Adam Schefter rips Pro Football Hall of Fame selection process after latest snub of Mike Shanahan

Three-time Super Bowl champion Mike Shanahan was again passed over for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Wednesday, prompting ESPN's Adam Schefter to criticize the "BS" voting process. 

Each year, the Hall of Fame chooses one coach/contributor to advance to the final stage in the selection process, which involves a 50-person committee deciding whether the candidate will be inducted. Shanahan, one of just six head coaches to win back-to-back Super Bowls, was among 12 semifinalists considered, but the committee selected two-time NFL Championship-winning HC Buddy Parker as the finalist. 

During an appearance on 104.3 The Fan's "Schlereth and Evans," Schefter expressed his frustration with Shanahan's snub, calling the selection committee out for prolonging the coach's induction. Hat tip to Denver Sports' Will Petersen.

“I think it’s a bunch of BS. Mike Shanahan is a Hall of Famer yesterday, today and tomorrow. I mean, it's ridiculous. Who made these 50 people the voices of God and the deciders of fate? Like, who comes up with these stupid rules? These are mistakes. Mike Shanahan is a Hall of Famer. He’s just not in the Hall of Fame. He belongs in the Hall of Fame, he should’ve been in before. He’s going to get in. But let’s just make him wait to 2024 or 2026… until the judges of the game, the arbiters of the truth, get to issue that pass to go to the Hall. Like, okay, give me a break.” 

While Parker's nomination is well deserved, it's not surprising Schefter, who previously covered the Broncos for the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post, as well as co-wrote a book with Shanahan, defended the longtime Denver head coach.

However, personal ties aside, Schefter's argument is still valid since Shanahan's resume is quite impressive in its own right and his influence continues to live on in today's NFL. 

After separate stints with Denver as an assistant – with a brief tenure as Los Angeles Raiders head coach sandwiched between – Shanahan rose to prominence as San Francisco's offensive coordinator. With the 49ers, Shanahan's play-calling contributed to the 49ers defeating the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX in a contest which saw quarterback Steve Young throw for a game-record six touchdown passes. 

His success with the 49ers led Shanahan to land the Denver head-coaching gig, serving from 1995 through the 2008 season, a span during which he won Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII.

In 2010, Shanahan took over as head coach and executive vice president in Washington, but his tenure was disastrous, with the now-Commanders finishing last in the NFC East in three-of-four seasons. Although it is possible that things could've gone differently had star quarterback Robert Griffin III not sustained a career-altering knee injury.

Overall, Shanahan's 178 career wins (including the playoffs) are tied for the 14th-most in NFL history. 

Not to mention Shanahan has left a lasting impression on the game today thanks to his extensive coaching tree, which includes current head coaches Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur and Mike McDaniel, as well as his son Kyle Shanahan. Each of these young coaches has succeeded in some fashion early in their careers, partly due to Shanahan's zone-running scheme, and might even have their own impressive coaching trees someday.

Considering Shanahan is one of three retired multi-Super Bowl-winning head coaches not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, his induction seems inevitable, even if it's already long overdue.