Kyle Shanahan fits Denver Broncos’ most urgent need
With rumors abounding that Vance Joseph is the top choice for the Denver Broncos’ head coaching vacancy, Kyle Shanahan interview looms…
Kyle Shanahan is exactly what the Denver Broncos need.
He has only to prove that now in a face to face meeting with John Elway and the rest of the Denver Broncos’ front office.
I’m not going to take up too much of your time here, and I know these may be things you probably already have heard somewhere else, or already know. I’m going to lay them all out as plainly as I can, anyway.
Kyle Shanahan Knows Offense
This is about as plain as it gets. Wherever Shanahan has been as an offensive coordinator, he’s had great success. Since he was 29 years of age, whatever offense Shanahan has run has been very good, and in the case of the 2016 Atlanta Falcons, they have been flat out great.
Shanahan has evolved an offense that won Super Bowls in the late 90s into a similarly constructed offense that is tailored to today’s NFL. It’s an offense, by the way, that absolutely embarrassed the Broncos’ vaunted defense earlier in the 2016 season.
In Denver, no less…
Shanahan knows what he’s doing. He knows how to out-smart opponents, and he knows how to extract the very best out of his players. It just so happens that the Broncos’ biggest struggles are offensively, and the majority of their young players are offensive players.
The Broncos need the best of the best coaching their offense. Shanahan is arguably that.
The Wade Phillips Situation
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In terms of in-house free agent, none is bigger than the Son of Bum himself, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.
Phillips’ contract has expired and there is a pretty decent chance he will leave. That has been reported as a near certainty if the Broncos hire Vance Joseph as their head coach. Broncos fans haven’t really taken well to that rumor, even if it’s not true, and the mere thought of a head coach coming in only to drive out the lovable Phillips is borderline insane.
Why mess with the best thing the Broncos have going?
Shanahan, in theory, would have no reason to hire someone other than Phillips to run this defense. The question is, would Phillips mind working for Shanahan?
I view Shanahan as the Broncos’ best bet to retain Wade Phillips, regardless…
What Elway Wants
John Elway mentioned that he wants a bright young coach and while Vance Joseph also fits that description at 44-years of age, Shanahan is even younger at 37 and has been an offensive coordinator for nine seasons.
Joseph has been a coordinator for one.
That doesn’t necessarily make Joseph a better candidate, but Shanahan has already had a lot more responsibility in the NFL, if you will, and to me presents the more experienced candidate.
Elway has also repeatedly stated his desire for people in this organization who want to be Broncos. Shanahan has expressed his desire to work with this team and front office.
Young Quarterbacks
The Denver Broncos have made inexpensive yet significant investments in their quarterback position. Paxton Lynch is the team’s prized possession, a first round pick of the 2016 NFL Draft that the Broncos traded up to get.
Trevor Siemian is coming off of his first NFL season as a starting quarterback, and showed flashes that he can play in this league but clearly needs some development. What better coaching candidate is there to work with the Broncos’ young quarterbacks?
What coordinator that we don’t know about is out there, readily available, ready to take this offense to the next level? Mike McCoy?
Been there, seen it. Done it.
Who are the Broncos going to hire as an offensive coordinator that is going to push their young quarterbacks to the next level, that isn’t going to leave at the next best opportunity to be a head coach and stunt their development yet again?
For the sake of their young quarterbacks, the choice is Shanahan, and it’s not close.
Final Words
There’s no doubt the Broncos are interviewing a few very good head coaching candidates, starting on Friday with Dave Toub and proceeding to Saturday’s interview with Shanahan. They are going to interview Vance Joseph at some point, and he’s already considered the front-runner for the position.
It’s now up to Shanahan to prove he is the man for the job. He is the coach this team needs to be in consistent contention. The Broncos also need to realize their need for him.
It’s a perfect match, not only for the present, but the foreseeable future.