Sad to say it, but...

[Mr. Scot]

One other coaching note...

Jack Del Rio might be the single worst defensive coordinator in the league against mobile quarterbacks.

It was Del Rio - not, as some erroneously remember, Mike Trgovac - who was running The Panthers defense when we lost to the Michael Vick led Atlanta Falcons by a combined margin of 71 to nothing. I've taken note of his coaching career on occasion since, and seen plenty of examples since then of his defenses being ill prepared when it came time to face a mobile QB.

If you wanna win a game against a mobile QB, I'd submit to you that Jack Del Rio is not the guy you want in charge of your defense.

[frash.exe]

I thought Manning was the coach not Fox

Manning was effectively neutralized and when it came down to Fox to rally the troops and play a chess match of Xs and Os he couldn't deliver as usual. The broncos had no familiarity with the seahawks, who are pretty damn unique, so they didn't have personal experience to base anything on. If they had played them in the regular season this game might've been more competitive. Everybody on the field looked lost because Peyton was lost.

[PantherPride5]

Riverboat Ron > Foxy

[SZ James (banned)]

Manning was effectively neutralized and when it came down to Fox to rally the troops and play a chess match of Xs and Os he couldn't deliver as usual. The broncos had no familiarity with the seahawks, who are pretty damn unique, so they didn't have personal experience to base anything on. If they had played them in the regular season this game might've been more competitive. Everybody on the field looked lost because Peyton was lost.

It wasn't a good matchup for the broncos, who play in a shitty conference so their weaknesses haven't been exploited in such a fashion, like the saints-seahawks first matchup. They are the perfect team to dismantle that type of offense. Had they met in the regular season, the game would have been closer much like the second game with the saints like you said. There's nothing you can do at halftime to overcome a 22 or 29 point deficit, period. He should have been more prepared coming into the game, yeah.

But criticizing the dude for a decision when they were 29 points in the hole is fuging petty, and if fox was still coaching the panthers mr. scot would be the first person to start a thread defending the call, and anyone who has been posting here for more than a few years knows this to be true.

[Mr. Scot]

Manning was effectively neutralized and when it came down to Fox to rally the troops and play a chess match of Xs and Os he couldn't deliver as usual. The broncos had no familiarity with the seahawks, who are pretty damn unique, so they didn't have personal experience to base anything on. If they had played them in the regular season this game might've been more competitive. Everybody on the field looked lost because Peyton was lost.

In game adjustments were never Fox's strong suit.

He tended to be pretty good at rematches though. So yeah, had the teams played this season, he might have had a better game plan.

That said, it's the Super Bowl and you have one of the best QBs in the league at your disposal. How can you go into this game poorly prepared? There's no real excuse for that.

[SauceBoss]

LOL sad to say it? guy has the easiest job in the nfl. He basically gets paid to tan. He'll be as orange as the jerseys next year.

[SZ James (banned)]

the biggest comeback in superbowl history was... wait for it....

10 points. This was over after the first touchdown. I think Fox and the Panthers have the record for biggest deficit erased but I'm not sure.

[Mr. Scot]

LOL sad to say it? guy has the easiest job in the nfl. He basically gets paid to tan. He'll be as orange as the jerseys next year.

Sad to say it because while I didn't care all that much who won this game, if you'd have put a gun to my head and forced me to pick a team, I'd probably have gone for the Broncos. I don't have any leftover animosity toward Fox, but I do vividly remember some of his failings, one of the biggest being his stubbornness.

On the flipside, Rivera has shown the ability to accept criticism and change for the good of team.

[CatMan72]

Remember: "a punt is not a bad play" LOL

[GoDaddyGo]

That was the point where I said "okay, it's officially over now."

 

 

This was the point I yelled at the TV (no rooting interest), wife looked at me like I was crazy for caring...and then I realized WTF am I watching this crap for and hit the DVR.  

[Chaos]

Remember: "a punt is not a bad play" LOL

 

Came here to say this.  Saw that you already said it.  Pied you.  Left.

[footballisasport]

...same old John Fox.

It's the third quarter, you're 29 points down (29 points), you've got one of the few half decent drives of the game going, granted you hit a snag and wind up with a 4th and 12, but at least you're still in decent field position...oh and did I mention it's the third quarter and you're down by 29 points?

Aaaaaaaand you punt :(

That was the point where I said "okay, it's officially over now."

Yes, John Fox is a good coach. Don't take this as a statement that he isn't. But the things that have held him back from ultimate victory before are still there, still active.

Oy :(

I thought u were football expert or maybe u were not really watching the game. The Seahawks gave Peyton and the Broncos Nothing. Look what happened when they did go for the forth and down in yhe the fourth quarter.

Sometimes u have to play with what a team gives u. Heck even the Saints figured that one out quickly this past season when they played the Hawks.

[rayzor]

Manning was effectively neutralized and when it came down to Fox to rally the troops and play a chess match of Xs and Os he couldn't deliver as usual. The broncos had no familiarity with the seahawks, who are pretty damn unique, so they didn't have personal experience to base anything on. If they had played them in the regular season this game might've been more competitive. Everybody on the field looked lost because Peyton was lost.

this says it best.

 

winning depended completely on stopping peyton. the broncos didn't have a defense that could win a championship. they didn't have a  coaching staff that could outsmart a creative out of the box thinking staff or who could motivate the team to come back from behind. they didn't have a run game that could take over. they didn't have any elite talents (outside of peyton) that could take over a game. 

 

all they had was peyton. the seahawks knew that and they did what it takes to shut him down. they saw they were facing a future hall of famer QB and weren't impressed. they went in there and absolutely dominated.

 

one thing i thought watching that game was that we could have won that game....but not just us, but the 49ers could have. crap...i think even the saints could have won it. i don't think it would have been as dominant a performance, but  that broncos team was a team that came into this game unprepared and incapable of making mid-game  adjustmentments. 

 

in other words, it was a typical john fox led big game.

 

all the broncos have was peyton manning and that wasn't nearly enough. 

[Woodie]

It wasn't a good matchup for the broncos, who play in a shitty conference so their weaknesses haven't been exploited in such a fashion, like the saints-seahawks first matchup. They are the perfect team to dismantle that type of offense. Had they met in the regular season, the game would have been closer much like the second game with the saints like you said. There's nothing you can do at halftime to overcome a 22 or 29 point deficit, period. He should have been more prepared coming into the game, yeah.

But criticizing the dude for a decision when they were 29 points in the hole is fuging petty, and if fox was still coaching the panthers mr. scot would be the first person to start a thread defending the call, and anyone who has been posting here for more than a few years knows this to be true.

The thing that Mr. Scot is pointing isn't simply about that one play, but that it fits a tendency that Fox has consistently displayed as a HC.  Fox is a conservative coach who has an extremely difficult time being aggressive...even in situations that require aggression.  It was one of the issues people had with him while he was coaching here.  To me, it's why he is a great coach to take a bad team and make good, but also why he has never, and likely never will take a good team and make it great.  He doesn't have it in him to adjust his colors the way Rivera did this season.  He simply is built to play it safe.