Tag: Mike Shanahan

Commanders Dan Quinn joined some elite company with Week 15 win

Dan Quinn did something only one other coach in Washington franchise history has done.

Dan Quinn is already in rare company.

With the 20-19 Commanders’ win over the Saints in Week 14, Dan Quinn reached his ninth win of the season.

The franchise has been led so poorly from the top that this 2024 season is the first nine-win season since Jay Gruden was the head coach, Kirk Cousins was the starting quarterback, and Sean McVay was the offensive coordinator in 2015. The only current player from that 2015 season was punter Tress Way.

Also, with that ninth win of the season, Quinn becomes only the second Washington head coach to have won nine games in his first NFL season with the franchise.

George Allen came to Washington in 1971, taking over a team that had finished 6-8 in 1970. Allen made numerous trades in the offseason but lost his starting quarterback, Sonny Jurgensen, to a broken shoulder in the preseason and Charley Taylor in the fifth game to a broken ankle. Yet the Redskins finished 9-4-1 and were the fourth and final team to make the NFC playoffs before losing in the first round to the NFC West champ 49ers in San Francisco 24-20.

The great Joe Gibbs came to Washington in 1981, taking over a team that was 6-10 in 1980. Gibbs lost his first five games and has often told of how then-owner Jack Kent Cooke asked to meet with Gibbs. Gibbs has commented that he thought he might get fired before winning even a single game.

Gibbs wasn’t fired, but he did manage to get the team to play his brand of football. They won eight of their final 11 games, finishing the season at 8-8.

Marty Schottenheimer came to Washington to succeed Norv Turner, whom owner Daniel Snyder had fired during the 2000 season in which the Redskins finished 8-8.

Schottenheimer inherited Jeff George as his starting quarterback, whom Snyder had brought to the team. Marty’s 2001 team started miserably, so miserably George was not only benched, he was released. The Redskins started 0-5, finished strongly at 8-8. But Snyder fired Schottenheimer.

How many games did Boston / Washington first-year head coaches win in their inaugural seasons?

  • 2020 Ron Rivera 7-9
  • 2014 Jay Gruden 4-12
  • 2010 Mike Shanahan 6-10
  • 2008 Jim Zorn 8-8
  • 2004 Joe Gibbs (2.0) 6-10
  • 2002 Steve Spurrier 7-9
  • 2001 Marty Schottenheimer 8-8
  • 1994 Norv Turner 3-13
  • 1993 Richie Petitbon 4-12
  • 1981 Joe Gibbs (1.0) 8-8
  • 1978 Jack Pardee 8-8
  • 1971 George Allen 9-4-1
  • 1970 Bill Austin 6-8
  • 1969 Vince Lombardi 7-5-2
  • 1966 Otto Graham 7-7
  • 1961 Bill McPeak 1-12-1
  • 1959 Mike Nixon 3-9
  • 1954 Joe Kuharich 3-9
  • 1952 Curly Lambeau 4-8
  • 1950 Herman Ball 3-9
  • 1946 Turk Edwards 5-5-1
  • 1944 Dudley DeGroot 6-3-1
  • 1943 Dutch Bergman  6-3-1
  • 1936 Ray Flaherty 7-5
  • 1935 Eddie Casey 2-8-1
  • 1933 Lone Star Dietz 5-5-2
  • 1932 Lud Wray 4-4-2

Bill Belichick coaching UNC could delay Mike Shanahan’s Hall of Fame bid

Now coaching college football, Bill Belichick will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame next year, competing with Mike Shanahan.

Bill Belichick has returned to football, but not at the professional level.

Belichick has joined the North Carolina Tar Heels as their new head football coach, which means he’ll be two years removed from coaching in the NFL when the Pro Football Hall of Fame names a coach finalist in 2025.

Earlier this year, the Hall of Fame changed its eligibility rules and former NFL coaches now have to be just one year removed from coaching at the pro level to be eligible for Canton. That means Belichick will be eligible for the Hall of Fame when the committee elects the 2026 class next year, as the Denver Gazette‘s Chris Tomasson confirmed earlier this week.

That’s bad news for former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, who was overlooked by voters again this year in favor of Mike Holmgren (who Shanahan beat in Super Bowl XXXII). Now Shanahan will have to compete against Belichick next year, and with Andy Reid set to turn 67 years old next offseason, there might be more competition in the coach category soon.

Eventually, Shanahan will reach the Hall of Fame. It’s unfortunate that he’s been overlooked this long, and Belichick’s candidacy will likely delay Shanahan’s bid even longer, but he should reach Canton one day.

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Steve Young almost joined Broncos after John Elway retired

After John Elway retired, Mike Shanahan tried to convince Steve Young to join the Broncos. Young retired instead, a decision he now regrets.

What could have been?

John Elway announced his retirement from the NFL on May 2, 1999. One year later, Steve Young announced his retirement on June 13, 2000, after numerous concussions, including one that ended his 1999 season.

Mike Shanahan, who served as the Denver Broncos‘ head coach from 1995-2008, wanted Young to reunite with him in Denver. Shanahan previously coached Young as an offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers.

Young ended up retiring instead, a decision that he and his wife now regret.

“I spent time some in Denver and we were ready to — we were thinking about it,” Young said during an interview on the Pardon My Take podcast this week. “He [Shanahan] was all in. He was all in, and I just — I don’t know. My wife says that’s one of the things I … we were newly married at the time and she regrets not like pushing me harder to do it. I was kind of emotionally cooked.”

The Broncos went 11-5 in 2000 with Brian Griese under center. Twenty-four years later, Young admitted that he regrets not reuniting with Shanahan.

“I regret — I should have jumped in,” Young said. “I would have played 2000 to maybe two or three years, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 would have been the years I played in Denver if I would have done it.”

Young was a backup behind Joe Montana when the 49ers won Super Bowls XXIII and XXIV. After Montana’s retirement, Young won Super Bowl XXIX with San Francisco. Elway retired after winning Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII with Denver. One can’t help but wonder if Shanahan and Young might have won another Super Bowl with the Broncos had the QB not retired.

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Giants great Tom Coughlin snubbed for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Retired New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin was snubbed again for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The New York Giants will not have any coach, contributor, or senior finalists for this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.

Former head coaches Tom Coughlin, Dan Reeves, and Bill Arnsparger were all shut out in the coaches’ category while former players, linebacker Carl Banks, running back Ottis Anderson, and quarterback Charlie Conerly, were left off the list for seniors.

The Giants still have one player in the modern-day category, quarterback Eli Manning, who advanced to the semifinals two weeks ago.

There is much debate today on the selection of Mike Holmgren over Tom Coughlin and Mike Shanahan in the coaches’ category.

It was a close call. Coughlin and Shanahan both won the two Super Bowls they appeared in during their careers. Holmgren won one of the three he took his teams to.

Holmgren has a better win-loss record in the regular season (161-111, .592). Shanahan had a record of 170-138 (.552) and Coughlin went 170-150 (.531).

Coughlin was the best in the postseason, going 12-7 (.632), while Shanahan was 8-6 (.571) and Holmgren went 13-11 (.542).

Holmgren took the Green Bay Packers to two Super Bowls, winning one. He later took the Seattle Seahawks to the big game and lost.

That is a fine distinction but he’s not alone in achieving the feat. Dick Vermeil, Dan Reeves, Don Shula, Andy Reid, and Bill Parcells also did that but no coach has ever won the big game with two different teams.

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Hall of Fame voters snub Mike Shanahan in favor of coach he beat in Super Bowl XXXII

Mike Holmgren, who lost Super Bowl XXXII to Mike Shanahan, has advanced over Shanahan as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In a huge shock, former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan has been overlooked by voters for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

The Hall of Fame announced coach, contributor and senior finalists on Tuesday and Shanahan inexplicably did not make the cut. Ralph Hay (contributor), Mike Holmgren (coach) and Maxie Baughan, Sterling Sharpe and Jim Tyrer (seniors) have advanced in the voting process.

Shanahan, Dan Reeves, Bill Arnsparger, Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert and Clark Shaughnessy were the nine semifinalists in the coach category this year. Holmgren has advanced from that list with Shanahan being a massive snub.

Holmgren won one Super Bowl as a head coach and ironically, he lost Super Bowl XXXII to Shanahan’s Broncos following the 1997 season. Shanahan won two Super Bowls as a head coach.

The 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class will be announced during the “NFL Honors” on Feb. 6 before Super Bowl LIX.

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2 ex-Broncos players fail to advance in Hall of Fame voting

The Broncos will not have any players added to the Hall of Fame in the 2025 class.

Former Denver Broncos defensive linemen Neil Smith and Simeon Rice are not among the 25 modern-era semifinalists for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. So the Broncos will not be represented by any players in next year’s class.

Smith, 58, spent the first nine years of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs before joining the Broncos in 1997. He won back-to-back Super Bowls in Denver and then finished his career with the San Diego Chargers.

Smith totaled 625 tackles, 104.5 sacks, 30 forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries and four interceptions during his 13-year career.

Rice, 50, played five years with the Arizona Cardinals and then had a six-year run with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning Super Bowl XXXVII with the Bucs. He spent part of his final year in the NFL with the Broncos in 2007.

Rice recorded 483 tackles, 122 sacks, 43 pass breakups, 28 forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries and five interceptions during his 12-year career.

Former coaches Mike Shanahan and the late Dan Reeves were previously named coach semifinalists for the 2025 class in October. The selection committee voted on a coach finalist yesterday, but the result is not expected to be announced until December.

Broncos candidates for Hall of Fame

  1. Coach Mike Shanahan
  2. Coach Dan Reeves

The list of modern-era player semifinalists will be trimmed down to a finalists list later this fall. The 2025 class will be announced before Super Bowl LVIX next year.

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Sean Payton gives strong take on Mike Shanahan’s Hall of Fame candidacy

Sean Payton said Mike Shanahan has a better resume than some of the recent coaches that have reached the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan is one of nine coach semifinalists for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

Sean Payton, Denver’s current coach, gave Shanahan a strong endorsement during his conference call with Broncos reporters on Monday.

“I’ve had a long friendship with him,” Payton said. “What he’s accomplished though in our game, he has two Super Bowl championships. He’s been behind, I would say, the minds behind so many coaches working right now. I’d say almost a third of the league at one point has been impacted by Mike. Not only the coaching tree, I’m talking about the offensive tree.

“When I got into the league, there were two or three teams that you studied, and Denver was one of them. We’re sitting here in 2024 and we’re looking at a guy — a candidate — who quite honestly has a lot better credentials than maybe some others [who] have gone before him as coaches. He was one of the guys. [He’s] extremely intelligent and then the Super Bowls, the quarterbacks, the success and all those other things. I don’t know when the vote is or how that all unfolds, but his candidacy for someone like myself, it’s easy.

“It’s all there right in front of you. Then go ahead and look back at the last — just take the last six coaches that have gone in. Just use that number and then throw their numbers at Mike and their accomplishments and I think that’s a simple way to look at it and arrive at the right decision.”

This certainly isn’t the first time Payton has backed Shanahan. Denver’s current coach previously noted that elements of Shanahan’s offense are still used in the NFL today, and Payton said last summer that Shanny should already be in the Hall of Fame.

We should find out soon if Shanahan is advancing in the voting process.

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Broncos have 4 candidates for 2025 Hall of Fame class

The Broncos have four candidates for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, including two-time Super Bowl champion Neil Smith.

Former Denver Broncos coaches Mike Shanahan and Dan Reeves were named semifinalists for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class earlier this week.

Shanahan and Reeves are two of nine candidates in the coach category. The selection committee will narrow that list of nine semifinalists down to one finalist later this month.

The Broncos also have two modern-era players who made the cutdown from 167 nominees down to 50 candidates last month: defensive linemen Neil Smith and Simeon Rice.

That gives Denver four total candidates for next year’s Hall of Fame class.

Broncos candidates for Hall of Fame

  1. Coach Mike Shanahan
  2. Coach Dan Reeves
  3. DL Neil Smith
  4. DL Simeon Rice

The Hall of Fame’s selection committee will meet on Nov. 19 to select one coach finalist. The list of modern-era player nominees will also be trimmed down to 25 semifinalists later this month. The 2025 class will be announced before Super Bowl LVIX next year.

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Mike Shanahan, Dan Reeves advance in Hall of Fame voting process

Mike Shanahan and the late Dan Reeves have been named semifinalists for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

Three-time Super Bowl champion Mike Shanahan is advancing as a coach candidate for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, the Hall announced Thursday. Another former Denver Broncos coach, the late Dan Reeves, also advanced in the voting.

The list of coach 14 candidates has been trimmed down to nine semifinalists: Shanahan, Reeves, Bill Arnsparger, Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert and Clark Shaughnessy.

Shanahan, 72, won his first Super Bowl as an offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers following the 1994 season. He later won back-to-back Super Bowls as head coach of the Broncos in the 1997 and 1998 seasons. Elements of his offense are still seen across the NFL today.

Reeves died at age 77 in 2022. He reached two Super Bowls as a player with the Dallas Cowboys, winning his first title following the 1971 season. Reeves later reached three more Super Bowls as an assistant with the Cowboys, winning his second title after the 1977 season. He went on to reach four more Super Bowls as a head coach, including three with the Broncos.

Reeves’ nine total Super Bowl appearances represent the third-most in NFL history only behind Tom Brady (10) and Bill Belichick (12). Reeves should eventually reach Canton, and Shanahan seems to be trending toward a Hall of Fame nod in 2025.

Denver also has two modern-era player candidates for the 2025 class in defensive linemen Neil Smith and Simeon Rice.

Broncos candidates for Hall of Fame

  1. Coach Mike Shanahan
  2. Coach Dan Reeves
  3. DL Neil Smith
  4. DL Simeon Rice

The Hall of Fame’s selection committee will meet on Nov. 19 to select one finalist from the coach category to advance in the voting process. The list of modern-era player nominees will also be trimmed down to 25 semifinalists in November. The 2025 class will be announced before Super Bowl LVIX next year.

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17 former Broncos players snubbed by Hall of Fame voters

Rod Smith is among 17 modern-era Broncos players who were snubbed by Pro Football Hall of Fame voters.

The Denver Broncos had 19 modern-era players nominated for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class this year. Only two of them have advanced in the latest round of voting.

The original list of 167 nominees has been trimmed down to 50 candidates and former Broncos Neil Smith and Simeon Rice are among eight defensive linemen who made the cut, joined by John Abraham, Jared Allen, Robert Mathis, Haloti Ngata, Vince Wilfork and Kevin Williams.

Smith won back-to-back Super Bowls with Denver in the late 1990s. Rice won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and later spent part of his final season in the NFL with the Broncos in 2007.

Among the Denver players who did not make the cut is two-time Super Bowl champion wide receiver Rod Smith. Instead, six other WRs advanced: Anquan Boldin, Torry Holt, Jimmy Smith, Steve Smith, Hines Ward and Reggie Wayne.

In addition to Smith and Rice, Mike Shanahan and the late Dan Reeves are also candidates for the Hall of Fame in the coach category.

Broncos who did not advance

  1. RB Clinton Portis
  2. RB Glyn Milburn
  3. RB Jamaal Charles
  4. WR Rod Smith
  5. WR Demaryius Thomas
  6. WR Brandon Marshall
  7. WR Wes Welker
  8. TE Vernon Davis
  9. C Tom Nalen
  10. G Mark Schlereth
  11. DL Jamal Williams
  12. DL Ted Washington
  13. LB Bill Romanowski
  14. LB Keith Brooking
  15. CB Aqib Talib
  16. CB Dré Bly
  17. K Jason Elam

Broncos candidates for Hall of Fame

  1. Coach Mike Shanahan
  2. Coach Dan Reeves
  3. DL Neil Smith
  4. DL Simeon Rice

The Hall of Fame’s selection committee will trim the list of modern-era nominees down to 25 semifinalists in about four weeks. The 2025 class will be announced before Super Bowl LVIX next year.

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