NEWSLETTER
Thursday’s game between the Jets and Broncos was essentially the epitome of TNF. A surprisingly compelling (but ugly) game between two teams seemingly racing toward the bottom, but still entertaining to give the viewers a finish.
And after the game, things were especially saucy:
Broncos HC Vic Fangio appeared to direct his team off of the field right as the clock hit 0:00 without interacting with the Jets at the end of tonight's game. pic.twitter.com/ffIoRM3B1K
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 2, 2020
Broncos Head Coach Vic Fangio made a quick exit after his team pulled away with a 37-28 win against the Jets. And by doing so, bypassed the post-game norm of handshakes with Jets Head Coach Adam Gase. That both were coordinators for the Bears in 2015 added a hint of intrigue to this decision, but Fangio had a perfectly reasonable explanation:
“There was just a couple of personal fouls there at the end and our sideline was getting pissed off about it and I just wanted to avoid having any confrontation at the endow the game and having it get ugly there. So, I tried to get our guys to leave quickly just to avoid anything happening there. I thought it was the prudent thing to do.”
In case you missed it, Broncos QB Brett Rypien took some hard hits on the game’s final plays as he tried putting the game on ice. Instead, the Jets took a pair of personal foul penalties, which ultimately allowed Rypien to take a knee to run out the clock. To be fair, Fangio shouldn’t have put his player in a situation where he was risking injury. On the other hand, that doesn’t give Jets defenders free run to commit penalties in the way they did.
Even with Fangio’s explanation part of me wonders if this dates back awhile. After all, these two were co-workers in 2015. Imagine the heated battles between Fangio’s defense and Gase’s offense. Fangio’s group were hard-working over-achievers in 2015. Gase’s offense wasn’t the worst, but its inability to sustain drives left Fangio’s defense in a tough spot. So in the moment, I couldn’t help but wonder if that had anything to do with it. I also wondered if Gase landing two head-coaching gigs since he left Chicago despite middling career results played a role. Remember, Fangio’s first head-coaching opportunity came decades after waiting despite his unit’s excellence over the years.
In any case, that beef appears done. At least, for now.
