Three decade Bronco Coaching Legacy Analysis

by topnation on Oct 28, 2009 10:43 AM MDT

I was responding to another post regarding Mike Shanahan's "ego" and decided to chime in on my own to get some more in-depth feedback from my friends here at MHR. Let's discuss the merits of my posited argument after the jump.

One member stated that Mike Shanahan's ego was the problem in how he made personnel moves. It brought to my feeble mind that this was exactly what we were saying at the time about Dan Reeves at the end of his tenure.

Namely, too much "ego" as he had let Shanny go for collaborating with Elway behind his back. The claim was unproven, but honestly, not a bad idea in my opinion as Reeves' play calling had become absolutely mind-numbingly conservative (hit rewind a decade and see he was initially hired as an "innovative offensive genius").

Then Shanny came in (after two more mind-numbing Wade Phillips years – sheesh!) as an "innovative offensive genius" and morphed into somewhat of a predictable play caller (see Bate's) in the latter years. I understand that much of this transition may have had a lot to do with personnel, but they both shifted strongly in that direction through the years.

Is it the NFL grind that does that to creative men?

It will be fun to see how Coach McDaniels “evolves” as a Head Coach. I’ve been around athletics my whole life (Dad was a Coach and head of the US Olympic Committee, I was a collegiate Head Coach at the JUCO, D-II and D1 levels for 14 years), and have never witness one such as OUR Josh.

I don’t worry so much about him following a similar path because of his unabashed enthusiasm and unique combination of “Taskmaster” AND “Player’s Coach”. Regardless of the sport, pro or college, this combination of personality traits is almost unheard of in the levels and depth that McDaniels has displayed here in Denver in just the past six months. Add to that his stout organizational skill set, and we may be on to a once in a lifetime Head Coach here.

Look back in 10 years and check this post, wanna lay a bet that I’m right or wrong?

I know, I know, hyperbole this early in his career, but I’m just sayin’…

Your thoughts?

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR

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We will all see shannys creative juices flow again ! As he will be reBorn with his new team

Wait a minute .. creative juices .. that just dont sound right …LOL

by broncosfaninphilly on Oct 28, 2009 10:51 AM MDT reply actions

I agree wholeheartedly.

This has slapped him back into reality after having his kingdom shattered, then Josh comes in and basically rebuilds the team in 6 months. I thing Shanny will be a man possesed in his next gig. He must build a better staff and relinquish GM duties however.

by topnation on Oct 28, 2009 3:23 PM MDT up reply actions

The grind...you mean 100+ hr work weeks?

I think McDaniels is a young enough guy to be able to handle the “grind”, but after 14-15 years it would no doubt begin to wear down even the best skill sets.

I thought both Reeves and Shanny were/are great coaches…but they both needed to go when they went. They perhaps even stayed around a year or two longer than they should have.

Verbose in style, dispersion of thought, procrastination in life.

The guy formerly known as ZAPPA

by Tim Lynch on Oct 28, 2009 11:22 AM MDT reply actions

Shanny just needed a break

I predict he will have great success in his next gig:

He is reportedly watching 5 hours of film a day during his “year off” Of course, that’s a break from 20 hour days when you are an NFL head coach

He was reportedly smart enough not to join the Redskins debacle midseason

He is definitely noticing McDaniels success and learning from it, just enough to temper that “ego” but maintaining his creativity and confidence.

I don’t think head coaches in the NFL are meant to be in the same place too long. Its too demanding of a job to have a chance to completely learn from your mistakes and others.

Indescision is the key to flexibility

by akbroncosfan on Oct 28, 2009 12:09 PM MDT reply actions 1 recs

Best analysis

I think you sum up the Coach Shanahan situation correctly. Someone is going to get one hell of a coach. Excellent comment akbroncosfan and rec’d.

It all starts in the trenches - HT 11/11/08
Leave the hateful vitriol to the uninformed - HT 3/16/09

by firstfan on Oct 28, 2009 5:23 PM MDT up reply actions

I agree

Although I have been a critic of his in recent years and thought it was time for him to step down, I do believe that he still “has it.” He immersed himself into the whirlwind of coaching and scouting in the NFL, had many public obligations to live up to, and invested in the restaurant business with two partners, not to mention construction of his 35,000 sq. ft. mansion.

The last time I checked, there are only 24 hours in a day, and no man can sustain being overwhelmed. His defensive patch-jobs became a series of miniature failures due to the fact that they were nothing more than short-cuts to improving a defense that needed more of an overhaul. (If we still had Simeon Rice, I bet we’d be able to get him involved with the help of Nunnely and Nolan. Or maybe he’d have Moss’s position on the team and work with Martindale as an OLB instead. He’s playing for the New York Sentinels in the UFL right now.)

I did notice that the beginnings of games were his scripted plays and the Broncos were able to build big leads because of them. I credit Shanahan for that and blame his coordinators for following them up with predictable playcalls, that allowed our competition to catch up.

When it comes to his hiring or retaining a staff of “yes men,” what I can’t figure out is, was it due to distrust in most coaches, or was it ego? For his sake, I hope he’ll figure out how to work better with his future staff, as he must be noticing how valuable good coaches and position coaches are.

by Horsepower on Oct 28, 2009 8:52 PM MDT up reply actions

It's a problem that plagues all successful leaders

Unfortunately, success breeds complacency. Failure brings about change. Once a coach becomes successful using a particular strategy or game plan, it is very difficult for them to move away from it after it has become stale. I think that was Shanny’s undoing. I have no doubt that leaving the Broncos has been a major wake up call for him. I have a feeling that when he begins to coach another team again, you will see huge changes in his coaching style and success will follow again.

by rollinthunder on Oct 28, 2009 12:52 PM MDT reply actions

Complacency or just plain out-witted? I think a little of both.

Predictable systematic behavior? Maybe. And as coaches study films of players and plays, they also study traits of coaches. Sooner or later if these traits are not differentiated then coaches will pick up on it and beat you. Sure they’ll strode across the field and shake your hand, but in the back of their mind they knew they had you.

by bfree2bronc on Oct 28, 2009 3:22 PM MDT reply actions

This too is a good point.

I really like what Coach McDaniels is doing with the varying game plan strategy. He is adjusting to the next opponent and this is very hard for others to get a read on. Now, maybe after a few years that may not be the case, but for the forseeable future, the ride will be fun and interesting!

by topnation on Oct 28, 2009 3:26 PM MDT up reply actions