[Papa John]

So this is what I'd love to learn, given that all of my experience coaching football is from the couch. Is Stanford's lack of defensive success just a recruiting problem re: numbers and incoming talent level? Is it play calling? Lack of development/technique? It's easy to say all of the above, but I'd love to have someone give specific examples of bad play calling on the defensive side. To put it another way: Give me examples of Stanford's defensive-play-calling equivalent of punting from the opponent's 29 yard line?

It seems to me that there were plenty of instances over the past four seasons where Stanford's defense was completely befuddled by an opposing offense's play call, and no level or technique or talent would have changed the outcome. The defensive coaches simply did not have the players in position to make a play. But maybe that was on the players for not calling the equivalent of an audible to get into a better alignment. It's easy to get a comment on an individual player (DL shot the gap, DB blew the coverage, etc.) while scheme is not discussed.

The announcers on TV and radio seem offense-biased as well, so it's unusual to get that level of analysis even from them.

[Papa John]

So this is what I'd love to learn, given that all of my experience coaching football is from the couch. Is Stanford's lack of defensive success just a recruiting problem re: numbers and incoming talent level? Is it play calling? Lack of development/technique? It's easy to say all of the above, but I'd love to have someone give specific examples of bad play calling on the defensive side. To put it another way: Give me examples of Stanford's defensive-play-calling equivalent of punting from the opponent's 29 yard line?

It seems to me that there were plenty of instances over the past four seasons where Stanford's defense was completely befuddled by an opposing offense's play call, and no level or technique or talent would have changed the outcome. The defensive coaches simply did not have the players in position to make a play. But maybe that was on the players for not calling the equivalent of an audible to get into a better alignment. It's easy to get a comment on an individual player (DL shot the gap, DB blew the coverage, etc.) while scheme is not discussed.

The announcers on TV and radio seem offense-biased as well, so it's unusual to get that level of analysis even from them.