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Fox On The NFL Coaching Hot Seat

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By IRA KAUFMAN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 28, 2007

Updated: 12/28/2007 12:11 am

TAMPA - For the 32 men who dwell on the NFL sidelines, the hot seat is part of the furniture.

Carolina coach John Fox has found himself under scrutiny all season, fueled by an 8-8 record in 2006 and the resignation of Steelers coach Bill Cowher, who relocated to Raleigh, N.C., and worked as a CBS analyst this year.

Fox's 6-9 Panthers head to Raymond James Stadium on Sunday to close a miserable year marked by instability at quarterback and an underachieving defense that collapsed during a five-game losing streak at midseason.

"This has been a long, hard season for not just our fans, but the coaching staff and our players," Fox said. "Still, our guys have continued to battle. I've been doing this for 17 years and I've never really thought about that being fired. I'm in this to win and compete - don't do it for the security of it."

Carolina owner Jerry Richardson is a private man, powerful in NFL circles. He had the ear of former commissioner Paul Tagliabue, and when he does choose to speak, Richardson's words carry considerable clout around the league.

In evaluating Fox, there are impressive accomplishments to weigh.

Richardson has seen Fox post four consecutive playoff road victories, a rarity for any coach, while leading the 2003 Panthers to the Super Bowl and the 2005 club to the NFC title game.

Although Richardson has not commented publicly on Fox's future, NFL Network broadcaster Cris Collinsworth recently reported that ownership has already determined Fox and General Manager Marty Hurney will return next season.

"I don't have any doubt at all," said Bucs coach Jon Gruden, who has the same agent (Bob LaMonte) as Fox. "They coach hard, they work hard and they have talent. John and Marty are going to get players, they've already proven that. They're a handful. In any state of mind, they're a handful in my eyes."

Fox is 55-47 with the Panthers, inheriting a 1-15 club six years ago and quickly establishing Carolina as an NFC South contender with a conservative attack and a physical defense led by end Julius Peppers.

Third-down woes relegated the 2006 Panthers to mediocrity, but quarterback Jake Delhomme was off to an outstanding start this year before being sidelined by an elbow injury that required surgery.

Fox has used four different starting quarterbacks in '07 and Matt Moore will take the snaps against the Buccaneers on Sunday.

According to Moore, Fox hasn't allowed all the speculation in Charlotte to affect his preparation.

"Absolutely not," said the undrafted rookie out of Oregon State. "Coach Fox has been the same in our meetings. He's been the same guy, and that's made it easy on us to focus on football."

From 2003-06, the Panthers reeled off seven wins in eight games against the Bucs while the division rivals built up an intense dislike for each other.

But when Tampa Bay visited Carolina on Sept. 30, the Panthers went down meekly, 20-7, one of seven losses this season by at least 13 points.

Peppers and defensive tackle Kris Jenkins struggled all season, and Carolina enters Sunday's matchup with an NFL-low 19 sacks.

If Fox returns for a seventh year in Charlotte, he may be forced to make additional changes to his coaching staff. The club's best offensive lineman, tackle Jordan Gross, could be a free agent next spring, and Delhomme is coming off Tommy John surgery to replace a ligament in his right elbow.

Cowher says he wants to remain at CBS for at least another season and Fox's contract runs through 2010, so it appears unlikely Richardson will make a coaching change.

Fox knows job insecurity comes with the profession he chose a long time ago.

He has learned to deal with radio talk-show banter and the incessant Internet reports of his impending professional demise, but all that speculation can exact a toll.

"Unfortunately, when you sign up for that, sometimes your family doesn't," Fox said. "That's always hard. But my group has seen these wars before and they've held up just fine."

Reporter Ira Kaufman can be reached at (813) 259-7833 or ikaufman@tampatrib.com.

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