[gailtate]

What happens off the field this off-season will determine what happens on the field next season. And, as I suspect most of us agree, incremental adjustments won't cut it. The fix calls for a major overhaul.

But the inconvenient truth is that implementation of the very shakeup needed right now seems antithetical to David Shaw's apparent reluctance to see anything outside his blinkered view. I'm not convinced he sees a fundamental problem.

I salute Shaw for unprecedented accomplishments as head coach during the first half of his Stanford tenure. In my view he delivered a near miraculous return on what he inherited in 2011. Counter to what many have said, it was anything but auto-pilot coaching. Honestly, I did NOT expect such spectacular results when he was hired and I'm not sure anyone else did, either. We have all seen that given great talent, great assistants, a great recruiting system and a nationally-renowned S&C program, Shaw proved that he can win at a championship level.

Fast-forward to the obvious in 2019: a program in decline by virtue of concurrent declines in areas that propelled his success in the first five years, 1) player talent and development, 2) team health, and 3) assistant coaching. It's apparent that Stanford no longer recruits the caliber (or the number) of athletes it did during the Harbaugh and early-Shaw era. Obviously, Stanford no longer employs as many first-rate assistants as it did during those years, ones capable of developing the athletes it signs. And, perhaps worst of all, an obvious and alarming rate of injuries coincides with clearly diminished S&C leadership. These declines occured on Shaw's watch. They are his problems to fix.

What this coach does to return to "Early-Shaw" success will start becoming apparent in 2020. Results on the field will be conspicuous, either way.

I think this was a very measured take, and even though I have been on this board, and still am, a big supporter of Coach Shaw, I agree with you that changes are needed in our S&C. I might disagree with you on the degree to which #1 and #3 led to this current season (I am of the opinion that #2 led to the vast majority of our problems this year and last, but there have been roster management issues in terms of utilizing our full allotment of scholarships that BC has pointed out.)

As I pointed out in a thread last week, I think Coach Shaw is more willing to make changes than people may realize/think. I think "the issue" (which I don't think is an issue) has been that Coach Shaw has made the changes more quietly (such as the shift in offensive philosophy over the last two years, the hiring of a new OL coach etc.) without calling attention to the moves. I think this approach is doing right by the players, coaches (current and former) and other members of the program, by not calling public attention to others' mistakes/deficiencies. It may not be visible, apparent or satisfying to the fans to not announce the changes/problems more publicly, but I think Coach Shaw's approach has been better in terms of the program long term. While I recognize there are more approaches than the one used by Coach Shaw versus the approach used by Mike Leach, I certainly wouldn't want our HC to take Mike Leach's approach. 

The other thing that I appreciate is that you recognized Coach Shaw's accomplishments in balancing your critique. My issue has not been with the critiques of this season/recent history so much as the one-sided critiques of Coach Shaw, glossing over his record (particularly as it compares historically in our program), the attribution of all of Coach Shaw's success to Coach Harbaugh etc.

So great post, and I think this added well to the discussion.

Wish I shared your optimism. I fear that Stanford's New Year's Day bowls are a thing of the past. But, hey, it was a great run.

[gailtate]

What happens off the field this off-season will determine what happens on the field next season. And, as I suspect most of us agree, incremental adjustments won't cut it. The fix calls for a major overhaul.

But the inconvenient truth is that implementation of the very shakeup needed right now seems antithetical to David Shaw's apparent reluctance to see anything outside his blinkered view. I'm not convinced he sees a fundamental problem.

I salute Shaw for unprecedented accomplishments as head coach during the first half of his Stanford tenure. In my view he delivered a near miraculous return on what he inherited in 2011. Counter to what many have said, it was anything but auto-pilot coaching. Honestly, I did NOT expect such spectacular results when he was hired and I'm not sure anyone else did, either. We have all seen that given great talent, great assistants, a great recruiting system and a nationally-renowned S&C program, Shaw proved that he can win at a championship level.

Fast-forward to the obvious in 2019: a program in decline by virtue of concurrent declines in areas that propelled his success in the first five years, 1) player talent and development, 2) team health, and 3) assistant coaching. It's apparent that Stanford no longer recruits the caliber (or the number) of athletes it did during the Harbaugh and early-Shaw era. Obviously, Stanford no longer employs as many first-rate assistants as it did during those years, ones capable of developing the athletes it signs. And, perhaps worst of all, an obvious and alarming rate of injuries coincides with clearly diminished S&C leadership. These declines occured on Shaw's watch. They are his problems to fix.

What this coach does to return to "Early-Shaw" success will start becoming apparent in 2020. Results on the field will be conspicuous, either way.

I think this was a very measured take, and even though I have been on this board, and still am, a big supporter of Coach Shaw, I agree with you that changes are needed in our S&C. I might disagree with you on the degree to which #1 and #3 led to this current season (I am of the opinion that #2 led to the vast majority of our problems this year and last, but there have been roster management issues in terms of utilizing our full allotment of scholarships that BC has pointed out.)

As I pointed out in a thread last week, I think Coach Shaw is more willing to make changes than people may realize/think. I think "the issue" (which I don't think is an issue) has been that Coach Shaw has made the changes more quietly (such as the shift in offensive philosophy over the last two years, the hiring of a new OL coach etc.) without calling attention to the moves. I think this approach is doing right by the players, coaches (current and former) and other members of the program, by not calling public attention to others' mistakes/deficiencies. It may not be visible, apparent or satisfying to the fans to not announce the changes/problems more publicly, but I think Coach Shaw's approach has been better in terms of the program long term. While I recognize there are more approaches than the one used by Coach Shaw versus the approach used by Mike Leach, I certainly wouldn't want our HC to take Mike Leach's approach. 

The other thing that I appreciate is that you recognized Coach Shaw's accomplishments in balancing your critique. My issue has not been with the critiques of this season/recent history so much as the one-sided critiques of Coach Shaw, glossing over his record (particularly as it compares historically in our program), the attribution of all of Coach Shaw's success to Coach Harbaugh etc.

So great post, and I think this added well to the discussion.

Wish I shared your optimism. I fear that Stanford's New Year's Day bowls are a thing of the past. But, hey, it was a great run.