Broncos Out Foxing the Fox?
As Broncos Country gathers around the legion of media coverage at Dove Valley, all waiting to see what color smoke lifts into the rarified air of the Mile High City, it still feels weird that we're talking about a new face to coach the team. In this instance, the odds are the face will be pretty familiar among the initial three candidates interviewed since the team mutually parted ways with John Fox.
When is good not good enough?
Apparently after another game with an incredibly talented roster falling short in a critical game. The loss to the Colts was not enough in and of itself for Vice President of Football Operations, John Elway to send a coach packing. Four consecutive AFC West division titles sounds pretty good to most NFL teams.
But it was an itch no one could quite scratch. How could the Broncos not show up in New England? How could they miss out on a very winnable contest in St. Louis that would have helped the team back into the race for home field advantage? Then of course, the well rested roster with nearly a dozen All Pro players was heavily favored to move on to their second straight AFC title game, but they looked flat. Manning is getting the lion share of the blame, which is standard fan procedure, the same when they award him too much credit in the wins. However, he wasn't the only one off his game. Receivers didn't create a lot of space, the offensive line missed some key blocks, and the defense decided to try to contain Andrew Luck and not pressure him, a clear mistake.
Sure, a couple players are now saying they should have done better with the talent they had, and others are talking about how flat the team was. Sounds familiar. These were the soundbites after last year's surprising blowout SuperBowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Hard to believe now the Broncos were favored to win that contest. Of course there was the moment against the Ravens in year two of the Fox era, where all the defense had to do was keep the ball in front of them, another containment versus pass pressure moment.
Winning a playoff game with Tim Tebow is certainly worth a handful of Hall of Fame votes for John Fox, who is an outstanding football coach. The team was in complete disarray after Hoodie Junior, Josh McDaniels obliterated a decent roster and helped deliver a 4-12 season that was worse than it looked. Dan Reeves was a great coach too, but there was something about not being able to close out the big game. That said, I am not one of those people who thinks life is only measured by the Lombardi trophy. If we rewind back to the 1970's, 80's or 90's four straight AFC West crowns are worthy of a parade and a wealth of good feelings for the football faithful.
I imagine some Bronco fans have gained some sense of entitlement after Elway closed out his brilliant on field career with two of those Lombardi things. It is the reason owner Pat Bowlen turned back once more to his former quarterback to drive the team back into greatness. I recall the stories of the meeting between Elway and Bowlen in a public restaurant getting fired up about just such a run to glory, giving each other high fives throughout the meal. So, the expectations were set high, and away they rode into sunset, rebuilding the Broncos at every level, starting with a coach who could stabilize the horror show he inherited.
John Fox did almost everything he was hired to do. To the world outside of Colorado, the Broncos appear ungrateful, and elitist. I can see that. However, this is bigger than that. Mr. Bowlen has since fallen ill, and is fighting a disease I hope never visits my front door or hits anyone I care about. This is about those high fives, the handshake and a promise. John Elway promised a man he greatly admires, another SuperBowl title.
Is Gary Kubiak, who had some health issues and tough playoff losses of his own the answer? Maybe. But those calling him a yes man for Elway to push around don't know much about Gary Kubiak. Reading can be fun, and it is pretty clear the respect of his peers and former players paint a picture of a guy who will not take the job unless it is all his. At one point Kubiak turned down the head coaching gig at the University of Colorado, and I know the Buffs were crushed, and have been thumped around league play ever since.
The bottom line is an eye test, anyone who played, coached or covered the game could see the Broncos falter in key contests, and out-coached in crunch time. The feeling is that itch that can't quite be explained, but doing the same thing again next year with a roster this good didn't feel right to anyone involved. A Fox leading Bears will find instant improvement there, but the Broncos need a change without burning it all down to the ground. And speaking of burning, it is time to look again to the stacks at Dove Valley to see if the smoke is white and a new leader is anointed to take this orange and blue theology to the promised land.
When is good not good enough?
Apparently after another game with an incredibly talented roster falling short in a critical game. The loss to the Colts was not enough in and of itself for Vice President of Football Operations, John Elway to send a coach packing. Four consecutive AFC West division titles sounds pretty good to most NFL teams.
But it was an itch no one could quite scratch. How could the Broncos not show up in New England? How could they miss out on a very winnable contest in St. Louis that would have helped the team back into the race for home field advantage? Then of course, the well rested roster with nearly a dozen All Pro players was heavily favored to move on to their second straight AFC title game, but they looked flat. Manning is getting the lion share of the blame, which is standard fan procedure, the same when they award him too much credit in the wins. However, he wasn't the only one off his game. Receivers didn't create a lot of space, the offensive line missed some key blocks, and the defense decided to try to contain Andrew Luck and not pressure him, a clear mistake.
Sure, a couple players are now saying they should have done better with the talent they had, and others are talking about how flat the team was. Sounds familiar. These were the soundbites after last year's surprising blowout SuperBowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Hard to believe now the Broncos were favored to win that contest. Of course there was the moment against the Ravens in year two of the Fox era, where all the defense had to do was keep the ball in front of them, another containment versus pass pressure moment.
Winning a playoff game with Tim Tebow is certainly worth a handful of Hall of Fame votes for John Fox, who is an outstanding football coach. The team was in complete disarray after Hoodie Junior, Josh McDaniels obliterated a decent roster and helped deliver a 4-12 season that was worse than it looked. Dan Reeves was a great coach too, but there was something about not being able to close out the big game. That said, I am not one of those people who thinks life is only measured by the Lombardi trophy. If we rewind back to the 1970's, 80's or 90's four straight AFC West crowns are worthy of a parade and a wealth of good feelings for the football faithful.
I imagine some Bronco fans have gained some sense of entitlement after Elway closed out his brilliant on field career with two of those Lombardi things. It is the reason owner Pat Bowlen turned back once more to his former quarterback to drive the team back into greatness. I recall the stories of the meeting between Elway and Bowlen in a public restaurant getting fired up about just such a run to glory, giving each other high fives throughout the meal. So, the expectations were set high, and away they rode into sunset, rebuilding the Broncos at every level, starting with a coach who could stabilize the horror show he inherited.
John Fox did almost everything he was hired to do. To the world outside of Colorado, the Broncos appear ungrateful, and elitist. I can see that. However, this is bigger than that. Mr. Bowlen has since fallen ill, and is fighting a disease I hope never visits my front door or hits anyone I care about. This is about those high fives, the handshake and a promise. John Elway promised a man he greatly admires, another SuperBowl title.
Is Gary Kubiak, who had some health issues and tough playoff losses of his own the answer? Maybe. But those calling him a yes man for Elway to push around don't know much about Gary Kubiak. Reading can be fun, and it is pretty clear the respect of his peers and former players paint a picture of a guy who will not take the job unless it is all his. At one point Kubiak turned down the head coaching gig at the University of Colorado, and I know the Buffs were crushed, and have been thumped around league play ever since.
The bottom line is an eye test, anyone who played, coached or covered the game could see the Broncos falter in key contests, and out-coached in crunch time. The feeling is that itch that can't quite be explained, but doing the same thing again next year with a roster this good didn't feel right to anyone involved. A Fox leading Bears will find instant improvement there, but the Broncos need a change without burning it all down to the ground. And speaking of burning, it is time to look again to the stacks at Dove Valley to see if the smoke is white and a new leader is anointed to take this orange and blue theology to the promised land.
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