{"id":451486,"date":"2014-01-31T05:31:26","date_gmt":"2014-01-31T10:31:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.TheSportsDaily.Net\/?p=1939"},"modified":"2014-01-31T05:31:26","modified_gmt":"2014-01-31T10:31:26","slug":"how-john-fox-can-outcoach-pete-carroll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesportsdaily.com\/news\/how-john-fox-can-outcoach-pete-carroll\/","title":{"rendered":"How John Fox Can Outcoach Pete Carroll"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/p>\n With only two days remaining until Super Bowl XLVIII kicks off, Denver Broncos head coach John Fox and Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll should already have the basis of their game plans in place.<\/p>\n In this year\u2019s rendition of the NFL\u2019s biggest game, it may be hard for the opposing coaches to find a strategic edge. While this year\u2019s head coaches aren\u2019t quite brothers like last year\u2019s \u201cHarbaugh Bowl\u201d, Fox and Carroll have shared backgrounds nonetheless.<\/p>\n Both started out as assistants at Iowa State before moving up through the NFL ranks as defensive backs coaches and defensive coordinators before landing their respective head coaching jobs.<\/p>\n With similar pedigrees, the tactical battle between Fox and Carroll may be more one of personality than strategy.<\/p>\n For Fox to keep the momentum the Broncos have built up in the postseason, he must be able to manage the game, but not micromanage. “I think that’s the best thing about him. He’s a game manager. He’s not going to get in the way of what coach [Adam] Gase is doing offensively or what coach [Jack] Del Rio is doing defensively.\u201d Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker told ESPN<\/a>. \u201cHe’s going to make sure that we prepared the right way every week. He’s very consistent in that.”<\/p>\n For the Broncos to beat Carroll and the Seahawks, Fox will have to continue his reliance on the expertise of his coordinators. It\u2019s not only coordinator Gase and Del Rio that Fox should lean on, but also Broncos\u2019 special teams coach Jeff Rodgers.<\/p>\n On punt and kickoff returns, Seattle will be with the services of Doug Baldwin, Percy Harvin and Golden Tate. Baldwin has led all teams in the playoffs in kick return yardage and despite missing most of the regular season with various injuries, Harvin\u2019s return of 58 yards was the longest in the NFL during the regular season. On punt returns, Tate\u2019s 686 return yards led the NFL during the regular season.<\/p>\n In limiting the Seahawks\u2019 return game, Rodgers told Broncos independent analyst Andrew Mason<\/a>, “There’s sometimes, in some situations, where you may not throw down the middle to Albert Pujols. There’s a reason why you see intentional walks, there’s a reason why you foul Shaq at the end of the game. There’s a lot of different analogies you can use.”<\/p>\n As head coach, Fox\u2019s duties include properly delegating duties to his coordinators. With Rodgers running the special teams, it appears Fox may have hit a homerun.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just special teams that will count; Fox will have to focus his team on limiting Seattle\u2019s dynamic plays throughout. It\u2019s a secret that Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch unveiled in one of his hard to come by interviews.<\/a> When asked what was the key to Seattle\u2019s offense, Lynch responded, \u201cExplosive plays, those are plays over 20 yards.\u201d<\/p>\n