ORCHARD PARK — John Fox still has his trademark smile. It seems to be his natural resting face.
Whether he endured pouring rain at St. John Fisher University and unrelenting heat on the practice fields on One Bills Drive, Fox never portrayed a man in a bad mood.
It’s been 25 years since Fox was defensive coordinator for the New York Giants Super Bowl team, 22 since leading the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl and 13 since his record-setting Denver Broncos reached the Super Bowl, although his teams went 0-3.
The 71-year-old is now coaching his 20th team in a career that started as a San Diego State graduate assistant in 1978. But to describe why he still wants to put all the time and energy into coaching, Fox goes back to his first full-time coaching job in 1980, his one season at U.S. International as a defensive backs coach for Hall of Famer Sid Gillman.
“He said, ‘Foxy, life is sad when your most important decision of the day is what time your tee time is,’” Fox told GNN Sports. “And I looked at him like he was crazy because I was a young coach, trying to work real hard so one day I could be like him. … So it came back to bite me because I had no concept of what he was doing at the time.”
There was a time when Fox tried to give up coaching. After he was fired following his third season with the Chicago Bears in 2017, Fox took a five-year hiatus from coaching.
Fox tried doing some analysis work for ESPN, but that only lasted a year. So Fox decided to accept an offer from long-time friend Frank Reich to become a senior defensive assistant with the Indianapolis Colts in 2022.
Reich was fired during that season, so Fox jumped on board with Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who played tight end on the Giants’ Super Bowl team. The Lions had a breakout season, advancing to the NFC championship game before another two-year break.
“Maybe I’m on the two-year plan,” Fox joked. “… First of all, I had to know the people. I knew people in Indy, I knew people in Detroit and then I know people here. It’s always all about the people. … I know a lot of people here that I’ve been through the fire with. So I felt really good about the team they had together.”
The person Fox knew with the Bills was general manager and director of football operations Brandon Beane. When Fox was hired by the Panthers in 2002, Beane was in the personnel department.
Fox had called Beane after the Bills fired former coach Sean McDermott, offering to help with their search. Fast forward to February. Fox was ironically in the middle of a round of golf when his phone rang.
The caller I.D. showed Beane’s name, but when Fox answered, recently-promoted Joe Brady was also on the line. Brady was piecing together his staff and wanted to know if Fox wanted a role like he had in Indianapolis and Detroit.
“I didn’t want somebody that was strictly just in an office just waiting for, ‘Hey, when do you need some help?’” Brady said. “I wanted a guy that wanted to still coach football. He’s sitting in the defensive meetings, he’s giving ideas, he’s going through it all. … I know he’s the guy
that’s not going to just be a yes man.”
With homes in Charlotte and Marco Island, Florida, Fox had met Brady while he was offensive coordinator in Carolina from 2020-2021. He also heard a little about Brady from Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton, who Fox had known for years and worked together in New York.
Fox also knew defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, who played for Denver in Fox’s first season as head coach in 2012. Special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers also spent nine seasons following Fox from Carolina to Denver to Chicago.
Buffalo’s talent level and the direction of the team intrigued Fox, but he didn’t want to show up to practice each day and stand around, which is exactly what he told Brady.
“I don’t want to be a coordinator. I wouldn’t be a coordinator even if they asked me,” Fox said. “… I don’t want to be a head coach. I just want to help. I love the game and I just want to help young people get better at it. Whether it’s young quality control coaches or young players, I know a lot about the league and I just want to share my info.”
A former defensive back, Fox played at San Diego State and was cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following training camp in 1978. Sixteen of Fox’s seasons as a coach came as a defensive back.
So Fox spends a lot of time with Buffalo’s defensive backs, but he’s dabbled with other positions. And he’s also helped develop young coaches, knowing Brady doesn’t always have time to direct his attention to that area of the organization.
“I feel like a lot of young coaches need to be coached,” Fox said. “And with so many coaches now, I think sometimes as a head coach, you just have so many other things on your plate. Sometimes that gets lost in the shuffle. So I spend a lot of time with our young coaches and I think that helps the head coach.”
Brady has assembled a staff that has a mix of experience and youth. Eleven assistants on Brady’s staff have at least 10 years of NFL experience, with Fox (31) offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael (26), tight ends coach Rob Boras (22) and Rodgers (21) surpassing 20.
But no one on the staff — including Brady — has previous NFL head coaching experience other than Fox. Leonhard is the only other coach with any head coaching experience and that was seven games as Wisconsin’s interim head coach in 2022.
“He loves to talk, so sometimes conversations go on a little longer. But he’s just seen it all,” Leonhard said. “… It’s priceless to have guys like that around you that are willing to give their advice, give you feedback. As much as it’s, ‘Hey, I don’t know if this is clear,’ or ‘You’re doing a great job.’ I think the good and the bad, having somebody be real with you and honest with you — that has that experience — it’s priceless.”