IntentionalSafety
Rookie
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2014
- Messages
- 38
- Reaction score
- 91
Say what you want about John Fox (not that you needed my permission), but he was always in a pretty tough spot, coaching wise. When the team burned everyone it was Manning who got the credit, and when the team crashed it was Fox and Del Rio that took the blame. That's not to defend the job that he did, but public perception was always going to give him the short end of the stick, no matter what happened. Every genius move was Manning's, and every boneheaded one was Fox's.
All that being said, I honestly have no clue what Fox could have done to save Denver from that game on Sunday. It was clear that his high-paid superstars were disappointing him all over the field. Talib was hanging on for dear life in coverage, Miller and Ware were absolute no shows on the pash rush, and there's really not much else to say about Manning's woeful inability to throw beyond ten yards after the first series. There's no scheme to fix all of that. And when Manning's offense got extremely predictable, what was Fox to do? Denver built the team by rolling in the red carpet for Manning and hiring the staff and players necessary to re-create his system from the Colts. What was he going to do, force Peyton Manning to adapt his play when they built the team around him? And was that even possible when Manning couldn't throw anymore? Pick routes and underneath stuff work when the defense has to respect the long ball. No one has had to respect the long-ball against the Broncos for weeks now.
I look at Denver, I recognize what they accomplished, and I take stock of what they didn't. It makes me appreciate all the more that we have a team that can be multiple. It won't guarantee a Super Bowl, but it can give me great confidence that they always have a chance in a game, against any opponent.
All that being said, I honestly have no clue what Fox could have done to save Denver from that game on Sunday. It was clear that his high-paid superstars were disappointing him all over the field. Talib was hanging on for dear life in coverage, Miller and Ware were absolute no shows on the pash rush, and there's really not much else to say about Manning's woeful inability to throw beyond ten yards after the first series. There's no scheme to fix all of that. And when Manning's offense got extremely predictable, what was Fox to do? Denver built the team by rolling in the red carpet for Manning and hiring the staff and players necessary to re-create his system from the Colts. What was he going to do, force Peyton Manning to adapt his play when they built the team around him? And was that even possible when Manning couldn't throw anymore? Pick routes and underneath stuff work when the defense has to respect the long ball. No one has had to respect the long-ball against the Broncos for weeks now.
I look at Denver, I recognize what they accomplished, and I take stock of what they didn't. It makes me appreciate all the more that we have a team that can be multiple. It won't guarantee a Super Bowl, but it can give me great confidence that they always have a chance in a game, against any opponent.
