion of the season.

Today he along with Nagy got honored for their efforts together during that one year by the Pro Football Writers of America. Fangio was named the Assistant Coach of the Year by the organization while Nagy received Coach of the Year honors in his first season with the Bears.

The rookie head coach proved his worth over the course of the 2018 season, as his innovative offense along with change in attitude had multiple positive effects on his team. Nagy orchestrated the team’s biggest turnaround in 17 years as the Bears improved by nine wins from the 2017 campaign. He becomes the fifth head coach in Bears’ history to win the award, joining Jack Pardee (1976), Mike Ditka (1985 and 1988), Dick Jauron (2001), and (2005).

In his fourth year with the Bears, Fangio’s defense was at it’s best from start to finish. Bolstered by improvements from the players already on the squad along with additions of Khalil Mack and Roquan Smith, the Bears led the league in turnovers (36) and fewest points allowed per game (17.7) while finishing third in fewest yards a contest.

WR coach Zach Azzanni announces he’s staying with Broncos By Josh Alper Pro Football Talk January 18, 2019

The Broncos hired Vic Fangio as their new head coach and they’ve been busy adding new assistants this week, but the coaching staff will have some carryover from the Vance Joseph era.

Wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni announced on Twitter that he will be staying in Denver to work with Fangio. Azzanni joined the Broncos last January and was the Bears’ wide receivers coach in 2017, so he has worked with Fangio in the past as well. The Bears job was Azzanni’s first in the NFL after nearly two decades as a college coach.

In addition to keeping Azzanni, there are multiple reports that the Broncos will hold onto running backs coach Curtis Modkins. Modkins joined Azzanni in making the move from Chicago to Denver last season and helped Phillip Lindsay go from being an undrafted free agent to a Pro Bowler.

Modkins has served as an offensive coordinator for the 49ers and Bills over the course of his 10-plus seasons in the NFL. Broncos hire Renaldo Hill as secondary coach By Charean Williams Pro Football Talk January 18, 2019

The Broncos have hired Renaldo Hill as their new defensive backs coach, Mike Klis of Denver’s 9News reports.

Hill served as the Dolphins’ assistant defensive backs coach last season.

Hill played the safety position for 10 years in the NFL, including two seasons (2009-10) for the Broncos. He started 31 games, making four interceptions and 10 pass breakups in Denver.

Before coaching in Miami last season, Hill spent three seasons (2015-17) as the secondary coach at the University of Pittsburgh. He helped develop two All-ACC honorees — cornerback Avonte Maddox and safety Jordan Whitehead.

Broncos interviewing Chris Kuper for assistant OL job By Charean Williams Pro Football Talk January 18, 2019

The Broncos hired one of the best offensive line coaches in the business in Mike Munchak. Now, they are going back to the future in an attempt to hire his assistant.

Chris Kuper, who played eight seasons for the Broncos, is interviewing for the team’s assistant offensive line position behind Munchak, Mike Klis of Denver’s 9News reports.

Kuper spent the past two seasons working with the Dolphins’ offensive linemen. He was a quality control assistant for the team in 2016.

Kuper, 36, played mostly right guard in his time in Denver. From 2006-13, Kuper played 90 games, starting 79.

Broncos add Wade Harman as tight ends coach By Josh Alper Pro Football Talk January 18, 2019

Vic Fangio has added another assistant to his first coaching staff with the Broncos.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Wade Harman will be the tight ends coach in Denver. Harman was with the Falcons from 2014 through the end of the 2018 season.

Harman was previously on the Ravens staff from 1999 to 2013, so he and Fangio worked together in Baltimore for three years. He also overlapped with Broncos offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello on the Atlanta staff in 2015.

The Broncos ended the season with three tight ends on injured reserve. Jake Butt tore his ACL in his third game of the season, Jeff Heuerman broke his ribs in November and Fifth-round pick Troy Fumagalli missed the entire season after having sports hernia surgery.

In addition to Harman and Scangarello, the Broncos have also hired defensive coordinator Ed Donatell and outside linebackers coach this week.

Broncos let Bill Musgrave go By Darin Gantt Pro Football Talk January 18, 2019

Though it seemed apparent since they hired Rich Scangarello as their new offensive coordinator, the Broncos had another piece of business to make way for that.

According to Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post, the Broncos have in fact fired former offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, meaning he won’t be back with the team in any capacity.

Again, when they hire a guy and give him your old title, that pretty much makes it #asexpected.

Musgrave joined the Broncos in 2017 as quarterbacks coach and became coordinator when they fired Mike McCoy midseason.

He’s bounced around the league considerably, playing for four teams and coaching for eight teams, with two different stints with both the Raiders and Eagles.

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