Shanahan Puts An End To Suffering Denver Coach Happy Nfc’s Title Run Is Over
Mike Shanahan’s dark, piercing eyes almost misted over. The tight grin nearly broke into a full-fledged smile.
Underneath the buttoned-down exterior, one had to assume Shanahan, as intense of a coach as they come, was ecstatic. But this was all the public would see, for now anyway.
“It hasn’t hit me yet,” Shanahan said moments after his Denver Broncos ended their Super Bowl drought, beating the defending champion Green Bay Packers 31-24 on Sunday.
“I know what it’s like to be a world champion,” said Shanahan, who earned a Super Bowl ring while offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers four years ago. “But to be that as a head coach is something special. I guess it’s starting to hit me.”
Shanahan, leading Denver to its first Super Bowl win in five tries, said the NFC’s 13-year stranglehold on the Lombardi Trophy had become a pain.
“I got a little tired myself of hearing that,” he said. “The AFC has been competitive with the NFC in interconference games. I don’t know why it’s taken so long. Hopefully, this is a start.”
Shanahan praised owner Pat Bowlen, quarterback John Elway and running back Terrell Davis.
“I want to thank Pat Bowlen for giving us the opportunity to compete, for allowing us to go out and get players,” he said.
“I’m so happy for John. He’s been the heart of this organization for years. He does what he has to do to win, and he doesn’t worry about statistics.
“You could tell what kind of competitor John is by the way he threw his body in there” on a dive for a first down that set up a Denver touchdown and a 24-17 lead late in the third quarter, Shanahan said.
Davis is so indispensable to Denver’s offense that Shanahan admitted he would have adjusted his game plan if Davis, who rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns, had failed to return for the second half. Davis missed virtually all of the second quarter with a mild concussion and migraine headache.
“We would have changed our approach,” Shanahan said. “We weren’t going to give the ball to our other backs as much as we would to Terrell. We expect to give him the ball 30 to 35 times a game.”
Davis’ return was vital because the Broncos came into the game expecting to run often.
“Going in, we thought we could run the football,” Shanahan said. “We try to establish the run every game. Most teams that have success in the Super Bowl run the ball. I’m proud of Terrell.”
Having won one Super Bowl ring with San Francisco didn’t ease the pain of his three losses as Denver’s offensive coordinator.
“I’ve suffered through three of the four losses,” Shanahan said. “I know how that feels. There’s a stigma when you lose the Super Bowl. To be here a few times and not only lose but not play well is very disheartening. This is special for the city of Denver and our fans, too. They’re the greatest fans in the world, and they’ve waited a long time for this.”