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. Shanahan would spend a total of four seasons in Shanahan became a coaching factory. Unfortunately, many of his children could start experiencing darker days as their coaching careers progress. Eventual Super Bowl champions Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Broncos in the AFC Championship game 34-17 in 2005. Shanahans biggest influence is his father, Mike, for whom he worked for four seasons in Washington. Live and die by Bill Belichick. Hue Jackson orchestrated the second-ever 0-16 season in NFL history. pic.twitter.com/trrttdTIAw, Doug Rush (@TheDougRush) February 14, 2022. In 1980, Shanahan, as the offensive coordinator, helped the team to an 8-4 record and a fourth-place finish in the SEC. Part 1 of this series looks at the coaches in the tree and some of the staples of the Shanahan offense. Thats the second-best win percentage of any coach on any tree, behind only the great Vince Lombardi (.738). We may earn a commission from links on this page. 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. This enables the receivers to get open as defenders chase. But if Harbaugh was all the coaching rage in 2011, nothing surpasses the Bill Walsh lineage of coaches being plucked from arguably the most consistent and evolved offense in NFL history. Belichick was the head coach for 2021 NFL Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel when Vrabel was a player, but Im not going to count that toward Belichicks tree just as how I wouldnt count the likes of Don Shula and Mac Speedie under Paul Browns tree. Despite this, the team missed the playoffs. If both the #1 and #2 reads are outside their blockers, the runner will bend it back up the middle. As bright as Reid is, he doesnt eradicate Marty Mornhinweg, who went 5-27 (.156) across two seasons as Detroits head coach. 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. How he held onto his job for so long, I dont know. All have some sort of stem to the Mike Shanahan coaching tree and, to an extent, Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. 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. 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. Had a solid 11-9 postseason record and reached the Super Bowl on four separate occasions between time with the Broncos and Falcons. Third, and I shouldnt have to say this, but this list is my preference. In his second season, McVay led the Rams to the Super Bowl, where they fell short to the Patriots, 13-3. Howell (pictured, middle) only produced four head coaches in the NFL, but two of those head coaches are widely-regarded as two of the greatest coaches in NFL history Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi. Hackett worked with Mikes brother, Matt, in Green Bay. The Broncos missed the playoffs each of the next three seasons, causing Shanahan to be fired at the end of the 2008 season. 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. 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. OConnell and McDaniels emergence as head coaches means that 25% of the NFLs head coaching jobs will be occupied by this particular coaching tree. 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. WebKyle Michael Shanahan (born December 14, 1979) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). The worst of which is Steve Spagnuolo who, across three-plus seasons as a head coach for the Rams and Giants, went an abysmal 11-41 (.212). Old article on the coaching tree of Mike Shanahan -link. 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. 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 That said, theres also lots of time for them to amass more Super Bowl titles. 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. Another reason he should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Kyles got his own tree starting with Mike McDaniel in Miami, Michaels noted. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers. I mean, for goodness sake, his Bengals went 10-4 in 1976 and somehow they missed the playoffs. They rank second in regular season win percentage, third in postseason win percentage, fourth in seasons per postseason appearance (2.11), fourth in seasons per conference championship (9.5), and fifth in seasons per Super Bowl (19). Shanahans tree is the only tree to not have a single coach with a sub-.500 record. He began his football career as quarterback in a wishbone offense in high school. It can get confusing at points. The team finished ranked number 19 in the coaches poll his first year with the team. This tree is carried by Chuck Noll and George Allen. The father of them all, the coach who gave Shanahan his first offensive coordinator job, Gary Kubiak, spent 2019 as an offensive consultant with the Minnesota Vikings. If the defense is in single-high coverage, the corner post should be open. 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. 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. Shanahan had great success as a coach, with two Super Bowl wins with the Broncos, plus one as the 49ers offensive coordinator. Since some of the coaches on these trees coached before the Super Bowl era, I had to only count seasons in which they coached in the Super Bowl era into consideration for that stat, obviously. The passing offense and its concepts are still very much influenced by Walsh. With the Shanahans departure from Washington, son Kyle and assistant Mike McDaniel would land in Cleveland for the 2014 season. Kyle Shanahan seemingly has a member of his coaching staff poached every single year as teams look for a new play-caller and head coach. They were not fooled by the jet motion and covered the crossing routes pretty easily. Behind an improving offense, the Broncos achieved an 11-5 record. 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. Success? That year, Matt LeFleur, Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay were all under Mike Shanahan and coaching on the team at the same time. They average one conference championship every nine seasons, one Super Bowl every 12 seasons, and they have 16 more postseason wins than any other coach on this list. 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. Shanahan's coaching tree doesn't just consist of today's creative offensive minds. Secondly, everybody under each tree had to serve at least one season on the main head coachs staff. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. 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 lack of longevity is what keeps them out of the top two though. Kyle Shanahan's 49ers will have their hands full with the offense from LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers. 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. 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. Web25% of the NFL has a Head Coach that derives from the Mike Shanahan coaching tree. 644. r/49ers. This Christmas I wanted to find the best coaching trees in NFL history, the types of trees that would draw all attention in the living room on Christmas Eve. Kyle Shanahan became the Cleveland Browns' offensive coordinator in 2014. 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. Old article on the coaching tree of Mike Shanahan -link. Six have records over .500. Mike Shanahan and his coaching pedigree are well respected in the NFL and his impact on the game still shows today. Its hard to compete with that. The team finished 9-2-1 overall and third in the SEC with a number 6 national ranking to boot. As the defense is rolling their coverage and running with the crossing routes, no one picks up the leak receiver (tight end Fred Davis #86) and he goes for 62 yards. Just look at Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur this season. 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. The one that doesnt quite fit in, yknow? That doesnt necessarily mean as an offensive or defensive coordinator. 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. As the offensive coordinator for the 49ers Steve Young won AP Offensive Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player (2) and Jerry Rice won AP Offensive Player of the Year. The Green Bay coach is also LeFleur's first gig as head coach came in 2019 when he took over as the head coach for the Green Bay Packers. Shanahan went on to play quarterback at Eastern Illinois University. He had an impact on defensive coaches, too. The team was undefeated and ranked number 5 in the nation when it met number 4 ranked Auburn in week eight and fell to the Tigers 28-21. 10) Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M Head Coach In his first year as the Rams head coach, McVay won the AP Coach of the Year award while going 11-5 and making the playoffs. The team improved, finishing 7-9 with a third place finish in the AFC West. While in the hospital, a priest was summoned to present Shanahans last rites. As the offensive coordinator for the Broncos John Elway won Most Valuable Player. His third head coach placement began in 2010 with the Washington Redskins. 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. A loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the opening round of the playoffs ended Denvers season. Apologies for the whiners site. Here we get to the first coach whose tree coached before Super Bowls existed. For example, one of the stats I use in this list is Seasons per Super Bowl (S/SB how many seasons between Super Bowls for each tree as a collective whole). McVay was a key member of a strong offensive staff assembled by then-Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan. 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. Unfortunately, many of his children could start experiencing darker days as their coaching careers progress. Each of the three coaches enters the divisional round of the NFC playoffs with a great chance of getting to the Super Bowl. Shanahans tree is the only tree to not have a single coach with a sub-.500 record. This angle of Matthew Stafford's no-look pass. Skip forward two decades, and Mike Shanahans coaching tree is finally starting to blossom. The Washington Commanders took Cousins in the []. Unfortunately, Berrys Patriots had to go up against Ditkas Bears losing 46-10, the second-most lopsided Super Bowl in history. Mike Shanahan , during his first year of working with the Broncos (and QB John Elway) criticized Elway for his conditioning. It was the first of two collegiate national titles for Shanahan. 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. Taking over the Giants for Howell was likely a very daunting task, yet Sherman took a 6-4-2 squad in Howells last year to a combined 33-8-1 record over the next three years. And while regular-season accolades are important, were going to dissect how these coaching trees have fared in the postseason. Six years in to Kyle Shanahans tenure, his coaching tree is already legion. The offenses these coaches employ are heavily inspired by former Denver and Washington head coach Mike Shanahan. 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. In 2022, the Shanahan/McVay coaching tree will occupy 25% of the NFL. Also, since some coaches on this list still have students currently head coaching in the NFL, I have given certain coaches additional playoff appearances to their totals depending on whether or not their teams would be in the postseason if it started today. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. 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 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. 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. Mike Shanahan and his coaching pedigree are well respected in the NFL and his impact on the game still shows today. 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. 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. Coaching tree. Web25% of the NFL has a Head Coach that derives from the Mike Shanahan coaching tree. Regardless of who Skoliders were cheering for on Super Bowl Sunday, itd be pretty tough not to be fired up at the thought of OConnell leaning on Justin Jefferson in critical moments the way the Rams relied on Kupp when they needed him most. The 49ers ran corner post for 2 big plays last season. Like Shanahan, McVay began his career as a head-coach in 2017. Saleh said he's not married to the idea of hiring a Kyle Shanahan disciple, as he did with LaFleur. Christmas is here, and good ol jolly St. Nick is heading down the chimney with exactly what you asked for. He took the reins of a team that had gone 5-10 in 1987. The two clips above in the video are two staple running plays in the Shanahan lineage: the wide zone toss strong, and the wide zone toss weak. Apologies for the whiners site. For example, while Andy Reid can be traced back to Bill Walsh, he only ever worked under Bill Walshs disciple Mike Holmgren. Following Staffords sneak attempt on first down, Kupp put the finishing touches on his Super Bowl masterpiece. Reid is part of Holmgrens tree, not a part of his own. Apologies for the whiners site. The Jackson 5 had Tito. For starters, this opens up a lot of room for their quick backs to rip off massive runs. Three of his assistants from his pre-Washington days Art Shell, Gary Kubiak and Anthony Lynn went on to be NFL head coaches. A good chunk of who he is, after all, comes from being part of the gigantic Mike Shanahan coaching tree. 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. McDaniel worked under Shanahan, McVay, and Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur during their time together in Washington from 2011-13. The team finished 12-2 that season and it remains the only football championship in the schools history. Conversely, nobody really drags this tree down. After McVays success with the Rams, teams came knocking for even more coaches in that tree. Shanahan became a coaching factory. The Vikings Will Benefit From Their Revamped Team Culture, Theres One Ideal Way To Deal With Danielle Hunters Contract, Kyle Shanahan San Francisco 49ers head coach, former Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator, 3 Conference Championship game appearances, 2 Conference Championship game appearances, Zac Taylor Cincinnati Bengals head coach, 1 Conference Championship game appearance, Matt LaFleur Green Bay Packers head coach, Brandon Staley Los Angeles Chargers head coach, No postseason appearances (despite having a generational quarterback), Mike McDaniel Miami Dolphins head coach, Kevin OConnell Minnesota Vikings head coach, Andy Reid Kansas City Chiefs head coach, former Philadelphia Eagles head coach, 9 Conference Championship game appearances, John Harbaugh Baltimore Ravens head coach, Bill Belichick New England Patriots head coach, former Cleveland Browns head coach, 13 Conference Championship game appearances, Josh McDaniels Las Vegas Raiders head coach, former Denver Broncos head coach, Brian Daboll New York Giants head coach, Spent 2000-06 and 2013-16 working under Belichick in New England. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. Apologies for the whiners site. The runner can essentially take three different paths and make his read based on where the defenders control their gaps. Sticking with the tree theme, for every gorgeous ornament, theres a flickering light that absolutely shouldnt be flickering. 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. 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. Despite the three Lombardi trophies to this particular coaching trees name, they have a middling .533 winning percentage in the postseason. We know the Niners are determined to build through the trenches. In his first season as head coach of the Denver Broncos, the team went 8-8. Northern Arizona went 8-3 Shanahans first year and 9-3 his second. Its just a solid, jolly centerpiece that embodies the Christmas spirit. The coaches that run the Shanahan scheme all use zone runs and play action passes that look identical to their run plays. It just so happens that the next big adaptation in the West Coast Offense is one that is still a staple 25 years later. Bill Cowher, Tony Dungy, Bruce Arians, and Mike McCarthy make up everything great about this tree. While there were a few sour apples on Browns tree, most of the bad ones were gone fairly early. NFL head coaches under whom Mike Shanahan has served: Barry Switzer, University of Oklahoma (1975) Dan Dan Reeves reached the playoffs nine times! Outside of Belichick, there isnt a single branch of this coaching tree in the NFL today that has won a playoff game. Meanwhile, Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams will face Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The outside zone is similar to the inside zone, but instead of the offensive line getting vertical in the inside zone, they run their defenders laterally toward the sideline. One of the hallmarks of a great coach is their tree. Gambling problem? Despite producing 14 different head coaches (most of any tree on this list), Parcells only produced one that was dreadfully bad: Chris Palmer (5-27; .156). The Packers Therefore, Reid falls under Holmgrens tree, not Walshs. The Los Angeles Rams put themselves in cap and draft pick hell in order to win a Super Bowl win McVay. He was there for one season and coached under the legendary head coach Barry Switzer. 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. After that, Shanahan accepted the offensive coordinator position with the San Francisco 49ers. Mike Sherman and Steve Mariucci were both reliable coaches you could bank on reaching the postseason, but neither did much in the playoffs, going a combined 5-8 in the games that mattered most. The next head coach of the Vikings linked up with McVay for the first time before the 2020 season. The only area where Landrys tree was in the upper half of coaches on this list was conference championships, but based on how many seasons Landrys children coached, they were still in the bottom half in seasons per conference championship (11.83). As the head coach for the Redskins Robert Griffin won AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. The offense implemented by Shanahan and others in the tree grew out of the West Coast Offense of Bill Walsh in the 1980s and 1990s. 10 mo. After his two seasons in Flagstaff, Shanahan moved back close to home to his alma mater, Eastern Illinois, as the Panthers offensive coordinator. Ho ho ho, folks! Apologies for the whiners site. There are 20+ professionals named "Michael Shanahan", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. In 2013, when he was still head coach for the then Washington Redskins, Shanahan had a legendary coaching staff. WebKyle Michael Shanahan (born December 14, 1979) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). A good chunk of who he is, after all, comes from being part of the gigantic Mike Shanahan coaching tree. How would I do this though? All three will be coaching in the divisional round and have a chance at winning a Lombardi Trophy this season. On average, Schottenheimers tree reached the playoffs every 1.98 seasons, the best mark of any tree on this list. Also, I understand that as the NFL has worn on, it has become somewhat easier to reach the postseason as postseason brackets have expanded. San Fran ('17) LA Rams ('17) Green Bay ('19) Cincinnati ('19) NY Jets ('21) LA Chargers ('21) Miami ('22) Minnesota ('22)#Skol, Rob Searles (@RobBob17) February 14, 2022. Last season, LeFleur led the Packers back to the playoffs with another 13-3 record and he tied for the second-best start as a coach in their first two seasons since the 1970 merger. 10. He was given a Super Bowl-ready 49ers roster and led them to two more championships after Walsh left. 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. Shanahan worked with head coach Joe Salem for the Lumberjacks for the 1976 and 1977 seasons. He accepted the position of wide receivers coach in 1984. 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 Shanahan's coaching tree doesn't just consist of today's creative offensive minds. 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. Yes, definitely. 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. Thats good enough for seventh on this list, but I cant help but think itd be much lower if Seifert wasnt handed the incredible roster Walsh built for him. 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. The Shanahans took LaFleur, McDaniel, and hired Sean McVay. Mike Shanahan knew how to coach _ and how to hire and develop his staff. The coaches that run the Shanahan scheme all use zone runs and play action passes that look identical to their run plays. 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 I dont care how great an offensive coordinator or defensive genius these people were. When comparing the Belichick coaching tree to the Shanahan/McVay tree, its evident that the iron-fist coaching style of Belichick is impossible to transfer to other organizations effectively. Leslie Frazier and Marinelli only lasted a combined six seasons. He had an impact on defensive coaches, too. The Rams will face the Buccaneers on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. EST in the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs. For his expertise in that magical scheme, Shanahan was hired as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers on February 6, 2017. Those mentorships came as players, not coaches, and thus, should not be considered part of the coaching tree.. 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. 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. Upon graduation from Eastern Illinois, he was an offensive assistant for the University of Oklahoma football team in 1975. Hes the only coach on the list with a sub-.500 winning percentage with a 17-28 record. The team ran the wishbone offense, the same set Shanahan quarterbacked in high school. Shanahan returned to Denver the following season, 1990, as quarterbacks coach. Furthermore, although the Reid tree has consistently reached the postseason (26 appearances), they struggle mightily against other playoff competition. 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. The offenses these coaches employ are heavily inspired by former Denver and Washington head coach Mike Shanahan. Shanahan set the record, since broken, in the 1969 season, a year before he graduated. The Los Angeles Rams are coached by Sean McVay, who was Mike Shanahans tight ends coach in Washington. Dungys tree is undoubtedly carried by Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. In his five seasons with the Rams, McVay has amassed a 55-26 record while only missing the playoffs once (2019.).