John Fox and the Broncos agreed to part ways after four seasons. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)
Less than a day after the Broncos’ season-ending loss to the Colts, coach John Fox and general manager John Elway met — as they always do at the end of a season — to assess the team.
This time, though, the meeting left the Broncos without a coach.
after four seasons and a 46-18 record, four consecutive AFC West titles and a trip to Super Bowl XLVIII. In the three years Fox was coach and Peyton Manning was quarterback, the Broncos posted records of 13-3, 13-3 and 12-4 and first-round playoff byes.
The Broncos never got a Lombardi Trophy with Fox as coach, but his overall success made his departure somewhat of a shock to fans, media and especially his players, who took to Twitter on Monday to react to the news. Here’s what they, as well as Fox and Elway, had to say Monday afternoon:
Broncos GM John Elway:
“While we have made significant progress under Coach Fox, there is still work to be done. I believe this change at the head coaching position will be in the best interest of our long-term goal, which from day one has been to win World Championships.
“Our organization is fully dedicated to reaching Pat Bowlen’s high standards for his team as we begin the process of finding the next head coach to lead the Denver Broncos.”
John Fox:
“Although we came up short of our ultimate goal, I am proud of our team’s many accomplishments during these last four years. I truly appreciate all of the hard work put in by every player, coach and staff member within this organization.
“It was an honor to coach the Denver Broncos, a first-class franchise with great fans and a winning tradition. I am thankful to John, Mr. Bowlen and Joe Ellis for allowing me and my family to be part of this team and community.
“I am eager to continue my coaching career and look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.”
Cold World…
— Demaryius Thomas (@DemaryiusT)
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Sad to see Coach Fox go, he was a great coach, I’m glad I got to play for him.
— Ben Garland (@BenGarland63)
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Wow didn’t see that coming… I knew we would probably have some coordinators leaving but not the Head Man!!! This league is crazy man
— Dominique Jones (@DominiqueJones5)
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Damn
— Terrance Knighton (@MrKnighton2u)
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Wow..
— Brandon Marshall (@BMarshh54)
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Wow…
— Omar C. Bolden (@Os_Island)
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Worry not never GOD always has a plan even when u can’t see it !!!!
— Tony Carter (@tonycarter904)
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Divisional round…Not what the Broncos are looking for.
— mark schlereth (@markschlereth)
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John Fox. Wow.
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen)
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The players loved playing for Fox, but he wasn’t a forceful enough coach with players when it was necessary:
— Woody Paige (@woodypaige)
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