Renck & File: Why is it so hard to hire an NFL head coach? From Hackett to Eberflus, 2022 class defined by incompetence

Watching Matt Eberflus make Nathaniel Hackett look like Vince Lombardi on Thursday reinforced how bad NFL teams are at identifying head coaches.

Ten were hired in the 2022 cycle. Five have been canned — Hackett was axed during his first season — and the Jaguars’ Doug Pederson and Giants’ Brian Dabol should join them in January.

There is one true keeper in Minnesota’s Kevin O’Connell, a man the Broncos interviewed when they were catfished by Hackett.

A confluence of factors makes this process hard, but the rate of failure remains staggering. Of the first-year coaches this season, only Seattle’s Mike Macdonald has a winning record.

Why is this process so fraught? Pressure plays a huge role. But lacking patience and vision is the real killer. Too often, owners and general managers enter the process without an open mind, listen too heavily to friends and make decisions based on narrow criteria.

A team might want an offensive mind and does not vet whether a coach can lead men or hire a staff capable of working well together or challenging him. That often determines if a candidate is a fraud or imposter (See McDaniels, Josh).

The Walton-Penner group gave itself a chance by focusing on candidates who would create a culture of accountability — leading them to Sean Payton in a field that included Jim Harbaugh and DeMeco Ryans.

A team might want a defensive genius but does not grill him on who will lead his offense. Eberflus deserved to be fired for a laundry list of reasons, most notably his choice of playcallers in Luke Getsy and Shane Waldron. Getsy lasted one season. Waldron wasn’t so lucky. The team knew for months they were drafting Caleb Williams, yet in their brilliance they failed to hire his college assistant coach Kliff Kingsbury.

This is not an easy process. But it should not be this hard. Eberflus using his timeouts as a stocking stuffer on Thanksgiving was the latest glaring example of malpractice.

You are up next Ben Johnson. Can you help temper the run of incompetence? Or will teams have to revive the careers of Mike Vrabel and Bill Belichick?

Run with it: The Broncos have gone too far with the running back carousel. Time to settle into a two-man rotation down the stretch with Audric Estime as the lead back and Javonte Williams on third down. The more Estime plays, the better he will get.

CU Fallout: Coach Tad Boyle delivered one of the best regular-season wins in school history, upsetting No. 2-ranked UConn behind Elijah “Post Up” Malone and Andrej Jakimovksi. The game also left me wondering if Huskies coach Danny Hurley needs an intervention. He has become unhinged, conjuring images of Bobby Knight. And that is not a compliment.

Taco Time: Oklahoma football coach Brent Venables said he celebrated his victory over Alabama last week by eating at Taco Bell with his daughters. They spent $94. Did that come with a gallon of Pepto-Bismol and a roll of toilet paper?

Booze Cruise: Justin Huang, 26, admitted recently that she ran the recent New York Marathon drunk. Somebody needs to stop listening to Shaboozey in her earpods.

Shaq Attack: Former CSU and Broncos standout Shaq Barrett wanted to come back this season after retiring in July. But the Dolphins declined to activate him. Fine. But let him go play for a contender, rather than keeping his rights. He deserves better.

Mail Time

Breathe, Troy. It’s Thanksgiving

— Cool Beans, via Twitter

This came in response to me saying that folks still criticizing Broncos quarterback Bo Nix are the same ones who see Cindy Crawford and ask, “What’s up with the mole?” Pessimism is admirable. But too many critics/analysts/writers are doubling down and making it personal in their evaluation of Nix. He’s not perfect. I get it. I am not reserving a spot for him in Canton. But his ability to improve and protect the football has revealed uncommon growth for a rookie that should be acknowledged, not ripped.

Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.