ICYMI: Kubiak May Have had "Mini-Stroke"

((ht: si.com))

Multiple reports on Monday say that Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak suffered a "Mini-Stroke", which led to his collapse at halftime of the Texans/Colts game on Sunday.

According to SI.com, the condition doctors believe Kubiak suffered from is called "TIA" or Trans-Ischemic-Attack". The TIA is not considered a debilitating event and is caused by blood clots. Kubiak is currently undergoing treatment to help alleviate clots. The worrisome part according to doctors is the "TIA" often leads to more serious strokes in the future if not addressed.

Read more from SI.com RIGHT HERE

That's the good news.

It's been a rough week for NFL Head Coaches and their health. Also over the weekend it was revealed the Denver Broncos head coach John Fox had a heart condition he was trying to deal with until the season ended. It caught up to him while playing golf on a bye week and he will have a heart procedure this week.

The question on the table is this? Are coaches pushing themselves too far? Is there too much pressure on them?

And in a lot of ways, yeah, there is.

There has always been a measure of that pressure and most who go into the coaching profession are aware any job with a team, may not be long-term.

But that pressure has only increased over the years and the turnover in the profession has gotten scary-fast. Fans, owners, and even on the college level, boosters are looking for instant results and non-stop success. Anything less and they are calling for these guys heads.

And yes, sure, there are situations where coaches are in over their heads and shouldn't have the job. But often they are blamed for things they can't control. Or otherwise known as player performance.

The "Dark" little secret of coaching is during the season, these guys work sometimes 18-hours a day and will sleep at their jobs. For a couple of hours. And that catches up to you.

But they have to do it. And it's not just the head coach. It's the Assistant Coaches, it's the equipment guys, it's everyone. In college, you've got grad assistants and others making next to nothing, working 18-hours a day for the whole season.

It takes a toll. But they do it, because they want the job. And all know if they won't do it, someone else will. All the extra time, the work for nothing, yeah, that might buy you a season. If the head coach is fired, most of the staff goes with him.

We hope that coaches will take this week as a message. That you can't kill yourself trying to put in more hours than anyone else. And hopefully, it will make fans, boosters, owners and others aware that you shouldn't be demanding these guys work 18-20 hours a day. Yeah, sure in some cases they get paid pretty well, but how much money is killing yourself on the job worth?

 KHOU-TV in Houston with the TV story:

John Fox To Have Heart Surgery (UPDATED)

We briefly reported on this story yesterday. Denver Broncos head coach John Fox took himself to a Charlotte area hospital Saturday morning after feeling light-headed during a round of golf on his teams bye week.

It turns out Fox had a really good reason to be concerned. He will be undergoing aortic valve replacement surgery on his heart sometime this week.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Fox had been made aware he had some heart issues and was trying to make it through the season before having the procedure. His doctor had warned him to seek medical help immediately if he felt strange.

That's exactly what he did.

Schefter reports Fox will miss "Several Weeks" after the procedure and while he recovers. Though we don't exactly know what "Several weeks" means.

In the meantime, the 7-1 Broncos will turn to Offensive Coordinator Adam Gase and former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach and current Broncos Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio to run the team in Fox's absence.

Your TV Story from WCNC-TV in Charlotte, NC:

AM UPDATE: The Broncos and Fox released statements on the matter “Denver Broncos Head Coach John Fox will undergo an aortic heart valve replacement early next week at a Charlotte-area hospital. He will take a leave of absence from coaching for at least the next several weeks. “Our focus at this time is Coach Fox’s health and well-being. We extend our thoughts and well-wishes to him for a full and speedy recovery. “Coach Fox was advised by doctors months ago that his defective aortic valve would require this procedure following the 2013 season. As part of his trip to North Carolina over the bye week, he had a preoperative appointment on Thursday with his doctor, who informed him to seek medical attention immediately if he felt any discomfort. “On Saturday, Coach Fox began feeling light-headed while golfing with friends. He was taken to a hospital, where testing revealed he needed to have this procedure as soon as possible. “The club will announce its interim head coach as soon as that decision is finalized.” STATEMENT FROM HEAD COACH JOHN FOX: “I sincerely appreciate all of the support from friends, Denver Broncos fans and so many around the league today. “Although I am disappointed I must take some time away from the team to attend to this pre-existing health condition, I understand that it’s the right thing to do. I have great confidence in our coaches and players, who are fully committed to our goals. “I look forward to returning to coaching as soon as possible.”

Denver Broncos Head Coach John Fox Hospitalized in N.C

Things are a little antsy for the Denver Broncos and their head coach John Fox Saturday afternoon.

That's because Fox is currently in a Charlotte, North Carolina area hospital resting comfortably. Fox was taken to the hospital while playing golf on a bye week and reportedly felt "Light Headed".

Initial reports said he may have had a heart attack, but there's been no confirmation of that. Fox, who formerly coached the Carolina Panthers, still has a home and family living in the area and was visiting on the off week.

The 58-year old head coach has been undergoing tests and there's no word if this will impact him or the Broncos when they return to work next week.

It ain't pretty, but Tebow beats the Jets

Tebow in action

We don't think there has ever been a more polarizing figure in the history of the NFL then Tim Tebow. Criticism that he can't throw, experts saying he can't run a pro system, analysts saying there his mechanics are awful.

But give the man this.

He wins.

The latest was a game winning 20-yard TD run with less than a minute to go and rallying his Denver Broncos to a 17-13 win over the fading New York Jets.

The win, puts Tebow at 4-1 as the starting quarterback for the Broncos and puts the team only a half-game behind the Oakland Raiders in the race for the mediocre AFC West title.

Again, the numbers weren't pretty, 9 for 20 and 104 yards passing, 8 carries for 68 yards, including the game winning TD.

But it doesn't matter.

He wins.

It's amazing to us to see just how polarizing the guy is to just about everyone. In central and north Florida, he is treated as a deity who can do no wrong. In Bristol, Connecticut (ESPN), he is a humungous news story, often dominating the nightly SportsCenter. The "Experts" there are miffed. Since he doesn't fall under any of the traditional NFL norms, they either love him or hate him.

To their credit, coach John Fox, GM John Elway and the Broncos have done the right thing. They've adjusted what they do to what Tebow does. It isn't pretty. It isn't textbook and it often isn't very efficient, but right now, can you argue with the results?

The man is still a pariah to many fans of SEC schools that aren't Florida, they say he's a fraud, holier than thou and needs to be brought back to earth. But he's also one of the most successful quarterbacks in league history.

Either way, everyone has an opinion. Some good, some not. As for us, we've interviewed the man and in a way, feel sorry for him. He's faced with impossible expectations from people who think he should be something he may not necessarily be.

But we cannot debate what he does.

It doesn't matter.

He wins.

For game highlights, you can watch video at the NFL.com website RIGHT HERE (They don't embed)