We are coming up fast to the preseason and I read that we do not have another week without the NFL until the second week of February in 2020. That just sounds nice, doesn’t it?
Many people handicap quarterbacks and who will play first quarters in these preseason games. I like to read about what the coaches are saying to the media and try to read between the lines a little. That, along with thinking about their situation, changes, and history in the preseason, can be very useful in playing these preseason games and getting a glimpse into the future. That starts with tonight’s Hall of Fame Game when the Denver Broncos take on the Atlanta Falcons.
This will be an interesting matchup, even as both teams are early in preparation for the season. Both teams will feature at least some new coaches. The Broncos have a completely new staff basically and the Falcons will be without all three coordinators from last season, with the biggest change coming at offensive coordinator.
No doubt the new coaches on these teams want to get their units off to a good start, even if the game will be played mostly with backups and fringe of the roster type players.
Broncos head coach Vic Fangio will have his first game as an NFL head coach just days before his 61st birthday. Fangio has been around the league a while, though, so I do not think it’s nearly as important to him as it will be for Rich Scangarello, the new offensive coordinator. This is Scangrello’s first time as an NFL offensive coordinator at age-47. He spent the past two seasons under Kyle Shanahan as the quarterbacks coach with the San Francisco 49ers and was an offensive quality control coach in 2015 with Shanahan in Atlanta. It is yet to be seen what Scangrello’s offense will look like on his own. Learning under a zone-blocking scheme would fit with what the Broncos have done in the past on the ground.
Atlanta has Dan Quinn back as head coach and officially in charge of the defense, but a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa Bay finished first in the league in passing yards and third in yards per game last year under him but they were behind a lot and forced to pass. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken also could have had something to do with that. Atlanta’s offense has not reached the heights of 2016, but they ranked fourth in yards per drive and sixth in points per drive last season. This biggest emphasis will be in the red zone, where the Falcons have previously been underwhelming.
With a potential pass-heavy approach, the Falcons could come out and score early, though I believe it might be a slow go from there. Still, we’ll get our first look at what could be to come for both of these teams.
