went to the playoffs all four years he was the ' coach, winning the AFC West with quarterbacks as diverse as Tim Tebow and . But on Monday, the Aaron Hicks Jersey day after in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, , the first domino to fall in what is expected to be a tumultuous offseason in Denver. Battista: Manning at a cro sroadsOn Sunday, the once-feared Peyton was targeted and exploited by the Judy Battista examines his legacy. Fox's departure is a bit of a stunner, because he compiled a 46-18 record, won the division each of Alex Rodriguez Jersey his four years and had previously taken the to a . But when John Elway signed three years ago, then loaded up on stars to surround him, the expectation was that the would win a Lombardi Trophy. They got to the last year, but were overwhelmed by the . Elway then went on a free-agency spending spree to shore up the defense and made no secret about the fact that Denver was gearing up Adam Ottavino Jersey for another push.In Elway's brief written statement, it was clear that falling short -- far short -- again played a part in the decision to go in a different direction. "While we have made significant progre s under Coach Fox, there is still work to be done," Elway said.And Elway will have to do a lot of that work this offseason. Both coordinators -- Adam Gase on offense and on defense -- have interviewed for head coaching Wade Boggs Jersey jobs with other teams, and Fox's entire staff was told they could look elsewhere. The have a number of significant players -- including receiver , tight end and receiver -- set to hit free agency this offseason.And hovering over it all is , who would not commit to returning when he was asked directly after the lo s Sunday night. That might have been a signal that Manning was waiting to see what would happen around him before he made up his mind.But Fox could have a very soft -- and quick -- landing. He immediately becomes a coveted candidate by teams seeking coaches. One potential landing spot Adam Lind Jersey is Chicago, where former general manager Ernie Accorsi -- who had Fox as a defensive coordinator in New York -- is acting as a consultant to the .Follow Judy Battista on Twitter .