Players weren’t the only ones nervous before the Denver Broncos’ preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday evening.
Before the game, Nathaniel Hackett was seen running stairs at Empower Field at Mile High, presumably to counter nerves ahead of his first game as a head coach in the NFL.
Check out the video, courtesy of KMGH-TV’s Nick Rothschild:
Excuse the poor cell phone video but @Broncos Nate Hackett is out here running the stairs at Empower Field 3 hours before kickoff of his first pre-season game as head coach. My guy’s getting a serious sweat in too
#Denver7 pic.twitter.com/g1g3GYerJz
— Nick Rothschild (@nick_rothschild) August 13, 2022
Though it was only preseason, Hackett’s debut was certainly a success. The Broncos defeated the Cowboys 17-7 and Hackett’s game management and clock management both looked like big improvements from the team’s previous regime.
“It’s always great to win, it is,” Hackett said after the game. “But, you know, in the end, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Hackett was unhappy with the team’s rushing attack in particular. Denver was held to just 39 rushing yards on 22 attempts, a dismal 1.8 yards per carry average. So the victory wasn’t perfect, but overall, Hackett’s off to a good start with the Broncos.
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