Fox? John Fox?

Eesh… So, hiring the only coach to lose more games this year than the goofball the Broncos fired? Interesting choice, Mr. Elway.

I can see the upside–although it’s a long ways off. John Fox–he of the 2-14 record this season–does, indeed, have the experience it will certainly take to bring Broncos back from the brink of irrelevance. He took over a Carolina team in 2001 that had won but a single game the year before, and in short order, he had that team competing in Super Bowl. Perhaps that’s all John Elway needed to hear.

Oh, and there’s a pretty good chance, after his 2-14 season, that Mr. Fox came pretty cheap.

OK … in the spirit of a renewed level of respect in our public dialogue (thank you, Mr. President), I’ll refrain from my knee-jerk reaction, which was “Fox? John Fox?” Instead, I’ve decided–and you should, too–to look to the future with limited expectations for the Broncos, at least at first. They’ll have a great draft choice at No. 2 this year, and that’s something that Fox, Elway and Brian “Josh made all the personnel calls” Xanders cannot screw up. Good teams are rebuilt through the draft–free agency is a tool to supplement the team’s core. Perhaps Fox’s saving grace is that he’ll really just have to coach–Elway and Xanders have the weight of the world on their shoulders when they draft second in April’s big event.

Also, it’s important that offensive coordinator Mike McCoy begin, in earnest, the grooming process for Tim Tebow. McCoy will likely stay on board with Denver, as he coached with Fox in Carolina as recently as 2008. This also might likely mean the Broncos will keep the “Patriot Way” offense in the fold, which has it’s pluses and minuses (was anyone else rooting for Rick Dennison and the return of the good, old Denver Broncos zone blocking running game? Or was it just me? And maybe there’s a chance for Dennison to be hired as the assistant head coach-offense?). The good news is Tebow won’t have to learn a new system. The bad news is that, for all intents and purposes, Tebow’s still a rookie–he apparently wasn’t trusted to run the team until starter Kyle Orton couldn’t play with bruised ribs. Playing and grooming Tebow is something the Broncos must do, and us fans’ll just have to live with the energetic young player’s growing pains (I know… I’ll probably get a comment from some of Tebow Nation’s foot soldiers who will claim Tebow won’t have growing pains. Keep drinking the Kool-Aide, folks).

Oh, and Orton. He’s as good as gone, and that’s good for him–he deserves a shot to play for a winner in the short term, and the Broncos likely won’t be terribly competitive for a year or two. The good news is, Tebow might be the most talented quarterback Fox has ever worked with, at least potentially.

I wish Coach Fox the best of luck in his new role with the Broncos. He has a defense to rebuild, a young quarterback to groom and a fan base to please. Like it or not, he’s under a pretty high-powered microscope in Denver. Just ask Josh McDaniels.

Make sure to follow Predominantly Orange on Facebook.