Broncos hire Fox as coach; Browns get Shurmur

The Broncos hired John Fox yesterday, hoping he's the right coach to turn around a downtrodden team. He replaces Josh McDaniels, who was fired Dec. 6 amid Denver's worst season since 1967.

Fox, 55, went 78-74, including playoffs, in nine seasons with the Panthers, who didn't renew his contract after an NFL-worst 2-14 season in 2010.

Fox arrived Wednesday in Denver to meet with new Broncos chief football executive John Elway. He was the fifth and final candidate interviewed. Elway, in a statement, said, "Coach Fox is a great fit for us not only with his coaching ability but also with his personality."

Denver, coming off a 4-12 season, is in need of a major makeover, as the Panthers were when Fox arrived in 2002 after a 1-15 season. Carolina was 7-9 in his first year before making the Super Bowl in his second season.

Browns hire Shurmur

Pat Shurmur quickly turned Rams rookie quarterback Sam Bradford into a rising star. Shurmur's next project will be tougher. The Browns are no easy fix.

Shurmur, St. Louis' offensive coordinator the past two years, becomes the Browns' fifth coach since 1999. Team president Mike Holmgren fired Eric Mangini after his second straight 11-loss season.

Shurmur, 45, has no head-coaching experience, but to Holmgren, his last name means success. Shurmur's late uncle, Fritz, was Holmgren's defensive coordinator in Green Bay when the 1996 Packers won the Super Bowl. And like Pat Shurmur, Holmgren was a quarterbacks coach and an offensive coordinator before getting the Packers' job in 1992.