Tag: Mike Shula

Guess who? Former Alabama football head coach is new offensive coordinator at SEC school

It’s been a while since Mike Shula was in charge of an SEC offense.

The South Carolina Gamecocks and quarterback LaNorris Sellers will have someone new in charge of play-calling duties next season, and it’s a name Alabama football fans remember well.

On Tuesday, former Crimson Tide quarterback and coach Mike Shula was promoted to offensive coordinator on coach Shane Beamer’s staff. Shula replaces Dowell Loggains, who accepted the coaching job at Appalachian State.

According to various reports, Shula’s contract with South Carolina is for three years at $1.1 million a season. Shula had been an assistant coach in 2024, his first season with the Gamecocks’ program.

Before joining Beamer’s staff in Columbia, Shula had worked as an assistant coach in the NFL with a number of teams. Most notably, he was the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator from 2013-17, including during their run to Super Bowl 50. He also was the offensive coordinator for the New York Giants for two seasons (2018-19).

Shula is best known in college football circles for his tenure as Alabama’s coach beginning in the spring of 2003. He spent four seasons leading the Crimson Tide, winning 10 games and the Cotton Bowl in 2005 before being fired after going 6-6 the following season.

Shula’s firing led to Nick Saban being named Alabama’s coach — and savior — in January 2007.

For a while, Shula was considered one of the most polarizing figures in the history of Alabama football. His detractors pointed to an 0-4 record against Auburn in the Iron Bowl, an offense that had become too predictable and vanilla, and a resistance to change.

Shula’s defenders recognized he was placed in a no-win situation during his tenure in Tuscaloosa. At the time of Shula’s hiring, Alabama was suffering from great embarrassment amid the fallout of the Mike Price scandal, in which the coach was fired for unethical conduct before he coached his first game.

The image of the Alabama football program had taken a severe beating in the public eye. Dennis Franchione, faced with crippling NCAA sanctions as the result of a major recruiting scandal he’d had nothing to do with, had jilted Alabama for Texas A&M the previous winter. Shula’s first season resulted in just four wins.

But the passing of time, and Alabama’s return to national prominence under Saban, has healed most if not all wounds in regard to Shula.

Alabama will face Shula and the Gamecocks next season on Oct. 25 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Alabama news and notes, plus opinions. 

Cam Newton: Former Panthers GM Dave Gettleman was behind infamous ‘tie game’

Panthers great Cam Newton confirmed that former GM Dave Gettleman was behind the decision to bench him for not wearing a tie to Seattle in 2016.

It’s taken seven years, but we finally have Cam Newton’s side to one of the more infamous stories in Carolina Panthers history.

The franchise’s all-time leader passer joined fellow quarterbacks Jordan Palmer and Kyle “Lovey Dovey” Allen for Wednesday’s episode of The QB Room podcast. Newton, who provided an absolute wealth of perspective on his time with the Panthers, recalled the trip to Seattle in 2016—where he was benched because he did not travel to the game with a tie.

Yeah, that happened.

Here’s Newton’s account:

Newton, who won the Most Valuable Player award the season prior, was held out of the game’s opening drive. In a sick twist of karma to the powers that be (or power that were), backup Derek Anderson tossed an interception on the very first play of the possession.

After the Seahawks cashed in with an easy field goal, head coach Ron Rivera subbed Newton in for the remainder of the Sunday night showdown. The Panthers went on to lose, 40-7.

Oh, and if you think Newton may be fibbing, linebacker Thomas Davis and safety Tre Boston—both of whom were also on that 2016 squad—have very similar recollections . . .

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Throwback Thursday: What happened the last time Alabama faced South Florida?

Alabama last played South Florida in 2003, here’s what happened

On Saturday afternoon from Tampa, [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag], and the Alabama football team will look to get back in the win column when they take on the South Florida Bulls from Raymond James Stadium.

Alabama has plenty of question marks entering the Week 3 matchup against the Bulls and Tide fans are yearning for those to be answered before SEC play begins.

This weekend’s matchup will be just the second meeting between the two programs and on this edition of Throwback Thursday, we are going to take a deep dive into that matchup and how it went down. To do that, we have to go all the way back to 2003.

Mike Shula was making his head coaching debut for the Crimson Tide as Alabama took on a South Florida Bulls program that was entering just its third season in Division 1-A under head coach Jim Leavitt.

Alabama would go on to beat the Bulls 40-17 from Legion Field in Birmingham. The Crimson Tide offense was led by quarterback Brodie Croyle who threw for over 200 yards and one touchdown. Shaud Williams led the attack on the ground, rushing for 98 yards and two touchdowns.

The Alabama defense even joined in on the scoring with safety Charlie Peprah picking off a pass and running it back 51 yards for a touchdown.

Alabama would finish the 2003 season with a 4-9 record while the Bulls would finish 7-4 as a member of Conference USA.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire as we continue to get you ready for Alabama’s Week 3 matchup with South Florida.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on X (Twitter) @Blackwood89.

Bills coaching staff: Eric Washington promoted, Mike Shula hired

Bills coaching staff: Eric Washington promoted, Mike Shula hired

The Buffalo Bills had two pieces of movement on their coaching staff this week.

The team announced on Tuesday that defensive line coach Eric Washington was promoted to senior defensive assistant/defensive line.

He was previously only the team’s D-line coach, a role he has held since 2020.

Washington, 52, was previously a member of the Carolina Panthers’ coaching staff from 2011 to 2017. There he worked under current Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott, who was Carolina’s defensive coordinator.

Along with Washington’s promotion, Mike Shula was added to the coaching staff on offense.

He will hold the title of  senior offensive assistant.

Shula is the son of late Hall of Fame head coach Don Shula.

Like Washington, Shula also worked with McDermott back in Carolina. Shula was the Panthers’ quarterbacks coach in 2011-12 and then the offensive coordinator from 2013-17.

During that time, new Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey worked with Shula as well as the Panthers’ QB coach.

One could assume Shula was brought in to assist Dorsey in his new role.

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Broncos had a new offensive play caller, but same bad results in Week 10

It seems that the Broncos don’t have an obvious in-house candidate who would be an improvement over Pat Shurmur.

Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur has been criticized by fans this season for an underwhelming offense that features questionable play calling, bad red zone results and underutilized running backs.

Shurmur was unavailable for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles due to COVID-19 protocol, so quarterbacks coach Mike Shula filled in as the team’s offensive play caller in Week 10.

Fans hoping for a revamped offense were disappointed.

Shula, who has coached under Shurmur since 2018, called a game that looked a lot like his mentor’s. The Broncos threw the ball inside the five-yard line, underutilized their running backs and were terrible in the red zone.

New play caller, same bad results.

Denver entered the red zone five times against Philly and netting just six points from those five possessions.

Javonte Williams received just eight carries and Melvin Gordon got nine. That’s just 17 total carries for a pair of backs that were averaging 6.0 and 5.0 yards per carry, respectively, on Sunday.

This seemingly confirms that making an in-season change at offensive coordinator doesn’t make much sense for the Broncos. Shurmur’s offense hasn’t been good enough, but Denver doesn’t seem to have an in-house candidate who could replace him and improve the offense.

Broncos fans hoping for better play calling will likely have to wait until 2022.

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Broncos to be without OC Pat Shurmur for Week 10 matchup vs. Eagles

Denver Broncos to be without offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur for Week 10 matchup vs. Philadelphia Eagles due to COVID-19 protocols.

As the Broncos prepare to host the Eagles in Week 10, they’ll do so without a familiar face to both clubs, as offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will miss the contest due to COVID-19 protocols.

The Broncos have now had four players and a coach in the protocols since Sunday, and Greg Shula could be the play caller for Teddy Bridgewater in Denver on Sunday.

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Watch Mike Shula narrate tribute to dads during the ESPYs

Mike Shula, the son of legendary NFL coach Don Shula, narrated a tribute to dads on Father’s Day.

During the ESPY Awards show on Sunday evening, Denver Broncos quarterbacks coach Mike Shula narrated a tribute to his late father, Don — and all dads — on Father’s Day.

Mike was hired by Denver in January after recent coaching stints with the Giants and Panthers. His dad, Don, owns the most wins by a coach in NFL history (328) and won one NFL championship and two Super Bowls. A four-time Coach of the Year, Don died at age 90 on May 4 earlier this year.

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Broncos express condolences after death of Don Shula

Don Shula, the father of Broncos quarterbacks coach Mike Shula, died on Monday.

Don Shula, the winningest coach in NFL history, died Monday morning. He was 90 years old.

Shula posted a win-loss-tie record of 328-156-6 during his 33-year career. He reached six Super Bowls in his career, winning two of them. He also won an NFL Championship in 1968 before Super Bowls existed.

Shula coached the Baltimore Colts (1963-1969) and Miami Dolphins (1970–1995). He and his wife, Dorothy, had five children, including two sons. Both of his sons — Dave and Mike — are coaches.

Mike currently serves as the Denver Broncos’ quarterbacks coach. He previously worked as the offensive coordinator for the New York Giants (2018–2019) and Carolina Panthers (2013–2017).

“We join the NFL community in expressing our sincere condolences to the family of legendary Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach Don Shula,” the Broncos wrote in a statement on Twitter. “Our hearts especially go out to his son, Broncos Quarterbacks Coach Mike Shula.”

Denver hired Mike Shula in January. He previously worked with offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur in New York.

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Pat Shurmur excited to have ‘outstanding’ coaches Mike Shula, Mike Munchak in Denver

“He’s an outstanding coach,” Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said of quarterbacks coach Mike Shula.

Broncos coach Vic Fangio has built quite the coaching staff in Denver. Fangio, a defensive guru, has brought in plenty of offensive masterminds to give the team a balanced staff.

Last year, Denver hired former NFL head coach Mike Munchak to serve as the team’s offensive line coach. This year, the Broncos hired another former head coach, Pat Shurmur, to serve as their offensive coordinator.

Shurmur brought in former Giants offensive coordinator Mike Shula to serve as Denver’s new quarterbacks’ coach.

“Mike’s an outstanding coach . . . [and] an even better person,” Shurmur said during his introductory press conference last week. “I knew about Mike prior to going to the Giants. Then having worked with him now, I think the Broncos are really lucky that he was available and willing to come here.

“He’s an outstanding coach, does a great job not only with quarterbacks but also with the whole offense. He called plays in the Super Bowl. I think the players here are very lucky that he’s here.”

Shurmur also had good things to say about Munchak, who made the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

“He’s an outstanding coach and person,” Shurmur said. “He goes in that Mike Shula category for me. He’s had great success obviously first as a player, but he’s an outstanding person, outstanding coach.

“That had a little bit to do with me coming here. I think for an offensive coordinator being around a tremendous offensive line coach that’s huge.”

With such an impressive offensive coaching staff, it’s easy to imagine the Broncos’ offense taking a big step forward during the 2020 season.

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Giants’ Nate Solder offers high praise for Pat Shurmur, Mike Shula

New York Giants LT Nate Solder had nothing but good things to say about his former head coach and offensive coordinator.

The NFL coaching carousel never seems to slow down. Coaches worth their salt who lose jobs for one reason or another always appear to catch on with other teams.

That’s what happened to former New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur and his offensive coordinator, Mike Shula, who were both let go by the Giants after winning just nine games over two seasons.

Shurmur and Shula have traded in their blue garb for orange this year as they have gone on to new positions with the Denver Broncos — Shurmur as the offensive coordinator and Shula as the quarterbacks coach.

Giants’ left tackle Nate Solder, who played his college ball at Colorado and grew up a Broncos fan, is pleased that his old coaches landed in a place he covets.

From 9news.com in Denver:

“That’s excellent,’’ Solder said. “You’ve got a great staff. Growing up, I was a Broncos fan and I just wish the best for all those guys.’’

So what kind of play caller are the Broncos getting in Shurmur?

“I think he did a great job keeping things dynamic,’’ Solder said. “I think he did a great job of highlighting our best players. We had a lot of success. That wasn’t noticed in our wins and losses but I felt like we did some good things.”

And Shula?

“I know (rookie quarterback) Daniel Jones thought very highly of him and he was the one working with him all day long so that says a lot,’’ Solder said.

The Giants have a new head coach and OC in Joe Judge and Jason Garrett. Where they decide to place Solder this year is still to be determined.

Some believe the Giants could find a new left tackle and slide Solder over to the right side. Others are speculating the Giants could release Solder outright, but that would be costly. The move would save them $6.5 million in salary but would incur a $13 million dead cap charge.

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