With Brady Hoke’s firing pretty much inevitable, we’re profiling the candidates to take over as Michigan HC. Today, we’re taking a look at former Broncos/Redskins coach Mike Shanahan.
Shanahan wasn't even an afterthought until recently - rumors leaked in early November that he'd be open to returning to the college game if Florida or Michigan was interested. While neither team has expressed interest, we're still going to take a look at what Shanahan would bring to the table...just in case.
A dual-threat quarterback for Division II Eastern Illinois, Shanahan's playing career was abruptly ended in 1972 by a hit that ruptured one of his kidneys and nearly killed him. Shanahan quickly turned to coaching, first for a year in Oklahoma as a graduate assistant and then for two seasons at Northern Arizona as a running backs coach. In 1978, Shanahan was offered the offensive coordinator position at his alma mater, and at just 26 years old, he took the job. Eastern Illinois won the Division II championship that season with their explosive offense, and that led to jobs as OC for Minnesota and then Florida.
Shanahan's success at Florida got the attention of the NFL, and in 1984 Dan Reeves hired him to be the new Denver Broncos offensive coordinator. Shanahan's success in Denver impressed Raiders owner Al Davis, and in 1989 Davis hired him to be the LA Raiders new head coach.
Davis and Shanahan never really got along, and the talented Raiders team was hamstrung by their petty politics. Several assistants were hired and fired in retaliation for various slights, and things reached the point of no return early in his second year with the team.
After being unceremoniously canned by Davis, Shanahan spent time with both the Broncos (as an offensive assistant) and the San Francisco 49ers (as OC) before being offered Denver's head coaching job in 1995.
Shanahan, who had studied Bill Walsh's methods in the past, embraced them fully in Denver. By taking the West Coast offense and adding more focus on the run, Shanahan's teams were able to open up the field and let John Elway pick defenses apart. The Broncos won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998, and Shanahan was seen as the league's fastest-rising coaching mind.
Things went south when Elway retired after the '98 Super Bowl, and the franchise went 8 years without a playoff win. A 2005 revival with Jake Plummer under center proved to be short-lived, and Shanahan was fired after the Broncos missed the playoffs in 2008 for the third straight year.
Shanahan's next coaching stop was a disastrous spell with the Washington Redskins. With full control over football operations, Shanahan went 24-40 in Washington, finishing last in the division in three out of four seasons. Clashing with his owner, players, and the media, Shanahan certainly went out with a bang.
The Good: Shanahan has succeeded at the highest level of the game, and there aren't many interested coaching candidates out there with two Super Bowl rings. His offenses, when executed correctly, are extremely dangerous.
The Bad: Shanahan's best results came more than 15 years ago, and his recent stint with the Redskins doesn't inspire much confidence. His personality clashes in Oakland, Denver (his second stint with the team ended badly before he was invited back as HC), and Washington are also a red flag. With no college head coaching experience, we don't know how Shanahan would do as a recruiter or how he would adapt to the college game after so many years in the NFL.
How Would The Fans React? While there would be plenty of Wolverines fans happy with anyone other than Brady Hoke, this would not be a well-received hire. Despite Shanahan's NFL success, his star has fallen dramatically and there are plenty of reasonable concerns about whether he could succeed in such a drastically different role than what he's used to. Since it doesn't sound like Michigan has any interest in Shanahan at this time, the former Broncos HC is still just a very interesting hypothetical.
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