John Fox to coach the Denver Broncos

[Shea Zellweger]

Really? McDaniels was fired after 12 games this season, having only won 3 of them. That makes sense... but then they bring in a guy who had 4 more games and only won 2. I expected that the conclusion of Fox's contract would see him out of the NFL, or at the very least in a lesser role. Is there any real reason for him to get this job? Is the coaching pool really so shallow?

[Ryan Scott]

John Fox is a good coach and he's defensive minded, so he'll do whatever Elway wants on Offense.

[Shea Zellweger]

John Fox is a good coach

A couple of years ago, I might have agreed with you. I might also have agreed that Omar Minaya was a good general manager for the Mets. But the collapses of both their teams indicate that they both made very short-sighted decisions which hurt their franchises long-term. How else do you explain a 12-4 team dropping to 8-8 and then 2-14? If the Broncos want to win now and be a laughingstock later, Fox might be a good choice. Then again, so was Josh McDaniels. But if they want a successful franchese for an extended period of time, his track record is not that good.

[Bob Hunter]

A couple of years ago, I might have agreed with you. I might also have agreed that Omar Minaya was a good general manager for the Mets. But the collapses of both their teams indicate that they both made very short-sighted decisions which hurt their franchises long-term. How else do you explain a 12-4 team dropping to 8-8 and then 2-14? If the Broncos want to win now and be a laughingstock later, Fox might be a good choice. Then again, so was Josh McDaniels. But if they want a successful franchese for an extended period of time, his track record is not that good.

I totally agree Shea, 100% absolutely. Fox could be a DC but NOT a head coach where he ran the Panthers into the ground. I am very happy that Fox did not end up in Cleveland, kinda sad the Broncos are now paying three coaches (Shanahan, McDaniels, and Fox). The decision makes no sense and I beginning to think if Elway is going to make these kind of decisions then the Broncos don't have much of a future. As it is, they have one of the most overrated QBs in the league, Tim Tebow is totally inept and cannot throw the ball at a pro level. So the Broncos will be relegated to the bottom of the AFC West.

[Jeremy D. Scott]

Judging him on this past year isn't fair. He has been to the play-offs three times and to the SuperBowl once (is there anyone in the "pool" right now that has done that? There may be, I don't know). He has a winning record in both the regular season and the play-offs. When Fox took over in Carolina, the team had one win the season before. Just two years later he was in the SuperBowl (only Lombardi has otherwise done that).

People (fans and owners alike) are too trigger-happy when it comes to coaches. It's ridiculous.

If Denver fans want to complain about anything, perhaps it should be that Shanahan should still be the coach. He should never have been fired. The Broncos "traded" Mike Shanahan for Josh McDaniels!!! Think about that.

So judge not his ability to coach the Broncos based on this past year. Bill Belichick had a much worse career prior to coming to the Pats than Fox has had now that he's headed for the Broncos. He could definitely do well with them.

[Ryan Scott]

Carolina has bad ownership and a poor GM. I'm not sure Fox can be blamed for poor players. He'd been in the situation too long; I think he'll do well in Denver, especially since they need to rebuild the whole defense anyway. Would Bill Cowher have been a better choice? Of course, but that wasn't happening. I'm not sure they were ready to go the untested coordinator route again so soon after McDaniels.

[Shea Zellweger]

Judging him on this past year isn't fair. He has been to the play-offs three times and to the SuperBowl once (is there anyone in the "pool" right now that has done that? There may be, I don't know). He has a winning record in both the regular season and the play-offs. When Fox took over in Carolina, the team had one win the season before. Just two years later he was in the SuperBowl (only Lombardi has otherwise done that).

People (fans and owners alike) are too trigger-happy when it comes to coaches. It's ridiculous.

If Denver fans want to complain about anything, perhaps it should be that Shanahan should still be the coach. He should never have been fired. The Broncos "traded" Mike Shanahan for Josh McDaniels!!! Think about that.

So judge not his ability to coach the Broncos based on this past year. Bill Belichick had a much worse career prior to coming to the Pats than Fox has had now that he's headed for the Broncos. He could definitely do well with them.

I don't base it on this year alone, I base it on his overall trajectory as a coach. Within two years of coming to Carolina, they were in the Super Bowl. Over the last 3 seasons, they've gone from 12-4 to 8-8 to 2-14. That's the trajectory of a coach who builds a team to win straightaway, but doesn't look to the future. Maybe he hasn't had as much personnel control as he should, I don't know all the details, but I see no indication in his overall career which would indicate he's capable of building a team that wins consistently.

[Jeremy D. Scott]

...but I see no indication in his overall career which would indicate he's capable of building a team that wins consistently.

And that person who would come and coach the Broncos with this on his resume would be...?

[Shea Zellweger]

And that person who would come and coach the Broncos with this on his resume would be...?

IMHO, there are several college coaches out there who could be asked, and a fair number of coordinators. None of them are a sure thing, but I'd rather take a chance on someone who's unproven than hire a guy with an undesireable background. Marty Mornhinwheg, Dom Capers, Greg Williams, and Chip Kelly would all be a place to start, and I'm sure that list is far from complete.

And by the way, I agree with you about the firing of Shanahan. He was certainly better in Denver than his replacement.

[Bob Hunter]

IMHO, there are several college coaches out there who could be asked, and a fair number of coordinators. None of them are a sure thing, but I'd rather take a chance on someone who's unproven than hire a guy with an undesireable background. Marty Mornhinwheg, Dom Capers, Greg Williams, and Chip Kelly would all be a place to start, and I'm sure that list is far from complete.

And by the way, I agree with you about the firing of Shanahan. He was certainly better in Denver than his replacement.

I agree with some of those names, and feel that Denver might have done better for themselves going that direction. Fox is on his way down, not on his way up. And yes, Chip Kelly would be a great choice, but there is probably no chance of pulling him away from Oregon where he stands a good chance (with Phil Knight's money) of creating a championship level team for multiple years to come. Again, Denver continues to show signs of heading down the wrong path.

[Steven Martinez]

Are you guys blaming Fox for injuries? Because when I see the fall of the Panthers, I see an issue of injuries more then anything else. DeAngelo Williams went from being the third leading rusher in the NFL with 18 TDs in 2008 to playing in only 13 games the next year and down to six this year. He is obviously their MVP on offense and their record seems to be an indicator of his ability to be on the field. To get to 8-8 last year he started Matt Moore who finished the year 4-1 and let Delhomme go and Cleveland knows how that went. Moor got hurt this year and they had to start a rookie QB who did not have the luxury of Sam Bradford of knowing that he was going to play in his first year from the start. Factor in that the NFC South was perhaps the best division in football in the regular season (even the Bucs were 10-6) and you have a bad year. I do not think it was Fox's fault. Especially when you consider that his Gm traded away two number 1 draft picks.

[Bob Evans]

What's he going to do with Tebow?

[Bob Hunter]

What's he going to do with Tebow?

Fox will probably start Tebow as it became pretty clear toward the end of the season that Orton lost his starting position. There is pressure from within and without the organization to give Tebow a chance. Kyle Orton will probably get traded for draft picks and Brady Quinn will be Tebow's back up. Orton was clearly not happy on the sidelines with Tebow starting, in fact, he said he expects to come into training camp this year and be the starter when the season opens.

Yes, Tebow is a work in progress, but his worth ethic, intangibles and will to win will be hard for Fox to resist.

[Ryan Scott]

Fox must have agreed to some QB situation before taking the job. To me it seems like a rough spot - the fans love Tebow, but he's not Fox's kind of QB.

[Bob Hunter]

Fox must have agreed to some QB situation before taking the job. To me it seems like a rough spot - the fans love Tebow, but he's not Fox's kind of QB.

You can bet that Fox will live or die by this decision. Tebow is that kind of player, you either love him or you don't. I tend to agree with you, that he may have been asked in the interview about the QB situation and conceded to give Tebow a chance to lead the team. The organization as a whole wants and needs Tebow's leadership, it remains to be seen if he can deliver.