Former Denver Broncos Tight-end Discusses the Differences Between Gary Kubiak and John Fox

Nov 17, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak before the game against the Oakland Raiders at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Gary Kubiak remains the clear frontrunner to be the next head coach of the Denver Broncos. In advance of his interview on Sunday, there has been and will continue to be a great deal of discussion about him and if it’s the right decision.

One of the more interesting discussions took place on the Les Shapiro and Woody Paige show on www.Denverpost.com when they interviewed former Broncos tight-end Joel Dreessen. Dreessen played for both Kubiak and former Broncos Head Coach, John Fox and was asked to compare the two. His responses are both eye opening and frustrating if you are a Broncos fan.

Dreessen talked about the differences in how both coaches approach practice.

"“Fox’s practices, Dreessen said, tended to be longer and slower and filled with meetings that would extend through much of the day. Meetings under Kubiak had a purpose, he said.“With Coach Kubiak, the practice was as fast as can be. We were moving from drill to drill. If you were walking, you were wrong. You were getting yelled at.”"

When John Elway talked on Monday about why he made the decision to part ways with Fox, one of the things he touched on was how the team prepared and how he wanted to see more of a sense of urgency. It’s clear that Kubiak’s approach is designed to create that urgency in everything they do.

Dreessen then touched on the playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday and how uninspired the Broncos looked.

"“He (Kubiak) would never let his team step on the field that uninspired, especially when it mattered most. There’s no doubt in my mind.”"

That’s a telling statement in my mind, Fox had the talent and failed to get them to play to their potential. Of course some of that is on the players but any team takes on the personality of their coach, and Fox is just too laid back. If you don’t believe me, here’s more from Dreessen.

"“There’s an element of ho-hum to John Fox, where Saturday nights you walk out of there like, ‘All right, it’s another ball-game.”"

That doesn’t exactly sound like a guy who is willing to go out “Kicking and screaming” does it?

Kubiak, despite his calm outer appearance, is just the opposite according to Dreessen.

"“I felt better,” Dreessen told The Sports Show on Friday of his game preparation under Kubiak. “I wasn’t practicing as long. I wasn’t in meetings as long. … Saturday nights, when Coach Gary Kubiak would speak, everybody in that room would get chills on their arms. We’d all go to team snack just all fired up ready to run through a brick wall for the guy."

Dreessen continued on Kubiak;

"you want to bleed for a guy like Gary Kubiak. Not that I didn’t want to bleed for John Fox, but there’s a different way they go about speaking to the team. I love Gary Kubiak. I’d take a bullet for that man. I think he’s a phenomenal football coach. I do.”"

When Elway described what he was looking for in a head coach, he went down a list and Kubiak checks every box. Super Bowl experience, check. Won back-to-back titles with the Broncos as a coordinator and was a critical part of the offense for those teams.

Competitiveness, check. Dreessen already described how competitive Kubiak is but he is also the guy that beat Elway on his pool table, prompting Elway to sell the table. Kubiak burns to win even though his outside demeanor is calm.

Elway also talked about wanting someone who is like-minded, check. Elway and Kubiak have always been on the same page when it came to football, and now it looks like they are going to team up again in an effort to get that third World Championship for the Broncos.