Denver Post Broncos writer Ryan O’Halloran posts his Broncos Mailbag weekly during the season.

You can pose a Broncos- or NFL-related question for the Broncos Mailbag here. Follow Ryan for more daily updates on Twitter.

I’m disappointed in coach Vic Fangio. He makes some dumb decisions on the field. As much as I like and respect John Elway, he has got to go. He’s had bad drafts, has let some good coaches go and has let some good players go.

— Harlan, Niwot

Fangio has mostly escaped mailbag and email criticism from Broncos fans during the 2-5 start. But the reader could be referring to the early two-point conversion attempt against Kansas City (which failed) and the botched fake punt in the same game (I’m all for trying to steal a possession, but with a better play). But as one NFL assistant coach told me over the weekend, Fangio will continue growing into his new role and improve. As for Elway, his seat in the view of the Broncos’ fans is on fire right now, which goes with the territory of heading to a fourth consecutive non-playoff season.

John Elway passed up on quarterback Josh Allen in the draft two years ago to keep Paxton Lynch! Why?

— Bruce Larson, Cheyenne, Wyo.

Well, not quite, as much as that narrative is convenient to play out. Allen, the former Wyoming player, was in the 2018 NFL Draft. Elway supposedly zeroed in on Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield, but with both players off the board at No. 5, the Broncos selected outside linebacker Bradley Chubb — a no-brainer pick that should pay off for years. Allen ended up going to Buffalo and is starting for the 5-1 Bills. To your point, Elway chose Case Keenum, whom he signed before the draft, over Allen.

It’s pretty clear Drew Lock should be starting for evaluation at some point after he’s eligible to return from injured reserve. That being said, I haven’t seen any news on his recovery process. Secondly, has he been getting any kind of work in regarding snaps, 7-on-7, anything, or just rehab for the injury?

— Cory Barrios, Hayward, Calif.

Lock, who sustained a thumb injury two months ago against San Francisco, is expected to start practicing this week. That will be followed by a return to the active roster and only then will Lock Watch 2019 begin. Colleague Kyle Newman caught up with Lock two days before the Tennessee game. Lock has not been getting any team snaps, which is prohibited when a player is on injured reserve.

I know there’s a huge cry for seeing what Drew Lock can do and conventional wisdom would say give him the second half of the season to see what you have, especially with the quarterbacks in next year’s draft and the increasing likelihood of at least a top 10 pick. However, isn’t there also a risk in hurting him, not getting an honest evaluation or destroying his confidence in trotting him out behind maybe the worst offensive line in football?

— Steve S., Loveland

That’s a point columnist Mark Kiszla and I covered in our weekly debate. Because of the offensive line’s state, particularly left tackle Garett Bolles, should Fangio and Co., give pause to starting Lock? I wouldn’t base the decision entirely on that. If the Broncos move to Lock, they should adjust their pass protection schemes accordingly with more tight end/running back chip blocks to help both Bolles and Lock. That said, if Lock plays, it will be valuable for him no matter what.

Why would you leave Joe Flacco in the Kansas City game and not make a change? It was obvious that he was not into the game especially in the second half; he was so gun-shy it wasn’t funny. One replay showed him blinking and nervous.

— Chet Thomson, Lee, Mass.

As for his demeanor, he’s never going to be a guy who verbally rips into his linemen on the sideline after getting sacked (and sacked and sacked). This question was likely prompted by Troy Aikman’s analysis on Fox during the game. He said, in part, “I don’t want to be too hard on Joe, but let’s get a little life out there. … Very lackadaisical, the whole operation.” Fangio debunked the criticism about Flacco last week. Related Articles Kiszla: At this point in storied NFL career, is old Tom Brady any better than Broncos journeyman Jeff Driskel?

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Thursday’s game was worse than disgusting. It was completely demoralizing for us long-time fans who finance the Broncos with our tickets, viewership and brand loyalty. You know the old saying about insanity being someone who does the same thing repeatedly expecting a different result? So what are we to make of an undeniably failed president/GM that keeps hiring mediocre quarterbacks and rookie head coaches — and apparently can’t be fired because the question of who owns the team is going to be stuck in court for maybe years? (It’s not like a judge is going to fast-track a rich family squabble over what dad wanted just because the Broncos are losing.) Seriously … is this middle of the end of the Denver Broncos as one of the long-time premier NFL franchises?

— William Estu, Lakewood

The middle-of-the-end — great phrase and appropriate. The Broncos, 5-11, 6-10 and 2-5 since the start of 2017, are in no man’s land. They feel like they have the talent to be more competitive than they are. But in reality, if the season bottoms out and they go 3-13 or 4-12, would that be such a bad thing? No way. President/CEO Joe Ellis, as the team’s top decision-maker, has the ability to make any change on the business or football sides. Could one post-season move by Ellis be to tell Elway that an overhaul of the personnel staff should be in the offing? That would be a sensible route.

Last Thursday’s loss to KC showed just how far back Denver is from the rest of the AFC’s elite. Obviously John Elway does not know how to pick a good quarterback or even a decent one. Is it time that he finally says, “I tried but I cannot fix this,” or will he just try and see if he can bring the team lower than it already is?

— DS, Burlington

The Broncos are a long way from New England, Kansas City, even Baltimore and Buffalo. The AFC’s middle class is huge right now; the Broncos are one of seven teams with 2-3 wins. They’re not as bad as Cincinnati (0-7) or Miami (0-6), but they’re not as good as teams like Indianapolis and Houston. Elway’s contract runs through the 2020 season and an admission of failure would be masked by a retirement announcement.