After taking the head coaching job of the New York Jets a year ago, Robert Saleh took Mike LaFleur (former 49ers staffer and brother to Matt) with him as his offensive coordinator. With OConnell and former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel becoming the most recent branches of the McVay/Shanahan coaching tree, these disciples will help form the largest coaching tree in the league next season. What set the Shanahan lineage of coaches apart was the addition of the wide/outside-zone running scheme. Coaching tree. Kyle Shanahan's first head-coaching job came in 2017 when he took over for the San Francisco 49ers. That said, even with his presence, Walshs tree ranks eighth in regular season win percentage and sixth in postseason win percentage. WebShanahan's success with the 49ers earned him a head coaching spot once more, this time back in Denver with the Broncos beginning in 1995. Shanahan was born on Sunday, August 24, 1952 in Oak Park, Illinois. During his time as head coach and offensive coordinator he coached seven players to award-winning seasons. Here we get to the first coach whose tree coached before Super Bowls existed. Yikes! It was time to dial up No. WebMichael Edward "Mike" Shanahan (born August 24, 1952) is an American profession football coach., best known as the head coach of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1995 to 2008. But with Matt Nagys dismissal in Chicago, plus the addition of OConnell and McDaniel as head coaches next season, that means theres a new sheriff in town. His third head coach placement began in 2010 with the Washington Redskins. It just so happens that the next big adaptation in the West Coast Offense is one that is still a staple 25 years later. Mike Shanahan, a two-time Super Bowl winner and likely future Hall-of-Famer, was Washington's head coach, with Kyle the offensive coordinator. That .156 win percentage is tied for the third-worst of any coach on any tree in this list with Chris Palmer, ahead of only Bill Conkright (1-8; .111) and Cam Cameron (1-15; .063). The one that doesnt quite fit in, yknow? Matthew Stafford, Sean McVay, and OConnell made a conscious decision about how they were going to win this game. His coaching tree has combined for a record of 331-264-0 in the regular season and 22-16 in the playoffs during their thirty-seven seasons as head coach after serving on his coaching staffs. The Mike Shanahan era in Washington lasted four seasons and yielded three 10-loss campaigns, zero playoff victoriesand a coaching staff now taking the NFL by storm. For example, while Andy Reid can be traced back to Bill Walsh, he only ever worked under Bill Walshs disciple Mike Holmgren. I really hope I covered everything. The Broncos lost to the Colts in the same round the following season 49-24. The play is designed to look like a three-level flood concept to the boundary with outside zone run action opposite, with Kittle on the corner-post route. NFL head coaches under whom Mike Shanahan has served: Barry Switzer, University of Oklahoma (1975) Dan The coaching tree has combined for two championships, most recently in 2021 by the Los Angeles Rams, led by Sean McVay. McVay stayed in Washington until the end of 2016. Join. It starts with Gary Kubiak, a longtime colleague of Mike Shanahan, giving Kyle Shanahan his first job as an NFL position coach in 2006. Personal Information If the defense drops deep and stays in two-high or quarters, the intermediate crosser should be open. Sure, Romeo Crennell kind of sucked and Freddie Kitchens was underwhelming, but they werent so bad that their teams became laughingstocks across the NFL, unlike Palmer. Longevity? The Mike Shanahan era in Washington lasted four seasons and yielded three 10-loss campaigns, zero playoff victoriesand a coaching staff now taking the NFL by storm. The #Rams only had 43 yards rushing in #SuperBowl and Cooper Kupp picked up 7 yards on this 4th down run. The next week, Florida met Georgia, also ranked number 4 and lost that game 10-9. NFL head coaches under whom Mike Shanahan has served: Barry Switzer, University of Oklahoma (1975) Dan We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. The coaches that run the Shanahan scheme all use zone runs and play action passes that look identical to their run plays. Got it? As I said, the tree is absolutely carried by Reid, who leads all Holmgren disciples in wins, win percentage, postseason appearances, postseason win percentage, and conference championships. They won a conference championship (including pre-Super Bowl AFL/NFL championships) once every 5.4 seasons nearly twice as often as Parcells tree has (once every nine seasons). At 25 years old, Shanahan worked under Darrell Mudra, who was brought on to revive the Eastern Illinois football program. Unfortunately, many of his children could start experiencing darker days as their coaching careers progress. The Jackson 5 had Tito. Like Shanahan, McVay began his career as a head-coach in 2017. During this time, Gary Kubiak (Remember him? Griese and Kyle Shanahan have known each other for years; Griese played QB in Tampa when Shanahan was on the Bucs coaching staff. Matt LeFleur and the Packers have NFL MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers at the helm, which gives them a better chance than most. Belichick might be the main course, but the Coughlin appetizer and Payton dessert were icing on the cake that cemented Parcells status as the second-best coaching tree of all time. The Los Angeles Rams are coached by Sean McVay, who was Mike Shanahans tight ends coach in Washington. We want your feedback, let us know at feedback@pro-football-history.com. Six of these years were spent on Reeves' coaching staff. The Mike Shanahan era in Washington lasted four seasons and yielded three 10-loss campaigns, zero playoff victoriesand a coaching staff now taking the NFL by storm. LaFleur , Taylor, McDaniels and Kyle Shanahan have all assembled excellent coaching staffs that However, OConnell is a new branch on this highly sought-after coaching tree. Six years in to Kyle Shanahans tenure, his coaching tree is already legion. This tree is carried by Chuck Noll and George Allen. His next head coaching stint was with the Denver Broncos from 1995 to 2008, as he led the team to a 138-86-0 record. The next head coach of the Vikings linked up with McVay for the first time before the 2020 season. He came to prominence as the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, whose offense in 2016 led the league in points scored and helped the team reach Super Bowl LI.Shanahan became Somehow he never made the playoffs either, which I find hard to believe with a record like that. ESPNs bold moves for the 49ers this offseason: Blow the budget on the secondary, The Niners will need to create some cap space, The 49ers understand the need for spinal support in 2023 draft. After nearly ten years in the college ranks, Shanahan entered the NFL with the Denver Broncos. The team finished ranked number 19 in the coaches poll his first year with the team. The deep safety and the deep third corner ran with Emmanuel Sanders on the corner post route, but quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo let it fly downfield to Sanders. pic.twitter.com/trrttdTIAw, Doug Rush (@TheDougRush) February 14, 2022. Thats what gave the edge to Dungy. After his short, but successful, coaching time at Eastern Illinois, Shanahan went to the University of Minnesota to fill the Golden Gophers offensive coordinator position in 1979. Re: Old article on the coaching tree of Mike Shanahan -link. Despite the three Lombardi trophies to this particular coaching trees name, they have a middling .533 winning percentage in the postseason. With what these young, hotshot head coaches have accomplished in the NFL in a short amount of time, its easy to understand why the Vikings and Dolphins wanted in. Shanahan set the record, since broken, in the 1969 season, a year before he graduated. Two weeks later, the 49ers called the same concept but out of shotgun 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three receivers) and used Kittle on a jet motion to add an element of deception. They were not fooled by the jet motion and covered the crossing routes pretty easily. The team finished 12-2 that season and it remains the only football championship in the schools history. In the video above from the Falcons 2016 season, you can see how each read develops. For this, Mike Shanahan hired Alex Gibbs in 1995 to be his assistant head coach and offensive line coach when the elder Shanahan took over as the Denver Broncos head coach. Once defenses start to adjust to the timing and route combinations of the regular naked boot play action, the Shanahan lineage will change up the play by adding a leak route from the play side shallow across the backside formation then down the numbers. Yes, Mike Ditka put together arguably the greatest team in NFL history, but that was his only conference championshipacross seven playoff appearances. One of the hallmarks of a great coach is their tree. Secondly, everybody under each tree had to serve at least one season on the main head coachs staff. Mike Shanahan , during his first year of working with the Broncos (and QB John Elway) criticized Elway for his conditioning. On average, Schottenheimers tree reached the playoffs every 1.98 seasons, the best mark of any tree on this list. Griese and Kyle Shanahan have known each other for years; Griese played QB in Tampa when Shanahan was on the Bucs coaching staff. Each of the three coaches enters the divisional round of the NFC playoffs with a great chance of getting to the Super Bowl. A good chunk of who he is, after all, comes from being part of the gigantic Mike Shanahan coaching tree. Walshs tree was full of solid head coaches, but nobody who really carries the tree like others on this list has. WebShanahan's success with the 49ers earned him a head coaching spot once more, this time back in Denver with the Broncos beginning in 1995. pic.twitter.com/vwWRUsMekn, Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) February 14, 2022. Nobody knew how to win like Paul Browns tree in the playoffs (I counted AFL/NFL championship games as postseason games because why not). Personal Information If this list were based entirely on totals, Parcells would be at the top, but on a per-season basis, he falls flat in comparison to the best tree. This tree contains three coaches with records of .250 or worse, including Cam Cameron, whose 1-15 record (.063) is the worst of any coach on any tree in this list. Mike Shanahan and his coaching pedigree are well respected in the NFL and his impact on the game still shows today. Kyle Shanahan's 49ers will have their hands full with the offense from LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers. The next head coach of the Vikings linked up with McVay for the first time before the 2020 season. Shanahan finished his first two seasons with a disappointing 11-21 record, but a seven-game win streak won the Redskins the 2010 NFC East division title, the teams first since 1999. The Broncos went on to lose the Super Bowl to the Giants 39-20. On the very next play, McVay called Kupps number yet again on a speed out at the pylon drawing another pass interference. It was the first of two collegiate national titles for Shanahan. Even more awesome is the fact that despite over 20 percent of all Browns trees seasons being played before the Super Bowl era, they still managed to win four Super Bowls. The Los Angeles Rams are coached by Sean McVay, who was Mike Shanahans tight ends coach in Washington. Ho ho ho, folks! Coming into this past season, the Shanahan/McVay and Reid coaching trees were tied with six head coaches that held jobs in the NFL. In his first season as head coach of the Denver Broncos, the team went 8-8. Its hard to compete with that. That said, the Reid tree is still going strong in the NFL, and maybe in a few years, its branches will have earned their way up this list. Dungys tree is undoubtedly carried by Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Hackett worked with Mikes brother, Matt, in Green Bay. Breaking down the Shanahan coaching tree and offense, Lances QB coach: The 49ers organization has someone who is really special, Quincy Avery took a few minutes to speak with Jordan on Trey Lances progress, work ethic, and why the 49ers have a special quarterback, 49ers QB Brock Purdy is expected to undergo elbow surgery next week. The Packers will host the 49ers this Saturday night in the NFC Divisional Round at 8:15 PM ET. NFL head coaches under whom Mike Shanahan has served: Barry Switzer, University of Oklahoma (1975) Dan Reeves, Denver Broncos (19841987, 1991) George Seifert, San Francisco 49ers (19921994) Assistant coaches under Mike Shanahan who became NFL head coaches: Yes, Jon Gruden also adds a title to Holmgrens tree, but six playoff appearances across 15 seasons as a head coach isnt as great as youd like your second-best disciple to be. Re: Old article on the coaching tree of Mike Shanahan -link. The Green Bay coach is also Not one other coach has above a .500 record. Because at the end of the day, Belichick has just a single postseason victory (1994 Cleveland Browns) to his name without Tom Brady as his quarterback. For his expertise in that magical scheme, Shanahan was hired as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers on February 6, 2017. Although he never won an NFL Championship, his Giants were consistently one of the best teams in the NFL prior to the Super Bowl erawhere they went 15-26-1 across three seasons. The New York Giants are headed towards their second straight losing season and third straight season without making the playoffs, putting head coach Tom Coughlin firmly on the hot seat. How would I do this though? Shanahan was fired after a late-season collapse, in which the Broncos saw a three game divisional lead with three games remaining turn into the third consecutive season out of the playoffs. During his time leading the Broncos the team won the Super Bowl in 1997 and 1998. In the clips above with the 49ers, Shanahan has run the leak route with a tight end, a receiver, and a fullback. This group coached for 32 seasons in the Super Bowl era and won four Super Bowls. Sean McVay gave the ball to his best player and thats why theyre champs.pic.twitter.com/08hLaaxjRv, DJ Sixsmith (@DJ_Sixsmith) February 14, 2022. McDaniel worked under Shanahan, McVay, and Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur during their time together in Washington from 2011-13. There are 20+ professionals named "Michael Shanahan", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. The safety ends up taking a tumble as well as Sanders catches it. WebCoaching Tree. Year three in 2019 saw the 49ers reach new peaks they had not seen since 2012 under Jim Harbaugh. The lineage continued to pick up coaches along the way, with Mike Shanahan taking his son with him to be the head coach and offensive coordinator, respectively, for the Washington Football Team. That said, theres also lots of time for them to amass more Super Bowl titles. Three were courtesy of Bill Walsh of course, but Weeb Ewbank, who was a head coach for 12 years before the first Super Bowl managed to win one as well during the 1969 season as the head coach of the New York Jets. Shanahan had great success as a coach, with two Super Bowl wins with the Broncos, plus one as the 49ers offensive coordinator. In 1998, Davis rushed for 2,008 yards, becoming only the 4th running back to surpass 2,000 yards in a season. If both the #1 and #2 reads are outside their blockers, the runner will bend it back up the middle. In year two under McVay, the Rams high powered offense, at nearly 33 points per game in 2018, earned a trip to the Super Bowl, where they eventually lost late to the Patriots. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. If he gets fired, who are the top candidates to take his place? WebView the profiles of professionals named "Michael Shanahan" on LinkedIn. It's safe to say that those coaches under Mike Shanahan's tutelage ended up having success early on in their head-coaching careers. LaFleur , Taylor, McDaniels and Kyle Shanahan have all assembled excellent coaching staffs that From Walsh playbooks in the 1980s to Shanahan playbooks in the late 2010s, the passing game is still very much in line with its historical roots. Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach. Upon graduation from Eastern Illinois, he was an offensive assistant for the University of Oklahoma football team in 1975. On a per-season basis, Holmgrens tree hasnt done too well in the conference championship or Super Bowl departments, but theyre actually near the middle of the pack when looking at their total numbers. Re: Old article on the coaching tree of Mike Shanahan -link. Still with me?) Saleh said he's not married to the idea of hiring a Kyle Shanahan disciple, as he did with LaFleur. The other five all have records under .400. Throughout the 21st Century, the NFLs most popular coaching trees came from either Bill Belichick or Andy Reid. You can try to hide the light all you want putting it out of sight, out of mind but the thorough tree examiners will find it. But hes able to get up and sprint to the end zone for the touchdown. Kyle Shanahan coaching tree: 49ers head coach has budding branches, following in dad's footsteps Joe Rivera 3 min read (Getty Images) The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). The next time Shanahan and the Broncos made the playoffs was 2003, when they lost in the wild card round again, this time 41-10 to the Indianapolis Colts. In order to effectively lead a locker room of men from all different walks of life, you have to prioritize a player-driven culture that relies on building genuine relationships throughout the building. Its the best tree the NFL has ever seen, perhaps the greatest the league will ever see.