Our old buddy John Fox, who’s so full of baloney that it runs out his ears, wants everybody in Denver to believe coaching against the Broncos franchise he abruptly left 10 months ago for Chicago is no big deal.
“Yes, it’s a big deal,” said Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, calling balderdash on Fox.
When last we saw Uncle Foxy on the Denver sideline, he had one eye on a disturbingly meek playoff performance and one foot out the door. The only thing weirder than how little fight the Broncos exhibited during that embarrassing 24-13 loss to Indianapolis in January was how hastily divorce papers were filed in Colorado and how quickly Fox landed a new coaching gig with the Bears.
“It was tough, especially after a playoff loss, and then a couple hours later, he was gone,” Thomas told me Wednesday, as we stood in front of his locker at the team’s Dove Valley headquarters. “That was a surprise, because most of the time, when you have a winning record, you stay around. But (Fox) didn’t. That was a big surprise.”
In his final three seasons as coach, Fox led Denver to records of 13-3, 13-3 and 12-4, including a trip to the Super Bowl during a remarkable 2013 NFL season that saw quarterback Peyton Manning and his teammates shatter too many offensive records to count.
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But talking to Fox during the days leading up to what would prove to be his final postseason game in Denver, it was clear he felt pressure to produce a deep playoff run.
Then things got strange.
In the hours before kickoff against Indianapolis, Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer, whose close friendship with Denver’s coach was as evident as the freedom given him to roam anywhere on the practice fields during training camp, speculated that if the Broncos lost to the Colts, Fox might not only be available, but would immediately be a top candidate to fill NFL vacancies around the league.
Against Indianapolis, the Broncos barely put up a fight. They did not go out kicking and screaming. After the loss, as Manning stood in a stadium hallway near the Denver locker room, and was told for the first time of the pregame report Fox might be on his way out of town, the veteran quarterback was clearly surprised.
Barely 24 hours later, Fox and Broncos executive John Elway decided to part ways. By the end of the same week in January, Fox had landed a new job with the Bears, in a courtship that qualified as speed dating.
Disturbed by the “lack of fire” he detected in the Broncos during a blowout loss to Seattle in the Super Bowl and the playoff flop against the Colts, Elway said after Fox’s departure: “Two years in a row, it didn’t feel like we went out kicking and screaming.”
After four playoff appearances in four seasons in Denver, when he won with quarterbacks as different as Manning and Tim Tebow, why did Fox not return to the Broncos for a fifth year of duty?
“It was a good run, no doubt. I had some great memories and some not so good on the other side of it. All in all, I had an opportunity to come be a Chicago Bear,” Fox said during a conference call with Denver media Wednesday, as he looked forward to playing quarterback Brock Osweiler, making his first NFL start.
After a slow start, Chicago has won four of six games, including victories against Oakland, Kansas City and San Diego. I could not resist asking Fox: By refusing to give up on a long NFL season, were his Bears kicking and screaming to get back in the playoff race?
“I think we’re playing hard, if that’s what you’re trying to insinuate,” Fox replied.
With job security in Denver uncertain, did Fox mentally check out on a team with Super Bowl aspirations as the playoffs began 10 months ago? There is no way to prove it.
What’s certain is the quickie divorce between Fox and the Broncos was among the stranger break-ups between a successful coach and a winning organization in NFL history.
It’s Broncos vs. Bears. It’s Fox and old friends.
“This is my eighth team and third as a head coach. There are not too many games you’re not playing against your old team, so this one counts the same,” Fox claimed.
Yeah, right. Thomas does not believe Fox.
“He’s going to want to beat the organization,” Thomas said. “I’ll guarantee you that he’ll say something like he wants the (Denver) players that he knows to do good. But he’s going to want to beat this organization and get a win.”
Yes, this game is personal.
Let’s call it: The Kicking & Screaming Bowl.
Mark Kiszla: mkiszla@denverpost.com
