In his NFL Insider, Denver Gazette beat writer Chris Tomasson takes you around the Broncos and the NFL:

Former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan was on a boat in the Mediterranean when he got the news this past week that his late offensive line coach Alex Gibbs was named a semifinalist for the first time to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“It’s great he’s getting recognized,’’ Shanahan said from the boat during his vacation. “He was a pretty special guy in my life.”

Oh, by the way, Shanahan also is one of 29 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the coach/contributor category. But he was perhaps more excited learning that Gibbs was on the list.

“I always say, ‘Let the other people decide the fortunes there,’’’ Shanahan said of his Hall of Fame prospects. “I’ve been fortunate to be around some great players and some great organizations and lucky enough to be able to have success.”

Shanahan, who won two Super Bowls while coaching the Broncos from 1995-2008, is in line at some point to make Hall of Fame, and it could be for the Class of 2024. And it’s a long shot Gibbs ever will be enshrined.

It was notable to see Gibbs on the list of semifinalists. Nobody has made the Hall of Fame solely for accomplishments as an assistant coach.

Gibbs, who was named a semifinalist Wednesday exactly two years after he died on July 12, 2021, was an assistant in the NFL from 1984-2010, including 1984-87 and 1995-2003 with the Broncos. He was the assistant head coach in addition to being offensive line coach under Shanahan during his second Denver stint after also having that role when Shanahan coached the Los Angeles Raiders from 1988-89. Gibbs did come out of retirement to serve as a Broncos consultant in 2013, when he went to his fifth Super Bowl with the team.

Gibbs coached in two Super Bowls, both losses, under Dan Reeves in his first Denver stint. Later, he was on Shanahan’s winning Super Bowl teams after the 1997 and 1998 seasons.

In addition to Shanahan and Gibbs, Reeves, who died in 2022, was also named a semifinalist in the coach/contributor category. And former Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar is among 31 semifinalists as a seniors candidate. Finalists in each category will be announced next month.

“(Gibbs) was instrumental in our success with the Broncos, with the Super Bowls and all the (playoff appearances),’’ Shanahan said. “He’s one of the big reasons why we had the success we had. … Everybody knows the success we had with him and his zone-blocking scheme.”

Gibbs was known for his innovative blocking schemes, which helped Terrell Davis rush for 2,008 yards in 1998. In Gibbs’ first season with the Broncos, Sammy Winder had 1,153 yards rushing in 1984, and he ended up having nine 1,000-yard runners in his 13 Denver seasons.

“He was a great offensive line coach,’’ said legendary defensive coordinator Joe Collier, a Broncos assistant from 1969-88. “He got his players to play their butts off for him. He’d yell at times to get them motivated. But the offensive line played very well under him, and I think they all liked him.’’

Ken Lanier, a Broncos tackle 1981-94, said he liked Gibbs a lot.

“He was willing to listen to his players and he was willing to go ahead and implement some of the things that we were telling him needed to be done,’’ Lanier said. “It wasn’t his way or the highway. … I guess it sucks that he’s not around for (this recognition).’’

Gibbs died at the age of 80 at his home in Phoenix. He didn’t enter the NFL until he was 43, having been a college coach from 1966-83. He then spent time with eight NFL teams.

WHAT I’M THINKING

–It’s good to see former Broncos defensive lineman Malik Jackson, 33, able to retire on his own terms. Jackson started all 16 games he played last season for Cleveland and could have stuck around the league. But he told the NFL Network he’s “not leaving the couch right now” and wants to spend more time with his family. Jackson played 11 NFL seasons, including being with the Broncos from 2012-15 and winning a Super Bowl with them in 2015. He made the Pro Bowl with Jacksonville in 2017.

–The Broncos announced with pride having four Hall of Fame semifinalists in Gradishar, Shanahan, Reeves and Gibbs. OK, so he only spent six days with the team before being traded for John Elway, but a fifth named with Broncos ties was offensive lineman Chris Hinton. The seniors candidate, taken with the No. 4 pick in the 1983 draft before being dealt to the Colts, has Hall of Fame credentials, having made seven Pro Bowls. But he was hampered by playing for mostly crummy teams (Colts, Falcons, Vikings) in his 13-year NFL career.

WHAT I’M HEARING

–Collier was a star receiver in the early 1950s at Northwestern and was inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame in 2003. Showing him around when he was on the Evanston, Ill., campus then was Pat Fitzgerald, who was then an assistant and took over as head coach in 2006. Fitzgerald was fired last Monday with the football team embroiled in a hazing scandal. “That’s kind of a crazy deal,’’ Collier said. “I got to know him a bit. … I was really shocked about him getting fired.”

–Shanahan was glued to the television at his Denver-area home watching the Nuggets win their first NBA championship. “I was so proud of the Nuggets,’’ he said. “It was so enjoyable for me to watch.’’ Shanahan lauded head coach Michael Malone, whose team ousted Miami 4-1 in the NBA Finals. “It’s a real compliment to (Malone) on how hard they played consistently, week in and week out, every playoff game,’’ Shanahan said.

WHAT I’M SEEING

–For anyone who has gotten a DeMarcus Ware autograph since Feb. 9, it has looked different. That’s the day the former Cowboys and Broncos linebacker was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It also was the day he stopped putting his uniform No. “94” after his signature and began writing “HOF 23.” Ware said with pride that he’s “getting used to” his new signature as he prepares to inducted Aug. 5 into the Canton.

–Nice to see Broncos star safety Justin Simmons team up with USAA and the Denver Fire Department for a wildfire prevention campaign. “It’s just like with the NFL,’’ he said. “There are certain things, certain plays, certain instances in a game where it’s like, ‘That will never happen to us,’ and then that instance comes up and you’re like, ‘We could have prepared better.”’ With the in mind, Simmons has been studying prevention tips to protect his family while also wanting to get the word out to others.