On the hiring of John Fox

I would like to start by saying I’m an truly encouraged by the hiring of John Fox. I feel with him, the Broncos have an experienced, NFL-savvy coach who has an eye for talent, has shown he can develop talent on the defensive side, and knows what kind of offense works at this level.

I will confess that I was on the Josh McDaniels boat because I thought he brought a passion to the position that could reinvigorate the team while systematically rebuilding it with the "right kind" of players: tough, intelligent, focused. I thought these things because I wanted the kind of success McD enjoyed in New England and was willing to let some of his flaws slide because he was a new coach at a prestigious franchise faced with a tough rebuilding process and enormous expectations.

I agreed with many of his decisions, trading Brandon Marshall, Tony Scheffler, even Jay Cutler I could get on board with (sidenote: I much prefer Cutler as my QB in Madden to real life). As to Peyton Hillis, I don’t think many really saw that coming but I’ll say I was one who thought he deserved more of a chance to show he could carry the load, but I digress.

Looking back I think, unfortunately, McD would have been better suited as a Offensive Coordinator under John Fox than being thrust in the the position he was in, but we’ll see how his career evolves from afar, rather than taking the lumps with him.

I consider myself fairly well informed on what goes on in the NFL and while not paying particular attention to Fox’s Panthers, I know that I liked how they played, I like how they were coached, and they showed a product on the field that was more consistent, I believe, than their record indicated. They featured a ground game with essentially a slot receiver in Steve Smith as their #1 WR and a host of possession receivers elsewhere (highlighted by the esteemed Mushin Muhammad) while being led by the dubiously effective Jake Delhomme.

Fox’s players and teams posted that record with that kind of talent. When the playoffs come (and trust me they will return to Denver), having a coach that is prepared to grind through when the other team takes away your strengths, is the kind of football we have learned advances in the NFL playoffs. When you can win games on offense or defense, then you have a Championship-caliber team. I anticipate the return of the "D" to Denver.

Fox has shown that he can succeed with select talent and a run-first identity on offense and rely on his coaching to create play-makers on defense. Julius Peppers, Will Witherspoon, Mike Rucker, Kris Jenkins (before all his injuries), Dan Morgan, Mike Minter, Jon Beason and Chris Gamble are perhaps the most notable players from his teams and many of those are from the earlier part of his career rather than more recently, however I feel this is more indicative of the Front Office’s desires than his own. That being said, Carolina plays in the up and down NFC South with two other high profile teams, the former Michael Vick-led Falcons and the currently Drew Brees-led Saints, so their records are definitely more susceptible to fluctuations for that reason.

I’m sure you will find this article more in-depth, but let me recap the NFC’s South playoff record while John Fox was the Panther’s coach:

2002 Tampa Bay     WON Super Bowl over Oakland (<<< Remember that?)

2003 Carolina         LOST Super Bowl 32-29 to New England (arguably Fox’s best team)

2004 Atlanta            LOST to Eagles (Vick losing to McNabb losing to Tom Brady)

2005 Tampa Bay    LOST to Redskins Carolina LOST to Seahawks who LOST to Pittsburgh)

2006 New Orleans LOST to Chicago (Chicago LOST Super Bowl to Indy)

2007 Tampa Bay     LOST to NY Giants (Giants WON over 18-0 New England)

2008 Carolina         LOST to Arizona (Delhomme’s terrible game) (Arizona LOST to Pittsburgh)

2009 New Orleans WON over Indy (Carolina goes 8-8)

2010 Atlana is #1 seed (Carolina is 2-14 and has a peacock, Jimmy Clausen, for a QB)

So in review, Fox has basically been playing in one of the tougher divisions in the NFL. I’d dare say he was playing in the SEC of the NFC.

Two out of the three years they represented their Division in the playoffs, reaching the Super Bowl in their second year under Fox and losing a tough 5 interception, 1 fumble game by Delhomme to Arizona who went on to narrowly lose to Pittsburgh. The one year they were a Wild Card team they lost to another bird-themed team that lost to Pittsburgh. The rest of Fox’s tenure was filled with the moderate success that parity in the NFL brings, and was book-ended by other teams in his division winning the Super Bowl. I’d say his teams acquitted themselves until his Front Office quit on him.

I feel confident that with a supportive Owner and draft picks he can rely on, John Fox can make like an SEC team against the Pac-10, as much as that pains me to say.

I wanted to write this because I still feel like we have a long way to go and more than a few hurdles to overcome before the Broncos return to form. Highlighting my concerns are personnel decisions facing Fox and scheme changes facing the players who remain. While my reasons stated above are grounds for high hopes, I’m anxious to see how Denver and Fox, deal with the brass tacks.

Chief among my concerns is keeping the talent on our roster and promoting the players who have shown the talent it takes to succeed. The closer we come to crossing these questions of my list, the better I’ll feel about the coming seasons.

• First off, we have to see how the potential of an NFL Lockout will affect players/salaries/free agency.
• Champ Bailey HAS to return to provide the secondary with a proven vet in this time of turmoil.
• What to do about Kyle Orton/Tim Tebow? I feel Tebow is the future, but Orton may be the now, despite his obvious limitations. Can Fox use him/move him effectively?
• Can Knowshown Moreno power the rushing attack Fox will likely install? Who will be his backups? I like LenDale White as a powerback, but who else?
• Can the offensive line quickly (re)adapt to a zone blocking scheme and provide a solid pass/rush protection? Specifically can Ryan Harris ever book-end a healthy Ryan Clady?
• How will our defensive line adapt back into a 4-3, can we get effective DE play under the new scheme? Most importantly, will Elvis Dumervil be able to reproduce his previous brilliance coming back from injury AND adjusting to a new scheme?
• Will we find capable replacements in the secondary to take over for Champ and Dawkins as they age (particularly Dawkins’ coverage skills)?
• Our LB starters look solid, but the depth isn't there. Can they stay healthy and challenge Kansas City’s power running game and San Diego’s aerial attack? (and whatever you want to call Oakland’s offense)?
• I feel Brandon Lloyd will be reliable, but can Eddie Royal, Demaryius Thomas, Jabbar Gaffney and the rest, become reliable threats in the way that Fox couldn’t manufacture in Carolina?
• I guess John Elway is okay (heavy sarcasm), but can he continue to make the right decisions off the field as he did on the field? Ultimately, will the Broncos organization and Denver fans give Elway, Fox, Tebow, etc., time to endure through difficulty in contrast to McD?
• Lastly, can the Broncos organization begin to build more efficiently and steadily through the draft? With the highs and lows of recent draft classes, the future of Denver rests squarely in the ability to have, dare I say, Patriot-like success with their drafting.

That’s all I have for now. Many of the Denver faithful may have their own concerns, feel free to voice them in the comments. Perhaps with the new era of transparency, the fan voice can be unified and channeled into constructive criticism for the higher-ups to hear. Suffice to say, I’m excited by the hiring of Denver’s new head coach and genuinely think he can turn it around. Consider me publicly on his bandwagon.