Skinny
09-08-2007, 09:01 AM
Denver coach creates problems for defenses
By Mark Gaughan NEWS SPORTS REPORTER
09/08/07
In 12 seasons as the head coach in Denver, Mike Shanahan has had just one losing season.
Mike Shanahan broke into a big chuckle this week when asked how he feels about being called “Mastermind.”
“Well, I haven’t heard that for awhile!” Shanahan said. “We weren’t very good last year on offense. We were pretty average. So hopefully we’ll get back to where we’ve been.”
The Denver Broncos hit town today looking to improve on a 2006 season in which their offense dropped to 21st in the NFL.
If Shanahan’s track record is any indication, the Broncos’ attack is going to be much improved starting Sunday when they open the season at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
The Buffalo Bills’ defense must contend with one of the top offensive minds in football.
Shanahan, 55, has two Super Bowl wins, seven playoff appearances and just one losing season in his 12 years as Broncos coach. Over that span, Denver has the most rushing yards, the most total yards and the most points in the league.
What sets Shanahan apart from most coaches, opposing coaches and scouts say, is he’s a great game planner.
“I don’t think there is anybody any better at game-planning and creating problems for the defense,” said Patriots coach Bill Belichick before one of his meetings with Denver. “He takes a look at what you do and then he presents a situation for you that is tough to deal with. It’s always something that is a little bit different, but it always hits right where it hurts the most.”
Adaptability is one of the traits of the Denver offense. One week its most common formation may be two tight ends, the next three wides and the next two backs, depending on what matchups Shanahan likes best. Plenty of teams try to do that. Almost none runs its plays as effectively, no matter the personnel or alignment changes.
“He does a good job of taking the same play but putting a little different twist on it from an alignment standpoint to try to get an advantage,” said Bills defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. “He has a way of putting the defense in positions that it hasn’t been in before. That’s what’s different. He gains an advantage that way. I think that’s where his mastermind or his brilliance as an offensive guy is concerned.”
Shanahan said the key to game planning is teaching during the week.
“As a coach what you try to do is put players through situations that they’re going to see on game day,” Shanahan said. “That’s what coaching is. Whatever the game plan may be, players need the confidence to go execute it. You try to put them through as many scenarios as you can through the week in all the different categories — goal line, red zone, third downs. That’s what we try to do as a coach.”
The trick is showing the players the right situations without overloading them with information.
“That depends on the experience of your football team,” Shanahan said. “With a younger team, obviously, you can’t throw as much at them. You have to teach to the youngest guy. He’s got to be able to handle it, because you need 11 people feeling comfortable.”
Shanahan has had good success against Belichick, arguably the most adaptable defensive coach in the league. Denver is 5-2 against Belichick’s Patriots. The Broncos usually go to more power formations against the Pats, often using two tight ends to balance the formation and give the quarterback a better idea of what he’s looking at from New England’s front.
The effectiveness of Shanahan’s game plans are particularly evident in his first-quarter track record. Denver has outscored opponents in the first quarter 10 of the past 12 years, and the margin was by almost double four of the past five seasons.
The luster of Shanahan’s reputation has dimmed a bit in the eyes of some this decade. Denver has won just one playoff game since John Elway retired after the ’98 season. Denver’s older defenses have faded a bit down the stretch in recent years. Shanahan has eschewed the second day of the draft to a degree in recent years in order to make trades.
However, Shanahan got two winning seasons out of quarterback Brian Griese, including an 11-5 year in 2000. He got to the AFC title game with Jake Plummer and transformed Plummer’s passer rating from 69 over six years in Arizona to 84.3 over four years in Denver. Now Shanahan believes he has a true successor to Elway in Jay Cutler.
That’s a track record Bills fans would love to complain about.
http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/billsnfl/story/157813.html
By Mark Gaughan NEWS SPORTS REPORTER
09/08/07
In 12 seasons as the head coach in Denver, Mike Shanahan has had just one losing season.
Mike Shanahan broke into a big chuckle this week when asked how he feels about being called “Mastermind.”
“Well, I haven’t heard that for awhile!” Shanahan said. “We weren’t very good last year on offense. We were pretty average. So hopefully we’ll get back to where we’ve been.”
The Denver Broncos hit town today looking to improve on a 2006 season in which their offense dropped to 21st in the NFL.
If Shanahan’s track record is any indication, the Broncos’ attack is going to be much improved starting Sunday when they open the season at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
The Buffalo Bills’ defense must contend with one of the top offensive minds in football.
Shanahan, 55, has two Super Bowl wins, seven playoff appearances and just one losing season in his 12 years as Broncos coach. Over that span, Denver has the most rushing yards, the most total yards and the most points in the league.
What sets Shanahan apart from most coaches, opposing coaches and scouts say, is he’s a great game planner.
“I don’t think there is anybody any better at game-planning and creating problems for the defense,” said Patriots coach Bill Belichick before one of his meetings with Denver. “He takes a look at what you do and then he presents a situation for you that is tough to deal with. It’s always something that is a little bit different, but it always hits right where it hurts the most.”
Adaptability is one of the traits of the Denver offense. One week its most common formation may be two tight ends, the next three wides and the next two backs, depending on what matchups Shanahan likes best. Plenty of teams try to do that. Almost none runs its plays as effectively, no matter the personnel or alignment changes.
“He does a good job of taking the same play but putting a little different twist on it from an alignment standpoint to try to get an advantage,” said Bills defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. “He has a way of putting the defense in positions that it hasn’t been in before. That’s what’s different. He gains an advantage that way. I think that’s where his mastermind or his brilliance as an offensive guy is concerned.”
Shanahan said the key to game planning is teaching during the week.
“As a coach what you try to do is put players through situations that they’re going to see on game day,” Shanahan said. “That’s what coaching is. Whatever the game plan may be, players need the confidence to go execute it. You try to put them through as many scenarios as you can through the week in all the different categories — goal line, red zone, third downs. That’s what we try to do as a coach.”
The trick is showing the players the right situations without overloading them with information.
“That depends on the experience of your football team,” Shanahan said. “With a younger team, obviously, you can’t throw as much at them. You have to teach to the youngest guy. He’s got to be able to handle it, because you need 11 people feeling comfortable.”
Shanahan has had good success against Belichick, arguably the most adaptable defensive coach in the league. Denver is 5-2 against Belichick’s Patriots. The Broncos usually go to more power formations against the Pats, often using two tight ends to balance the formation and give the quarterback a better idea of what he’s looking at from New England’s front.
The effectiveness of Shanahan’s game plans are particularly evident in his first-quarter track record. Denver has outscored opponents in the first quarter 10 of the past 12 years, and the margin was by almost double four of the past five seasons.
The luster of Shanahan’s reputation has dimmed a bit in the eyes of some this decade. Denver has won just one playoff game since John Elway retired after the ’98 season. Denver’s older defenses have faded a bit down the stretch in recent years. Shanahan has eschewed the second day of the draft to a degree in recent years in order to make trades.
However, Shanahan got two winning seasons out of quarterback Brian Griese, including an 11-5 year in 2000. He got to the AFC title game with Jake Plummer and transformed Plummer’s passer rating from 69 over six years in Arizona to 84.3 over four years in Denver. Now Shanahan believes he has a true successor to Elway in Jay Cutler.
That’s a track record Bills fans would love to complain about.
http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/billsnfl/story/157813.html