Skip forward two decades, and Mike Shanahans coaching tree is finally starting to blossom. 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 Los Angeles Rams are coached by Sean McVay, who was Mike Shanahans tight ends coach in Washington. The corner falls, and the safety is step for step with Sanders, but Garoppolos pass is a bit of a floater, and Sanders turns to adjust to it. During this stretch of time, the 49ers went 37-11, with one Super Bowl victory (1994) and two more appearances in the NFC championship game. 49ers Press Conferences & Conference Calls, NFL mock draft database 2016 - 49ers picks across the Internet, 2016 NFL calendar: League year, free agency, draft, salary cap deadlines. We may earn a commission from links on this page. Year three in 2019 saw the 49ers reach new peaks they had not seen since 2012 under Jim Harbaugh. What is now simply known as The Drive, John Elway led the Broncos 98 yards in five minutes and two seconds against the Cleveland Browns to score and tie the game with just thirty seven seconds left. Interestingly enough, both McVay (2008) and Kyle Shanahan (2004-2006) got their first official NFL jobs under Jon Gruden with the Buccaneers. The team finished ranked number 19 in the coaches poll his first year with the team. Walshs tree was full of solid head coaches, but nobody who really carries the tree like others on this list has. 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. For example, while Andy Reid can be traced back to Bill Walsh, he only ever worked under Bill Walshs disciple Mike Holmgren. He was there for one season and coached under the legendary head coach Barry Switzer. If the #1 read is inside the tight end, the runner will bounce it outside. Like Shanahan, McVay began his career as a head-coach in 2017. The second seed in the NFC also has a Mike Shanahan tree member or more realistically a Shanahan branch since Kyle brought this coach with him to Washington from Houston with Matt LaFleur. But even they cant hide the cracked branches, off-color pedestal, and broken ornaments littered throughout the rest of the tree. The Packers 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. Im willing to look past that discrepancy. 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. The game will likely come down to who is healthy and who isn't as injuries have marred much of the season for both teams. The San Francisco 49ers are led by Kyle Shanahan, who, at one point, was just a twinkle in Mike Shanahans eye. LaFleur , Taylor, McDaniels and Kyle Shanahan have all assembled excellent coaching staffs that In the clip above from the Texans (Kubiak) at Washington (Mike and Kyle Shanahan) in 2010, Washington is running the leak play out of 12 personnel. The beauty of the Shanahan tree play-action designs is they can be twisted into other concepts that defenses arent necessarily ready for because they spend all their time studying and reacting to the ones they see more frequently. Shanahan became a coaching factory. The Shanahan influence/coaching tree is dominating the NFL divisional round if you take a close look. Matt LaFleur would join them. One of the hallmarks of a great coach is their tree. Sure, Landry and Lombardi may not have the same accolades as Belichick, but they accomplished so much in such a comparatively short amount of time. Behind an emerging young running back, Terrell Davis, they improved to finish the next season 13-3, but lost in the first round of the playoffs 30-27 to the Jaguars. 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. [Schefter] - Former Monday Night Football analyst Brian Griese is leaving ESPN to become the Quarterbacks Coach for the 49ers, sources tell Seth Wickersham and me. For starters, this opens up a lot of room for their quick backs to rip off massive runs. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. He had an impact on defensive coaches, too. It was the first of two collegiate national titles for Shanahan. One of the hallmarks of a great coach is their tree. That said, if Belichick was the only successful Parcells pupil, Parcells wouldnt be so far up this list. Gruden was the coach that first allowed him to become a coordinator. Yes, definitely. Still, Gillmans tree did a phenomenal job of winning Super Bowls once they came around. Given all the great coaches currently in the NFL who fell from the Reid tree, Id assume most of you believed hed be somewhere in the top 10, but no. 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. Rob Chudzinski also fell victim to the dumpster fire that was the 2010 Cleveland Browns, but each of these stains on Schottenheimers tree didnt last very long. 644. r/49ers. The naked boot compliments the outside zone well because the defense is flowing laterally toward the sideline instead of vertically north and south. I debated for a while on whether Dungy or Reid deserved this spot. In addition to Youngs awards, wide receiver Jerry Rice won Offensive Player of the Year in 1993. Thats what gave the edge to Dungy. 10 mo. Apologies for the whiners site. During practice, he got hit so hard that it ruptrued a kidney. In 2017, the 49ers and Rams hired Kyle Shanahan and McVay, respectively, as head coaches. 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: What set the Shanahan lineage of coaches apart was the addition of the wide/outside-zone running scheme. Mike Shanahan knew how to coach _ and how to hire and develop his staff. Before that, the Texans staff of the late 2000s birthed many of the coaches currently serving as head coaches or in bigger non-head coaching roles. Your login session has expired. Not one other coach has above a .500 record. For his expertise in that magical scheme, Shanahan was hired as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers on February 6, 2017. Even Bill Johnson, who only lasted three years as a head coach, managed an 18-15 record. The offenses these coaches employ are heavily inspired by former Denver and Washington head coach Mike Shanahan. Shanahans top protg, Mike McDaniel, brings arguably the leagues best offense featuring a host of former 49ers to town on Sunday in what figures to be an extremely entertaining matchup. Maybe its luck. There are 20+ professionals named "Michael Shanahan", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. He falls too. His players have no choice but to shut up and get in line simply because Belichicks track record speaks for itself. WebKyle Shanahan Coaching Tree. Kyle Shanahan has spawned a number of talented HCs Kyle Shanahan comes from an illustrious coaching family tree, largely thanks to his legendary father, Mike Shannan. LaFleur , Taylor, McDaniels and Kyle Shanahan have all assembled excellent coaching staffs that Shanahans biggest influence is his father, Mike, for whom he worked for four seasons in Washington. In fact, Parcells managed to produce two other elite head coaches Sean Payton and Tom Coughlin. The Watts have Derek. LeFleur's first gig as head coach came in 2019 when he took over as the head coach for the Green Bay Packers. Shanahan set the record, since broken, in the 1969 season, a year before he graduated. Old article on the coaching tree of Mike Shanahan -link. The Los Angeles Rams are coached by Sean McVay, who was Mike Shanahans tight ends coach in Washington. Coaching tree. The team improved, finishing 7-9 with a third place finish in the AFC West. When the going got tough, Landrys children, more often than not, crumbled under the pressure. The San Francisco 49ers are led by Kyle Shanahan, who, at one point, was just a twinkle in Mike Shanahans eye. Kyles got his own tree starting with Mike McDaniel in Miami, Michaels noted. Despite having former assistants that landed head coaching jobs such as Al Groh, Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Nick Saban, Jim Schwartz, Matt Patricia, Bill OBrien, Joe Judge, and Brian Flores, these coaches combined to win a whopping two playoff games courtesy of OBrien in Houston. Still, Sherman managed a career 57-51 record as well as three postseason appearances (basically just conference championship appearances) in eight seasons as a head coach. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers. No. Defenders caught in the mix have to turn and locate the receivers after running full speed for 7-8 yards. Mike Shanahan and his coaching pedigree are well respected in the NFL and his impact on the game still shows today. Kyle Shanahan has spawned a number of talented HCs Kyle Shanahan comes from an illustrious coaching family tree, largely thanks to his legendary father, Mike Shannan. Rick Forzano, just three. The San Francisco 49ers are led by Kyle Shanahan, who, at one point, was just a twinkle in Mike Shanahans eye. Griese and Kyle Shanahan have known each other for years; Griese played QB in Tampa when Shanahan was on the Bucs coaching staff. Ho ho ho, folks! Hue Jackson orchestrated the second-ever 0-16 season in NFL history. Shanahan worked with head coach Joe Salem for the Lumberjacks for the 1976 and 1977 seasons. The current Kyle Shanahan contract makes the San Francisco 49ers head coach the 7th highest-paid head coach in the NFL this season, tied with Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels.The 49ers headman still has three years left on the current Kyle Shanahan contract, but if he makes the Super Bowl, the team might rip up the current This group coached for 32 seasons in the Super Bowl era and won four Super Bowls. One variation the Shanahan tree will throw at the defense if they sense a naked boot and cheat back across or take away the intermediate crossers is to run a corner post behind the defense. LaFleur , Taylor, McDaniels and Kyle Shanahan have all assembled excellent coaching staffs that NFL head coaches under whom Mike Shanahan has served: Barry Switzer, University of Oklahoma (1975) Dan It doesnt have any of the total accolades youd want from an elite tree, but on a per-season basis, you could argue Shanahans tree deserves to be top-three. It was time to dial up No. Jim Lee Howell produced two of the most iconic head coaches of all time. The only dark spot on this tree is Harland Svare, who coached the Rams and Chargers for seven years between 1962 and 1973, going 21-48-5 in the process. His third head coach placement began in 2010 with the Washington Redskins. Shanahan/McVay Coaching Tree (since 2016). They couldve been an O-line coach or defensive backs coach, but they had to serve at least one season under the star on top. Confirmed Combine meetings hint at a focus on the defensive spine. His During his time as head coach, seven assistant coaches, (Art Shell, Gary Kubiak, Anthony Lynn, Matt LaFleur, Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, and Mike McDaniel) on his coaching staff were hired as head coaches across the league. However, the team will look to have star pass rusher Nick Bosa (concussion) and linebacker Fred Warner (right ankle sprain) back in time, which evens the playing field as well as their chances of winning. Denver finished 6-10 in 1999, but made the playoffs in 2000 when it lost in the wild card round 21-3 to the Baltimore Ravens. This enables the receivers to get open as defenders chase. 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. However, the Rams offense stalled for much of the game after losing one of their more critical offensive weapons, Odell Beckham Jr., in the second quarter. At 25 years old, Shanahan worked under Darrell Mudra, who was brought on to revive the Eastern Illinois football program. Before he was a head coach, Shanahan served as an assistant coach for Jon Gruden, Gary Kubiak, Kubiak had worked most of career, both playing and coaching, with Shanahans father Mike during his time with the Denver Broncos and the San Francisco 49ers. 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. I dont care how great an offensive coordinator or defensive genius these people were. All have some sort of stem to the Mike Shanahan coaching tree and, to an extent, Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. The next season, the Gators finished 7-5 and 3-3 in the SEC, tied for fourth place at seasons end with a loss to West Virginia in the Peach Bowl. McVay was a key member of a strong offensive staff assembled by then-Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan. Kyle Shanahan and Mike McDaniel are both on track to make the postseason this year, and who knows what will happen then. Each of the three coaches enters the divisional round of the NFC playoffs with a great chance of getting to the Super Bowl. Northern Arizona went 8-3 Shanahans first year and 9-3 his second. 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 found himself at Notre Dame as the quarterbacks coach, but his brother Mike would take an offensive assistant job with Shanahan in Cleveland. Copyright 2012-2023 Pro Football History.com. It starts with Gary Kubiak, a longtime colleague of Mike Shanahan, giving Kyle Shanahan his first job as an NFL position coach in 2006. 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. 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. After three seasons, Shanahan returned to Denver for his third stint with the team, this time as head coach. 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. The Washington Commanders took Cousins in the []. Kyle Shanahan became the Cleveland Browns' offensive coordinator in 2014. In his first season as head coach of the Denver Broncos, the team went 8-8. Personal Information 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). In the clip, you can see Packers free safety Adrian Amos (No. Interestingly enough, this group of colleagues has found themselves squaring off against one another in the postseason on four different occasions since 2020. On average, Schottenheimers tree reached the playoffs every 1.98 seasons, the best mark of any tree on this list. As the offensive coordinator for the Broncos John Elway won Most Valuable Player. WebWhat makes this coaching tree successful? Kyles got his own tree starting with Mike McDaniel in Miami, Michaels noted. It starts with Gary Kubiak, a longtime colleague of Mike Shanahan, giving Kyle Shanahan his first job as an NFL position coach in 2006. 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. LaFleur , Taylor, McDaniels and Kyle Shanahan have all assembled excellent coaching staffs that WebKyle Shanahan Coaching Tree. Personal Information During his time leading the Broncos the team won the Super Bowl in 1997 and 1998. Before he was a head coach, Shanahan served as an assistant coach for Jon Gruden, Gary Kubiak, Kubiak had worked most of career, both playing and coaching, with Shanahans father Mike during his time with the Denver Broncos and the San Francisco 49ers. According to Finlay, McVay has gone on the record to say he's a product of Gruden's coaching tree, not Shanahan's. 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. Mike Shanahan and his coaching pedigree are well respected in the NFL and his impact on the game still shows today. Join. Conversely, nobody really drags this tree down. Mike Shanahan, a two-time Super Bowl winner and likely future Hall-of-Famer, was Washington's head coach, with Kyle the offensive coordinator. Unfortunately, Berrys Patriots had to go up against Ditkas Bears losing 46-10, the second-most lopsided Super Bowl in history. Griese and Kyle Shanahan have known each other for years; Griese played QB in Tampa when Shanahan was on the Bucs coaching staff. Sure, it works for Belichick. He and Shanahan possessed two very different leadership styles. During his entire head coaching career, his three teams combined for a record of 177-143-0 across twenty seasons including going 8-6-0 in the playoffs. So lets take a look at how the current NFL head coaches of the Shanahan/McVay tree stack up against other current head coaches from the Reid and Belichick trees. Some coaches wouldve punted from their 30 with three timeouts. I mean, for goodness sake, his Bengals went 10-4 in 1976 and somehow they missed the playoffs. 10 mo. After his year-long stint with the Sooners, Shanahan moved on to Northern Arizona University as the teams running backs coach. WebHis coaching tree has combined for a record of 329-262-0 in the regular season and 20-14 in the playoffs during their thirty-seven seasons as head coach after serving on his coaching staffs. 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. The only really great head coach Belichick ever had on his coaching staff was Brian Flores, and we all know how that turned out. Nobody knew how to win like Paul Browns tree in the playoffs (I counted AFL/NFL championship games as postseason games because why not). WebHis coaching tree has combined for a record of 329-262-0 in the regular season and 20-14 in the playoffs during their thirty-seven seasons as head coach after serving on his coaching staffs. Of every coach under Parcells tree, Belichick isnt just the decorations on said tree. The Green Bay coach is also 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. As the saying goes: women lie, men lie, numbers dont lie. After the defense commits to the flood and sinks underneath the corner, the receiver breaks his route back across the field toward the far post. Tomlin is undoubtedly the shining star atop the tree, but there are some other solid decorative pieces between Lovie Smith, Jim Caldwell, and even Frank Reich. I do think that if McVay wants to return to key offensive concepts that he learned he might try to return to people he knows who can teach that system. Behind an improving offense, the Broncos achieved an 11-5 record. In 2022, the Shanahan/McVay coaching tree will occupy 25% of the NFL. Despite only having coached for 38 seasons, Shanahans tree has already cemented itself as one of the best on the block. The second seed in the NFC also has a Mike Shanahan tree member or more realistically a Shanahan branch since Kyle brought this coach with him to Washington from Houston with Matt LaFleur. This tree has some very high highs and some very low lows, but the former drastically outweighs the latter. McVay was a key member of a strong offensive staff assembled by then-Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan. 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. He was fired from the Broncos on Tuesday, December 30, 2008. After his two seasons in Flagstaff, Shanahan moved back close to home to his alma mater, Eastern Illinois, as the Panthers offensive coordinator. But hes able to get up and sprint to the end zone for the touchdown. The Packers Noll did all the heavy lifting on the postseason end, winning every Super Bowl title on Gillmans tree and accounting for four of the six conference championships. ago. In the video above from the Falcons 2016 season, you can see how each read develops. Belichick hasnt had the best luck when it comes to assistants turning into great head coaches, but some coaches land hit after hit after hit in the coordinator department. And though the 49ers spent four straight seasons in the cellar of the NFL as one of the worst teams after parting ways with Harbaugh, the 49ers found themselves right back in Super Bowl 54 seven years after a loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl 47. Web25% of the NFL has a Head Coach that derives from the Mike Shanahan coaching tree. Unfortunately, many of his children could start experiencing darker days as their coaching careers progress. This is when things got rocky for Shanahan in Denver. Gibbs notes in the video above that the offensive linemen from the tight end to the center must get lateral steps toward the sideline, get their head to the outside shoulder of the defender, and lock the defender up with their inside arm and try like hell to keep the defender from spilling back inside. Shanahan's coaching tree doesn't just consist of today's creative offensive minds. Shanahan's coaching tree doesn't just consist of today's creative offensive minds. Success? 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. 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. In 2014, LeFleur departed the team and went on to become Notre Dame's quarterback coach for a season. Its current iteration was built on and adapted by Mike Shanahan, who served as a coach with the 49ers from 1992 through 1994, culminating in a Super Bowl win with the 49ers while he was the offensive coordinator. Somehow he never made the playoffs either, which I find hard to believe with a record like that. Kubiak is now the offensive coordinator for the Vikings. It was the first time in college football history that a team went winless and then earned a bowl bid the following season. Another reason he should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Coming into this past season, the Shanahan/McVay and Reid coaching trees were tied with six head coaches that held jobs in the NFL. LaFleur , Taylor, McDaniels and Kyle Shanahan have all assembled excellent coaching staffs that Mike Shanahan played quarterback at East Illinois. The next season, Shanahan became the head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders, a division foe of the Broncos. Until they leave for their own head coaching gig of course, in which case, you wish them the best and hope for a solid replacement. Kyles got his own tree starting with Mike McDaniel in Miami, Michaels noted. When a third-down pass interference penalty on Kupp gave the Rams new life, the Super Bowl MVP had a touchdown called back after off-setting penalties. All three will be coaching in the divisional round and have a chance at winning a Lombardi Trophy this season. I really hope I covered everything. Seasons: 65 sixth among the other HCs on this list. As the head coach for the Redskins Robert Griffin won AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. All have some sort of stem to the Mike Shanahan coaching tree and, to an extent, Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. pic.twitter.com/trrttdTIAw, Doug Rush (@TheDougRush) February 14, 2022. Unless McVay retires, which was rumored ahead of this season, before the inevitable toll calls, he might drop below the .500 threshold within three or four years. With all that said, here is our top 10 list of the best coaching trees in NFL history. Re: Old article on the coaching tree of Mike Shanahan -link. On a per-season basis, Walshs tree is pretty middle of the pack, ranking sixth among all trees on this list in seasons per conference championship (11.5), and seventh in seasons per Super Bowl title (23).