Broncos coach John Fox works in the twin shadows of John Elway and Peyton Manning, the legendary quarterbacks who own this town.
But when this NFL season threatened to spiral out of control in Denver, it was Fox who salvaged the team’s Super Bowl dreams, found a way to protect the 38-year-old bones of Manning and gave back a downtrodden offensive line its mojo.
“I just want to win. And I know how you do win in the NFL,” Fox told me Wednesday. “Throwing the ball all the time looks sexy and it looks flashy. But I don’t know how much it wins. You’ve got to be able to run and pass. There’s a mind-set and a mentality you need to create to win championships.”
Since a midseason slump that saw the Broncos drop games to New England and St. Louis, Denver has played a tougher brand of football that fits Fox’s core beliefs. During a two-game winning streak that re-established control of first place the AFC West, the Broncos have ceased to be a fancypants passing team, striking a mix of 80 runs and 69 throws with play-calling that leans to smash-mouth football.
“As a coach, you beat yourself in the head after a game like St. Louis. In grand total, we had 54 passes and 10 runs. That just doesn’t work. The defense tees off on you. And the quarterback’s getting whacked. So you remind yourself that you can’t do that anymore,” Fox said. “We’re our own worst enemy as coaches. We get criticized. But nobody’s harder on us than us.”
Elway built the Broncos. Manning throws the touchdown passes. It often seems as if Fox often primarily exists to take the blame when Denver loses.
When re-imagining how the Broncos play football before a slump spiraled downward into a full-blown crisis, Fox harkened back to how Elway got beaten up at the Super Bowl during three lopsided losses.
“I watched John Elway’s career. I watched the five Super Bowls he played in, because I was a coach in the league during all of them. In fact, when I was with Pittsburgh, we lost to Elway in the playoffs during the ’89 season before the Broncos (hosted) Cleveland,” Fox said.
“In the Broncos’ first three trips to the Super Bowl (with Elway), they leaned totally on John and his passing ability. I’m not being critical of anybody in Denver. But that was kind of the Broncos at the time. Later in his career, (Elway) was surrounded by some more offensive weapons, and they won.”
The run, run, run of Foxball is not only advantageous to the physical health of a veteran quarterback with a history of neck surgeries, it’s also a boost to the morale of Denver’s offensive line.
“No matter who you are, you’re trying to keep your quarterback whole. Manning gets rid of it quick, so we don’t give up a lot of sacks. But it’s not a lot of fun for an O-line to go against faster and better athletes in one-on-one situations. And that’s what an O-line does in pass protection,” Fox said.
“It’s the biggest mismatch in football: the athleticism of the defensive linemen compared to offensive linemen. A defensive lineman might run a 4.6 in the 40-yard dash, while an offensive lineman runs a 5.6. But, as an offensive lineman, I might weigh 320, while the defensive lineman is 250 pounds. So if I go forward, and block for the run, rather than retreat blocking in the pass, I have the advantage.”
In the shadow of Elway and Manning can be a cold, thankless place to work. Whenever Denver loses, an angry mob of Broncomaniacs take to social media and ask: What exactly does the Fox do around here?
But Denver has reclaimed its status as a legitimate championship contender because the Broncos dared to change their approach during the course of the season. That’s not easy to do.
Manning remains at the controls. But the Broncos are playing Foxball.
“Coaching is all about adjustments,” Fox said. “It’s putting your players in the best positions to win. You can go back to our first year with (Tim) Tebow, the year when we were trying to get Peyton healthy, or to last year with all the offensive records. You do whatever you have to do to win.”
A revitalized running game gives Denver a viable way to win in the playoffs, protects Manning from harm’s way and allows a beleaguered offensive line to feel good again about going to work in the trenches.
Three cheers for Fox.
Is that allowed in apountry?
Mark Kiszla: mkiszla@denverpost.com or
