John Fox Hired as Denver Broncos Head Coach: 5 Ways He Can Turn Them Around

Coming off of a 2-14 season with the Carolina Panthers, John Fox has been hired to take over as head coach of the 4-12 Denver Broncos.

Josh McDaniels has left quite the mess in Denver and John Elway and Fox have been assigned clean-up duty.

Here are five ways in which Fox can turn this team into a contender.

Find Some Consistency

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SEATTLE - JANUARY 22: Quarterback Jake Delhomme #17 of the Carolina Panthers reacts reacts on the bench in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks at Qwest Stadium on January 22, 2006 in Seattle, Washington. Seattle w

In Fox's nine-year coaching career with the Panthers he had only three winning seasons. Fox never strung together two winning seasons and battled inconsistency for much of his tenure.

If Fox wants this gig to turn out better than his last, he will need to find a way to build a consistent winner.

Live Up to Expectations

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ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 02: Head coach John Fox of the Carolina Panthers reacts after failed conversion on offense against the Atlanta Falcons at Georgia Dome on January 2, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

This new regime in Denver has generated a lot of hype, mostly thanks to Elway. Fox is a high profile signing and he has to meet the expectations that come along with that.

Fox has never dealt well with lofty expectations. During his time in Carolina he compiled at least eleven wins in three seasons. He followed up each of those seasons by failing to break .500. Fox is going to have to start delivering if he wants to make his stay in Denver last.

Establish the Running Game

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OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 19: Knowshon Moreno #27 of the Denver Broncos runs with the ball during their game against the Oakland Raiders at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 19, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Fox was most successful in Carolina when his teams had a strong ground attack.

He inherits a rushing attack that ranked 26^th in the NFL with a 3.9 yards per carry average. The Broncos have some talent in the backfield with Knowshon Moreno, and it's up to Fox to utilize that.

Rebuild the Defense

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DENVER - JANUARY 03: (L-R) Kenny Peterson #90, Ronald Fields #91, Ryan McBean #98 and Elvis Dumervil #92 of the Denver Broncos defense prepare for action against the Kansas City Chiefs during NFL action at Invesco Field at Mile High on January 3, 2010 in

On top of a potent running game, Fox's team was always built on a strong defense.

Denver has very little to offer on the defensive side of the ball. Elvis Dumervil will return from a pectoral tear, but he is not an ideal fit for the 4-3 defensive scheme Fox will most likely implement. In addition, there is a better than average chance that Champ Bailey tests the free agent waters.

Fox will essentially be starting from scratch on defense and he has his work cut out for him.

Find a Franchise Quarterback

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DENVER - JANUARY 02: Quarterback Tim Tebow #15 of the Denver Broncos looks on against the San Diego Chargers at INVESCO Field at Mile High on January 2, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

In the NFL, quarterbacks and coaches determine one another's fate. Fox needs to find his guy at quarterback and build around him. Whether that guy is Tim Tebow, a veteran in free agency or a rookie in this year's class, Fox better find the right quarterback or he'll be out of a job within the next couple of years.