[CTcard]

Maybe someone can explain the Oregon model where they hold up a board with 4 cartoons.  Does Oregon only have 4 alternate plays?  How hard could it be to review the tape and figure that system out? Or is it like changing the catcher's signals when a runner is on second base?

That's not really what Oregon is doing anymore, it was Oregon under Chip Kelly.

And, while they had different boards each with four cartoons, in fact they ran very few plays out of very few formations. The idea was to sacrifice complexity - of plays, of formations - for speed. Presnap reads were replaced by in-play reads. It didn't matter if the defense knew what play was coming if you altered it depending upon how the defense reacted, i.e. the zone read, etc.

Shaw's offense is needlessly difficult to learn and out of touch with modern college football.  There may have been a time when you could take the Nation's #1 QB recruit and spend 2 or 3 years teaching him your offensive scheme, but those days are long gone.  Shaw's system squanders talent and eligibility; makes injuries insurmountable; essentially precludes inbound transfers; and has produced consistently worse teams year after year.  He needs to adapt to survive.  It's what good coaches do.

At this point I am not sure I can identify anything in particular that is "Shaw's offense".

Stanford's offense under Shaw keeps changing rather a lot, though I fear more by happenstance than design. There have been a couple of iterations of run heavy to pass heavy. The type of run/blocking game has gone through at least three major iterations (going from man-scheme, to zone, to duo, to non-existent). The type of pass game has bopped around all over the place from featuring short dumps and crossing routes, to attacking deep go-routes, to back shoulder and jump balls, ...
That change, undirected, has been a good chunk of the problem.

There are a few things that have stayed constant, though these were mostly both Harbaugh and Shaw things: Stanford huddles. Stanford usually runs the play clock to zero. Stanford changes personnel and personnel groupings frequently looking for advantageous physical matchups for particular plays. Stanford generally has the QB making presnap reads.

Finally, "the QBs have to be around forever before they play" thing is vastly overblown.
Hogan won the starting job as a redshirt frosh.
Chryst won the starting job as a redshirt soph.
Costello won the starting job as a redshirt frosh.
Mills became a starter as a redshirt soph, when he couldn't fully participate before that due to injuries.

[CTcard]

Maybe someone can explain the Oregon model where they hold up a board with 4 cartoons.  Does Oregon only have 4 alternate plays?  How hard could it be to review the tape and figure that system out? Or is it like changing the catcher's signals when a runner is on second base?

That's not really what Oregon is doing anymore, it was Oregon under Chip Kelly.

And, while they had different boards each with four cartoons, in fact they ran very few plays out of very few formations. The idea was to sacrifice complexity - of plays, of formations - for speed. Presnap reads were replaced by in-play reads. It didn't matter if the defense knew what play was coming if you altered it depending upon how the defense reacted, i.e. the zone read, etc.

Shaw's offense is needlessly difficult to learn and out of touch with modern college football.  There may have been a time when you could take the Nation's #1 QB recruit and spend 2 or 3 years teaching him your offensive scheme, but those days are long gone.  Shaw's system squanders talent and eligibility; makes injuries insurmountable; essentially precludes inbound transfers; and has produced consistently worse teams year after year.  He needs to adapt to survive.  It's what good coaches do.

At this point I am not sure I can identify anything in particular that is "Shaw's offense".

Stanford's offense under Shaw keeps changing rather a lot, though I fear more by happenstance than design. There have been a couple of iterations of run heavy to pass heavy. The type of run/blocking game has gone through at least three major iterations (going from man-scheme, to zone, to duo, to non-existent). The type of pass game has bopped around all over the place from featuring short dumps and crossing routes, to attacking deep go-routes, to back shoulder and jump balls, ...
That change, undirected, has been a good chunk of the problem.

There are a few things that have stayed constant, though these were mostly both Harbaugh and Shaw things: Stanford huddles. Stanford usually runs the play clock to zero. Stanford changes personnel and personnel groupings frequently looking for advantageous physical matchups for particular plays. Stanford generally has the QB making presnap reads.

Finally, "the QBs have to be around forever before they play" thing is vastly overblown.
Hogan won the starting job as a redshirt frosh.
Chryst won the starting job as a redshirt soph.
Costello won the starting job as a redshirt frosh.
Mills became a starter as a redshirt soph, when he couldn't fully participate before that due to injuries.