Once again, Christmas snuck up on Mike Shanahan.
‘Twas the Wednesday before Christmas and Shanahan, the Broncos’ intensely focused coach on all things football this time of year, had yet to feel the holiday spirit.
“Obviously, I never do any Christmas shopping until the day before,” he said.
Uh, Coach, the Broncos have a game the day before Christmas this year. A big one, too, against the Cincinnati Bengals today.
“I guess it will be two days before, then,” he said, laughing.
Here’s hoping Peggy Shanahan gets what she wants. Not to give away secrets, but Peggy has a pretty good idea her gift will have the brand name “Trice” on it. You think Shanahan does those radio ads for free?
“We do get good presents from it because he doesn’t have time to think about it, so he just panics and gets something that’s easy,” Peggy Shanahan said. “Christmas is just not in the plans, at least not for Mike.”
It’s not that the job has gradually turned the Broncos coach into some kind of Shanny Scrooge. To the contrary, Shanahan informed his players last week they will get Christmas Day off, followed by their regular day off Tuesday.
He didn’t add the “win-or- lose” kicker because defeat is something a coach competing for an AFC wild-card spot cannot consider, much less allow to slip from his tongue. Every now and then, though, a coach will present the reward first with the idea accomplishment will follow.
How fitting that Shanahan scrambled the order. Christmas might be the biggest day of the year for some. But in the NFL season, Christmas isn’t even the biggest day of the week.
“I’m glad it’s on a Monday this year because that way it won’t be a distraction like it would be on a Wednesday or a Thursday,” Broncos defensive tackle Gerard Warren said.
Yes, there are football seasons when Christmas is a distraction. Rarely is it a carrot. Truth be known, how Christmas Day goes for Broncos players and coaches will depend on how the team fares Christmas Eve against the Bengals.
This is where Shanahan has a chance to deliver a great gift to all Broncoland, by getting his team prepared for victory the day before. Victory is always the carrot. Win and Christmas Day becomes the icing.
“We have the stress of the game so on Christmas Day we’ll either be really happy or really upset, fresh off of a win or fresh off a loss,” Broncos kicker Jason Elam said. “For me, I try not to take it home with me, but if bad things happen it’s hard not to take it home. Hopefully bad things won’t happen. That will be my prayer.”
Ghosts of Christmas past
When it comes to celebrating Christmas, the Broncos could not have asked for a better collaboration of the calendar and the schedule. By playing at home, they get to enjoy Christmas Eve night and Christmas Day without interruption of practice.
Not so for the Bengals, who might be passing Santa’s sleigh on their flight home tonight.
Twice the Broncos have played regular-season games on Christmas, which might not have been so bad except both were on the road, in 2004 at Tennessee and 1999 at Detroit.
“The one Christmas I do remember, because it was a tough one, was spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Tennessee and not home with the kids,” Broncos safety John Lynch said. “But I got there and they had stashed in my baggage a present. And I opened it and it was one of those pictures that talks to you and it was everybody saying, ‘Merry Christmas, Daddy!’ That made it a little more bearable.”
There is Christmas. And there is gift-shopping for Christmas. Shanahan waits until the last minute. He did go out Friday and get gifts for his wife and daughter, Krystal. Peggy took care of son Kyle, who is on the Houston Texans’ coaching staff.
“We were talking to Kyle the other night and Mike asked, ‘What are you doing for Christmas?”‘ Peggy Shanahan said. “And Kyle said, ‘What do you mean? When is Christmas?”‘ Then Kyle goes, ‘Oh my gosh, this is making me sick. I’m getting just like you.”‘
Elam and Broncos defensive tackle Michael Myers try to get most of their Christmas shopping finished before Thanksgiving. Many players have figured out the convenience of shopping on the Internet.
A time for giving
In an industry in which the lowest-paid rookie draws a $275,000 salary, players who take the time to think about it understand they can enjoy Christmas more than most. A few years ago, Broncos tight end Stephen Alexander and wife Mandie paused long enough to conclude Christmas is foremost a time for giving.
Since then, the money they might have spent on extravagant gifts for each other became a donation toward St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
“My wife and I get each other one small gift,” Alexander said. “But we’re at the point where we don’t need anything. And it makes you feel good when you’re sitting there on Christmas Day knowing you gave to a worthwhile cause.”
For single guys such as Warren and Javon Walker, Christmas Day means relaxing, watching TV, napping, taking a few phone calls from family. For the family guys, Christmas becomes the one day when Dad’s dedication to football is outvoted.
“The kids don’t care if Daddy’s got a game to play, they’re ready for Christmas,” Myers said. “They want to play all day. When you have kids, every year is a good Christmas.”
But today, Christmas must wait. For the Broncos, today isn’t Christmas Eve and ornaments on the tree. It’s a big game against the Bengals with an AFC playoff berth at stake. And once the game is over, maybe then Shanahan will realize Christmas will be here before he knows it.
“We always have a number of people come over and stay at the house,” Shanahan said. “But I was talking to Peggy last week and when she told me people were coming in this week, it just kind of shocked me. You kind of forget Christmas is here. I think that’s human nature. When you’re going 100 miles an hour, you treat this week like every other week.”
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com.
