INDIANAPOLIS -- Denver coach John Fox spoke to the media Thursday at the NFL combine. Let’s look at the highlights of his session:
Fox downplayed the comments free-agent backup quarterback Brady Quinn made about starting quarterback Tim Tebow. In an interview with GQ, Quinn questioned Tebow’s impact on the team’s success, among other things. Quinn questioned the context in which his quotes were used and he has apologized to Tebow.
Fox said Quinn and Tebow have a close relationship and he is not worried about the impact of the comments. He said the comments may have been “lost in translation” and he was pleased Quinn apologized to Tebow.
Asked if the comments would lessen Quinn’s chances of returning to Denver, Fox said, “We still like Brady Quinn."
Still, the odds of Quinn coming back to Denver may not be great. Denver will look at other options in addition to Quinn. Fox declined to say what type of quarterback Denver will look for. It could opt for a mobile quarterback like Tebow or it could bring in a more traditional quarterback.
Fox did have praise for Tebow. “We’re very comfortable with Tim,” Fox said. “He did turn us from a 4-12 team to a playoff team.”
Asked about dealing with Tebow-mania last season, Fox said he didn’t really feel it until the season was over because he was so fixed on the happenings of the season.
“I think it’s a great story and I think he’s a kid that ought to be celebrated,” Fox said. “In today’s society ... these types of guys don’t come around very often. So, I think it’s kind of neat.”
Fox said the Broncos’ defense would have continued to evolve even if 2011 defensive coordinator Dennis Allen wouldn’t have left to become the head coach of the Raiders. Former Jacksonville head coach Jack Del Rio (who was Fox’s coordinator in Carolina in 2002) was hired as Allen's replacement. Fox said the defense is a work in progress and more sets, alignments and schemes will be put in.
Translation: This is Fox’s defense, and his system will be implemented regardless of who the coordinator is. That’s why I think the fact that Denver is on its seventh defensive coordinator in seven years is overblown. It’s Fox’s second season in Denver and that’s what is important.
Fox wouldn’t say what the Broncos’ plan at running back is, but he made it clear that having a “stable” of running backs is important. Expect Denver to address the position either in free agency or early in the draft.
Fox said he expects linebacker Von Miller -- who won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award -- to continue to “get better and better in every phase” as his career goes on. It’s clear Fox views Miller, the No. 2 overall pick last year, as the centerpiece of the improving defense.
NOTE: Fox was the first AFC West official to speak to the media on Thursday. Over the course of the next few days, Kansas City’s Scott Pioli and Romeo Crenel, Allen and Denver’s John Elway are expected to speak to the media. We will have coverage of all the sessions.