Are John Elway and Vic Fangio on the same page? Could it be a positive if they aren't?

INDIANAPOLIS — It always felt like Vance Joseph understood how this works, but the same can’t be said for Vic Fangio. It’s kind of refreshing, but it’s also a bit perplexing.

Fangio said on Wednesday that working with General Manager John Elway “has been seamless so far,” but it’s clear that the two don’t exactly see eye to eye on everything and, unlike Joseph, the new head coach isn’t exactly afraid to share it.

During their press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine, Fangio and Elway were in agreement on many topics, but certainly not all.

Around 10 am, Fangio was asked if he thinks quarterbacks need to be a certain size, and he took a very clear stance.

“I don’t think so… I think it’s been proven over time, going all the way back to Fran Tarkenton, who when I first went up against Russell Wilson his rookie year, Fran Tarkenton was one of the first guys I thought of as I was watching the tape. I did not coach against Fran Tarkenton, by the way (laughs). I thought Russell Wilson from the first time I saw him was going to be a hell of a quarterback, and he is.  Drew Brees, you can go on and on and on. Joe Montana, he’s not 5-9, but he was slim and 6-2, maybe. I think they come in all shapes and forms. If you pigeonhole yourself to certain stereotypes or certain qualifications, a lot of good players will pass you by.”

Oddly enough, six hours later, when asked about Kyler Murray, Elway pigeonholed himself to certain stereotypes and certain qualifications.

“I think that [size] has an impact on it because, like I said, coming out from underneath the center, it’s tougher to see coming out… I think being underneath the center, if you want to run the football and have balance, you’ve got to be able to be underneath the center. Because when it comes down to the running game, that’s where it helps you. So, that’s why, to me, it’s important if you want to have balance, you’ve got to be able to go under the center, too.”

To recap: quarterback size does not matter to Vic Fangio, quarterback size does matter to John Elway. It would be fair to say that Fangio knows this, right? Yet he still made his differentiating feelings known.

Later in his presser, Fangio was asked about his favorite position—inside linebacker—and once again made an extremely declarative statement.

“We need to add to that group, but I like some of the players we do have available there in Todd Davis, Josey Jewell and other players that have played in backup roles. But I’d like to see us add a player or two there to be competitive.”

It was one of the few places that Fangio specifically highlighted when talking about their plethora of needs.

Later, Elway was asked how important it was to him to upgrade at that inside linebacker position.

“There’s a lot of places we’ve got to go,” he said, seemingly thinking about other positions. “I think it’s a matter of trying to figure out where we can upgrade the most. You’re always trying to get better as a football team. I think Todd [Davis] and Josey [Jewell] did a hell of a job inside. You’re always looking for that linebacker that can play all three downs too. That’s where the game is going, is inside backers under 225 to 230 pounds that can really run and cover people. That’s the ideal situation, for them to play all three downs. I think Todd and Josey are very good football players and do heck of a job for us. If we can help in that area, we will. We’ve only got so many picks and so much money.”

That’s a far cry from needing to add a player or two to be competitive. Again, you would expect that Fangio knows he and his boss aren’t entirely on the same page in this situation, but he was not afraid to make his stance public.

Now, organizational synergy is important, and you could make the argument that this disconnect is a bad thing, but after what we saw during the last coaching regime in Denver, this should be a welcome sight for Broncos fans. Whether it will bear any fruit or not, Fangio is showing that he’s willing to disagree with the all-powerful Elway and stand up for what he believes to be the best direction for the team.

In any organization, different perspectives and viewpoints coming to the table can only be a good thing. Of course, Elway is always going to have the final say, but it can never hurt for different ideologies to be presented, and it would be unfair to assume his mind cannot be changed.

When Gary Kubiak and the three best friends that anyone could have bolted for Minnesota, Elway lost one of the most trusted members of his circle, one of the few that didn’t mind disagreeing with him, but maybe when he hired Vic Fangio, he found a new debate partner.