Thread: Nate Jackson: Broncos coach Fox "brave" for starting Tim Tebow

Editor's note: Former Broncos tight end Nate Jackson has begun his second career as a freelance writer. The following is his analysis of the Tim Tebow saga with the Denver Broncos:

Winning the starting quarterback position in the NFL used to be simple. Do you play well in games?

Not anymore. Now it's about practice. Many quarterbacks, including Kyle Orton​, are great practice quarterbacks.

The practice quarterback is an executor of the coach's plan. The coach falls deeply in love with the plan executor and sees him as a guy who gets it, a guy who can operate a system, can punch the clock and calculate the percentages and work the formulas and the probabilities and spit out the right answer at the end of it.

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http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_19139125

Good article by Nate. I agree with him almost completely.

Originally Posted by Davii

Good article by Nate. I agree with him almost completely.

I love Nate's articles. He has great insight on what its like on the inside.

no braver than nate is, showing his face again after taking such a horrendous beatdown from a punter. . .

I don't think it was brave at all. Fox would have been hunted down by mobs in the streets if he didn't make the move at some point. It was probably actually the SAFER decision.

I enjoyed the article and agreed pretty much with everything he had to say except the part about Fox being brave for going with Tebow.

If Fox had his way, Orton would still be the starter had he not forced Fox's hand with horrid play. Fox actually fits the bill to a T of the coaches that fall in love with practice players that Nate Jackson was describing.

Very well written article though, with an interesting perspective from someone who actually played the game.

Glad someone posted this. I read it earlier and meant to do so, but got sidetracked.

If you didn't click on the link and read it, do so, really nice read.

Originally Posted by Tned

Glad someone posted this. I read it earlier and meant to do so, but got sidetracked.

If you didn't click on the link and read it, do so, really nice read.

Me too...I read it and thought it was worth posting, but I just didn't have the motivation to do it.

Originally Posted by vandammage13

I enjoyed the article and agreed pretty much with everything he had to say except the part about Fox being brave for going with Tebow.

If Fox had his way, Orton would still be the starter had he not forced Fox's hand with horrid play. Fox actually fits the bill to a T of the coaches that fall in love with practice players that Nate Jackson was describing.

Very well written article though, with an interesting perspective from someone who actually played the game.

Maybe Fox doesn't fit our preconceptions either? maybe there is substance to this guy. I suspect that's the case. That would be great!

Originally Posted by Dreadnought

Maybe Fox doesn't fit our preconceptions either? maybe there is substance to this guy. I suspect that's the case. That would be great!

I agree. To suggest that he is incapable of learning from his mistakes is silly.

Originally Posted by hoptard

no braver than nate is, showing his face again after taking such a horrendous beatdown from a punter. . .

off-topic, but i feel no nate jackson thread can be complete without this epic shredding. . .

nate jackson rips on chris kluwe

chris kluwe shreds nate jackson

Let's be honest here. Yes, I am a punter. Yes, I don't run routes, or zone block, or cover receivers. Apparently, though, neither did you, which is the only explanation for your total lack of statistics. You, more than anyone else, should know what goes on during special teams. . .

good stuff. . .

Originally Posted by Dreadnought

Maybe Fox doesn't fit our preconceptions either? maybe there is substance to this guy. I suspect that's the case. That would be great!

It's possible...I hope that's what it is.

I guess his comments in the offseason that he wanted a "gamer" and the fact that he ended up going with Orton left a sour taste in my mouth that still lingers.

Very good article by Jackson. He said a little of what I like to harp on, that NFL coaches are not the be-all-know-all some give them credit for.

Originally Posted by vandammage13

I enjoyed the article and agreed pretty much with everything he had to say except the part about Fox being brave for going with Tebow.

If Fox had his way, Orton would still be the starter had he not forced Fox's hand with horrid play. Fox actually fits the bill to a T of the coaches that fall in love with practice players that Nate Jackson was describing.

Very well written article though, with an interesting perspective from someone who actually played the game.

I guess you don't really know a ton about Fox. Fox catches a lot of crap for sticking with Jake Delhomme for so long after it was obvious he was going in the tank, but lets not forget who started Delhomme, a relative nobody UDFA, when his "polished" starter Rodney Pete was stinking it up and his prodigy QB of the future (Chris Weinke) sucked ass. Fox made the decision to pull Pete at halftime and put in Delhomme. The rest is history. They went to a Superbowl together and won a lot of games. Did he hang on to Delhomme too long? Yes. Did he have another viable option at the time? No. At least he pulled the plug on the Orton era when he did. If he was really as stubborn and old-fashioned as people think, Orton would be starting the whole season barring injury.

I believe that Fox is a football guy. He coaches it, he lives it, and he's not overwhelmed by it like some. No, he's not some flash in the pan hotshot coordinator who is full of piss and vinegar and whose schemes will change the face of football - pending of course he always has the exact personnel to run it perfectly which few teams have.

Fox is exactly the kind of coach we needed in Denver. Someone who has both succeeded and failed. Someone who knows what it's like to reach the Superbowl and also to be on the bad end of a losing season. Fox, Gruden, or Cowher were the choice and neither Gruden or Cowher wanted the job. We got Fox and I'm happy with that. The last thing we needed was another rookie HC who was going to get overwhelmed by a team lacking in talent.

If we aren't back in the playoffs by 2013, I'll be shocked.

Originally Posted by HORSEPOWER 56

I guess you don't really know a ton about Fox. Fox catches a lot of crap for sticking with Jake Delhomme for so long after it was obvious he was going in the tank, but lets not forget who started Delhomme, a relative nobody UDFA, when his "polished" starter Rodney Pete was stinking it up and his prodigy QB of the future (Chris Weinke) sucked ass. Fox made the decision to pull Pete at halftime and put in Delhomme. The rest is history. They went to a Superbowl together and won a lot of games. Did he hang on to Delhomme too long? Yes. Did he have another viable option at the time? No. At least he pulled the plug on the Orton era when he did. If he was really as stubborn and old-fashioned as people think, Orton would be starting the whole season barring injury.

I believe that Fox is a football guy. He coaches it, he lives it, and he's not overwhelmed by it like some. No, he's not some flash in the pan hotshot coordinator who is full of piss and vinegar and whose schemes will change the face of football - pending of course he always has the exact personnel to run it perfectly which few teams have.

Fox is exactly the kind of coach we needed in Denver. Someone who has both succeeded and failed. Someone who knows what it's like to reach the Superbowl and also to be on the bad end of a losing season. Fox, Gruden, or Cowher were the choice and neither Gruden or Cowher wanted the job. We got Fox and I'm happy with that. The last thing we needed was another rookie HC who was going to get overwhelmed by a team lacking in talent.

If we aren't back in the playoffs by 2013, I'll be shocked.

Bingo. I'm glad he made the right choice in benching Orton. I also think he is excellent at coaching up the guys he has without screaming at them. I wouldn't be a bit suprised if denver hits the playoffs next season