[Austroturf]

In my view, the issues this team is facing start and stop with the coaching staff.  The raw talent is there, maybe not in every position, but there is enough of it. 

Neither Shaw nor our players are well served by speculation about coaching changes 2/3 of the way through the season, but once this season is over I agree that changes need to be made, and quickly.

I am not calling for changes mid-season, but merely pointing out what I see as a decline in the caliber of the coaching staff in key positions.  Is Pritchard as good as Bloomgren?  Probably not.  Was Bloomgren as good as Pep Hamilton?  I have my doubts.  

Yes, Anderson has been rather good and kept the defense at a high level through 2014 and most of 2015, then the decline began.  I do not see him on the same level as Derek Mason, who helped build (together with Randy Hart) the excellent defensive units we saw in the last Harbaugh and early Shaw years (2010-2013).  

It should also be noted that most of the attrition in Shaw's initial staff took place between 2011 and 2013.  Since then, it has been pretty static (Hart left due to retirement; Bloomgren left for Rice).  It is a sign of a strong organization that the staff is constantly being poached for new opportunities and being backfilled by individuals of similar caliber.  I tend to see downgrades across the board as the staff has evolved.  As I said, Akina has had some success; but this year represent a large regression.  Ron Gould is a seasoned coach; and if his backs could get some running lanes, maybe his part of the team could shine.  But overall, I see a decay in the overall quality of the coaching staff; and that has an impact on 1) player development; 2) recruiting; 3) game preparation and 4) game management.  

And my question again: has Shaw ever fired a coach for low performance?  If this has never occurred, it is unlikely to happen after this season.  He will lay the blame on execution and point toward other matters (injuries) affecting the overall performance.

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I have a very different view regarding Randy Hart.

Here are the Stanford DL recruiting classes in this new era, the pre Hart classes and the Hart classes.  The notations in parentheses are that player's all conference honors.

The Lance Anderson, D.J. Durkin classes:
2008:  Padric Scott
2009: Ben Gardner (2nd, 1st), Josh Mauro (HM), Terrence Stephens (HM)
2010: Henry Anderson (2nd, HM, 1st) , David Parry (HM), Blake Lueders, Eddie Plantaric, Alex Turner

The Randy Hart classes:
2011:  Charlie Hopkins, J.B. Salem
2012:  Aziz Shittu (1st), Jordan Watkins, Luke Kaumatuele, Nate Lohn, Ikenna Nwafor
2013:  None
2014:  Solomon Thomas (HM, 1st) Harrison Philllips  (HM, 1st)
2015:  Dylan Jackson, Wesley Annan
2016:  Jovan Swann, Mike Williams, Bo Peek, Thomas Schaffer

These two lists don't help me look favorably on Randy Hart and his recruiting.

Point taken.  But the D-line did perform very well under Hart's aegis.  Maybe Hart was benefiting from the earlier work by Anderson and Durkin (who was just let go by Maryland after some turbulent months), but he definitely developed his players well.  

In some respects, this data underscores my argument.  Hart may not have been an upgrade on the Anderson/Durkin era.  But it also appears as if Reynolds is not an upgrade over Hart.  The bottom line is that our D-line's performance has been deteriorating; and this points to weaknesses in coaching, recruiting and player development.

[Austroturf]

In my view, the issues this team is facing start and stop with the coaching staff.  The raw talent is there, maybe not in every position, but there is enough of it. 

Neither Shaw nor our players are well served by speculation about coaching changes 2/3 of the way through the season, but once this season is over I agree that changes need to be made, and quickly.

I am not calling for changes mid-season, but merely pointing out what I see as a decline in the caliber of the coaching staff in key positions.  Is Pritchard as good as Bloomgren?  Probably not.  Was Bloomgren as good as Pep Hamilton?  I have my doubts.  

Yes, Anderson has been rather good and kept the defense at a high level through 2014 and most of 2015, then the decline began.  I do not see him on the same level as Derek Mason, who helped build (together with Randy Hart) the excellent defensive units we saw in the last Harbaugh and early Shaw years (2010-2013).  

It should also be noted that most of the attrition in Shaw's initial staff took place between 2011 and 2013.  Since then, it has been pretty static (Hart left due to retirement; Bloomgren left for Rice).  It is a sign of a strong organization that the staff is constantly being poached for new opportunities and being backfilled by individuals of similar caliber.  I tend to see downgrades across the board as the staff has evolved.  As I said, Akina has had some success; but this year represent a large regression.  Ron Gould is a seasoned coach; and if his backs could get some running lanes, maybe his part of the team could shine.  But overall, I see a decay in the overall quality of the coaching staff; and that has an impact on 1) player development; 2) recruiting; 3) game preparation and 4) game management.  

And my question again: has Shaw ever fired a coach for low performance?  If this has never occurred, it is unlikely to happen after this season.  He will lay the blame on execution and point toward other matters (injuries) affecting the overall performance.

---

I have a very different view regarding Randy Hart.

Here are the Stanford DL recruiting classes in this new era, the pre Hart classes and the Hart classes.  The notations in parentheses are that player's all conference honors.

The Lance Anderson, D.J. Durkin classes:
2008:  Padric Scott
2009: Ben Gardner (2nd, 1st), Josh Mauro (HM), Terrence Stephens (HM)
2010: Henry Anderson (2nd, HM, 1st) , David Parry (HM), Blake Lueders, Eddie Plantaric, Alex Turner

The Randy Hart classes:
2011:  Charlie Hopkins, J.B. Salem
2012:  Aziz Shittu (1st), Jordan Watkins, Luke Kaumatuele, Nate Lohn, Ikenna Nwafor
2013:  None
2014:  Solomon Thomas (HM, 1st) Harrison Philllips  (HM, 1st)
2015:  Dylan Jackson, Wesley Annan
2016:  Jovan Swann, Mike Williams, Bo Peek, Thomas Schaffer

These two lists don't help me look favorably on Randy Hart and his recruiting.

Point taken.  But the D-line did perform very well under Hart's aegis.  Maybe Hart was benefiting from the earlier work by Anderson and Durkin (who was just let go by Maryland after some turbulent months), but he definitely developed his players well.  

In some respects, this data underscores my argument.  Hart may not have been an upgrade on the Anderson/Durkin era.  But it also appears as if Reynolds is not an upgrade over Hart.  The bottom line is that our D-line's performance has been deteriorating; and this points to weaknesses in coaching, recruiting and player development.