Advertisement

A timeline of Nathaniel Hackett's Broncos tenure: From a 64-yard field goal to teammates fighting on sidelines

george stoia,, the gazette (colorado springs, colo.)
·4 min read

Dec. 26—ENGLEWOOD — Nathaniel Hackett was the Broncos coach for exactly 344 days.

While that's an extremely short period, Hackett's time in Denver was a rollercoaster. Here's a timeline of Hackett's tenure and everything that went wrong during it:

Jan. 27: Hackett is hired

Hackett is officially named the coach after GM George Paton interviewed 10 candidates for the job. Formerly the Packers offensive coordinator, Hackett is hired with hopes that he can spark a stagnant offense and bring a new "energy" to the organization.

Feb. 4: Nuggets game promise

Hackett and offensive coordinator Justin Outten attend a Nuggets game and promise on the video board that the Broncos are "going to score a lot of points." Instead, they finish last in scoring offense in the NFL.

March 8: The Russ trade

The Broncos make a blockbuster trade for Russell Wilson, sending multiple draft picks and three players to Seattle. At Wilson's press conference, Hackett says, "Wow! Come on, y'all, Russell Wilson! Holy shh—, um, very exciting!"

July 27: Training camp

Hackett takes an odd approach to Broncos training camp, opting to have multiple "jog-through" days and not doing any seven-on-seven or one-on-one drills. Compared to previous training camps, Hackett was very relaxed.

Aug. 13: Starters don't play preseason

Following the Packers and Rams model, Hackett opts to not play any of his starters in the preseason, including Wilson. The hope was to not get any key players injured. The Broncos currently have the most players on the injured reserve in the NFL.

Sept. 12: The 64-yard field goal

Wilson returns to Seattle in prime time on a Monday night, only for Hackett to opt to kick a 64-yard field goal instead letting Wilson go for it on fourth and five, leading to a shocking 17-16 defeat.

Sept. 18: Delay of game countdown

Hackett's game management becomes so poor in Week 2 that the Mile High crowd counts down the play clock to help the Broncos avoid delay of games. This leads to the hiring of Jerry Rosburg to help with clock management. Rosburg is now the interim coach.

Oct. 2: Gordon's fumble

Sign Up for Pikes Peak 5

Game analysis and insights from The Gazette sports staff including columns by Woody Paige and Paul Klee.

Sign Up

View all of our newsletters.

Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.

View all of our newsletters.

Running back Melvin Gordon has his most costly fumble of the season in Las Vegas, which is returned for a touchdown. Hackett originally defends Gordon before cutting him seven weeks later after another fumble.

Oct. 6: A Thursday night disaster

The Broncos suffer one of their worst losses of the season, falling to the Colts 12-9 in what was maybe the most boring game of the season. Fans booed Hackett's team 12 times that Thursday night on national television.

Oct. 17: Wilson's hamstring

Wilson suffers a hamstring injury in an overtime loss to the Chargers, forcing Hackett to make a decision on Wilson's status against the Jets. Hackett opts to Brett Rypein, much to Wilson's displeasure.

Oct. 30: High knees to London

Wilson goes viral for saying he did high knees on the Broncos' 10-hour flight to London in hopes that he will play against the Jaguars. Hackett allows Wilson to play and the Broncos snap a four-game losing streak.

Nov. 10: Wristbandgate

Wilson once again takes centerstage as he starts to wear wristband to help communication with Hackett, while Seahawks coach Pete Carrol claims Wilson was reluctant to wear one in Seattle.

Nov. 20: Kubiak named playcaller

Following a 17-10 loss to the Titans, Hackett named quarterbacks coach Klint Kubiak the offensive playcaller, hoping to spark an offense that had only scored 20 or more points in two of their first nine games.

Nov. 27: Frustration in Carolina

The first signs of visible frustration begin to appear, as defensive tackle Mike Purcell yells at Wilson on the sideline during a 23-10 loss. Hackett claims he does not see the incident, but is standing right by it as it happens.

Dec. 11: A comeback

Hackett's Broncos show they still have a pulse, coming back from down 27-0 against the Chiefs, losing 34-28 and then winning without Wilson against the Cardinals the following week. Some believe Hackett has a chance to save his job.

Dec. 25: The implosion in LA

All hell breaks loose in Los Angeles on Christmas Day, as the dam breaks and the Broncos not only lose 51-14 to the Rams, but players are fighting on the sideline and outside linebacker Randy Gregory punches a Rams player postgame. Hackett officially lost control.