Broncos' Vic Fangio spent time in hospital Thursday before Hall of Fame Game
Vic Fangio had to wait a long time for his first shot to coach an NFL team. His first preseason game as a head coach will be memorable, if he makes it.
Fangio spent much of Thursday in a Cleveland hospital due to a kidney stone, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Denver Broncos coach was in Cleveland because his team was scheduled to meet the Atlanta Falcons in the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio on Thursday night.
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As of late Thursday afternoon, Schefter reported that Fangio hadn’t passed the kidney stone. However, he was feeling better and wanted to coach.
Vic Fangio is a first-time head coach
For Fangio, Thursday night was more than just an extra preseason game. At age 60, he’s an NFL head coach for the first time.
Fangio had a great season as the Chicago Bears’ defensive coordinator last season, and with the rest of the NFL looking for the next young offensive genius, the Broncos went against the grain and hired Fangio.
So far the reviews are good. Fangio’s style seems to be going over well with the players, and fans are taking to his old-school style. Hopefully his health issue doesn’t affect him further into the preseason.
Fangio was looking forward to debut
Fangio was asked this week if he was a little more excited about the Hall of Fame Game this season.
“As we stand here today it’s not that important, but invariably when we get on that sideline Thursday night it’s like playing a game of ‘horse’ in the backyard,” he said. “You still want to win.”
It sounds like, if he’s able to be on the sideline for his first go-around as an NFL head coach, he might be in some pain. It’s probably not how he drew up his first head-coaching experience, but he won’t forget it.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
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