Top 10 Reasons to Love Mike Shanahan

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. That’s exactly what I’m doing for this week’s Top 10, listing the completely heterosexual reasons why every Denver Broncos fan out there should have a legitimate man crush on our head coach. Mike Shanahan is almost as big of an idol as John Elway in the Mile High City, and for good reason – he has brought this team to a level of success that we haven’t experienced in our history. With his recent contract extension, Broncos fans can look forward to continued success – hopefully including a berth in a Super Bowl or two with a third ring on the horizon.

10) January 14, 2006

Easily the biggest concern Denver fans have had regarding their coach is the lack of postseason success since Elway retired. No such wins in 7 years will do that to a team – so when our first home playoff game since ’98 took place last year, it was against none other than the defending world champs. But the bottom line was that we won – we beat Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, something no other team had ever done in the postseason (and now only a feat the Colts have matched). It was needed, too – we needed the reminder that Shanny knew how to win in January. While Broncos hearts are still mending from the results of the week following, our confidence in Shanahan was reassured when we beat the Pats in the divisional round.

9) Risk Taker

Shanahan has showed, in more ways than one, that he isn’t afraid to take a chance. From going for it on 4th and long to drafting Maurice Clarett (oh, and half of this year’s class), Shanny excites fan with his no fear, kill attitude. Even John Madden is often quoted on his primetime coverage of calling Shanny “The Riverboat Gambler.”

8) Deal Maker

This quality has developed like a fine wine over the years, but since 2005 the art of the deal has landed us Jay Cutler, Javon Walker, Dre Bly and Jarvis Moss (among others). While other GMs and coaches can be paralyzed through overanalysis and plain fear of the deal, Shanahan’s embracing attitude is rare in today’s NFL. He isn’t afraid to go after the guy he wants, but he’s not reckless either.

7) Loyalty

Doing a bit of research for this article, I found out that Shanahan actually coached for two years at Northern Arizona University. Being a current student there, I was always curious why we’ve had an unusual amount of Lumberjacks on our squad – from Punter Paul Ernster to 3rd-String QB Preston Parsons, Denver has always embraced NAU with these players. So when I saw that Shanahan coached here in Flagstaff, it was an “aha” moment for me. He is loyal to his teams, even selecting almost all Florida Gators in the draft and after.

6) The Future

Seemingly overnight, we went from one of the oldest teams in the league to one of the youngest. And most of our draft picks last year were hits, big time – Cutler, Scheffler leading the pack, with Dumervil and a plethora of promising O-Linemen closing it out. Combine that with another solid draft and a bit of trimming the age of our starters (Jake Plummer, Al Wilson), and the long term future looks just as bright as 2007.

5) Super Bowl XXXIII

John Elway’s last game was one for the ages – a dominating period at the end of one of the most successful sentences in NFL history. Having exercised his Super Bowl demons the year before, John was able to perform to his standards in 1998, something he wasn’t able to do in the win the year before. Before, the team carried John – this time, John was the true MVP of the game, passing for 336 yards and a touchdown, running one in as well. Shanahan helped ensure that John’s career would always be remembered with a riding into the sunset finish.

4) The Biggest Raider Hater

More than I do. More than you. More than Broncos cheerleaders do (actually Mile High Report interviewed one, and I guess the girls are a little more amicable to each other than the fans…). More than Al Davis hates us, and more than any Raiders hate us – Mike Shanahan HATES the Oakland Raiders. And with good reason. After an 8-12 record our coach was fired, and history knows who won in that situation. Shanny has an 18-5 record against the Raiders as our coach, and he has led the march of the Raider Hater Nation for over a decade.

3) Mastermind

Pure and simple, Shanahan is a genius. He was among the architects of the West Coast Offense, and along with Alex Gibbs, built the infamous zone blocking scheme the Broncos employ. He seems to have Belichick and Brady’s card, as the duo have beaten the Broncos only once (and in a miraculous Monday Night comeback, at that). A master playcaller, Shanahan is often called The Mastermind in Broncos circles. His small frame doesn’t reflect his huge intellect – he knows just as much about this game, and possibly more, than every other coach in the game today.

2) Super Bowl XXXII

Our first ring can be attributed to the addition of Shanahan almost single handedly. He found Terrell Davis in Round 6 of the draft a few years before and used the superstar to lead our team to its first victory. 14 point underdogs, the Broncos took it to the Packers in a classic game that wasn’t decided until deep in the second half. Broncos fans should be forever grateful for the instant culture change from losing championships to world champions.

1) Annual Contender

Year in and year out, NFL fans know they can’t count out the Broncos. We’ve won more games in the past decade than any other team, and we’re always in the hunt for the AFC West title. And Shanahan is the reason behind it all. Despite inconsistencies at the quarterback position, despite different runningbacks nearly every year, and despite Assistant Coaches that are always on the move – the Broncos find a way to win games. With Shanahan on the sideline, and (finally) with a franchise quarterback to lead the team, it looks like our contention will only improve as the years go by.

As mad as I can get at some of the decisions he makes (ahem cutting Al Wilson), our coach still has my full support. We’re in the hunt again this year, and are among the top teams in the league when it comes to Super Bowl odds. All Broncos fans should be in love with our coach – and in case you forget why, refer to the list. Just shy of 30 teams out there would kill to be able to back up their coach with this kind of resume. Be grateful.