Tag: Mike Shanahan

Twitter reacts to Mike Shanahan reaching Broncos’ Ring of Fame

Here’s how Twitter reacted when Mike Shanahan was elected to the Broncos’ Ring of Fame.

The Denver Broncos announced Tuesday that former coach Mike Shanahan has been elected to the team’s Ring of Fame. Here’s a sampling of how Twitter reacted to the news:

As many pundits noted, a Hall of Fame nod might be next for Shanahan.

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Joe Ellis comments on Broncos adding Mike Shanahan to Ring of Fame

The Broncos elected former coach Mike Shanahan to their Ring of Fame. Here’s a statement from president/CEO Joe Ellis following the news.

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Mike Shanahan has been elected as the 34th member of the Denver Broncos’ Ring of Fame, the team announced Tuesday. Shanahan, who won back-to-back Super Bowls with Denver in the late 1990s, is the third coach to be voted into the Ring of Fame, joining Dan Reeves and Red Miller.

Joe Ellis, the Broncos’ president and CEO, released the following statement after the news broke on Tuesday:

Mike Shanahan is the greatest coach in Denver Broncos history and among the winningest coaches of all-time. He brought an unmatched standard and intensity as head coach, leading this franchise to its first two Super Bowl wins and building the Broncos into perennial contenders. Few coaches have had more of an impact with one organization — as both a head coach and assistant — than Mike Shanahan over the course of his two decades with the Broncos.

We are thrilled that Mike has now been elected to the Broncos’ Ring of Fame. Although postponing his induction was a difficult decision, he deserves a full celebration in front of all of our fans and distinguished alumni. Along with our fans, we can’t wait to honor Coach Shanahan during our Ring of Fame and alumni weekend in 2021.

Because of COVID-19, Shanahan will not be formally inducted into the Ring of Fame until next year. Shanahan is the all-time leader in franchise wins (138), postseason victories (eight) and Super Bowl wins (two).

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Mike Shanahan met with Peyton Manning before QB signed with Broncos

Before he signed with the Broncos, Peyton Manning met with then-Redskins coach Mike Shanahan.

When Peyton Manning became a free agent in 2012, the Broncos weren’t his only suitors. In addition to Denver, Manning’s list of possible landing spots included the Titans, Seahawks and Redskins, among others.

Seattle coach Pete Carroll flew to Denver to try to meet with Manning but the quarterback told him he wasn’t interested. Another coach, Mike Shanahan, did meet with Manning — but both parties had decided to go in different directions.

Manning presumably didn’t want to face his brother, Eli, in the NFC East and Washington traded up for the No. 2 pick in the draft that spring (they later used it to select quarterback Robert Griffin III).

“Peyton would have been a great coup for us,” Shanahan said in a recent interview with Chris Russell of Redskins Report. Even after the trade had been agreed to, Manning still met with Shanahan in Denver.

“It was evident to Peyton that we were going to make that pick [a quarterback],” Shanahan told Russell. “I asked him to stop by the house just to talk football for a few hours.”

Thankfully for the Broncos, Manning ended up signing with Denver and he helped the team reach two Super Bowls in four years. After winning Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season, Manning retired in 2016.

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PFF: Vikings among the teams that are evolving Mike Shanahan’s offensive scheme

Pro Football Focus thinks that the new NFL offense is an old NFL offense, and Minnesota is one of the teams that is taking advantage.

The Vikings, Raiders, Rams, Titans, Browns, 49ers and Packers — those seven teams make up for 37% of the NFL’s inside zone plays.

Pro Football Focus thinks that a system that utilizes “wide zone” play, is one that is becoming sought after in the NFL. The Vikings are one of the teams that is using what’s described as a Mike Shanahan/Gary Kubiak/Alex Gibbs offense.

Here is what PFF had to say about the system:

“It’s about time. The system, built on the “wide zone” play, has always produced greater results than the sum of the parts involved would indicate, but its spread never took off, even after the 1997 and 1998 Super Bowl wins. It has now, though. In fact, six of the top seven teams in terms of outside- or wide-zone percentage in 2019 have connections to Mike Shanahan.”

The outlet mentioned that Gary Kubiak was Mike Shanahan’s quarterbacks’ coach in Denver.

Now, Kubiak has the reigns of the Vikings offense, after being promoted to offensive coordinator due to Kevin Stefanski’s departure.

Bill Cowher says Mike Shanahan belongs in Pro Football Hall of Fame

“The two toughest coaches I had the hardest time to prepare against [were] Bill Belichick and Mike Shanahan,” Bill Cowher said.

When former Steelers coach Bill Cowher was named a Pro Football Hall of Famer in January, many fans and pundits pointed out that former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan has a resume just as good — if not a better — than Cowher’s.

Shanahan won 170 games and went 2-0 in Super Bowls. Cowher won 149 games and went 1-1 in Super Bowls. If Cowher belongs in Canton, surely Shanahan does as well, right?

Cowher seems to agree with that logic.

“Mike Shanahan belongs in the Hall of Fame,’’ Cowher told KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis on Feb 1. “I’ve said if there’s two people I had a hard time — the two toughest coaches I had the hardest time to prepare against, Bill Belichick and Mike Shanahan.”

Cowher said it was impossible to predict what Shanahan was going to call.

“He made you stay on your toes when you were trying to game plan against him,” Cowher said of Shanahan.

Last year, Ed Reed made the case for former safety Steve Atwater to make the Hall of Fame and Atwater got in this year. Perhaps Cowher, now as a Hall of Famer, will be able to help Shanahan get in as well.

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Several ex-Broncos are Super Bowl-bound with 49ers

49ers general manager John Lynch, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and center Ben Garland all played for the Broncos.

The 49ers advanced to Super Bowl LIV after defeating the Packers in the NFC title game on Sunday. They wouldn’t have gotten there without the help of several former Broncos.

San Francisco’s general manager, John Lynch, played safety in Denver from 2004-2007, earning Pro Bowl nods all four years he played with the Broncos. Lynch is now a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The 49ers’ head coach, Kyle Shanahan, grew up on Denver’s sideline as a ball boy. The son of former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, Kyle will always be connected to Denver.

San Francisco wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders played five and a half years with the Broncos before being traded to the 49ers last October. He earned two Pro Bowl nods during his time in Denver and won Super Bowl 50. The trade that sent Sanders from the Broncos to the 49ers worked out well for all parties involved.

San Francisco center Ben Garland spent the first four years of his career with the Broncos, though only one year was spent on Denver’s active roster. After playing for the Air Force Falcons, Garland spent two years on the Broncos’ reserve/military list while he fulfilled his two-year military commitment.

Those aren’t the only 49ers coaches and players with connections to the Broncos. The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala posted a graphic showing San Francisco’s connections to Colorado:

The 49ers will face Kansas City in Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2 on Fox.

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Broncos could have hired Kyle Shanahan in 2017

The Broncos could have hired Kyle Shanahan in 2017 but opted to bring in Vance Joseph instead.

Three years ago, after Gary Kubiak stepped down from coaching for health reasons, the Broncos interviewed coaching candidates including then-Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and then-Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.

Though it appeared at one point that Shanahan was the favorite to get the job, Denver’s front office ultimately decided to hire Joseph. In hindsight, that decision certainly looks like a mistake. From 2017-2018, the Broncos went 11-21 before firing Joseph.

Up until this season, Shanahan’s record wasn’t any better — 10-22 — but with the help of general manager John Lynch, Shanahan has turned San Francisco’s roster into a contender. The 49ers went 13-3 in the regular season this year and will play in Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2.

The son of legendary Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, Kyle might have been able to find success in Denver as well. Fortunately, it looks like the Broncos have found a good coach in Vic Fangio, who went 7-9 in 2019.

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The Shanahans and 21 other fathers and sons who became coaches/managers

Mike and Kyle Shanahan are one of a number of father-son tandems to have coached or managed.

Mike and Kyle Shanahan are a father-son combo that has done well in coaching, for sure. There are many sons that have followed their dad’s careers.

Eddie, Scott and Sean Sutton

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The Suttons have held many jobs in college basketball. Eddie was the head coach of Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State, and University of San Francisco. He has taken two schools (Arkansas and Oklahoma State) to the Final Four, and was the first coach to lead four schools to the NCAA tournament. Sean Sutton was a head coach of Oklahoma State University and Scott Sutton coached Oral Roberts University,

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NFL playoffs: 7 bold predictions for the NFC Championship Game

The Packers and the Niners meet for the NFC berth in the Super Bowl. Sold bold predictions for the big tussle.

The San Francisco 49ers play host to the Green Bay Packers Sunday at Levi’s Stadium with the NFC Super Bowl berth on the line. The game is a rematch of a regular-season rout that saw San Francisco roll to a 37-8 victory. Expect another lopisded contest or will Aaron Rodgers & Co. have more answers? Some bold predictions

Rodgers will throw for more than 104 yards

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Don’t expect the Niners to shut down Aaron Rodgers the way they did in the first meeting. The Packers were totally out of sorts and off their game for the entire contest. Rodgers won’t let that happen again.

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