The acronym for the NFL is National Football League. It also means Not for Long. Not only the players have to show their worth to management, but so do the coaches.
In Denver, third-year Broncos head coach John Fox is expected to lead his team to the Super Bowl. That’s the bare minimum. Anything short of that is a failure, and that would mean he could be out as head coach.
Expectations are fair. This is a team that should get to the Super Bowl. They have the talent on offense and defense to be playing at MetLife Stadium in early February.
Plus, there are not many AFC teams that should scare the Broncos. The Patriots are a question mark on defense. As good as the Ravens are, they lost so many players to free agency and retirement. The Patriots are a question mark when it comes to their defense. It remains to be seen if Matt Schaub is the guy to lead the Texans to the Super Bowl. The Bengals are a good team, but they have to show they can go on a playoff run.
The Broncos are more polished than their AFC competitors. It remains to be seen if they are good enough to beat the Seahawks or 49ers. That’s why it’s not too much to ask for the Broncos to at least play in the Super Bowl.
If they can’t get there, a decision has to be made whether or not Fox should be retained as the head coach. As the head honcho of the football operations, it’s something John Elway has to think long and hard.
Fox has done a good job as the Broncos coach. He brought professionalism, winning and competency to the organization, which was lacking under ex-Broncos coach Josh McDaniels. That said, head coaches are judged by their work in the playoffs. That’s all that matters in a league that offers instant gratification. Fans and owners don’t want to hear about trying. They are in the business of doing, and that’s where Fox has to deliver.
This is the type of team Fox should win a championship with. He has the talent that other coaches envy. He knows this.
The third-year coach knows expectations are part of the deal where he has to win it all. The NFL is about winning big and nothing else. This is a league that features any team winning it all as long as they get hot at the right time in January. The Broncos did not spend money to fall short of expectations.
Fox would not have it any other way. It beats coaching a bad team as he experienced in his final few years as Panthers coach.
There are questions about Fox being the guy to get it done. He can get his team from Point A to Point B, which is turning a bad team into a good team. Now, it’s about getting to Point C as in championship.
Fox did not distinguish himself in the playoffs last year in the Broncos’ one and out ouster against the Ravens. He coached conservatively by having his running backs run rather than have Peyton Manning throw at times. He took a knee in the end rather than have his quarterback win the game.
Coaching safe is not the way to win postseason games. If anything, it guarantees a loss. Opposing teams figure out what the other team is going to do.
This is where Fox has to be creative when it comes to making in-game moves. He has to trust his quarterback to make big plays, not settle in with dink-and-dunk or hand the ball to the running back. He has to make adjustments on the fly.
It remains to be seen if Fox is the guy. Maybe he figures it out this year. He has to. It’s one way for him to make Elway’s decision easy to retain him next season.
The Broncos publicly have not said John Fox will be fired if they fall short, but he knows he needs to have a long run to hold on to his job. Last year was a failure. They should have gone to the AFC Championship Game. The team dealt with the disappointment all offseason, and they are going to use it as a fuel for this season.
Players are being paid to execute, but it’s also on the coach to deliver.
Fox has to put guys in a position to succeed. He has to make the right moves come playoff time. It remains to be seen if he is the guy.
He does not have to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, but he better find a way to lead his team to the Super Bowl this year.
His job depends on it.
Leslie Monteiro
Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.
