Tag: alex gibbs

4 ex-Colts named Hall of Fame semifinalists for Senior, Coach/Contributor

Chris Hinton featured among 60 semifinalists for the Hall of Fame Class of 2024 in the Senior, Coach/Contributor category.

Three former Indianapolis Colts players and one former coach have been named semifinalists for the Hall of Fame Class of 2024 in the Senior, Coach/Contributor categories.

This nomination slightly differs from the typical list of Modern-Era players as it pertains to players who haven’t played in at least 25 years.

Per the Hall of Fame:

To assure that older players, whose active careers have been completed at least 25 years, as well as coaches, who have not coached in at least five years, and those individuals who contributed to the game in ways other than playing and coaching, will be considered along with the Modern-Era Player candidates, a Coach/Contributor Committee and a Seniors Committee have been established.

Like the Modern-Era nominees, the finalists for this category still need 80% approval in the voting in order to reach the Hall of Fame.

Here is the quartet of former Colts who made it to the semifinalist round:

Randy Gradishar, Dan Reeves, Mike Shanahan, Alex Gibbs among 2024 Hall of Fame semifinalists

Randy Gradishar, Mike Shanahan and late coaches Dan Reeves and Alex Gibbs have been named semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

[anyclip pubname=”2123″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8169″]

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 2024 semifinalists for the Senior candidates and Coach/Contributor categories on Wednesday. Among the semifinalists are former Denver Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar, ex-head coaches Mike Shanahan and Dan Reeves, and former assistant Alex Gibbs.

Each of them has a very strong case for the Hall of Fame.

Randy Gradishar: Gradishar was the soul of the 1970s “Orange Crush,” in a time when defense was the main event in the NFL. Gradishar won the AP Defensive Player of the Year in 1978, was voted to seven Pro Bowls, was a first-team All-Pro in 1977 and 1978, and was a five-time All-Pro during his ten-year career. Players from his era with similar statistics (Robert Brazile 10 seasons/7 Pro Bowls, Jack Ham 12 seasons/8 Pro Bowls, Ted Hendricks 15 seasons/8 Pro Bowls, Jack Lambert 11 seasons/9 Pro Bowls) all reached the Hall of Fame. Gradishar may be helped by the Hall of Fame’s new Senior Committee policy, which will allow the committee to select a maximum of three players to the Hall of Fame for the next two years. Gradishar’s anxiously-awaited selection would right a serious wrong for all of Broncos Country.

Dan Reeves: Reeves was the head coach for three Broncos teams that went to the Super Bowl (the 1986, 1987 and 1989 seasons). Reeves is second all-time for the franchise in games coached and games won. He is fifth all-time in winning percentage in Denver history (.601). As a coach and player (he played as a halfback, the equivalent of today’s fullback/tight end), he appeared in nine Super Bowls. He is also in the Broncos’ Ring of Fame. Reeves died in 2022.

Mike Shanahan: Shanahan’s Hall of Fame resume writes itself. He is the winningest coach in franchise history and helped Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway over the hump to win back-to-back Super Bowls in the 1997 and ’98 seasons. He developed multiple 1,000-yard rushers with the Broncos. He also has a third Super Bowl ring from his time as San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator (1992-94). Shanahan is a Broncos Ring of Fame member.

Alex Gibbs: Gibbs coached the Broncos’ offensive line three different times, as offensive line coach (1984-1987, 1995-2003) and as an offensive line consultant (2013). Behind Gibbs’ lines, Denver had multiple 1,000-yard rushers in a season, and a historic 2,000-yard season from Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis in 1998. Gibbs was instrumental in helping protect an aging Elway in the twilight of his career and was a visionary in the world of zone-blocking schemes. Gibbs died in 2021.

The latest member of the Hall of Fame from the Broncos is former linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who is part of the Hall’s 2023 class.

[vertical-gallery id=642364]

Former Falcons assistant, zone-blocking pioneer Alex Gibbs passes away

Gibbs, who helped Atlanta lead the league in rushing from 2004-2006, was a key factor in helping Broncos quarterback John Elway win back-to-back Super Bowls.

On Monday, one of the NFL’s most influential assistant coaches, Alex Gibbs, passed away at the age of 80. The former Falcons offensive line coach had an incredibly successful run with a handful of teams, most notably during his time with the Denver Broncos.

Gibbs, who helped Atlanta lead the league in rushing from 2004-2006, was a key factor in helping Broncos quarterback John Elway win back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998. For two years, nobody could slow the team’s zone-blocking scheme.

Both the Falcons and Broncos paid tribute to Gibbs, and many around the NFL were quick to credit the offensive line guru with perfecting the zone run.

If you really want to know about the kind of coach Gibbs was, check out this  deep dive into his career and philosophy by Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar. Here’s an excerpt breaking down Gibbs’ impressive coaching background:

“Gibbs learned a lot of things from a lot of different people, and married them together to create his own unusual but eminently successful approach. From his time at Ohio State from 1975 through 1978, he learned the basics of successful teaching from Woody Hayes — not the crazed coach everyone now remembers, but  the freshman English teacher. Hayes was just as expert at language arts as he was with the game. Gibbs learned about dealing with players and maximizing their potential from Bobby Bowden during their time together at West Virginia in 1973 and 1974. Georgia Bulldogs coach Vince Dooley taught him the value of organization during his time there in 1982 and 1983. By the time Gibbs became the Broncos’ offensive line coach in 1984, he didn’t just have his blocking system together; he also had a concrete way of making people understand and execute what he wanted.”

Earlier this offseason, the Falcons hired a coach that would make Gibbs proud in former Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The former tight ends coach and offensive line assistant will look to bring Tennessee’s hyper-efficient zone-based running scheme to Atlanta.

The Falcons may not have Derrick Henry or Terrell Davis at running back, but Gibbs’ time in the NFL taught us that a well-executed scheme can trump talent.

[lawrence-related id=74993,75097,75102,75078]

[vertical-gallery id=66472]

How the late, great Alex Gibbs perfected zone blocking in the NFL

Longtime offensive line guru Alex Gibbs, who passed away at age 80 this week, was one of the NFL’s most important coaches and tacticians.

On Monday, legendary offensive line coach Alex Gibbs passed away at the age of 80 due to complications from a stroke. One of the best and most important assistant coaches in professional football history, Gibbs was especially legendary for his refinements to inside and outside zone blocking.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Alex Gibbs, who had a profound impact on the Denver Broncos and the National Football League as an offensive line coach,” the Denver Broncos, for whom Gibbs was offensive line coach from 1984 through 1987, and assistant head coach/offensive line from 1995 through 2003, said in a statement. “During his 14 years with the Broncos, Coach Gibbs left a lasting legacy on this league with his innovative blocking schemes and outstanding teaching ability. He helped the Broncos to Super Bowls during three different decades—including back-to-back World Championships—while forging a reputation as one of the greatest assistant coaches in NFL history.

“Our hearts go out to Alex’s wife, Trina, and the entire Gibbs family as well as Alex’s many former players and fellow coaches.”

Gibbs also coached in college for Duke, Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio State, Auburn, and Georgia, and in the NFL with the Raiders, Chargers, Colts, Chiefs, Falcons, Texans, and Seahawks. He concluded his NFL career as an offensive line consultant for the Broncos in 2013.

I’d like to quote from my book, The Genius of Desperation, which hopefully gives some insight as to why Gibbs’ efforts as a teacher, coach, and schematic genius made him such a crucial part of pro football history.