Would Mike Shanahan Be a Good Fit for the Dallas Cowboys?

If you haven't heard, the Denver Broncos have fired Mike Shanahan.

Now, I know Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said that he is keeping the coaches in place at Valley Ranch, but would Shanahan be a good fit for the Cowboys?

The one thing Denver has been known for is its excellent running game. (This year has been a statistical blip, as the Broncos greatly struggled while being forced to play their eighth-string running back.)

The problem is that he built those teams with very athletic, smaller offensive linemen and a zone blocking scheme. Meanwhile, the current Cowboys linemen are mammoths who struggle with the zone blocking running plays that are run by the Cowboys.

I am not sure if Shanahan could transfer his scheme to Dallas' current roster, but I love the thought of having a coach who sticks to the running game.

On defense Shanahan runs a 4-3,  but he experimented with a 3-4 early in the season.   The reason for going back to the 4-3 is because they didn't have the personnel that fit the 3-4 scheme, which resulted in a terrible defensive performance in 2008. 

Then again, the Broncos were run over this year, no matter the defensive alignment they put out there. 

Dallas has all the pieces for a 3-4, with studs like DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff.

In a perfect world, current coach Wade Phillips would take a lesser role as defensive coordinator. That is what he excels at, and it would keep the defensive strategy in place for 2009.

Shanahan is also a hard-nosed, no-nonsense coach that could possibly calm down the circus that the Cowboys currently have going on.

Then we get to reality. 

Would Jerry Jones want a guy like Shanahan, who had—and will most likely want—complete control over a team?

How about Bill Cowher? Or Bill Parcells? Or Jimmy Johnson?

No, and that is why Cowboy fans may in be for a few more years of disappointment.