Bill Belichick is arguably the greatest head coach of all time, and his coaching tree has produced a myriad of stinkers like Matt Patricia, Josh McDaniels (solid OC, though), Bill OBrien (turned sour real quick), and Nick Saban (remember, this is considering their accomplishments as an NFL head coach). Shanahan Kyle Shanahan became the Cleveland Browns' offensive coordinator in 2014. He was a multi-sport athlete at East Leyden High School in Franklin Park, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. Those mentorships came as players, not coaches, and thus, should not be considered part of the coaching tree.. 10 mo. This season, LeFleur and the Packers won 13 games again with a 13-4 record while winning the NFC North a third straight year. After McVays success with the Rams, teams came knocking for even more coaches in that tree. LaFleur , Taylor, McDaniels and Kyle Shanahan have all assembled excellent coaching staffs that 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. 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. Six of these years were spent on Reeves' coaching staff. Mike Shanahan In 2015, he won a Super Bowl with Peyton Manning as the quarterback. Over his twenty-nine years of coaching his teams compiled a cumulative win/loss record of 276-186-1. 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. The NFL head coaching landscape continues to shift towards younger leaders who help build player-driven cultures. 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. The Shanahans took LaFleur, McDaniel, and hired Sean McVay. Throughout the 21st Century, the NFLs most popular coaching trees came from either Bill Belichick or Andy Reid. Therefore, Reid falls under Holmgrens tree, not Walshs. Through the 2016 season, he was semi-retired due to health issues he had been dealing with since 2013. 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. Breaking down the Shanahan coaching tree and offense WebCoaching Tree. 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. Shanahan Mike Shanahan 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. Rick Forzano, just three. After a year to forget in Minnesota, Shanahan took the experience in stride and landed a job in the Southeastern Conference with the University of Florida Gators. Gambling problem? The safety ends up taking a tumble as well as Sanders catches it. Kyle Shanahan Whether old-school football fans who grew up on Bud Grant, Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, or even Mike Zimmer want to admit it, the results of the Shanahan/McVay and Belichick coaching trees speak for themselves. 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. It was time to dial up No. Shanahan had great success as a coach, with two Super Bowl wins with the Broncos, plus one as the 49ers offensive coordinator. Shanahans biggest influence is his father, Mike, for whom he worked for four seasons in Washington. 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 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. It was the first time in college football history that a team went winless and then earned a bowl bid the following season. Thats what gave the edge to Dungy. Cooper Kupp beats Eli Apple for the Game Winning Touchdown. Somehow he never made the playoffs either, which I find hard to believe with a record like that. Gruden was the coach that first allowed him to become a coordinator. 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. Shanahan worked with head coach Joe Salem for the Lumberjacks for the 1976 and 1977 seasons. All three will be coaching in the divisional round and have a chance at winning a Lombardi Trophy this season. Hue Jackson orchestrated the second-ever 0-16 season in NFL history. I really hope I covered everything. 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. Shanahan Coaching Tree Mike Shanahan For starters, Im only counting peoples records as head coaches. 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. 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. Live and die by Bill Belichick. 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. 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). In 1985, Shanahan added the titles of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach to his name. The naked boot compliments the outside zone well because the defense is flowing laterally toward the sideline instead of vertically north and south. Mike Shanahan * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). A good chunk of who he is, after all, comes from being part of the gigantic Mike Shanahan coaching tree. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. In 2013, when he was still head coach for the then Washington Redskins, Shanahan had a legendary coaching staff. Kyle Shanahan Shanahan Unlike LeFleur and McVay, it took Shanahan some time to find some success in his head-coaching career. The trio of Shanahan/Mike LaFleur/Mike McDaniel has not been apart since 2014, and in 2015 the trio ended up in positions with the Atlanta Falcons. Kyles got his own tree starting with Mike McDaniel in Miami, Michaels noted. Despite coaching for 71 seasons, Landrys disciples only amassed one Super Bowl. And most of them went for big plays or touchdowns. Griese and Kyle Shanahan have known each other for years; Griese played QB in Tampa when Shanahan was on the Bucs coaching staff. After his year-long stint with the Sooners, Shanahan moved on to Northern Arizona University as the teams running backs coach. With so many seasons under their belts, youd expect a pretty mediocre record, yet Parcells tree still managed a .542 win percentage fourth-best of all coaches on this list and .611 postseason win percentage (second-best). coaching trees 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. Shanahans tree is the only tree to not have a single coach with a sub-.500 record. 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. Mike Shanahan In 1978, behind one of the best running backs in D-II, Eastern Illinois made it to the National Championship game in Longview, Texas, where it met Delaware and emerged victorious with a 10-9 win. The San Francisco 49ers are led by Kyle Shanahan, who, at one point, was just a twinkle in Mike Shanahans eye. coaching Shanahan 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. Apologies for the whiners site. 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. WebWhat makes this coaching tree successful? 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 2013 Washington coaching staff was unreal. Upon graduation from Eastern Illinois, he was an offensive assistant for the University of Oklahoma football team in 1975. Kyle Shanahan and Mike McDaniel are both on track to make the postseason this year, and who knows what will happen then. Shanahan Shanahan coaching tree This is when things got rocky for Shanahan in Denver. Shanahan coaching tree The Saints defense actually played their coverage pretty well. Mike Shanahan, a two-time Super Bowl winner and likely future Hall-of-Famer, was Washington's head coach, with Kyle the offensive coordinator. Shanahan 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: Shanahan coached the first four games of the 1989 season, but was fired after a 1-3 start. Ranking the 4 likely veteran quarterback options for the Jets in 2023 Coaching tree. After his two seasons in Flagstaff, Shanahan moved back close to home to his alma mater, Eastern Illinois, as the Panthers offensive coordinator. As the saying goes: women lie, men lie, numbers dont lie. 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. Shanahans tree is the only tree to not have a single coach with a sub-.500 record. 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 Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. Despite this, the team missed the playoffs. Reid makes up one-third of all Holmgren disciples in seasons coached (24 of 72), over half of all postseason appearances (18 of 35 this is counting this year since the Chiefs have clinched a playoff spot), and nearly two-thirds of their playoff wins (19 of 30). He and Shanahan possessed two very different leadership styles. A hard hit on the field split one of his kidneys in half and his heart stopped beating for more than half a minute. It was the first of two collegiate national titles for Shanahan. WebKyle Shanahan Coaching Tree. ago. Got it? Apologies for the whiners site. Shanahan Kyles got his own tree starting with Mike McDaniel in Miami, Michaels noted. However, OConnell is a new branch on this highly sought-after coaching tree. Shanahan's coaching tree doesn't just consist of today's creative offensive minds. 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 The coaching tree has combined for two championships, most recently in 2021 by the Los Angeles Rams, led by Sean McVay. He couldnt win a single Super Bowl. At 25 years old, Shanahan worked under Darrell Mudra, who was brought on to revive the Eastern Illinois football program. Kupp was targeted seven times on the LAs final drive, but not before he saved the Rams season by converting a fourth-and-one jet sweep. 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. Also, I understand that as the NFL has worn on, it has become somewhat easier to reach the postseason as postseason brackets have expanded. Much like Dungy was carried by Mike Tomlin, Holmgrens tree is carried by Andy Reid. That said, theres also lots of time for them to amass more Super Bowl titles. Mike Shanahan No. The offenses these coaches employ are heavily inspired by former Denver and Washington head coach Mike Shanahan. His Join. His Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers. Web25% of the NFL has a Head Coach that derives from the Mike Shanahan coaching tree. Gillmans tree checks every box it possibly could except for postseason appearances, which is difficult considering the fact that prior to the Super Bowl era, there wasnt really a postseason at all. [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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Photo Credit: Kirby Lee (USA TODAY Sports). Saleh said he's not married to the idea of hiring a Kyle Shanahan disciple, as he did with LaFleur. Shanahan coaching tree Thankfully for Dungy, all of his subpar disciples didnt last too long as head coaches. 10) Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M Head Coach The one that doesnt quite fit in, yknow? During his time leading the Broncos the team won the Super Bowl in 1997 and 1998. Meanwhile, Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams will face Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Shanahan Here we get to the first coach whose tree coached before Super Bowls existed. Top 10 Candidates That Could Replace Tom Coughlin As New His Kyles got his own tree starting with Mike McDaniel in Miami, Michaels noted. I dont care how great an offensive coordinator or defensive genius these people were. 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). WebView the profiles of professionals named "Michael Shanahan" on LinkedIn. The Washington Commanders took Cousins in the []. 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. Old article on the coaching tree of Mike Shanahan -link. The Green Bay coach is also But hes able to get up and sprint to the end zone for the touchdown. Mudra had come out of retirement to coach the Panthers, as he was intrigued by a challenge. Reid is part of Holmgrens tree, not a part of his own. 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. Still with me?) 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. All have some sort of stem to the Mike Shanahan coaching tree and, to an extent, Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. 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. He began his football career as quarterback in a wishbone offense in high school. Conversely, nobody really drags this tree down. To counter that, Shanahan became Elway's lifting and running partner prior to the 1984 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. WebWhat makes this coaching tree successful? 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. On average, Schottenheimers tree reached the playoffs every 1.98 seasons, the best mark of any tree on this list. Shanahan returned to Denver the following season, 1990, as quarterbacks coach. Three of his assistants from his pre-Washington days Art Shell, Gary Kubiak and Anthony Lynn went on to be 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. With all that said, here is our top 10 list of the best coaching trees in NFL history. Confirmed Combine meetings hint at a focus on the defensive spine. 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. Mike Shanahan - Coaching Tree Web25% of the NFL has a Head Coach that derives from the Mike Shanahan coaching tree. [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. And while regular-season accolades are important, were going to dissect how these coaching trees have fared in the postseason. LaFleur found himself at Notre Dame as the quarterbacks coach, but his brother Mike would take an offensive assistant job with Shanahan in Cleveland. After two successful seasons together at Northern Arizona, their season in Minnesota was a disappointment, as the team limped to a 4-6-1 record and sixth in the Big Ten conference. 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. If they couldnt cut it as head coaches, they didnt get any of the credit. In the clip, you can see Packers free safety Adrian Amos (No. Mike Shanahan 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 lack of longevity is what keeps them out of the top two though. If not for Reid, this tree would be down in the doldrums alongside the lawn chair tree from the 2008 classic film Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh. Shanahans three seasons as the 49ers offensive coordinator were very successful. The Green Bay coach is also Matthew Stafford, Sean McVay, and OConnell made a conscious decision about how they were going to win this game. But even they cant hide the cracked branches, off-color pedestal, and broken ornaments littered throughout the rest of the tree. 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. But it didnt take long for players within those organizations to understand that these flash-in-the-pan head coaches didnt have a sliver of Belichicks pedigree thus creating a hostile, divisive culture that quickly led to nothing other than a bunch of Ls. The 49ers are in 13 personnel (one running back, three tight ends, one receiver). Copyright 2012-2023 Pro Football History.com. Im looking for direct descendants from each of these coaches only. One of the hallmarks of a great coach is their tree. Longevity? This tree has some very high highs and some very low lows, but the former drastically outweighs the latter. McDaniel worked under Shanahan, McVay, and Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur during their time together in Washington from 2011-13. Shanahan He led the Packers to a 13-3 record his first year with the team and became the first Packers coach in history to win 10 games, make the playoffs, and win the NFC North. Shanahan became a coaching factory. 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. Behind an improving offense, the Broncos achieved an 11-5 record. He held the single-game rushing record for the school with a 15-carry, 260-yard performance against Hinsdale South. If the defense is in single-high coverage, the corner post should be open. In 1980, Shanahan, as the offensive coordinator, helped the team to an 8-4 record and a fourth-place finish in the SEC. The only really great head coach Belichick ever had on his coaching staff was Brian Flores, and we all know how that turned out. 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. Throughout the 21st Century, the NFLs most popular coaching trees came from either Bill Belichick or Andy Reid. They coached 64 seasons in total, but only 52 in the Super Bowl era, earning four titles in that span, or one every 13 years (fourth-best). most underrated coaching tree He was fired from the Redskins on Monday, December 30, 2013. Odds & lines subject to change. Thats not bad at all. WebKyle Shanahan Coaching Tree. 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. Despite the three Lombardi trophies to this particular coaching trees name, they have a middling .533 winning percentage in the postseason. Mike Shanahan Hackett worked with Mikes brother, Matt, in Green Bay. Of every coach under Parcells tree, Belichick isnt just the decorations on said tree. 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. Six years in to Kyle Shanahans tenure, his coaching tree is already legion. 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. Matt LaFleur would join them. 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. Coaching tree. 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. Saleh said he's not married to the idea of hiring a Kyle Shanahan disciple, as he did with LaFleur. Breaking down the Shanahan coaching tree and offense But schemes never stay the same, and the best coaches learn and adapt and implement new wrinkles all the time. Shanahans biggest influence is his father, Mike, for whom he worked for four seasons in Washington. Denver won the game 23-20 in overtime. That number should be 12, but for some reason, teams refuse to hire Eric Bieniemy (pictured above with Reid). Chuck Studley, only one. Matt LeFleur and the Packers have NFL MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers at the helm, which gives them a better chance than most. Not one other coach has above a .500 record. I debated for a while on whether Dungy or Reid deserved this spot. Yikes! The team improved, finishing 7-9 with a third place finish in the AFC West. 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. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers. He led the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl championships in the 1997 and 1998 seasons, during which time the Broncos set a then-record for victories in two seasons. Coaching tree. 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. Mike Shanahan , during his first year of working with the Broncos (and QB John Elway) criticized Elway for his conditioning. In his first two seasons as the 49ers head coach, the 49ers went 10-22. The offenses these coaches employ are heavily inspired by former Denver and Washington head coach Mike Shanahan. 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). 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. According to Finlay, McVay has gone on the record to say he's a product of Gruden's coaching tree, not Shanahan's. Shanahan