Broncos Hire John Fox (1 Viewer)

[Richard_the_Vampire]

The hiring of Fox probably means that Orton will be the QB, not Tebow. Orton is very Delhomme-esque; actually, he's probably better right now than Delhomme ever was. Fox likes his veterans.

 

[Carter_Can_Fly]

The hiring of Fox probably means that Orton will be the QB, not Tebow. Orton is very Delhomme-esque; actually, he's probably better right now than Delhomme ever was. Fox likes his veterans.

Fox likes "his" veterans, and is loyal to them, but none of these guys are "his" guys just yet.

 

[Richard_the_Vampire]

The hiring of Fox probably means that Orton will be the QB, not Tebow. Orton is very Delhomme-esque; actually, he's probably better right now than Delhomme ever was. Fox likes his veterans.

Fox likes "his" veterans, and is loyal to them, but none of these guys are "his" guys just yet.

True. I'll rephrase: the chances of Orton being the starter next year increased with the hiring of John Fox.

 

[spider321]

Fox is NOT a good coach.

The Panthers won more games in spite of Fox and his coordinators, than because of them.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

Any thoughts on the Broncos bringing in DeAngelo via free agency?

They have Moreno, and DWill will want good $$$. It seems the Broncos would be smarter spending their free agent money on defense.

That's the problem.

 

[Jason Wood]

Lot of disgruntled Panthers fans in here, not that I blame you. Truth is, Fox hasn't shown himself to be an awesome coach, but I think he's shown himself to be a good coach. There's aren't many great coaches in the league. I also think a head coach is only as good as his assistants and his personnel department. Will Elway be good? Who knows, but he's a major factor in whether Fox has success. And who will be coordinating? Early word is that Jim Mora is a top choice for DC and they'll keep McCoy at OC.

 

[BassNBrew]

Lot of disgruntled Panthers fans in here, not that I blame you. Truth is, Fox hasn't shown himself to be an awesome coach, but I think he's shown himself to be a good coach. There's aren't many great coaches in the league. I also think a head coach is only as good as his assistants and his personnel department. Will Elway be good? Who knows, but he's a major factor in whether Fox has success. And who will be coordinating? Early word is that Jim Mora is a top choice for DC and they'll keep McCoy at OC.

Disgruntled would be booing Santa or vandalizing cars. Pointing out attrocious coaches challenges or pathetic clock management would be called being objective.

 

[omally]

Fox is a good coach, this season notwithstanding. I think he'll be a good fit in Denver.

I think Fox is a good coach too. He inherited a 1-15 team and took them to 7-9 in his first year, and then to the Super Bowl in his second year. We (the Panthers) went to the Super Bowl once under Fox, the NFC championship twice, and the playoffs in three different seasons. We had a good possibility of making it to the playoffs in some other seasons, but we had a freak number of injuries during Fox's tenure. Fox did make some mistakes as coach, but all coaches do. This past season was bad, but Richardson made it very hard for Fox to succeed this year. Richardson basically had Fox gut the team of veterans, and then gave him no funds to sign good free agents or resign others who contracts were ending. The team product this year was more a reflection of Richardson preparing for a lockout, than a reflection of Fox's coaching. I thought it was disrespectful for Richardson to send out an apology letter to all the PSL owners, without telling Fox, for the horrible season this year. Fox found out about the letter from the press. Ultimately, I think Fox needed a new change of scenery, and I think the Panthers also needed a new change too. One thing Fox has always had, and will always have, is the players respect. They have always loved playing for him.

I agree with all of this.

 

[The Kuhn]

Fox is NOT a good coach.The Panthers won more games in spite of Fox and his coordinators, than because of them.

It could also be argued that they lost a fair number of them by Delhomme's bad decisions and turnovers. As long as Fox doesn't pull Delhomme into Denver, I think this is a decent hire- better than continuing with Studesville.I also wouldn't have a problem if he brought in Deangelo Williams and managed to trade Moreno- not sold on him as a feature back. He always seemed like McDaniel's Kevin Faulk wannabe more than a power runner.

 

[Sweet Love]

Lot of disgruntled Panthers fans in here, not that I blame you. Truth is, Fox hasn't shown himself to be an awesome coach, but I think he's shown himself to be a good coach. There's aren't many great coaches in the league. I also think a head coach is only as good as his assistants and his personnel department. Will Elway be good? Who knows, but he's a major factor in whether Fox has success. And who will be coordinating? Early word is that Jim Mora is a top choice for DC and they'll keep McCoy at OC.

Disgruntled would be booing Santa or vandalizing cars. Pointing out attrocious coaches challenges or pathetic clock management would be called being objective.

It is obvious you do not care for Fox, but I think you are taking the drawbacks to him as a good HC to an extreme. I look at the Fox era in NC, as a Tale of Two Periods...the pre and post-Delhomme injury times.2002-2006 - Fox takes a 1-15 team to 7-9 his first year (not all that great, but an improvement). In year two, they go to the Super Bowl, on the heels of an 11-5 record. Up until the Delhomme injury he had a record of 44-36 with a 5-2 playoff record.2008-2010 - A year after "the injury", the team wills itself to a 12-4 record and for the three year period, the Panthers accumulate a 22-26 record.During his 9 years at the helm, he won one conference championship and three division titles. The total package would be considered "above avereage". Now, I understand we all want greatness for our team, but in a parity-laced league, above avereage is usually pretty good.I bring up the injury, because we all like to say "Fox is loyal to his vets" and while that is true to a degree (sure he gave Foster a last chance over Williams and has done the same with Williams over Stewart), but is it usually applied to the QB position. I have not seen any verbiage in regards to the 2008 draft and whether Fox wanted to start looking for a replacement for Delhomme or not...to me, if he did and Hurney nixed him, you are looking at a guy who tried to better his team and was unable to...and was stuck with a dying Delhomme. On the flipside, if he wanted Delhomme and Hurney wanted to draft a QB and somehow Fox had the juice to kill that, then you have someone who sealed his own fate. Personally, I am going to go with the former and if Fox had a proper QB (i.e. just decent), for his last few years, he would have left NC with a +12 win/loss ratio... As a headhunter, I am intrigued by all this "Rivera love". If I talk to a candidate for a job and find out he interviewed for 13 jobs and did not get an offer once, I can't hang up the phone quick enough...guy is dead to me...too many people passed and odds are the collective majority wins out and this guy is a turd. Enjoy your new coach, Charlotte. You have done your best NC State impression (running Herb Sendek out of town for the "Big Tomato"...lol) and now you get to live with it.

 

[thatguy]

I'm happy. Fox is basically the anti-McD. He brings a stout D, commitment to a running game, loyalty to his QB, ability to share in decision making processes, experience, and most of all, integrity.It's not a sexy pick, but right now Denver is not one of those teams looking to go from good to great, it's a team looking to get back to good, and that's something that Fox has demonstrated he can do.

 

[BassNBrew]

Lot of disgruntled Panthers fans in here, not that I blame you. Truth is, Fox hasn't shown himself to be an awesome coach, but I think he's shown himself to be a good coach. There's aren't many great coaches in the league. I also think a head coach is only as good as his assistants and his personnel department. Will Elway be good? Who knows, but he's a major factor in whether Fox has success. And who will be coordinating? Early word is that Jim Mora is a top choice for DC and they'll keep McCoy at OC.

Disgruntled would be booing Santa or vandalizing cars. Pointing out attrocious coaches challenges or pathetic clock management would be called being objective.

It is obvious you do not care for Fox, but I think you are taking the drawbacks to him as a good HC to an extreme. I look at the Fox era in NC, as a Tale of Two Periods...the pre and post-Delhomme injury times.2002-2006 - Fox takes a 1-15 team to 7-9 his first year (not all that great, but an improvement). In year two, they go to the Super Bowl, on the heels of an 11-5 record. Up until the Delhomme injury he had a record of 44-36 with a 5-2 playoff record.2008-2010 - A year after "the injury", the team wills itself to a 12-4 record and for the three year period, the Panthers accumulate a 22-26 record.During his 9 years at the helm, he won one conference championship and three division titles. The total package would be considered "above avereage". Now, I understand we all want greatness for our team, but in a parity-laced league, above avereage is usually pretty good.I bring up the injury, because we all like to say "Fox is loyal to his vets" and while that is true to a degree (sure he gave Foster a last chance over Williams and has done the same with Williams over Stewart), but is it usually applied to the QB position. I have not seen any verbiage in regards to the 2008 draft and whether Fox wanted to start looking for a replacement for Delhomme or not...to me, if he did and Hurney nixed him, you are looking at a guy who tried to better his team and was unable to...and was stuck with a dying Delhomme. On the flipside, if he wanted Delhomme and Hurney wanted to draft a QB and somehow Fox had the juice to kill that, then you have someone who sealed his own fate. Personally, I am going to go with the former and if Fox had a proper QB (i.e. just decent), for his last few years, he would have left NC with a +12 win/loss ratio... As a headhunter, I am intrigued by all this "Rivera love". If I talk to a candidate for a job and find out he interviewed for 13 jobs and did not get an offer once, I can't hang up the phone quick enough...guy is dead to me...too many people passed and odds are the collective majority wins out and this guy is a turd. Enjoy your new coach, Charlotte. You have done your best NC State impression (running Herb Sendek out of town for the "Big Tomato"...lol) and now you get to live with it.

I'm agree with you that Fox started off well. He probably won over the players after the dreadful prior coach and motivated them well. However it's my contention that once the motivation wore off, his coaching - X's and O's, game decisions, personal management, coordinator hires were below average. He does not make in game adjustments, ref: Fitz destroying us in the playoffs. The coaching challenge record speaks for itself. The play calling has been laughable and is well documented on these boards. The Jeff Davidson hire among many others have been poor.I can't defend this position, but I don't think Fox is a bright guy. Denver will get a taste of this in his interviews. The "is what it is" routine wore thin. I just think there are some very bright coaches in this league that will run circles around Fox. I don't know all the inner workings, but I will tell you that he stuck with Delhomme last year when it was obvious that Moore should be playing. That decision cost us a potential playoff shot. Somebody re-upped Delhomme's contract and was sticking with him because of that.FYI...no "Rivera love" here, I'm taking a wait and see approach. I'm not a State fan so I find that jab funny.

 

[az_prof]

Lot of disgruntled Panthers fans in here, not that I blame you. Truth is, Fox hasn't shown himself to be an awesome coach, but I think he's shown himself to be a good coach. There's aren't many great coaches in the league. I also think a head coach is only as good as his assistants and his personnel department. Will Elway be good? Who knows, but he's a major factor in whether Fox has success. And who will be coordinating? Early word is that Jim Mora is a top choice for DC and they'll keep McCoy at OC.

If they keep McCoy, who went with Tebow down the stretch and was part of the decision to bench Orton, wouldn't that argue for them going with Tebow?I just find it hard to believe that the Broncos would bench Tebow after he played so well and start Orton after he choked so badly. Could be wrong but I will be surprised.

 

[drfeelgood]

I can't defend this position, but I don't think Fox is a bright guy. Denver will get a taste of this in his interviews. The "is what it is" routine wore thin.

Bill Belichick does interviews the same way.

 

[Bri]

Anyone in here know where I can get a Tebow stinks t-shirt? Not the one with the national championship or heisman trophy on it, not even the one with the list of records he set on it, just the text. TIA

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

As a Bolt fan I like the Fox hire in Denver.

I do not like losing Riveria as a DC, he had a basically no-name defense playing really well at times last season.

 

[BassNBrew]

I can't defend this position, but I don't think Fox is a bright guy. Denver will get a taste of this in his interviews. The "is what it is" routine wore thin.

Bill Belichick does interviews the same way.

Only difference besides the results and the proof on the field is that Belichick is being coy on purpose, Fox is actually giving his best answer.

 

[Orange&Blue]

Of the candidates that were available I think he was the best that we could get.

Word is that McCoy will stick as OC. As such I expect Tebow to start.

One thing I am excited about is apparently Sal Sunseri will be the d-line coach.

 

[Sweet Love]

Lot of disgruntled Panthers fans in here, not that I blame you. Truth is, Fox hasn't shown himself to be an awesome coach, but I think he's shown himself to be a good coach. There's aren't many great coaches in the league. I also think a head coach is only as good as his assistants and his personnel department. Will Elway be good? Who knows, but he's a major factor in whether Fox has success. And who will be coordinating? Early word is that Jim Mora is a top choice for DC and they'll keep McCoy at OC.

Disgruntled would be booing Santa or vandalizing cars. Pointing out attrocious coaches challenges or pathetic clock management would be called being objective.

It is obvious you do not care for Fox, but I think you are taking the drawbacks to him as a good HC to an extreme. I look at the Fox era in NC, as a Tale of Two Periods...the pre and post-Delhomme injury times.2002-2006 - Fox takes a 1-15 team to 7-9 his first year (not all that great, but an improvement). In year two, they go to the Super Bowl, on the heels of an 11-5 record. Up until the Delhomme injury he had a record of 44-36 with a 5-2 playoff record.

2008-2010 - A year after "the injury", the team wills itself to a 12-4 record and for the three year period, the Panthers accumulate a 22-26 record.

During his 9 years at the helm, he won one conference championship and three division titles. The total package would be considered "above avereage". Now, I understand we all want greatness for our team, but in a parity-laced league, above avereage is usually pretty good.

I bring up the injury, because we all like to say "Fox is loyal to his vets" and while that is true to a degree (sure he gave Foster a last chance over Williams and has done the same with Williams over Stewart), but is it usually applied to the QB position. I have not seen any verbiage in regards to the 2008 draft and whether Fox wanted to start looking for a replacement for Delhomme or not...to me, if he did and Hurney nixed him, you are looking at a guy who tried to better his team and was unable to...and was stuck with a dying Delhomme. On the flipside, if he wanted Delhomme and Hurney wanted to draft a QB and somehow Fox had the juice to kill that, then you have someone who sealed his own fate. Personally, I am going to go with the former and if Fox had a proper QB (i.e. just decent), for his last few years, he would have left NC with a +12 win/loss ratio...

As a headhunter, I am intrigued by all this "Rivera love". If I talk to a candidate for a job and find out he interviewed for 13 jobs and did not get an offer once, I can't hang up the phone quick enough...guy is dead to me...too many people passed and odds are the collective majority wins out and this guy is a turd. Enjoy your new coach, Charlotte. You have done your best NC State impression (running Herb Sendek out of town for the "Big Tomato"...lol) and now you get to live with it.

I'm agree with you that Fox started off well. He probably won over the players after the dreadful prior coach and motivated them well. However it's my contention that once the motivation wore off, his coaching - X's and O's, game decisions, personal management, coordinator hires were below average. He does not make in game adjustments, ref: Fitz destroying us in the playoffs. The coaching challenge record speaks for itself. The play calling has been laughable and is well documented on these boards. The Jeff Davidson hire among many others have been poor.I can't defend this position, but I don't think Fox is a bright guy. Denver will get a taste of this in his interviews. The "is what it is" routine wore thin. I just think there are some very bright coaches in this league that will run circles around Fox.

I don't know all the inner workings, but I will tell you that he stuck with Delhomme last year when it was obvious that Moore should be playing. That decision cost us a potential playoff shot. Somebody re-upped Delhomme's contract and was sticking with him because of that.

FYI...no "Rivera love" here, I'm taking a wait and see approach. I'm not a State fan so I find that jab funny.

Poorly worded on my part, but this was meant to be a statement directed at the local masses and not you specifically. I will say in regards to your reply, the challenge thing is a bit over-rated. If he does not value a first half TO much, depending on the situation, it is no issue to go for it and challenge the call. The sample size of challenges on these coaches is too small to get an accurate read (especially when you start breaking down when it was called (1st or 2nd half), whether they were winning or losing, etc). My guess is that the top 5 most accurate coaches when it comes to challenges have left calls that could have gone their way, "on the table", because they were too conservative. When it comes to challenges, this should be made by the staff in the booth unless the play happened right in front of the HC.

 

[moleculo]

I'm agree with you that Fox started off well. He probably won over the players after the dreadful prior coach and motivated them well. However it's my contention that once the motivation wore off, his coaching - X's and O's, game decisions, personal management, coordinator hires were below average. He does not make in game adjustments, ref: Fitz destroying us in the playoffs. The coaching challenge record speaks for itself. The play calling has been laughable and is well documented on these boards. The Jeff Davidson hire among many others have been poor.

I can't defend this position, but I don't think Fox is a bright guy. Denver will get a taste of this in his interviews. The "is what it is" routine wore thin. I just think there are some very bright coaches in this league that will run circles around Fox.

I don't know all the inner workings, but I will tell you that he stuck with Delhomme last year when it was obvious that Moore should be playing. That decision cost us a potential playoff shot. Somebody re-upped Delhomme's contract and was sticking with him because of that.

FYI...no "Rivera love" here, I'm taking a wait and see approach. I'm not a State fan so I find that jab funny.

Josh McDaniels, by all accounts, is one of the smartest football minds around. Being a bright guy isn't everything.As to Fox's demeanor: here's a snipped from todays Observer:

The great untruth about Fox is that he is the man we saw and heard in news conferences. That was just a show, a private competition to see how little he could say and how boring he could be.

In real life, he's interesting, he's funny, he's charismatic. I was reading a newspaper - the Charlotte Observer, if you must know - in a coffee shop one morning, had the paper in front of my face. Somebody smacked it and yelled, and I jumped. It was Fox.

Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/01/1...l#ixzz1B3Qn9MCd

 

[Bri]

Only difference besides the results and the proof on the field is that Belichick is being coy on purpose, Fox is actually giving his best answer.

that was pretty funny.FWIW Fox and BB do have many of the same friends that are/were coaches.

 

[Raider Nation]

John Fox lost this playoff game.

 

[maxwelledison]

John Fox lost this playoff game.

John Fox has always been brutal. This is a guy that let a team with a dominant rushing O watch Jake Delhomme throw 5 INTs in a playoff game off a bye.

 

[gcoast3]

John Fox lost this playoff game.

So true...he is way too conservative. End of regulation? In OT, on 2nd & 3rd and short he runs it twice with Manning?

 

[flapgreen]

Great hire!

 

[Sonny Lubick Blowup Doll]

John Fox lost this playoff game.

So true...he is way too conservative. End of regulation? In OT, on 2nd & 3rd and short he runs it twice with Manning?

3 Timeouts and 36 seconds before half, at home, and he has Peyton ####### MANNING. And goes to the locker room instead. Not even with a lead. A tie game. He has Manning take a knee. He did the same at San Diego early in the year...and they were down 24 POINTS. He is mind-blowingly conservative and that will never change. Those types of coaches never learn to play to win. EVER. They will always play NOT to lose -- it's their makeup, defensive minded to the core -- and they never end up good coaches. It's amazing to me.

 

[Sonny Lubick Blowup Doll]

And not like I didn't already know myself, but I do think of BassNBrew a lot when I watch Fox coach...he couldn't have been more right about him. I knew he was bad having watched every game since he's been coach of the Broncos, he's even worst than I thought. I can honestly say I saw this coming. DIdn't think it would be today's game necessarily, but I knew his tendencies would cost this team when it counted.

Good stuff, BNB.

 

[Raider Nation]

And not like I didn't already know myself, but I do think of BassNBrew a lot when I watch Fox coach...he couldn't have been more right about him. I knew he was bad having watched every game since he's been coach of the Broncos, he's even worst than I thought. I can honestly say I saw this coming. DIdn't think it would be today's game necessarily, but I knew his tendencies would cost this team when it counted.

Good stuff, BNB.

The 3rd & 7 right after the 2:00 warning... If Manning boots that, he runs all day, even with his 7.4 speed in the 40.Suggs came crashing down as you'd expect. Worst case scenario, you slide and give yourself up if they don't bite.

 

[Sonny Lubick Blowup Doll]

And not like I didn't already know myself, but I do think of BassNBrew a lot when I watch Fox coach...he couldn't have been more right about him. I knew he was bad having watched every game since he's been coach of the Broncos, he's even worst than I thought. I can honestly say I saw this coming. DIdn't think it would be today's game necessarily, but I knew his tendencies would cost this team when it counted.

Good stuff, BNB.

The 3rd & 7 right after the 2:00 warning... If Manning boots that, he runs all day, even with his 7.4 speed in the 40.Suggs came crashing down as you'd expect. Worst case scenario, you slide and give yourself up if they don't bite.

Was just about to post that one, too! Something, ANYTHING besides running it up the gut again. I knew exactly what was going to happen during that series the whole time. As did Baltimore. We all did. Love your idea but I actually would've thrown it (what I was screaming for). If it's not there, Manning can just go down. And if the pass is incomplete so what, your D still has to make a stop. Go for the ####### win while it's in YOUR teams hands, not theirs. You have to trust him to make that play and not put it all on your defense. You have 8 yards for the win, period, and instead you go into the fetal position. I cannot begin to tell you how frustrating that is to watch...mistake after mistake like that, I'm furious. I knew he would do this to them.

What Bill Parcells or Jimmy Johnson would've done...they would've gone for jugular. Like that Dallas/SF playoff game. SF had just scored and had Dallas backed up to their own 6 or so. 3 n out and hope your D can stop SF is what most coaches do. Instead, he calls a pass and the slant to Alvin Harper wins the game for them. And Superbowl. Fox wouldn't call something like that in a million years. And he will never learn. That's what's even worse, they don't learn.

 

[Popinski]

I also would have gone for it on 4th down at the end of the first half instead of attempting a 52 yard FG. Just horrifically conservative all around by Fox when you have Peyton Manning as your QB.

 

[Sonny Lubick Blowup Doll]

I also would have gone for it on 4th down at the end of the first half instead of attempting a 52 yard FG. Just horrifically conservative all around by Fox when you have Peyton Manning as your QB.

Yeah, good point, but he just has zero balls.Another fine example of coaches like this is Denny Green and his invincible Vikings in '97 I think it was. The guy took a knee going into half, also at home, against Atlanta and with plenty of time to get in postion to [GASP] score more points before half. But he also ran to the locker room content, for some reason. Instead, Atlanta went to the Superbowl. And it's not just the decision alone that hurts, it's the psyche that goes along with it. That does not inspire your players, on the contrary. It just makes NO sense all around, yet coaches like this can somehow never change their mindset. Not for the life of them. I can't think of a conservative-minded coach that actually learned from their repeated mistakes...and stopped doing it. They can't change, they aren't risk-takers. Even when a calculated risk is the right call, it's just not in them.

 

[solorca]

Typical Fox. He lucked into getting Manning, so he'll probably be ok as a head coach the next couple years, but I expect Denver fans are growing tired of his style just like we did in Carolina. Very few outside of the area understood why our fan base disliked him as a head coach. Today was a perfect example.

 

[Raider Nation]

Denver Broncos' John Fox coached not to lose game

A classic football game was played on Saturday in Denver. Some team had to lose. When that losing team was the heavily favored No. 1 seeded Denver Broncos, fingers will inevitably be pointed in the aftermath.

The Broncos lost for a lot of reasons. They let the Baltimore Ravens receivers get deep too often. They couldn't run the football. Peyton Manning was intercepted twice and the Broncos offense didn't consistently move the ball, scoring "only" 21 points in five quarters.

"The reality is, we had a good season. We got to the elite eight," coach John Fox said after the game. "I'd like to have been that team to hoist the trophy, but we're not."

The most inexcusable reason the Broncos lost: Fox played not to lose. He played like his quarterback was Jake Delhomme or Tim Tebow. He coached to his defense, which was not having a good day. Three examples come to mind:

1. The Broncos got the ball back with 36 seconds in the first half and three timeouts. They took a knee and went to halftime.

2. Leading by 7 points, the Broncos had a third-and-7 with 2 minutes remaining. A first down there wins the game. The Broncos ran the ball to set up a punt. It's a defensible move, but you have the chance to put the game in Peyton Manning's hands. One play and it's over. If the play isn't there, trust Manning to take a sack or check it down to keep the clock moving. That's a situation Manning lives for. There's no one better.

3. After the Broncos gave up a 70-yard touchdown to Jacoby Jones after a terrible breakdown in the secondary, the Broncos had 31 seconds left to try to set up a game-winning field goal. Manning took a knee again.

None of this comes a surprise to folks that have watched Fox coach a long time. But it's a shame to not even try to win with Manning on his side. The Broncos didn't go out swinging. They went out hoping not to lose.

Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.

 

[bostonfred]

Why did fox ask manning to kneel down at the end of regulation? It wasn't because he was afraid they'd go 3 and out. It wasn't because he was certain they wouldn't make it. It was because he was afraid manning would throw a game ending interception. Same thing with the third and eight play inside the two minute warning. If you believe fox was solely to blame for this loss, then youll never guess what happened when he let manning throw with the pressure on in overtime. Turns out fox may have been right not to put manning in that situation. We've seen what happens, time and again.

 

[Sonny Lubick Blowup Doll]

Please. Do not take that bait guys, horrible.

 

[SSOG]

I'm absolutely thrilled to have John Fox as our head coach. He's a fantastic coach, and the job he's done on this team in two years is remarkable. It's easy to play armchair coach, but none of his decisions were indefensible, or clearly wrong. On the whole, he certainly played a very conservative game, but what do you expect? The reality is that he is who he is, and who he is got Denver from 4-12 to 13-3. You want an aggressive coach? We had one before- he's how we wound up at 4-12. We had one before that, too- his tenure came to an end because of blown leads and historic collapses. Sure, I wish I could transfuse some of Shanahan's chutzpah into Fox's otherwise unflappable calm, but I can't do that- you have to take the whole package or leave it, and I take it. No questions whatsoever. You want to start pointing fingers for today's game, start with Von Miller, Elvis Dumervil, or Derrick Wolfe. Maybe JDR. Where was that league-leading pass rush today? The best defense against the deep ball is to not give the opposing QB all day to throw the deep ball. Even a modicum of pressure, and Denver wins it going away, and nobody's here questioning his decision to try a 52 yard field goal instead of a 7 yard 4th down conversion.

 

[pizzatyme]

John Fox is more conservative than Dungy (who was over-rated). He coaches like he has another week or another year. There are no guarantees. You play to win the game.

 

[Raider Nation]

The cold, hard fact is the Broncos lost everything Saturday.

And they blew it.

They lost the overtime coin toss. They lost a cinch victory with 31 seconds left in the fourth quarter by blowing coverage. They lost the game on an intercepted pass late in the fifth quarter. They lost the playoff game early in the sixth quarter on a 47-yard field goal.

They lost their chance at a ninth AFC championship game. They lost the opportunity for the franchise to win a third Super Bowl. Peyton Manning lost the prospect of playing a Super Bowl in his hometown of New Orleans and winning a second NFL championship.

The Broncos lost the lead four times. They lost two interceptions and a fumble, all Manning turnovers. They lost a dozen arguments with the officials. They lost a rare home playoff game.

The Broncos lost everything from the regular season in one historic postseason game. In a frozen conundrum on a Dr. Zhivago kind of day, in the chilliest and longest playoff game in Denver history, Ravens 38, Broncos 35.

Rather than Holliday, Hillman and the Hallelujah High Way, it was to Hades in a Handbasket.

Everybody shares the blame, but coach John Fox should get more than his share for his conservative approach.

After the Ravens shocked a bitterly cold crowd with a 70-yard balloon bomb from Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones, with just over half a minute to go, to tie the game for the fifth time, at 35-35, the Broncos had the ball at their 20-yard line, had two timeouts and had the quarterback who had produced more winning drives in the fourth quarter than anybody else who ever played the game.

What did Fox choose to do?

He had Manning take a knee.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Even though Matt Prater had Charliebrowned a field-goal attempt earlier, scuffing the ground before he kicked the football, the Broncos could have gotten him into range again by picking up about 35 to 40 yards in the final half minute of regulation.

They had time and timeouts for six plays.

You don't want to go into overtime against anyone, but especially against a veteran team that had badly damaged the Broncos' defense four times in four quarters.

Anything can happen in overtime.

And the worst ultimately did.

It's one thing for Fox to order punts on fourth-and-1, or run out the clock at the end of a first half when he also had timeouts to spare. But it's entirely another to not take a legitimate crack at winning the game in regulation when you have Manning and those receivers and a kicker such as Prater.

Remember what happened to the Pittsburgh Steelers a year ago in a playoff game here? The Broncos, Tim Tebow and Demaryius Thomas beat them on the first play in an extra period. (Thomas caught what should have been the winning touchdown pass in the fourth quarter Saturday.)

In the last playoff game in Denver the unusual occurred. Fox had to know better.

But he surrendered with 30 seconds to go. Manning looked less than in agreement when he took the snap, dropped to a knee, tossed the ball to the referee and departed the field as the clock expired.

Thirty seconds can be an eternity for Manning.

The Broncos couldn't score in overtime, but stopped the Ravens. Then, when the Broncos appeared headed toward victory, Manning, rolling right, tried to thread a throw to Brandon Stokley back over the middle. The Ravens intercepted it.

The steam that rose from the mouths of 75,000 in the near-zero temperatures was the air going out of the stadium.

Three plays.

The plays weren't "Phantom of the Opera," "Wicked" and "Guys and Dolls," but they were big hits back in Baltimore.

The Ravens had only three plays worth anything in the first half and yet they were tied 21-21 at the break. All three went for touchdowns. The first was a 59-yard strike from Flacco to Torrey Smith. That was followed by an interception on a deflected pass for a touchdown, and Flacco and Smith again connected just before halftime. Otherwise, the Ravens would have been frozen out. Instead, they were tied.

The Ravens had only a couple of plays in the second half, but one went for 70 yards with 31 seconds left, and was really, in reflection, enough.

So it seemed they would score in the second overtime following the interception. The Broncos acted finished.

The Ravens did score, and the Broncos were finished.

And, just like that, one of the most successful seasons in Broncos history was over, and success had become failure.

All three teams on the field Saturday generally had issues. The Broncos, the Ravens and the officials, who acted suspiciously like replacements.

But the Broncos were the real losers.

-Woody Paige

 

[BassNBrew]

I'm absolutely thrilled to have John Fox as our head coach. He's a fantastic coach, and the job he's done on this team in two years is remarkable. It's easy to play armchair coach, but none of his decisions were indefensible, or clearly wrong. On the whole, he certainly played a very conservative game, but what do you expect? The reality is that he is who he is, and who he is got Denver from 4-12 to 13-3. You want an aggressive coach? We had one before- he's how we wound up at 4-12. We had one before that, too- his tenure came to an end because of blown leads and historic collapses. Sure, I wish I could transfuse some of Shanahan's chutzpah into Fox's otherwise unflappable calm, but I can't do that- you have to take the whole package or leave it, and I take it. No questions whatsoever. You want to start pointing fingers for today's game, start with Von Miller, Elvis Dumervil, or Derrick Wolfe. Maybe JDR. Where was that league-leading pass rush today? The best defense against the deep ball is to not give the opposing QB all day to throw the deep ball. Even a modicum of pressure, and Denver wins it going away, and nobody's here questioning his decision to try a 52 yard field goal instead of a 7 yard 4th down conversion.

LOL.I didn't think it was possible that Fox could screw this up with Manning, but I should have known better. Funny thing is that while he shackled Manning this year, he could stop Tebow.

 

[The Comedian]

I'm absolutely thrilled to have John Fox as our head coach. He's a fantastic coach, and the job he's done on this team in two years is remarkable. It's easy to play armchair coach, but none of his decisions were indefensible, or clearly wrong. On the whole, he certainly played a very conservative game, but what do you expect? The reality is that he is who he is, and who he is got Denver from 4-12 to 13-3. You want an aggressive coach? We had one before- he's how we wound up at 4-12. We had one before that, too- his tenure came to an end because of blown leads and historic collapses. Sure, I wish I could transfuse some of Shanahan's chutzpah into Fox's otherwise unflappable calm, but I can't do that- you have to take the whole package or leave it, and I take it. No questions whatsoever. You want to start pointing fingers for today's game, start with Von Miller, Elvis Dumervil, or Derrick Wolfe. Maybe JDR. Where was that league-leading pass rush today? The best defense against the deep ball is to not give the opposing QB all day to throw the deep ball. Even a modicum of pressure, and Denver wins it going away, and nobody's here questioning his decision to try a 52 yard field goal instead of a 7 yard 4th down conversion.

Uhhh not trying to win the game in this situation is indefensible. A lot is being made of the kneeling, which I agree was pretty bad, but I thought the far worse mistake was the previous possession. The Broncos get the ball with like 3:30 left after BAL failes to convert the 4th, and they made pretty much no attempt to close the game down. Run, run, run, right up the middle, mostly. They got a first down from two runs, which is great. Then run on 1st and 2nd down, fine. Then it was what, 3rd and 6 or 7, with like 1:20 left, BAl with zero time outs, and they have a choice - risk the 40 seconds to win the game. Put the ball in Peyton Manning's hands, and let him throw a pass to win the game. Literally, game is OVER if one of the best of all time can complete a pass for a first down. Instead, yep, dive up the middle. Ravens get the ball with like 1:20 left, and they leave 40 seconds on the clock after scoring the tying TD, lol.Sorry, but there was plenty that was indefensible. Fox cost them this game. I thought Manning was great, personally. The lack of a pass rush was also bad, but at some point you need to adjust, bring an extra rusher. I think DN rushed 4 the whole game, despite it not generating any rush, and Flacco having plenty of time to chuck these 60 yard bombs. Badly, badly coached game.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Typical Fox. He lucked into getting Manning, so he'll probably be ok as a head coach the next couple years, but I expect Denver fans are growing tired of his style just like we did in Carolina. Very few outside of the area understood why our fan base disliked him as a head coach. Today was a perfect example.

Guy should probably realize he has Peyton Manning back there.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

I'm absolutely thrilled to have John Fox as our head coach. He's a fantastic coach, and the job he's done on this team in two years is remarkable. It's easy to play armchair coach, but none of his decisions were indefensible, or clearly wrong. On the whole, he certainly played a very conservative game, but what do you expect? The reality is that he is who he is, and who he is got Denver from 4-12 to 13-3. You want an aggressive coach? We had one before- he's how we wound up at 4-12. We had one before that, too- his tenure came to an end because of blown leads and historic collapses. Sure, I wish I could transfuse some of Shanahan's chutzpah into Fox's otherwise unflappable calm, but I can't do that- you have to take the whole package or leave it, and I take it. No questions whatsoever. You want to start pointing fingers for today's game, start with Von Miller, Elvis Dumervil, or Derrick Wolfe. Maybe JDR. Where was that league-leading pass rush today? The best defense against the deep ball is to not give the opposing QB all day to throw the deep ball. Even a modicum of pressure, and Denver wins it going away, and nobody's here questioning his decision to try a 52 yard field goal instead of a 7 yard 4th down conversion.

Uhhh not trying to win the game in this situation is indefensible. A lot is being made of the kneeling, which I agree was pretty bad, but I thought the far worse mistake was the previous possession. The Broncos get the ball with like 3:30 left after BAL failes to convert the 4th, and they made pretty much no attempt to close the game down. Run, run, run, right up the middle, mostly. They got a first down from two runs, which is great. Then run on 1st and 2nd down, fine. Then it was what, 3rd and 6 or 7, with like 1:20 left, BAl with zero time outs, and they have a choice - risk the 40 seconds to win the game. Put the ball in Peyton Manning's hands, and let him throw a pass to win the game. Literally, game is OVER if one of the best of all time can complete a pass for a first down. Instead, yep, dive up the middle. Ravens get the ball with like 1:20 left, and they leave 40 seconds on the clock after scoring the tying TD, lol.Sorry, but there was plenty that was indefensible. Fox cost them this game. I thought Manning was great, personally. The lack of a pass rush was also bad, but at some point you need to adjust, bring an extra rusher. I think DN rushed 4 the whole game, despite it not generating any rush, and Flacco having plenty of time to chuck these 60 yard bombs. Badly, badly coached game.

Can't believe I picked them to go to the SB. Forgot that Fox was the coach.

 

[Class Dismissed]

It's odd that John Elway would hire a Dan Reeves as his head coach.

 

[Ghost Rider]

I'm absolutely thrilled to have John Fox as our head coach. He's a fantastic coach, and the job he's done on this team in two years is remarkable. It's easy to play armchair coach, but none of his decisions were indefensible, or clearly wrong. On the whole, he certainly played a very conservative game, but what do you expect? The reality is that he is who he is, and who he is got Denver from 4-12 to 13-3. You want an aggressive coach? We had one before- he's how we wound up at 4-12. We had one before that, too- his tenure came to an end because of blown leads and historic collapses. Sure, I wish I could transfuse some of Shanahan's chutzpah into Fox's otherwise unflappable calm, but I can't do that- you have to take the whole package or leave it, and I take it. No questions whatsoever. You want to start pointing fingers for today's game, start with Von Miller, Elvis Dumervil, or Derrick Wolfe. Maybe JDR. Where was that league-leading pass rush today? The best defense against the deep ball is to not give the opposing QB all day to throw the deep ball. Even a modicum of pressure, and Denver wins it going away, and nobody's here questioning his decision to try a 52 yard field goal instead of a 7 yard 4th down conversion.

Uhhh not trying to win the game in this situation is indefensible. A lot is being made of the kneeling, which I agree was pretty bad, but I thought the far worse mistake was the previous possession. The Broncos get the ball with like 3:30 left after BAL failes to convert the 4th, and they made pretty much no attempt to close the game down. Run, run, run, right up the middle, mostly. They got a first down from two runs, which is great. Then run on 1st and 2nd down, fine. Then it was what, 3rd and 6 or 7, with like 1:20 left, BAl with zero time outs, and they have a choice - risk the 40 seconds to win the game. Put the ball in Peyton Manning's hands, and let him throw a pass to win the game. Literally, game is OVER if one of the best of all time can complete a pass for a first down. Instead, yep, dive up the middle. Ravens get the ball with like 1:20 left, and they leave 40 seconds on the clock after scoring the tying TD, lol.Sorry, but there was plenty that was indefensible. Fox cost them this game. I thought Manning was great, personally. The lack of a pass rush was also bad, but at some point you need to adjust, bring an extra rusher. I think DN rushed 4 the whole game, despite it not generating any rush, and Flacco having plenty of time to chuck these 60 yard bombs. Badly, badly coached game.

Agreed. I like Fox, but he blew it big time yesterday. Kneeling at the end of both halves was gutless. Those runs on 2nd and 2 and 2nd and 1 in the 3rd quarter were gutless. Not letting Peyton throw on 3rd and 7 to ice the game with two minutes left was terrible. It sounds like a cliche, but he really did coach not to lose. I can't remember when it was (early 3rd quarter, I think), and the Broncos ran the ball on a 3rd and 5 from like their own 45. I was like . That play had no chance of getting a 1st down, and they were in position there in the 3rd quarter to grab control of the game, but the conservative play-calling buried them. Peyton can take some of the criticism there, too, considering how much he audibles at the line, but the Broncos ultimately looked like a team that got outcoached badly. You are generating no pass rush, so where were the adjustments? you weren't running the ball well all day, yet they came out running the ball non-stop in OT, constantly putting themselves in 2nd and 3rd and longs. It was mind-numbing to watch.

 

[Class Dismissed]

I'm absolutely thrilled to have John Fox as our head coach. He's a fantastic coach, and the job he's done on this team in two years is remarkable. It's easy to play armchair coach, but none of his decisions were indefensible, or clearly wrong. On the whole, he certainly played a very conservative game, but what do you expect? The reality is that he is who he is, and who he is got Denver from 4-12 to 13-3. You want an aggressive coach? We had one before- he's how we wound up at 4-12. We had one before that, too- his tenure came to an end because of blown leads and historic collapses. Sure, I wish I could transfuse some of Shanahan's chutzpah into Fox's otherwise unflappable calm, but I can't do that- you have to take the whole package or leave it, and I take it. No questions whatsoever.

You want to start pointing fingers for today's game, start with Von Miller, Elvis Dumervil, or Derrick Wolfe. Maybe JDR. Where was that league-leading pass rush today? The best defense against the deep ball is to not give the opposing QB all day to throw the deep ball. Even a modicum of pressure, and Denver wins it going away, and nobody's here questioning his decision to try a 52 yard field goal instead of a 7 yard 4th down conversion.

Uhhh not trying to win the game in this situation is indefensible. A lot is being made of the kneeling, which I agree was pretty bad, but I thought the far worse mistake was the previous possession. The Broncos get the ball with like 3:30 left after BAL failes to convert the 4th, and they made pretty much no attempt to close the game down. Run, run, run, right up the middle, mostly. They got a first down from two runs, which is great. Then run on 1st and 2nd down, fine. Then it was what, 3rd and 6 or 7, with like 1:20 left, BAl with zero time outs, and they have a choice - risk the 40 seconds to win the game. Put the ball in Peyton Manning's hands, and let him throw a pass to win the game. Literally, game is OVER if one of the best of all time can complete a pass for a first down. Instead, yep, dive up the middle. Ravens get the ball with like 1:20 left, and they leave 40 seconds on the clock after scoring the tying TD, lol.Sorry, but there was plenty that was indefensible. Fox cost them this game. I thought Manning was great, personally. The lack of a pass rush was also bad, but at some point you need to adjust, bring an extra rusher. I think DN rushed 4 the whole game, despite it not generating any rush, and Flacco having plenty of time to chuck these 60 yard bombs.

Badly, badly coached game.

Agreed. I like Fox, but he blew it big time yesterday. Kneeling at the end of both halves was gutless. Those runs on 2nd and 2 and 2nd and 1 in the 3rd quarter were gutless. Not letting Peyton throw on 3rd and 7 to ice the game with two minutes left was terrible. It sounds like a cliche, but he really did coach not to lose. I can't remember when it was (early 3rd quarter, I think), and the Broncos ran the ball on a 3rd and 5 from like their own 45. I was like . That play had no chance of getting a 1st down, and they were in position there in the 3rd quarter to grab control of the game, but the conservative play-calling buried them. Peyton can take some of the criticism there, too, considering how much he audibles at the line, but the Broncos ultimately looked like a team that got outcoached badly. You are generating no pass rush, so where were the adjustments? you weren't running the ball well all day, yet they came out running the ball non-stop in OT, constantly putting themselves in 2nd and 3rd and longs. It was mind-numbing to watch.

I couldn't agree more with the bolded, this was a mistake filled game, replete with horrible execution, gutless play calling and typical NFL officiating. If that's an instant classic then Stouffers is fine dining.

 

[Furious Styles]

You don't win a battle by building a fox hole and waiting inside it

 

[solorca]

It makes me happy to see that people around the country are finally realizing the pain we Panthers fans felt for years with this guy.

 

[simey]

It makes me happy to see that people around the country are finally realizing the pain we Panthers fans felt for years with this guy.

John Fox did have some good years with the Panthers.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

Typical Fox. He lucked into getting Manning, so he'll probably be ok as a head coach the next couple years, but I expect Denver fans are growing tired of his style just like we did in Carolina. Very few outside of the area understood why our fan base disliked him as a head coach. Today was a perfect example.

Guy should probably realize he has Peyton Manning back there.

you mean that guy that turned the ball over 3x, including a pick 6?it's pretty easy to beat the guy up when all your counterpoints are drawn from your imagination.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Typical Fox. He lucked into getting Manning, so he'll probably be ok as a head coach the next couple years, but I expect Denver fans are growing tired of his style just like we did in Carolina. Very few outside of the area understood why our fan base disliked him as a head coach. Today was a perfect example.

Guy should probably realize he has Peyton Manning back there.

you mean that guy that turned the ball over 3x, including a pick 6?it's pretty easy to beat the guy up when all your counterpoints are drawn from your imagination.

You seem much more emotionally invested in this discussion than you should be. As someone who watched a lot of Panthers games with Fox coaching (and as a PSU alum who watched the last 10-12 years of Paterno's coaching career), I know "Coaching not to lose in a big game" when I see it. I saw it last night. It's sad.