John Fox
After two weeks of conducting interviews, the Denver Broncos have decided on their new head coach.
According to John Elway, who is now the team’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations, the Broncos have hired John Fox to become the 14th head coach in Denver’s history. The terms of his contract haven’t been announced as of yet.
Fox, the former Panthers coach, reportedly beat out Houston Texans offensive coordinator Rick Dennison for the job. Dennison looked like the favorite due to his ties with the front office personnel, but, ultimately, Elways and Co. decided to go with Carolina’s former head man. Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter was also in the mix as one of the three finalists.
Fox parted ways with the Panthers when their dreadful 2-14 season ended, and finished with a 73-71 overall record during his nine years there. While he’s been much maligned for his coaching style, his defenses and running game have always remained solid, despite an anemic passing offense for the last few seasons.
If Fox can fix Denver’s defense, which ranked near the bottom of the NFL in 2010, and figure out which quarterback – Tim Tebow or Kyle Orton – will start for the team in 2011, the Broncos have a chance to really improve upon their 4-12 season, the worst in the franchise’s history.
