Only one other active NFL coach (Jeff Fisher) has had a longer tenure with one team than Mike Shanahan.  The Denver Broncos fired coach Shanahan on Wednesday after 14 seasons on the job.  Since taking the head coaching position with Denver, a lot has happened.  He has been through two U.S. presidents (nearly three), the founding of Yahoo and E-Bay, the birth of the IPOD, all of Tiger Woods’s fourteen majors, four Yankee World Series wins, but only half the career of Julio Franco. 

    
     The news of Shanahan being fired sent shockwaves through the NFL world. Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, one of the most respected owners in the game today, made the decision after Shanahan led this Broncos franchise to back to back Super Bowls in the late 90’s.  They have not been the same since the immortal number 7 at quarterback retired after the 1999 Super Bowl win.  Since Elway retired, the Broncos have won only one playoff game, and proceeded to blow a three game division lead with three games to go.

    
     Maybe it was just the time for something new.  The method Shanahan was using just did not have the same flair it used to, on a team with weapons on offense but a defense that is aging and couldn’t stop the run if “Refrigerator” Perry was carrying the ball.  Sure, the idea of having a 1,000 yard rusher every year was enticing, although it is hard to excited over Tatum Bell, Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson, and Reuben Droughns, but this method has not led to team success.  Could it have been that Terrell Davis made Mike Shanahan?  Both were brought to the team in 1995, Shanahan from the 49ers, and Davis a sixth-round draft pick out of Georgia.  Since the great draft of 1995, nothing has seemed to bring success.  This year bringing in an unproductive Dewayne Robertson from the Jets, and the 2007 draft in which the Broncos believed only defensive lineman were allowed to be drafted.  They picked up Jarvis Moss, Tim Crowder, and Marcus Thomas with three of their first four picks, none of whom have displayed any sign that they will be productive in this lifetime.  Whether its the play calling or the decision making, he has still had just as much playoff success in this decade as Tony Romo has in the past few years. 
    
      The time is now for the Broncos to win.  Holding a three game lead with three to go?  First off, this should never have happened if we go back to early in the season when Ed Hochuly decided to blow his whistle just because he wanted to show off his killer biceps.  Straying off real fast, have you seen the arms of fellow referee Gene Staratore?  He must be attending the Hochuli ”School of Jacked Referees.”  Ok, so back on the topic of not so jacked Mike Shanahan.  The AFC West was wide open for them to win, as seen by a Chargers team with an 8-8 record winning the division.  The Chargers seemed down and out, but played with heart and emotion, while the Broncos lost three straight games to Carolina, Buffalo, and the Chargers on Sunday night.  This escalated by losses to Oakland, Kansas City, and Jacksonville.  Sure the AFC West has been run the past few years by the Chargers, but if the Broncos want to win, it has to be now with the monstrocity in Oakland aand a rebuilding Kansas City Chiefs squad who started a quarterback from the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.  (No offense, Tyler Thigpen has had a great season and deserves to be their quarterback of the future)  Holding a three game lead with three to go, and then getting embarrased on national TV, is inexcusable.  A season like this falls squarely in the hands of the head coach.  
    
     In today’s NFL, coaching changes are more abrupt and frequent.  A great example would be the Baltimore Ravens of a year ago.  Brian Billick, somtimes referred to as a poor coach, and as a Ravens fan I noticed his clock management skills, possibly a little better than Romeo Crennel, which is not saying much.  He won a Super Bowl in 2000.  Since that victory, the team’s playoff success diminished until a disappointing 5-11 season in 2007.  This prompted the firing of Billick who was the third longest tenured coach in the league. Out goes Billick, in comes Special Teams assistant John Harbaugh.  Teams are realizing the impact of bringing a young coach into the NFL.  It is evident throughout the league with the success of Mike Smith in Atlanta, Tony Sparano in Miami, and even Jim Zorn in Washington.  The younger generation of coaches is being felt with the possible opportunities for Jason Garrett of Dallas, Steve Spagnuolo and Kevin Gilbride in New York, and Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan.
    
       Mike Shanahan leaves Denver with a record of 138-86 and two Super Bowl rings, but the stink of having led a talented football team to a record of 8-8 in a terrible division.  Mike Shanahan will go down as one of the best coaches in the history of the National Football League, but his career is nowhere near over.  He may be Shana-CANNED, but soon enough he will be Shana-HANDED a new job.

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