In the retail world or in government, hiring based on relationships is commonplace. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
It often happens even if the hire is not the best person for the job. When hiring an NFL head coach, that should have no place in the process. The best person for the job should get the position if the team wants to build a perennial winner.
Enter the Denver Broncos ownership group. The Walton/Penner group is a collection of brilliant minds, for sure. However, all but one member has spent a large portion of their time in retail or government.
Having former Stanford head coach David Shaw as a real option as the Broncos' head-coaching hire screams “it’s who you know” instead of being the most qualified.
As we all sit by and watch candidates droplike flies from the Broncos’ list, it's becoming more apparent that their lack of experience in the NFL is impacting the process. It looks as though the ownership group will be deciding who to hire based on their fourth or fifth option, and that moves Shaw into a prime position to be hired.
Shaw is not a terrible option, but he has garnered no NFL interviews elsewhere. Only the Broncos view him as a head coach candidate.
Shaw is connected with the ownership group through Stanford, and the fact that he is part of this coaching search is about that relationship. His past experience and success are not worthy of being one of the top candidates.
Shaw's NFL experience is nearly 20 years old. His early success at Stanford wasn’t exactly unprecedented. Shaw took over a program that Jim Harbaugh made successful, and was able to live on what was built by someone else.
Shaw’s early success slowly withered away with him at the helm. His last great season was in 2015, which came five years after Harbaugh left. That was eight years ago. Under Shaw’s guidance, the team continued to get worse to the point that the Cardinal posted a losing record in each of his final four seasons at the helm.
Shaw is qualified to be an offensive coordinator position, at best, in the NFL. He is not a top choice for a head-coaching gig based on his body of work.
The Stanford connection should have no place in this Broncos' head-coaching search. The Broncos' new ownership must change its way of thinking because the NFL is about winning, and that starts with hiring the right head coach.
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