John Fox has left little doubt about his qualifications to be a head coach after 13 years of winning football, six division titles, and a Super Bowl appearance just last season. He and the Denver Broncos have parted ways, however, following another disappointing postseason exit during the Peyton Manning era in Denver.
Fox finishes his Denver career with a 46-18 record, and a 3-3 record in the postseason. That record wasn't enough for Broncos brass anymore, although the two sides parted amicably according to reports.
"I had a productive visit with John Elway this afternoon in which we were both very honest about our time together and how to best move forward," Fox said in a statement Monday. "After this discussion, John and I mutually agreed that the timing was right for this decision."
Elway also released a statement that praised Fox.
"While we have made significant progress under Coach Fox, there is still work to be done," Elway said in a statement. "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."
Fox's resume will no doubt have teams clamoring for interviews with him, and he reportedly even turned down an interview already with the Jets. Here we will rank the top landing spots for him.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons looked like a nice fit for Rex Ryan, but reportedly cooled on him after the first date. Fox brings a better record to the table, and defensive chops as well. The Falcons are in need of defensive help after being one of the worst units in the NFL this past season.
In two of the past three seasons he has paired up the Manning-led offense with high-quality defenses that were among the Top 10 against both the pass and run. With Atlanta, he would have another elite quarterback in Matt Ryan and top receiving targets like he had with the Broncos. His job will be to parse through that defense, keep who he needs, and re-vamp it so they can dominate an NFC South division ripe for the taking.
San Francisco 49ers
While some might point to Peyton Manning as the real reason for much of Fox's overwhelming success in Denver, they'd be overlooking the playoff berth he helped earn with Tim Tebow under center in 2011, as well as the multiple postseason appearances as head coach of the Panthers with less than Hall of Fame worthy QBs at the helm.
With the 49ers Fox would have plenty of defensive talent in place already, and a quarterback that expands exponentially on the things Tebow was able to do in 2011. Coming off the wild success of Jim Harbaugh, 49ers fans will be expecting the fun ride to continue. Fox has proven he can deliver results.
Chicago Bears
The Bears are in a similar situation as the Falcons. Quarterback is in place (Jay Cutler), big time talent at the skill positions, and a defense that was utterly atrocious last season. Typically, when one side of the ball is a glaring weakness for a coach-less club, the brass hires a guy who specializes on that aspect. Fox is a well-rounded candidate, but he made his bones coaching defense.
The Bears may not have the same stability on offense, but there's more to work with defensively, and he's apparently gotten some love from executives already before even interviewing.
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