If Vic Fangio reminded you of Eeyore, Winnie the Pooh’s perpetually grey and gloomy pal, then Nathaniel Hackett is Tigger, bouncing from drill to drill.
Hackett, the Broncos’ new coach, has a dossier that reads like everything his predecessor was not: An offensive-minded Star Wars nerd, a former pre-med student and dance teacher who quotes Justin Timberlake lyrics and weaves catch phrases from “Austin Powers” movies into his game plans.
To Uncle Vic, football was a 15-round boxing match, bloody and brutal. Fangio was the old trainer, sitting in the corner in oversized sweats with a towel dangling over one shoulder. To Hackett, the NFL is fun. Like, can you believe we actually get PAID to do this?
“No one,” Aaron Rodgers said of Hackett, his offensive coordinator and partner in crime in Green Bay from 2019-21, “brings me more joy.”
If the AFC West was won on personality, energy and force of will, Hackett would lick Andy Reid by three touchdowns. The man’s a magnetic, charismatic, walking can of Red Bull, a rare beast who’s somehow managed to split the difference between Robin Williams and Mike Shanahan.
But here’s the thing: Without a quarterback who scares people, it’s a different shade of lipstick on the same pigskin.
Hackett is a fun guy. Love that.
Schtick won’t beat Patrick Mahomes.
All the “Anchorman” references in the world won’t outscore Justin Herbert.
Bill Belichick is about as much fun as a migraine. So what? He wins. Broncos Country’s idea of a good time is lining up in the victory formation against the Silver and Black.
“There has never been a day where I have not seen him come in without greater energy and enthusiasm,” Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari told Sports Illustrated last fall. “He’s literally a walking culture.”
There’s that word again. Culture. No wonder Broncos general manager George Paton was smitten.
Hackett is 42, the same age Shanny was when Pat Bowlen handed him the keys back in 1995. The Mastermind also inherited John Elway, Shannon Sharpe and Steve Atwater.
Based on the love on social media from his former Packers players and a few viral videos, it’s clear that Hackett is an absolute charmer, a trusted friend and mentor, the life of the party. But when you keep trotting out the fourth-best QB room in the AFC West, the parties here tend to have an awfully short shelf life.
If Paton wants to bring Hackett some joy, he’ll swing a deal that brings along Rodgers, too. Or Russell Wilson. He’ll land that star arm who finally gives the Broncos a fair fight in a division stacked with them everywhere. Everywhere but here.
Is he Kevin O’Connell, the next branch off the Sean McVay/Mike Shanahan/Kyle Shanahan family tree who’s expected to blossom? No. But at worst, Hackett is a blessed nod to reality, a hire that complements the AFC West instead of trying to stubbornly and imprudently contrast it.
Hackett is the son of a coaching lifer, a California kid with Midwest roots, a free thinker and a sharp cookie raised on the cool stuff. Father Paul was Bill Walsh’s quarterbacks and wide receivers coach during Joe Montana’s apex. When Paul was Marty Schottenheimer’s offensive coordinator with the Chiefs, a teenaged Nate was one of Kansas City’s ball boys and a practice long-snapper.
While he didn’t call the plays in Green Bay, Hackett made the Bills’ offense watchable with EJ Manuel, Jeff Tuel and old friend Kyle Orton behind center. He helped get Jacksonville and Blake Bortles to the AFC championship as the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator in the winter of 2017-18.
Since 2011, the Jags have finished higher than 24th among NFL offenses in points per drive just once, according to FootballOutsiders.com — and it was under Hackett (13th) in 2017. When he talks, players listen. Players get it.
“I think one of the (prerequisites) to being a good head coach is presence in front of a room. You have to have a unique charisma and an ability to captivate your audience,” Rodgers told Madison.com recently.
“Part of that captivation is in the way you talk, your cadence, your inflection, story-telling ability. I think those are underrated qualities that a coach can have. Nate has all those things … he brings such a great positive energy to a room. I think any team would be lucky to have him.”
Everybody wants the next Zac Taylor. Find the next Joe Burrow, and the rest tends to take care of itself. Hackett is a major step in the right direction. For Paton’s sake, though, he better not be the last.
How Nathaniel Hackett’s offenses have fared in the NFL
New Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett has been an offensive coordinator for parts of eight seasons in the NFL, including five as the play-caller with Buffalo and Jacksonville. Here’s a look at how his offenses stacked up against the rest of the league.
| Year | Team | Rush (rank) | Pass (rank) | Tot.yards (rank) | Points (rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Buffalo | 144.2 (2nd) | 193.9 (28th) | 338.1 (19th) | 21.2 (22nd) |
| 2014 | Buffalo | 92.6 (25th) | 225.9 (18th) | 318.5 (26th) | 21.4 (18th) |
| 2016 | Jacksonville* | 124.8 (4th) | 213.6 (18th) | 338.3 (12th) | 19.9 (21st) |
| 2017 | Jacksonville | 141.4 (1st) | 224.6 (17th) | 365.9 (6th) | 26.1 (5th) |
| 2018 | Jacksonville* | 114.2 (16th) | 232.3 (22nd) | 336.5 (22nd) | 17.9 (28th) |
| 2019 | Green Bay | 112.2 (15th) | 233.3 (17th) | 345.5 (18th) | 23.5 (15th) |
| 2020 | Green Bay | 132.4 (8th) | 256.6 (9th) | 389.0 (5th) | 31.8 (1st) |
| 2021 | Green Bay | 111.8 (18th) | 253.8 (8th) | 365.6 (10th) | 26.5 (10th) |
* Hackett was offensive coordinator for only part of the 2016 (Weeks 9-17) and ’18 (Weeks 1-12) seasons.
Hackett file
Age: 42.
Born: Fullerton, Calif.
High School: Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.).
College: Cal.-Davis.
Family: Wife, Megan; two sons, Harrison and London; and two daughters, Briar and Everly.
Previous job: Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator.
Hackett coaching career
| Year | Team | Role |
| 2003 | Calif.-Davis | Assistant linebackers |
| Comment: Started coaching career in spring practice while finishing degree. | ||
| 2003-04 | Stanford | Assistant to coordinators |
| Comment: First full-time post was working for coach Buddy Teevens. | ||
| 2005 | Stanford | Specialists coach/recruiting coordinator |
| Comment: Retained by new Cardinal coach Walt Harris. | ||
| 2006-07 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Offensive quality control |
| Comment: First NFL job and replaced Kyle Shanahan. His father, Paul, was QBs coach. | ||
| 2008-09 | Buffalo Bills | Offensive quality control |
| Comment: The Bills went 7-9 and 6-10 and the staff was fired after ’09 season. | ||
| 2010 | Syracuse | Quarterbacks/tight ends coach |
| Comment: First of three spots working for coach Doug Marrone. | ||
| 2011-12 | Syracuse | Offensive coordinator/tight ends coach |
| Comment: Orange averaged 24.2 and 30.0 points per game in two years. | ||
| 2013-14 | Buffalo Bills | Offensive coordinator |
| Comment: Bills improved from 7-9 to 10-6, but Marrone resigned after ’14. | ||
| 2015-16 | Jacksonville Jaguars | QB coach |
| Comment: Blake Bortles threw 35 touchdowns in ’15. | ||
| 2016-18 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Offensive coordinator |
| Comment: Took over as playcaller in mid-’16 until mid-18. | ||
| 2019-21 | Green Bay Packers | Offensive coordinator |
| Comment: Packers won NFC North in all three seasons. | ||
