The Indianapolis Colts hired former head coach John Fox as a senior defensive assistant coach.
Fox has not worked in the NFL since serving as the Chicago Bears head coach in 2015. He previously spent nine years with the Carolina Panthers and four with the Denver Broncos under the same role.
Before getting his first head-coaching opportunity in 2002, Fox worked as a defensive coordinator for the Raiders and New York Giants. The 67-year-old has plenty of experience for an assistant job.
Colts owner Jim Irsay welcomed Fox to the team on Twitter.
Welcome to Indy, John. 👍🏈 https://t.co/JGQdqfhJBS
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) March 28, 2022
Fox isn’t the only former head coach to join Indianapolis’ staff. The Colts also hired Gus Bradley as their defensive coordinator. Some Twitter users were impressed with the big names brought on under Colts head coach Frank Reich.
The colts coaching staff is loaded with talent and experience. https://t.co/aTtGwLqwlV
— matthew martinez (@Matt_I_Martinez) March 28, 2022
Quite a bit of head coaching experience on this staff now. #Colts https://t.co/UWNUA0G7R4
— George Bremer (@gmbremer) March 28, 2022
We may have holes on the field with players, but we’re definitely one of the better staffed teams in the league with coaches. To get a man of Fox’s caliber as an assistant is a huge win. https://t.co/orasAW9s97
— mavs 2022 nba champs (@Rg2112) March 28, 2022
Some fans are excited to see Fox return to the sideline.
Love this hire! 💙 🐎 https://t.co/UTkJOPTsCi
— Jizzle (@TellYouHwat_) March 28, 2022
WOAH, GREAT HIRE https://t.co/75MPWIyDFK
— Goki Colts Fan COLTS4EVER 💙🤍 DUKE BBALL #CoachK (@GokiColtsFan) March 28, 2022
Fox is back in the game!! https://t.co/bg9gqcV0JC
— Jon Kronenberg (@JonKayNFL) March 28, 2022
Others weren’t as confident in Fox helping the team, as the Bears went 14-34 during his last coaching tenure, which often consisted of overly conservative decisions.
I’ll admit…I completely forgot about John Fox altogether. https://t.co/GcoQHEQkZt
— Matthew Lownes (@LownesMatthew) March 28, 2022
Third down punting analytics incoming https://t.co/HZUbyapV6J
— Justin (@ncraiderfan1) March 28, 2022
Colts really wanna be the next bears https://t.co/iSD93dQ8lZ
— Stan Doychev (@StanDoychev) March 28, 2022
Despite displaying some glimpses of dominance, the Colts finished 17th in total defense in a 9-8 season ending with an embarrassing Week 18 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Fox will try to help the unit find more consistency to build a winning squad around new quarterback Matt Ryan.
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