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My prediction - '09 Fox's last season


hepcat

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First of all, everyone calling for John Fox's head this offseason is sorely misinformed. There is no reason to cut loose a coach who just led the team to a 12-4 season and a bye. Just because one of the team's best players wants out doesn't mean the coach should be fired. But let's just look at the facts going into next season. Fox has had three playoff appearances here, each worst than the last. Now who can forget the three 7-9 seasons and an 8-8 season after having Super Bowl aspirations the year before. After every winning season has come a dissapointing year filled with turmoil and injury. It seems to me that even after a 12-4 season, the implosion in the playoffs puts Fox squarely on the hot seat again. Key players added during the Fox era are likely gone (Gross/Peppers), Delhomme, Fox's QB, is now in his mid 30's and is clearly on the decline. Entering the final year of his contract, Delhomme, unless he finds the fountain of youth, will likely have his final year as a Panther in '09. It seems like the end of the Fox era is looming.

My prediction? Another 7-9 season and Fox is shown the door. There are great building blocks in place to establish a long term winner, but Fox can't seem to finish the puzzle. I'm hoping for the best, but I think the '09 season will be the end of an era.

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First of all, everyone calling for John Fox's head this offseason is sorely misinformed. There is no reason to cut loose a coach who just led the team to a 12-4 season and a bye. Just because one of the team's best players wants out doesn't mean the coach should be fired. But let's just look at the facts going into next season. Fox has had three playoff appearances here, each worst than the last. Now who can forget the three 7-9 seasons and an 8-8 season after having Super Bowl aspirations the year before. After every winning season has come a dissapointing year filled with turmoil and injury. It seems to me that even after a 12-4 season, the implosion in the playoffs puts Fox squarely on the hot seat again. Key players added during the Fox era are likely gone (Gross/Peppers), Delhomme, Fox's QB, is now in his mid 30's and is clearly on the decline. Entering the final year of his contract, Delhomme, unless he finds the fountain of youth, will likely have his final year as a Panther in '09. It seems like the end of the Fox era is looming.

My prediction? Another 7-9 season and Fox is shown the door. There are great building blocks in place to establish a long term winner, but Fox can't seem to finish the puzzle. I'm hoping for the best, but I think the '09 season will be the end of an era.

Right, I just want to cut to the point. We know he isn't going to deliver next year, he never has.

I hate the wording of "led his team to the playoffs"

In my opinion, Steve Smith and DeAngelo Williams did that, not Fox.

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Think Trgovac will be here in 09? I don't think he's as bad as a lot of posters do, and I felt the same way about Henning. But I think that we need a change on defense and it's either going to be something big scheme wise or a new DC. I'm expecting an announcement on him in the next week.

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Cowher will never coach here. He would be Seiffert 2.0.

Why? Seiffert was the product of Walsh.... Cowher ran the show in Pit and kept that team competitive year in / year out.... The ownership is similar between the Rooney's and Richardson's..... I think Cowher may not get us a Lombardi right away but would bring a swagger to this team that it currently lacks.

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Look at how many years Cowher was in Pittsburgh before he finally got his team together. He wasn't always as successful as Fox has been either. There's no way he would have the patience, or the patience of the fans to duplicate what he did here.

Are you comparing John fox to Bill Cowher?

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there is at least one case of a HC winning a superbowl early in his time with a team. Gruden taking over Dungy's Bucs. Cowher could do the same. The man knows what he is doing, and the thing I like most about him. He has emotion. Unlike Fox who I do still like. You just don't ever get a real answer from him, and you never know how the team will perform.

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