The Broncos fired John Fox yesterday, almost exactly 4 years after he was hired. While so much uncertainty surrounds the Broncos situation right now, it’s still too early to say if this was the right move. Will Peyton want to come back with a new coach and system? Or was Peyton tired of Fox’s ways and schemes and is he dying to come back for one more shot with a new coach? We’ll have plenty of time to analyze those questions as new reports come out, but I want to take time and appreciate a chronically underappreciated coach.

The biggest thing that Fox never gets credit for is the talent he DEVELOPED on the team. John Elway was once quoted as saying, “We don’t draft all-pros, we develop them.” That started with Fox. Just a few of the examples include:

Chris Harris Jr.: An undrafted free agent who wasn’t on anyone’s draft board. Not only did Fox help select him, he developed him into an all-pro cornerback.

Julius Thomas: An unproven tight end in college with only one year of football experience in his entire life and just 29 catches. If there was ever a development project, he was it. The Broncos took a chance on him and he rewarded them by becoming a top 5 receiving tight end.

Terrance Knighton: An inconsistent and immature player when the Broncos signed him in 2012 to a 2-year $4.5 million deal. He was a complete after-thought of their free agent class as everyone was excited about Welker, Vazquez, DRC, Phillips and Jammer. But under Fox and Del Rio Pot Roast emerged as a top Defensive Tackle and leader of the defense

Manny Ramirez (journeyman cut by the 0-16 Lions), Brandon Marshall (cut by several teams before emerging as starting linebacker), CJ Anderson, Juwan Thompson, Chris Clark, Duke Ihenacho, Knowshon Moreno and many more.

Equally as important, he rebuilt the Broncos after a dreadful 2010 season. Fox inherited a team starring Brandon Lloyd as the best offensive player and QB Kyle Orton. His new team had finished 19th in points scored and 26th in rushing yards per game. Their starting defense was composed of Mario Haggen, Justin Bannan, Ryan McBean, Andre Goodman, Jason Hunter, Nathan Jones, and other players you’ve already forgotten. That defense finished dead last in points and yards allowed. They had lost 12 games and suffered a 59-14 blowout loss against the Raiders at home, and an embarrassing 43-13 loss against the 5-11 Cardinals. The Broncos franchise had lost their prestige after the 2010 season and without a doubt, Fox has helped restore their glory.

This remarkable turnaround is even more impressive because it happened immediately after the lockout. That offseason, the Broncos were permitted from holding OTA’s or minicamp practices, and only had an abbreviated training camp in which to implement his new schemes. As part of this turnaround, John Fox helped convince free agent Champ Bailey to re-sign with Denver even though the experts predicted he’d search for greener pastures elsewhere.

Fox managed the Tebow circus as well as anyone possibly could. He motivated the defense and re-schemed the offense leading to a division title, a playoff win, and some of the most exciting football I’ve ever seen. It was convincing enough to Manning to get him to sign with the Broncos.

Speaking of which, there’s no doubt Fox played a factor in recruiting PFM, due to his college recruiting experience and because he wasn’t a douchebag (like Jim Harbaugh). The Broncos recruited some incredible free agent classes, and Elway usually gets all the credit for them. I’m not saying he shouldn’t, but I’m sure those free agents considered who they would be playing for when they signed with Denver. It remains to be seen if the Broncos will be able to recruit talent in the same way without Fox around.

The Broncos won 4 division titles under Fox and never lost a divisional game while on the road. Critics argue he didn’t prepare his team for big games, but they played well in big divisional games.

Fox instilled the “Next Man Up” attitude last year and lead the team to the Super Bowl despite losing 3 offensive starters (Clady, Walton, Koppen), 5 defensive starters (Moore, Von, Harris Jr, Wolfe, Vickerson), and 3 more faced significant injuries affecting their ability even after their return (Kayvon Webster, Bailey, and Woodyard).

I hope that when Broncos fans remember the John Fox era, we’ll remember all the good he did for the Broncos, all the players he attracted and developed, the quick turn-around to prestige, and the team’s grit and resolve that brought them to last year’s super bowl. Fox was the right choice 4 years ago and hopefully the Broncos find the right choice this time as well.