Coaches, as the saying goes, are hired to be fired. In some cases, they are fired to be hired.
The Carolina Panthers' plunge to 2-14 last season doomed John Fox, overriding his good work over the eight previous seasons. Other teams with coaching vacancies circled like vultures to fight over him, and the Broncos won.
With his defensive background, Fox was tasked primarily to revamp the league's worst unit last year. It is vastly improved, especially in crunch time, having allowed six points in the final quarters of the past four games.
His overhaul of an offence blessed - and, at times, cursed - by quarterback Tim Tebow is what elevates Fox above his colleagues.
Fox realised that Tebow was a round peg in the square hole of a pro-style set. The Broncos were 1-4 when the bye week arrived.
The offence was junked, replaced by a college-style read-option.
The Broncos have eclipsed 30 points twice during a 6-1 run that has them in the play-off hunt. Turnovers, the bane of any team, have nearly been eradicated; Tebow has thrown one interception.
"You don't get points for style in this league," Fox said. "Let me tell you something: [Tebow] is really good in this offence."
Sure, Jim Harbaugh's advocates can make a convincing argument that he deserves NFL Coach of the Year with the 49ers (10-2).
But coaches bold and free-thinking enough to rewrite the playbook in midstream are a rare breed. Unless the Broncos swoon over the final month, the award belongs to Fox.
