Broncos' coach John Fox to undergo surgery, miss six weeks

(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

Broncos' head coach John Fox was brought to the hospital today with "heart attack" symptoms. It however has been confirmed that while he did not suffer a heart attack, he will have to undergo a aortic procedure that will put him out of action from a month to 6 weeks.

Fox Sport's Jay Glazer with the scoop...

Just spoke with John Fox. He's having a procedure on his aortic valve on Tuesday in North Carolina. He will remain there for 2 weeks and miss about a month to 6 weeks

Fox told me,"it's something I've known I needed to take care of for a while. It's ironic this happened when I came to meet with the surgeon. I was hoping to wait but it's better to be smart about this."

Broncos' defensive coordinator and former Jaguars head coach, Jack Del Rio, is expected to take the reigns in Fox's absence, however, that has yet to be confirmed officially.

The timeline for Fox's recovery means that he will miss the team's game against the Patriots at the end of November. It also means he's likely to miss both of the teams' games against the currently undefeated Kansas City Chiefs.

Jack Del Rio as head coach isn't a very encouraging sign for Broncos' fans, and while Patriots fans can't be happy about Fox's medical issues, their team will certainly be at a bigger advantage if Fox isn't helping the team prepare for that key matchup.

Still, we've seen Peyton Manning succeed without a real head coach before (2009, went to Super Bowl with Jim Caldwell). I wouldn't start exaggerating this loss yet.

Best wishes to John Fox in his surgery and recovery.