He was called the Mastermind during the Super Bowl years and called something else entirely when the Broncos failed to make the playoffs the past two seasons.
Soon, Broncos coach Mike Shana-han can be called clairvoyant.
During training camp, despite his team’s recent stumbles and youthful roster, Shanahan went on a local radio show and said his team would make the playoffs. It was more pronouncement than guarantee. But to a question about job security should his team miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season, Shanahan finished off his comprehensive response with, “But we will not miss the playoffs.”
Those words grew legs, and the media ran with it for days.
“I don’t see where that’s some blown-out prediction,” Broncos defensive end Jarvis Moss said. “You’d be disappointed if you didn’t think you were going to the playoffs when the season started. You’re supposed to have high expectations.”
Shanahan isn’t prophetic yet. The Broncos have a three-game lead in the AFC West with three games to play. But one more Broncos win or Chargers loss would make Shanahan the modern-day Muhammad Ali of NFL coaches.
“When I said it that day, I never make guarantees,” Shanahan said. “Just because of the guarantee relative to injury, you never know. But I felt very good about this football team going in. It’s one of the reasons why I was so excited, and I felt like if we didn’t make the playoffs, I would be very disappointed.”
The Chargers’ remaining schedule: At 2-11 Kansas City, at 9-3 Tampa Bay, and home against the 8-5 Broncos. The Broncos’ remaining schedule: at 9-3 Carolina, home against 6-7 Buffalo and at the 5-8 Chargers.
In the unlikely scenario the Broncos lose their next three and San Diego wins its final three, the Chargers would own the tiebreaker by virtue of a better division record. Naturally, the Broncos expect to finish off their division before playing San Diego in the season finale.
“As I shared with you all along, if you don’t win 10 games in the National Football League, then you feel like you didn’t get the job done,” Shana-han said. “Hopefully, we can win a few more games.”
