Hall of Fame voters voice support for the candidacy of Mike Shanahan.

Good morning, Broncos Country!

There are certain people who you know are just Hall of Famers.

Mike Shanahan fits that mold better than just about any coach who is debated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Call it the eye test for the Hall of Fame.

Randy Gradishar finally got his place this year and will be inducted in August. Needless to say it’s long overdue for the Denver Broncos legendary linebacker.

According to a story from the Broncos website, Shanahan may not have to wait that long.

As Hall of Fame voter and member of the Coach/Contributor Committee Charean Williams told the website at the NFL annual meeting last month:

“To me, he’s the next guy who should go in.”

Williams added:

“I think he’s probably the first coach I look at to say he needs to be the next one into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as (far as) coaches go. I just think when you look at his record, his number of wins — 170 wins — ranks right up there. Of the coaches who aren’t in the Hall of Fame who are eligible, he’s at the top of that list.

“And just the two Super Bowls and really what he did in his time in Denver I think was fantastic. (There are) a number of Hall of Famers that he coached and players that he developed. I just think he’s a Hall of Fame coach.”

Shanahan’s resume speaks for itself.

• He’s the winningest coach in Broncos’ history, one of the most successful franchises in the history of the NFL.
• Shanahan is one of seven coaches to win back-to-back Super Bowls (Chuck Knoll did it twice with the Pittsburgh Steelers). Of those seven, four are in the Hall of Fame, with two as locks when the time comes for Bill Belichick and Andy Reid.
• As the Broncos website points out, from 1996-98, Shanahan oversaw one of the most successful periods in NFL history. Denver won 46 games and two titles.
• The Shanahan coaching tree and his offensive mind continue to influence the league in major ways.
• His time as offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers helping Steve Young win his first Super Bowl as a starting quarterback.

That’s a Hall of Famer.

As Williams said to the Broncos website:

“I think his (coaching) tree is huge, and I think that’s a huge part that you consider when you talk about coaches. How did they produce assistant coaches? How did they change the game? And I think he did that with his tree, which has only extended through his son, Kyle Shanahan.

“You start connecting all of those different branches of the tree, and there’s a ton of head coaches who have been in this league and are now in this league that really came from the Mike Shanahan tree. Even if they didn’t start out under Mike, they’ve been a part of that branch that’s come off of there. I just think he’s had a huge impact in that way on the league, and that will continue for future years. I think it’s the best thing you can say about a coach who’s been retired … since after the 2013 season is that his legacy kind of continues on.”

Broncos news

A look at Denver Broncos possible first-round pick: J.J. McCarthy | 9news.com
Broncos head coach Sean Payton has Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy under consideration for a first round pick in the NFL Draft; Jarrett Stidham, Michael Penix Jr.

NFL news

Tom Brady says he's 'not opposed' to a late-season NFL return - ESPN
Tom Brady said on the "Deep Cut" podcast that he's "not opposed" to making a comeback if a team suffers an injury to its quarterback and reaches out to him.

Andrew Luck has never thought about playing football since he retired
While most great quarterbacks get the itch after retirement, Luck says he never has.

Xavier Thomas' NFL draft path fueled by depression, Micah Parsons
Xavier Thomas battled depression and shared his personal story over six seasons with the Clemson Tigers while awaiting his NFL draft chance.

The biggest wastes of salary-cap space in the 2024 NFL season
Whenever a team or general manager says it doesn’t have the cap space to make a move, what they are really saying is they don’t want to pay the cash.