SHANAHAN’S SON STAYING SILENT BEFORE GAME VS. DAD: Thursday night’s NFL game between Denver and Houston will be a family affair:

The DENVER POST points out that Broncos coach Mike Shanahan will be facing off against his son, Kyle, who happens to be the quarterbacks coach for the Texans.But it won’t be all smiles & hugs when the two meet up pre-game. Kyle believes he can’t be too warm & friendly with dear ol’ dad, since their may be some ulterior motives to Mike’s fatherly concern:

“I can’t talk to him. He’s not going to squeeze anything out of me — I know he’ll try. I don’t trust him. He’ll act like he doesn’t want to talk about the game, but he’ll try to get something from me.”

Such competitive nature also means Kyle will be mum with his mum: “I’m not going to talk to my mom, either — he may be using her to try to get something out of me.”Should be a pleasant time at the next family reunion.

But there is a league-wide buzz about Shanahan’s chip off the ol’ block, as some in the know wouldn’t be surprised if Kyle ends up as a head coach. Texans leader Gary Kubiak believes the younger Shanahan has the skills & motivation to be top dog someday: “The one thing I know about Kyle is he’s made up like his old man — he’s a driven sucker.”

Who knows - he may even take pop’s place at Mile High.