Schlereth: ‘Great sign’ Shanahan eyeing Broncos job, ‘shows confidence’

The shadow cast by former Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan stretches far across the Mile High City and the Front Range. He reigned over the club during its most successful period in team history (at least in terms of world championships) and arguably has been the best to put on a headset for the orange and blue.

Those are pretty big shoes to fill, but Shanahan’s son, Kyle, seems undaunted by the prospects.

In a report on “Up to the Minute Live” early Thursday, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo indicated that the Broncos have separated itself from the three other teams in the race for the younger Shanahan’s services, in Kyle’s view.

“The word around the league right now, the word with people involved in coaching searches and gathering all of this information, is that that’s the job Shanahan has his eyes on — going to Denver where his father coached,” Garafolo said.

If that’s true, Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan’s Mark Schlereth thinks it a great sign for the Broncos, who will interview the Falcons offensive coordinator in Atlanta on Saturday.

“If Kyle Shanahan welcomes coaching under the shadow of his father, then that’s a great sign. If he says this is where I want to be, then that is a great sign for the Denver Broncos,” the “Schlereth and Evans co-host said Thursday. “It’s a great sign of kind of who Kyle Shanahan is and the confidence he has in his ability.”

Schlereth also said Shanahan was likely the head coaching candidate on the market best qualified to lead a team because of his experience not only as a coordinator but growing up watching his father and coaches like Gary Kubiak.

“He’s been with Mike. He’s been with Gary. He’s been with some mentors in his life that he’s known since he was a little kid that have helped him be prepared for this time in his life. He’s probably the most qualified first-time head coach on the market,” Schlereth said. “There’s no question in my mind.”

Shanahan’s number also speak for themselves, with his Falcons offense leading the league in points (540) and coming in at No. 2 in yards (6,653).

In a conversation in recent months with Mike Shanahan, Schlereth said the thing that resonated the most with him was that the former Broncos coach said finding the right job meant finding the “right owner.”

And with the Los Angeles Rams being the other team most heavily linked to Kyle Shanahan — he’ll meet with the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers also — Denver has an edge up due to its owner.

“Based on the history of (Rams owner) Stan Kroenke’s franchises, I’m not so sure that he’s really concerned about the winning aspect of it. So I don’t look at that as a desirable location in Los Angeles with the Rams. I don’t know about him wanting to win,” Schlereth said.

“I know in Denver, Colorado, it’s all about winning. It’s all about world championships. So that in and of itself alone makes, in my mind, the Denver Broncos the most desirable franchise to come and coach for.”

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.