The legend of Denver coach John Fox

Above: Denver Broncos head coach John Fox and quarterback Tim Tebow discuss a play during the 16-13 overtime win at San Diego. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

 

   John Fox is more than a coach in Denver. He's a cause. All that conservative stuff fans, and the media and everybody else, grew so tired of in Charlotte has captivated Colorado.

    Fox always was a superior game manager. He adjusted well. When Denver and San Diego went to overtime Sunday, you knew who was going to win.

    Fox is winning with superior defense and a quarterback who runs a wishbone. If you were looking for a coach of the year candidate at the moment, you certainly could look to him.

     The Broncos are one game out of first in the AFC West, behind Oakland, and play at Minnesota Sunday. The Raiders play at Miami.

      If anybody claims to have seen this coming, they're lying.

Comments

[Pickles]

let me be da QB!

[Keith]

Why can't we claim it? He did it here so is it really a surprise. They'll grow weary of his style in due course as well. Besides maybe Pat Bowlen is telling him to play Tebow or else because you know Fox would have stuck with Orton if it were up to him.

[Jimmy John]

He ADJUSTED WELL? Are you serious Tom?

[JL]

Tom obviously was tongue-in-cheek on this one. Fox gave upon the Panthers before last season started, and he did the same at Denver this year. The D and no Tebow turnovers are the only reason Denver is winning. He made it very clear he did not want Tebow.

[Wali]

"Adjusting well" was actually John Fox's downfall...his weakness...He was terrible with halftime or in-game adjustments in his 9 years with the Panthers....Actually, John Fox is incredibly stubborn, he swears by that run first, conservative style and right now its working, but it won't work in the long-term. It will eventually fail again there (more likely in the playoffs) as it did here, because once you get a big lead on Denver, there is no way they can come back. His style works when it works, as long as there are no injuries, their defense plays well, or they stay within a touchdown. Other than that, they are screwed and because John Fox is so stubborn, even when things go bad he won't ever change.

[Kenny]

I laugh everytime I see Fox on the Denver sideline, I'm still amazed that anyone gave him a job after 3 winning seasons in 9 years as a head coach.
Ultimately, he will fail in Denver because he's so one dimensional and lacks the ability to adapt. Teams will adjust to Tebow and when they do, he can't throw it well enough to beat them.
Right now, Tebow is the perfect Fox QB, one who can't throw the ball.

[Joey]

We should of kept Fox.

[Keith L.]

Ugly football, trying to keep it close then going for the win in the 4th Qtr is what you have in Denver and what we had in Charlotte for years. And just as we witnessed that only works so much, you need to much luck with little or no room for error to win. This strategy can get you a winning season, as easily and as we saw more commonly losing ones. I enjoyed and appreciate what Fox did in Charlotte but glad he is gone. His brand of football grew old here and never resulted in back to back winning seasons. I had enough of the ugly, lets just keep it close and try to win it in the 4th Qtr football strategy. Denver will experience the same results and eventually Foxball will grow old there.

[Steve S]

It's obvious today that the NFL is a quarterback-driven league. IF you have a good QB, your chances of winning improve tremendously. We also know that Jake DelHomme was not a great QB. But I do classify him as a "winner" - much like Tebow is. Well here is a stat that I think is indictive of Fox's abilities. When Jake was his QB, Fox's winning percentage was .589. Which means the other QB's like David Carr, Jimmy Clausen, etc really stunk. So how does that measure up to other coaches? Well, Bill Parcells % is .570, Gruden, .540, Dick Vermeil .545. Hank Stram .575. Chuck Noll .566 Jimmy Johnson .556. It seems to me that if the Panthers ever gave Fox a decent QB besides DelHomme and didn't leave him twisting in the wind, he would still be a winning coach for the Panthers. And who knows what else, those other coaches have about 10 Super Bowl wins among them.

[M r]

The teams they beat are bottom feeders. San Diego is horrible this year, and Norv Turner is finally and hopefully done. Can u say retread? I'm not drinking the Denver Kool Aid, the defense is strong, but playing 1930s football will work only on the weak teams, and the division is horrible.
The panthers have had a much tougher season, playing much better teams. I like fox as a person, but no more draw play on 3rd down. Rivera got us Chud, and I shake in fear to think how fox would have held cam down, or worse passed on cam. The panthers will keep improving, and the broncos can not rely on Tebow for the long haul. The panthers have been it till the end in most games. We are still getting to know Rivera. These last couple of games, mostly divisionly will say a lot about the staff here. The team seems to have lost a step after the bye.

[Rodney Peete]

John Fox. Never had a back to back winning season. Nuff said.

[Steve S]

That last post sounded like Jerry Richardson trying to justify hw he messed up 2010.

[panther nationm]

adjusting, bs, i call it luck and a little tebow praying for a miracle..next year tebow will be destroy when coaches make real adjustment to his qb style

[superlucchic]

That's a very simplistic argument Tom. The point is, the upside of Fox's conservative formula is very low, doesn't work for very long. And even at it's best when it is working, it is sooooooooooo incredibly boring! I wish him well but I don't miss it or him at all.

[Ace Juniper]

Why are we talking about Fox and the Broncs ?

I was done with that coach about 3 yrs back........

[dcboy60]

It seems to me Tim Tebow is the perfect quarterback for John Fox, a quarterback who will run first, then throw. If Tebow learns to throw on the NFL level he will be an excellent quarterback. That is the question about him, will he be able to perform on that level. It is a style of football I got sick of. Then in the penultimate playoff game against the Cardinals they veered from that philosophy and thereby got slaughtered. This won't work for very long.

[Ben]

I'm glad that Fox is gone. The good news for Denver fans is that his teams usually play well in December. And no, I didn't know that Fox's team would win when it went to overtime. I didn't know that the SD kicker would miss a field goal which was the same distance as one he made earlier in the game.

[tom]

God Tom, you are crazy on this one. Fox's stubborness was legendary. Not utilizing the shot-gun for so many year just because "he did not like it". Coming out at the 2nd half and doing the same old crap he did to end the half...usually when he told our QB to take a knee to run the clock out despite having 40 seconds, 2 timeouts, and the ball at midfield. the only time he took chances (Gamble laterals the punt @ Minnesota) is when it is retarded to do so.

[Kubomatic]

Ya'll just know yall wrong. Fox is a boss. Point blank period. Last year, how the heck were we suppose to win with a inexperience QB and new defense? It was not Fox, what could we do? We were in the middle of crisis for sake.

And in response to JL comment, yes!, DEN without Tebow and the defense, the broncos wouldn't win! Who eles is the Broncos not suppose to have? You tell me? It is like saying NE without Tom Brady or CAR without Cam Newton. DEN have Tebow and that Defense because they do. Fox help do this. Dumb statement dude. get your mind right.

And does it matter if Fox not had Tebow? Get back to reality, right now tebow is under Fox control. This is not the past, it is the present.

[Peter]

I think Denver is winning in spite of Fox. I just see him as old school and not being very creative in using his players. This situation with Tebow he HAD to do. Fans, Elway, the owner simply leaned on him to give Tebow a try. Then he won a few games and Fox has no choice but to keep him in. But this style of play doesn't fit his mold of how he thinks the game should be played. The Panthers worked with Newton to emphasize his strengths. Game plan from the start. There's no way Fox would do this. Fox will get a lot of credit now. But once Denver starts losing, he will do everything possible to get rid of Tebow.

[T-D-F]

Are we talking about the same coach?? Basically Fox is doing everything he hates because he is being forced to because of the circumstances and management.

If anything the message you should take is that to win you need to do the opposite of what Fox wants.

[Ray]

TDF--Maybe just maybe Fox was being forced to do what he was forced to do with Panthers circumstance and management.

[ZGodwin]

Maybe he learned from the mistakes in Charlotte. Also he was able to get an entire new staff of coaches, and no Hurney!

[BONEHEAD TOM!!!]

Tom you're a complete BONEHEAD! Things will changed quickly after this season in Denver....watch! And it wont necessarily be for the better! Go Panthers!!! Write about Charlotte sports teams and keep the garbage out West where it belongs!!!!!

[willef]

He didn't go for it on fourth and less than one twice-- in good field position and late in the game because he had no guts-- lucked out.