I was just thinking, looking into the possible future for a moment, and thought about a very realistic situation the Broncos could find themselves in next year. Yes there are alot of "if's" but it's also not that unrealistic to be honest. In fact, there's a very good chance this could actually happen.
Let's say that Fox needs 8 weeks to recover (the rest of the regular season). The Broncos go either 8-0, 7-1 or even 6-2 with JDR and have secured a #1 or #2 seed. The Broncos are playing well and heading into the playoffs. Now I for one, think it would not be a smart thing to do bringing back Fox to coach in the playoffs if he indeed misses the rest of the regular season. I would think you want to have things pretty normal at that point. Yes Fox was the HC to start the season and you're forced to have JDR as the HC right now due to the illness of Fox. But 2 months is a long time. If JDR has this team playing successful football heading into the playoffs, bring Fox back at that moment could disrupt things, even if only slightly. But that's all it takes to possibly lose a game, and in the playoffs, that's all it takes for the dream to quickly fade. It's nothing like an interim HC taking over in the middle of the season. There's time to work some things out, make adjustments. So for argument sake, let's just say the Broncos feel the same way and suggest to Fox that taking his time for recovery is the best thing and JDR is the HC going into the playoffs. Let's say the Broncos win the Superbowl under JDR as interim HC.
Now what do you do? I know, an excellent problem to have right. You just won the Superbowl, everything is gravy. But if you're Elway, what's your next move for the following season? If you don't keep JDR as the full time HC, he is gone. No if's, maybe's or but's about it. He will be the HC of an elite university or even another NFL team. He will not be your DC next year.
So, do you bring back Fox as the HC, or do you ride the wave of winning momentum that just earned you a Superbowl title and retain JDR as the HC?
Keep in mind - 1 of these 4 scenarios WILL happen.
* Fox comes back and we win the Superbowl
* Fox comes back and we don't win the Superbowl
* Fox doesn't come back and we win the Superbowl
* Fox doesn't come back and we don't win the Superbowl
Let's say that Fox needs 8 weeks to recover (the rest of the regular season). The Broncos go either 8-0, 7-1 or even 6-2 with JDR and have secured a #1 or #2 seed. The Broncos are playing well and heading into the playoffs. Now I for one, think it would not be a smart thing to do bringing back Fox to coach in the playoffs if he indeed misses the rest of the regular season. I would think you want to have things pretty normal at that point. Yes Fox was the HC to start the season and you're forced to have JDR as the HC right now due to the illness of Fox. But 2 months is a long time. If JDR has this team playing successful football heading into the playoffs, bring Fox back at that moment could disrupt things, even if only slightly. But that's all it takes to possibly lose a game, and in the playoffs, that's all it takes for the dream to quickly fade. It's nothing like an interim HC taking over in the middle of the season. There's time to work some things out, make adjustments. So for argument sake, let's just say the Broncos feel the same way and suggest to Fox that taking his time for recovery is the best thing and JDR is the HC going into the playoffs. Let's say the Broncos win the Superbowl under JDR as interim HC.
Now what do you do? I know, an excellent problem to have right. You just won the Superbowl, everything is gravy. But if you're Elway, what's your next move for the following season? If you don't keep JDR as the full time HC, he is gone. No if's, maybe's or but's about it. He will be the HC of an elite university or even another NFL team. He will not be your DC next year.
So, do you bring back Fox as the HC, or do you ride the wave of winning momentum that just earned you a Superbowl title and retain JDR as the HC?
Keep in mind - 1 of these 4 scenarios WILL happen.
* Fox comes back and we win the Superbowl
* Fox comes back and we don't win the Superbowl
* Fox doesn't come back and we win the Superbowl
* Fox doesn't come back and we don't win the Superbowl
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