There can be no more Hall passes. No more excuses. No more politics. The coach’s wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame cannot be taken seriously until Mike Shanahan is in it. The former Broncos legend advanced to the group of nine semifinalists on Thursday, with the blue-ribbon committee meeting on Nov. 19 to select one for Hall of Fame consideration. If that is not Shanahan, a man with 170 career victories, what are we even doing? This dance is demeaning and confusing. Are the voters waiting for AI ChatGPT to explain how logic has avoided their discussions for years? Shanahan was a Hall of Famer the day he retired. He was a Hall of Famer on Thursday. And if the committee has any sense of justice, he will be recommended for the Hall of Fame next month. It has been 11 years since Shanahan patrolled the sidelines with his steely glare. And yet immortality continues to give him the side eye. For years, Broncos Country lamented their stars receiving the shaft for football’s highest honor. Then Floyd Little got in, paving the way for owner Pat Bowlen and a parade of players, most notably John Elway, Terrell Davis, Steve Atwater, Shannon Sharpe, Gary Zimmerman, Champ Bailey and John Lynch. Who do you think coached them in Denver? Ted Lasso? Somebody, please explain how Bill Cowher and Tony Dungy, among others, received their gold jackets while Shanahan waits like he is in boarding Group C on Southwest Airlines. Other than the backlog of candidates for one spot, there is no valid argument against his inclusion. Shanahan’s case, boiled down to the basics, rests on a simple number: 2. He won back-to-back Super Bowl titles in 1997 and ’98. There are seven coaches who have pulled off this feat: Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, Chuck Noll, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Belichick, Andy Reid and Shanahan. The first four reside in Canton and Belichick and Reid will be elected the second they are eligible. And yet Shanahan is out here waiting. As a baseball Hall of Fame voter, I can appreciate the challenge of measuring excellence. But the beauty in baseball is that we vote in a vacuum, even mailing in our ballots. And the writer can choose to make it public (I always have). Football requires a discussion among committee members. That creates a political process of stumping for candidates that lacks transparency and creates suspicion. It has already been advanced in some quarters that Mike Holmgren will get the nod in Thursday’s group which includes Shanahan, Bill Arnsparger, Tom Coughlin, Chuck Knox, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert and Clark Shaughnessy. Holmgren won a single Super Bowl, and as the biggest favorite since Super Bowl III, lost to – you guessed it – Shanahan. Of all the candidates, only Coughlin and Seifert boast multiple Super Bowl wins. Neither did it in consecutive seasons. Only seven Hall of Fame coaches have won more games than Shanahan. But let’s not pretend he was a compiler. He set a record (46-10) for most wins during a three-year period with the Broncos. He was an app before we even thought of that. His version of the West Coast offense litters playbooks around the league. Sean Payton has admittedly stolen plays from him that he had never seen before. “About 65 percent of the league is running his offense,” former Broncos Pro Bowler Mark Schlereth said. “And it’s amazing to think of all the innovations that are directly credited to Mike.” Fullback Howard Griffth explained that Shanahan implemented a variation of the I and offset I-formation, resulting in “a power run game employing the zone blocking scheme” that manifested into 14 offenses that ranked in the top 5 during his career as a coach and coordinator. And while far too many legends have coaching trees that look like scraggly branches — looking at you Belichick — Shanahan has inspired a generation of terrific bosses from Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur to Mike McDaniel, his son Kyle and Gary Kubiak, who guided the Broncos to the Super Bowl 50 title. Greatness requires brilliance against the best. Homecoming opponents don’t pave the road to Canton. Shanahan owns a 22-17 head-to-head record against nine coaches in the Hall of Fame, and knocked out three in the playoffs (Cowher, Parcells, Shula). Detractors lean heavily into Shanahan’s lack of success without Elway and his run in Washington. But let’s be fair. He reached the playoffs four times without him, losing in the AFC Championship Game with Jake Plummer, and made a magical run with rookie Robert Griffin III in Washington. Related Articles Sports Columnists | Broncos podcast: What’s powered Denver’s 5-3 start and previewing a big game vs. Baltimore on Sunday Sports Columnists | Renck: Are Broncos NFL’s CU Buffs? Not quite ready for prime time? They can earn trust vs. Ravens Sports Columnists | Renck vs. Keeler: Is Broncos QB Bo Nix really outplaying No. 1 pick Caleb Williams? Sports Columnists | Renck: Feeding off Sean Payton, Broncos’ only acceptable outcome for this season is making the playoffs Sports Columnists | Renck: Broncos QB Bo Nix must continue to use legs if Denver wants to make playoff run The idea that his case must be made is embarrassing. It is hard to find a play-caller who doesn’t want to be like Mike. So, when Nov. 19 rolls around, I implore this committee to please make this wrong right. Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.