The John Fox head coach aura that followed him from Denver has tarnished quite a bit the past two years. That can happen when a guy goes 6-10 and then 3-13. The NFL is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league. Coaches who go long periods without winning can see their stars plummet in a hurry. A failure to finish with a record of at least 8-8 this year would mark the first time in 15 years Fox has gone through three-straight losing seasons.
At that point the questions will start about whether he has it anymore. He’s 62-years old after all and has a history of health issues. Maybe the game just passed him by. As it can with many head coaches. However, some still believe Fox deserves the benefit of the doubt. Eliot Harrison of NFL.com is among them. In his recent rankings of all 32 head coaches, Fox came in a respectable 12th in spite of his struggles.
“While the last couple of years have not been kind to Fox, it would be awfully difficult to rate him lower at this point. Fox has coached two vastly different football teams in the Super Bowl — the quarterback-centric 2013 Broncos and the run-first, play-defense 2003 Panthers. Neither squad won it all, but Fox went to the playoffs seven times while running those teams. Reaching the promised land with the Bears is a taller task, but Fox has a few assets in running back Jordan Howard and a budding defense. We’ll see.”
John Fox head coach tenure tied to roster progress
A head coach is tied to his win-loss record. That’s just a fact, especially in the NFL. Some aren’t even given more than two years before getting canned. The generally accepted length is three. Fox is going into his third. His contract enters its final year in 2018. So the odds are he’ll get fired or extended at the end of this season.
What must he do to save his job? Well winning would be ideal of course. A .500 record should assured that, though 7-9 might do it. More than anything the team brass want to see continued progress from the young roster they’ve put together. Not just better, more efficient play but also a better run of relatively good health.
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If problems persist on those front, then any credibility Fox had left will be shot. Reaching two Super Bowls can only carry a man so far. He’s running out of time.
