Over the past decade, plenty of Denver Broncos players have been selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but there’s one member of the Denver franchise that has not made it and it made some people angry.
On August 16, news came out that former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan was told that he would not be making the cut this time around.
Due to this news, ESPN’s NFL Insider Adam Schefter joined 104.3 The Fan in Denver and voiced his strong opinion on the matter.
“Mike Shanahan is a hall of famer yesterday, today, and tomorrow. So, let’s just make him wait and keep making him wait.” Schefter added, “Who comes up with these stupid rules?”
“He belongs in the hall of fame. He should’ve been in before; he’s not in now. He’s going to get in, but let’s just make him wait to 2024 or 2026.”
Instead of Shanahan getting a gold jacket this time around, former Detroit Lions head coach Buddy Parker was selected after he won back-to back championships in 1952-53.
Parker passed away back in 1982 at the age of 68.
“Until the judges of the game, the arbiters of the truth, get to issue that task to go to the hall, like okay, give me a break,” said Schefter who covered Shanahan and the Broncos during their Super Bowl runs in the late 1990s.
Legacy of Shanahan
Shanahan was the head coach for three teams, the Raiders, Broncos, and Washington. During those 20 years, Shanahan ranks 15th all-time in wins with an overall record of 170-138.
While in Denver, Shanahan won back-to-back Super Bowls joining Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, Chuck Noll, Jimmy Johnson, and Bill Belichick as the only six coaches to ever win back-to-back championships.
During his time in Denver, Shanahan had an overall record of 148-86 and won at least 10 games in seven of the 14 years he was there.
In 27 seasons as a head coach or offensive coordinator, Shanahan appeared in the playoffs 14 times and made it to the conference championship nine times. In five Super Bowl appearances, Shanahan would close out his career with three Lombardi Trophies (one as an assistant).
Shanahan was inducted into the Broncos’ Ring of Fame in 2021 as the team’s 34th member.
Former Player Praised Shanahan’s Offense
When you look at today’s NFL and see how creative offenses have gotten, you can thank one person and that’s Shanahan.
Shanahan has been placed under the Bill Walsh coaching tree with the “West Coast” offense, but as time moved forward, he updated the offense and made it his own.
With the success of his running game, Shanahan was able to revolutionize the play-action pass. John Elway and Jake Plummer were famous for making that play work in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Super Bowl champion Tyler Polumbus is a former offensive tackle that played under Shanahan while in Denver and in Washington and told Heavy why he had high praises for the offense. “West coast football is old school. It is also invincible and will never die. When you run the ball well everything works.” Polumbus continued, “Every play Mike ever called was with the intention of setting up the next five plays. The passing game was built off the run game and it all tied together.”
Shanahan hasn’t coached since 2013, but his offensive scheme is still dominating the NFL as we speak. His son Kyle Shanahan has upgraded the scheme and runs it today as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. The offense has worked so well, that San Francisco has appeared in a Super Bowl and most recently the NFC Championship game last season.
We even saw the offensive scheme combine in last year’s Super Bowl with Sean McVay’s Rams and Zac Taylor’s Bengals. Those aren’t the only coaches going to run this offense this season. The Packers, Vikings, Falcons, Jets, Browns, Dolphins, and Broncos will all be running their own versions of Shanahan’s offense.
“It’s obvious that Mike is a bona fide Hall of Famer” according to Polumbus.
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NFL Insider Sounds Off on Broncos HC Not Being Selected for HOF