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What happened? - stanfan - 09-01-2012

When Coach Shaw was asked last night, "what happened?" he said something like "that's what I'd like to know".  Here's what it looked like to me:

1.  No leadership on either side of the ball.  Stanford looked flat and was consistently outhustled and out hit.  Hopefully, the injection of Skov next week will provide a needed jolt.

2.  Our DL and LB's were generally not ready to play.  Chase Thomas certainly didn't look like Chase Thomas....he couldn't get off blocks.  Same was true of Big Ben.  The Spartans O line pretty much dominated until the end of the game.  Our safety play is the weakness folks expected.  Vaughters is a physical presence, but Lancaster and Tarpley play the position better than he does at this point.

3.  The O Line play was generally pathetic.  Nunes was fine for his first game.

4.  Stanford tried to run plays as though the O line was doing their job (eg power plays).  Didn't work because the O line didn't work.

5.  The Spartans had a great scheme, executed well, and played harder than we did.

6.  It's going to be a very long season unless the OL and DL turn it around big time very quickly.

Re: What happened? - stan01 - 09-01-2012

Lancaster may have brought something else when he came into the game: an infusion of enthusiasm.  He was so pumped and excited to get a chance to play football, that his energy was contagious.  On the sidelines, Nate Lohn and, was that Kevin Reihnher were trying to get the quiet crowd to make some noise for the SJS third down.  The Stanford crowd lost last night too, way too quiet and passive in our own house. 

Andrus Peat didn't rotate in at LT at all, according to the Cardinal Report.  He only saw action on the field goal blocking team. 

Re: What happened? - Hank 91 - 09-01-2012

That specific question was about the running game. One thing to remember is that even the scores were big last year against SJSU and Duke, there was still lots of concern about the offensive line. They weren't blowing people off the line, and those who had predicted the new line would fail looked at the production after those two games and said "I told you so." Obviously, things got better. We'll see if that happens this year.

Leadership.. a deeper problem - Redrum - 09-01-2012

"Hopefully, the injection of Skov next week will provide a needed jolt.'

I think healthy teams have more than one leader.  That just sounds trite, but run the syllogism in reverse and it makes more sense:  "Teams with only one leader are vulnerable."  I have no idea why Murphy, or Thomas or Gardner -- Mr. Motor-- couldn't energize and focus the crew...or maybe they did but it wasn't leadership that was lacking.  Maybe Skov's individual game instincts and physical gifts are really that "jolt" that's needed.  And, if you think about it,  that is also a scary thought about the thin line between us and mediocrity.  We were told last year it was a whole team "culture" of smashing mouths and pride in dominating. 

Maybe not so cultural as we thought.

Re: What happened? - Spiny_Norman - 09-01-2012

After 4 years of EUTM and In Luck We Trust, we now return you to the normal Stanford football anxiety and pessimism.

the BuddyBall memories that last night evoked are most chilling.  An offense that can be truly offensive - predictable and ineffective!  The play that had me yelling at the screen was the 4th down play in the 4th quarter.  When SJS is stacked against the run on 4th and 1, why do you call a play where the QB sprints back 5 yards to handoff to Taylor who has barely started moving toward the line?  Coach Shaw, what happened there?

Re: What happened? - readarmy1976 - 09-01-2012

David Shaw is a wet blanket. He will suppress leadership wherever it appears. Team is screwed.

What happened...check among the departed - Redrum - 09-01-2012

You see it all the time on teams and in companies.  Certain people leave and take the organization's mojo with them.    Somewhere among Harbaugh, Roman, Fangio, Tarver, Bloomgren, Drevno, Sanford  a lot of teaching, scheming and motivational talent went out the door.  Maybe too much.

Another thought on offensive struggles - Redrum - 09-01-2012

It came up in a discussion of  whether Shaw was a "conservative" in offensive philosophy,  but on the Booty a former Stanford offensive lineman did a wonderful primer on how a "Power" running play works.  His thesis was --despite its macho name "Power"-- that an actual "power ' running play is complex and risky.  Lots of things have to happen and happen at exactly at the right time.  Power depends on moving guys to the point of attack,  almost by definition a pulling guard from the opposite side from where the play is designed to go and a fullback/blocking back to be engaging defenders in the same area, both leading the ball carrier.  He also detailed what happens if specific things don't happen at the right time.    I'd bet significant money that was what we were seeing, and not just when we tried classic "Power". 

We seldom could achieve a man advantage at any point of attack because SJSU was selling out to stop the run.  Filling the gaps, bringing up the safeties in run support.  And we didn't have the pass protection or passing game to make them pay. Link that to the fact that apparently we weren't decisively winning many of the individual battles and...well, we saw the result.  Given those OL deficits Taylor was heroic.

Todd Husak,  former Stanford QB and broadcast man, pointed out a couple of times how Wilkes just wasn't fast enough on power and his opponent had already achieved position at the planned point of attack before Wilkes arrived.  I don't think Wilkes alone was the problem, but it's the one that stood out as the announcing team tried to describe why the run game wasn't working.  Maybe moving Yankey back to OG is the part of the answer...which means that Peat or Murphy or Austin at LT.  Maybe Garnett coming in at the other OG.  Or,  maybe it's all gonna work out.  Just first game discombobulation.

Re: What happened? - 81alum - 09-01-2012

Along the same lines that Redrum mentioned--the power play takes great coordination.  I've been blaming the inexperienced O-Line, but, did anyone notice our fullback play?  Lee Ward was listed as being No. 1 on depth at FB.  I seem to recall that FB play was critical for the old power play of previous years, with Owen Maresic darting into holes and knocking back linebackers.  Could part of last night's problem be the lack of an experienced FB leading power? 

Re: Another thought on offensive struggles - Roberton3 - 09-01-2012

(09-01-2012, 11:08 AM)Redrum link Wrote:It came up in a discussion of  whether Shaw was a "conservative" in offensive philosophy,  but on the Booty a former Stanford offensive lineman did a wonderful primer on how a "Power" running play works.  His thesis was --despite its macho name "Power"-- that an actual "power ' running play is complex and risky.  Lots of things have to happen and happen at exactly at the right time.  Power depends on moving guys to the point of attack,  almost by definition a pulling guard from the opposite side from where the play is designed to go and a fullback/blocking back to be engaging defenders in the same area, both leading the ball carrier.  He also detailed what happens if specific things don't happen at the right time.    I'd bet significant money that was what we were seeing, and not just when we tried classic "Power". 

We seldom could achieve a man advantage at any point of attack because SJSU was selling out to stop the run.  Filling the gaps, bringing up the safeties in run support.  And we didn't have the pass protection or passing game to make them pay. Link that to the fact that apparently we weren't decisively winning many of the individual battles and...well, we saw the result.  Given those OL deficits Taylor was heroic.

Todd Husak,  former Stanford QB and broadcast man, pointed out a couple of times how Wilkes just wasn't fast enough on power and his opponent had already achieved position at the planned point of attack before Wilkes arrived.  I don't think Wilkes alone was the problem, but it's the one that stood out as the announcing team tried to describe why the run game wasn't working.  Maybe moving Yankey back to OG is the part of the answer...which means that Peat or Murphy or Austin at LT.  Maybe Garnett coming in at the other OG.  Or,  maybe it's all gonna work out.  Just first game discombobulation.

There also were a number of times that SJSU had two defenders -- a linebacker and a safety -- heading for the hole, and the pulling guard blocked the wrong one.  In those situations, you want the pulling guard to take out the linebacker, and let Taylor bull his way through the safety.  DeCastro was really good at that.  Instead, the pulling guard took out the safety, and Taylor wasn't able to run through the linebacker the same way he could run through a safety.