Larry Brown Sports

Broncos head coach John Fox regrets the comments he made earlier this week to NFL.com reporter Jeff Darlington about quarterback Tim Tebow. While watching film with Darlington in the room, Fox said Tebow would be screwed if he were trying to run a regular offense. Not many people would disagree with that remark — most people recognize that the Broncos have changed their offense to suit Tebow’s strengths — but it was surprising to hear something negative come from the head coach.

The way Fox made his remark, it was more of a backhanded compliment to Tim. Regardless, Fox regrets saying it.

“I screwed up,” Fox said Friday at his news conference. “What bothers me about that is I love Tim Tebow. How can you not? I’m his biggest fan.

“It’s my fault,” Fox said. “What bothers me about that quote is I love the guy. All I was talking about was how this is a different way to run the ball. Everybody wants to put a name on it. All we’re doing is tweaking the running game so we match up with what Tim does well. And I’m telling you, he’s getting better as a passer. He is improving.

“But that was one time where I lost sleep over it. I don’t ever lose sleep over things like this, but I felt terrible about it. We were 1-4 and now we’re 5-5. Believe me, I’m Tim Tebow’s biggest fan.”

Here’s the important thing to remember: Tim Tebow likely would not have success in a pass-heavy offense. That doesn’t mean he can never become a good passer, it just means that running the ball most of the time is what he does best right now. Fox knows that and he regrets knocking the guy who’s helping to save his job.

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The Denver Broncos have completely altered their offense to fit Tim Tebow’s strengths, and it helped produce a win over the Chiefs Sunday. Tim Tebow only attempted eight passes, and he completed just two of them. He did not attempt a pass in the first quarter, and his first completion did not come until late in the third quarter. He’s not playing the quarterback position the conventional way, but rather as a runner. Head coach John Fox says that’s because Tebow would be screwed if he had to play in a typical passing offense.

“Let me tell you something: My man is really good in this offense,” Fox told NFL.com reporter Jeff Darlington. “You know what I mean?

“If we were trying to run a regular offense, he’d be screwed.”

That’s a backhanded compliment if we’ve ever heard one. Is Fox telling the truth? Probably. Tebow isn’t your typical drop-back passer, and the Broncos would be less productive if they tried to use him that way. They’re playing to his strengths, and Fox is telling it like it is.

The only problem — and I’m sure Fox recognizes this — is that you can’t last in the NFL as a one-dimensional team. If you’re running the ball 75% of the time (or more), opposing defenses will know what to do to stop. Not all of them will be able to, but it’s much easier to plan for. Sure, the Broncos running the ball can bore the secondary, but this approach won’t be successful longterm.

John Fox is messing with fire. The Broncos coach announced Monday that Kyle Orton is officially the team’s starting quarterback. Two days earlier he had Brady Quinn play with the second team offense in a preseason game against the Bills. That’s right, Tim Tebow had been demoted to third string on the depth chart. I know half of Denver is in a near-riot panic over this news, but that’s not my concern. My real issue here is with Fox.

Does John Fox realize what he’s done? Did he even bother to consult with the Lord before making his decision on the pecking order of his gunslingers? If not, I wouldn’t be surprised if some unforeseen accident befalls him.

If there’s a thunder storm, I wouldn’t go outdoors if I were Fox. I’d keep a doctor close by in case a heart attack strikes. And by goodness, I wouldn’t even bother risking my fate by driving on the streets of Colorado. Who knows what could happen? Though if he did end up in a collision, it’s probably an Auburn fan who’s responsible.

I’m not saying you can’t make bold decisions like this, John Fox. I’m just saying watch out for you’re well being if you’re going to challenge divine order. It’s not going to be a pretty afterlife if you challenge Him.

New Broncos football operations director John Elway announced Thursday afternoon that John Fox would be the team’s new head coach, replacing Josh McDaniels and Eric Studesville. Though I joked about the hiring on twitter (follow LBSports for news and analysis), I think it was a good decision by Denver. Aside from this year’s 2-14 disaster, the Panthers were always competitive under Fox and generally had a strong defense. He led Carolina to three 11 or more win seasons (all three resulted in playoff berths), and one Super Bowl. He’s a good, reliable coach, and he should make the Broncos more competitive.

But as we knew from John Elway’s introductory press conference last week, the new Broncos coach had to be a believer in Tim Tebow. That sentiment holds true with Fox. If you can recall Florida’s Pro Day in March, Fox was in attendance and had praise for Tebow’s ability and work ethic. Speaking about Tim, Fox said “He had a very, very good workout. He doesn’t lack in the work ethic department, so whatever needs to be done, he’ll do. I definitely saw some adjustment and I thought he executed very well.”

At a media event a few weeks later, Fox had even more praise for Tebow.

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