Inability To Win Big Games Dooms John Fox

Nov 16, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Denver Broncos head coach John Fox looks on during the second half against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. St. Louis defeated Denver 22-7. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

After four seasons, John Fox is now the next head coach looking for a job.

The Denver Broncos have decided to mutually part ways with their head coach after four seasons. During those four seasons, the Broncos won the AFC West and have at least finished as one of the top eight teams in the league every year he was there. However, in today’s league, it all depends on the bigger games on the biggest stages. Unfortunately John Fox was not doing that as a coach.

His first year ended with a lot of promise as there was little faith that he would get far with Tim Tebow, especially with the late season slump. While they were crushed in the divisional round that year, there was a lot of promise. This was made especially true when Peyton Manning came to town. However, it was made clear during the divisional round against the Baltimore Ravens in 2013 that we would know the term “Fox Ball” in which he played way too conservative. With about half a minute to go and the game tied at 35, instead of John Fox playing for a game winning field goal with a future Hall of Fame quarterback under center and the Mile High air making field goals a bit easier to make, he opted to take his chances in overtime and have Manning kneel the ball. That puzzled me in more ways than one.

Next year during the playoffs, the Broncos would get ahead in games and sometimes have to fight in order to win. Fighting off San Diego had fans at the edge of their seats and the Broncos were in complete control against the Patriots in the AFCCG. But he could not win the big game and ultimately lost big to the Seattle Seahawks.

This year, for me as a fan, was the most heartbreaking one. The lost on Sunday against the Colts was devastating because of the championship window getting ever so close to closing. Throughout the 2014 season, it always seemed like John Fox was scared at times, especially when the team was behind. Out of the five losses the Broncos had during the season, the only time I saw any fight was against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3.

John Fox is a great man, don’t get me wrong, but he plays scared at times and is way too conservative. It is a dog eat dog world in the NFL and you have to be willing to take some chances if a franchise is ever going to win a championship. John Fox was not taking chances, especially when he was behind, and it cost him.