Optimism grows about Broncos OC Scangarello after Shanahan remarks
Jan 23, 2019, 5:28 PM | Updated: Jan 24, 2019, 7:49 am
Speaking from the Senior Bowl, where his staff is coaching the South team this week, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke glowingly about his former quarterbacks coach, and new Denver Broncos offensive coordinator, Rich Scangarello.
From Shanahan touting Scangarello’s confidence to the 49ers initially blocking his departure for fear of losing another key coach, “Stokley and Zach” co-host Brandon Stokley said the comments only raised his level of optimism about the new play-caller.
“I was optimistic about this hiring because you know this guy’s background and who he’s been around, and then on top of it you hear these comments. So, yeah, it makes me more excited about it,” Stokley said.
Stokley’s co-host, Zach Bye, said Wednesday he walked away from reading all the remarks from Shanahan “a lot more optimistic” than he was even 48 hours previously.
“You can say things politically correct without heaping the praise the way that Kyle Shanahan did. He’s selling out for Rich Scangarello,” Bye said. “And I think we all admire Kyle, and I think this is another step of a stamp of validation for Rich.”
But, ultimately, Bye said, Scangarello works in a “bottom-line business.”
“He’s going to have to prove it,” Bye said.
Stokley championed a similar sentiment, saying, “Either he’s going to get the job done or he’s not. I mean, ultimately, that’s what it’s going to come down to. Are you going to help us score more points and win football games or you’re not going to do that? So, we’ll see. Because he’s never done it at this level.”
While he’s held several offensive coordinator positions on the collegiate level, this season will be the first time Scangarello has called plays in the NFL.
However, Scangarello has learned under the tutelage of Shanahan for several years now, first as an offensive quality control coach for the Atlanta Falcons in 2015 — when Shanahan was the offensive coordinator — and for the past two seasons as the quarterbacks coach for the 49ers.
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
