Winning one Super Bowl apparently will buy a coach seven more years.
Winning consecutive Super Bowls, historically, rewards a coach for, at least, 11 additional seasons and for as many as 22 years.
So, in a word: fuhgeddaboudit.
Mike Shanahan — nearly a decade removed from the Broncos’ second Super Bowl victory — is going nowhere, unless on his own accord (and certainly not, at his salary, in an Accord).
But that does not prevent we Denver dragons and drag-ons from breathing fire on his neck.
Brian Billick, who won the Super Bowl in the 2000 season, just got fired by the Baltimore Ravens.
Just six coaches have won back-to- back Bowls, a rare and remarkable achievement. Vince Lombardi, with the Green Bay Packers, was the first, in the 1966 and 1967 seasons. Pittsburgh’s Chuck Noll accomplished the feat twice — 1974-75 and 1978-79. The others were Don Shula in Miami (1972-73), Jimmy Johnson with Dallas (1992-93), New England’s Bill Belichick (2003-04) and, of course, Shanahan with the Broncos (1997-98).
(San Francisco won in 1988-89, but with different coaches.)
Obviously, only Belichick and Shanahan remain in the league, and Belichick is favored to win his fourth Super Bowl. Shanahan is favored to win brickbats in January.
Lombardi retired after the second victory, but resurfaced in Washington for a season. Johnson left the Cowboys after his second over control issues with owner Jerry Jones.
Shula lasted 22 more seasons — and went to two more Super Bowls, but lost — but felt warm temperatures in southern Florida his final 13 seasons, in which he finished above .500 only six times, before retiring after the 1995 season.
Noll’s four Super Bowl victories were rewarded for 12 more seasons — even though he produced a 51-60 record in his final seven seasons. He retired in 1991.
Tom Landry, who coached the Cowboys for 29 years, won two Super Bowls years apart and lost three others. He was 7-9, 7-8 and 3-13 in his last three seasons — and was dumped by the new owner, the same Jerry Jones, 11 years after winning his second Bowl.
To the point: Shanahan hasn’t been back to the Super Bowl for nine years and is two awful seasons away from being in the AFC championship game. In his 24 years in the NFL as a head coach and assistant coach with Denver, Oakland and San Francisco, Shanahan has been to 10 conference championship games and six Super Bowls — winning a third as the 49ers’ offensive coordinator.
He has coached in the Super Bowl in an amazing 25 percent of his pro seasons and in the playoffs 62.5 percent (15 of 24).
Shanahan has earned his stay. He has wiggle space.
BUT.
Two Super Bowl victories as a head coach do not guarantee a ticket to the Hall of Fame. Johnson, Tom Flores and Bill Parcells have not reached Canton.
Shanahan has won one playoff game (losing four) and missed the playoffs five times since the second Super Bowl victory nine years ago.
His personnel decisions in veteran free agency have been dubious, with several major gaffes. He has been exceptional in grabbing college and previously cut free agents.
His first-round draft choices generally have been mixed, with three major busts and only three No. 1s selected to the Pro Bowl. His overall drafts have been .500 (six plus drafts, especially 2006, six minus drafts, especially 2003, with 2007 not yet determined). His trades have been excellent (Champ Bailey, Dre Bly and Javon Walker — for a year — and Terrell Davis, Jay Cutler and D.J. Williams drafted with acquired draft picks).
And Shanahan’s coaching (and selection of assistants) has been uneven the past nine years, and slipping badly the past two. Last week Shanahan blamed his coaching for the Broncos’ 7-9 record. We must agree.
Great expectations led to grating expectorations.
Owner Pat Bowlen has reiterated that Shanahan is his coach for life — or longer.
(Julius Caesar was given a vote of confidence and named “dictator for life” on Feb. 14, 44 B.C. That lasted until March 15, 44 B.C.)
Shanahan will be here beyond the Ides of March and Defeats of December and until he resigns or retires.
But we can gripe loudly about Shanahan and the red zone performance, the antiquated and decaying playbook, the terrible rush defense and the pathetic special teams, the Travis Henrys and the George Fosters, the lack of a high-quality leadership among the players and the presence of low-quality humans on the roster, the 41-3 and 23-3 humiliations against San Diego and the giveaways to Green Bay and Chicago.
Shanahan is allowed to coach; we are permitted to carp.
If the Broncos are to rise from the dust next season, Mike Shanahan must wipe the ashes from his face.
To begin with, the Broncos should bring back Al Wilson.
Woody Paige: 303-954-1095 or wpaige@denverpost.com
