12-13-2022, 10:51 PM
*If we're being honest about that, he explicitly telegraphed in this press conference that he'll have an over-riding focus on soft Stanford goals (graduation, providing a good college experience) rather than the big-time college football aspects of his job. That's what I'm hoping is PR and an artifact of the head space he had to get into to get the job. Somewhat assuaging my concern is that when he spoke about providing a good college experience he brought that point home by saying winning is a big part of what makes a college football player's experience good. YES! For all the Stanford mission boilerplate, the other essential part of the coach we just hired came through time and again in this interview when he talked about his "point of departure": making sure the players know you care about them and love them, giving them the tools they need and the belief in you that you can lead them and make them better, and then sprinkle in some competency and creativity. Numerous aspects of this formula broke down in recent years for Stanford and I think Taylor gets it, so I am going to focus on that until he gives us reason to believe it's empty.
* Previous profiles on Taylor and his road less traveled (e.g., winding/unorthodox career path, proclivity to take jobs for reasons that have nothing to do with money or prestige, etc.) give a better glimpse into the man than I can do here, but it's interesting to hear from the horses mouth his self-conception of what drives him. He pushed back on the idea he had a path in mind from Folsom High to Power Five, noting the unorthodox path and saying he's driven by working with student-athletes, coaching football, and competing. Some of this may be self mythology. It's hard to distinguish between seeking head coaching jobs because they're moves up the ladder and seeking them for the competitive challenge. The way he lit up talking about the opportunity Beau Baldwin provided at Eastern Washington to be an offensive coordinator drove home for me how much Taylor relished the opportunity to prove himself on a bigger stage than Folsom. I don't think he's motivated by money, but I do think he's motivated by pride and striving, and I like that.
* I'm sure the vast majority of Stanford fans will view Taylor's offensive philosophy as music to the ears - being dynamic, finding space, creating space, and different ways of doing it. "We're not fear-based, we're going to attack." He didn't get into scheme but hinted there's a lot he throws at defense. He also noted part of it is "enjoyment" (which I took to refer to the players but could also refer to fans). In all these ways this is the other major pendulum swing/corrective to Shaw. Just a night and day difference in all these ways.
* Also notable that he emphasized the flexibility to adjust to what you have. Many have questioned whether Stanford has the personnel to run Taylor's offense. To hear Taylor talk that misses what he does. Sacramento State relied a lot on a tight end this year because he was one of their best players, but that's not set in stone. Some years he's had more dual threat kind of QBs and some more pocket passers. In his self-conception at least this flexibility is foundational, deserving of mention alongside all the talk about being dynamic and creating space. The immediacy of his results at Eastern Washington and Sacramento State supports this. I have pretty high confidence he'll take what the Stanford roster offers and come up with uses for players to create space. Over time he may recruit different kinds of players, but it does seem plausible that this offense isn't as much about personnel as some assume.
* Previous profiles on Taylor and his road less traveled (e.g., winding/unorthodox career path, proclivity to take jobs for reasons that have nothing to do with money or prestige, etc.) give a better glimpse into the man than I can do here, but it's interesting to hear from the horses mouth his self-conception of what drives him. He pushed back on the idea he had a path in mind from Folsom High to Power Five, noting the unorthodox path and saying he's driven by working with student-athletes, coaching football, and competing. Some of this may be self mythology. It's hard to distinguish between seeking head coaching jobs because they're moves up the ladder and seeking them for the competitive challenge. The way he lit up talking about the opportunity Beau Baldwin provided at Eastern Washington to be an offensive coordinator drove home for me how much Taylor relished the opportunity to prove himself on a bigger stage than Folsom. I don't think he's motivated by money, but I do think he's motivated by pride and striving, and I like that.
* I'm sure the vast majority of Stanford fans will view Taylor's offensive philosophy as music to the ears - being dynamic, finding space, creating space, and different ways of doing it. "We're not fear-based, we're going to attack." He didn't get into scheme but hinted there's a lot he throws at defense. He also noted part of it is "enjoyment" (which I took to refer to the players but could also refer to fans). In all these ways this is the other major pendulum swing/corrective to Shaw. Just a night and day difference in all these ways.
* Also notable that he emphasized the flexibility to adjust to what you have. Many have questioned whether Stanford has the personnel to run Taylor's offense. To hear Taylor talk that misses what he does. Sacramento State relied a lot on a tight end this year because he was one of their best players, but that's not set in stone. Some years he's had more dual threat kind of QBs and some more pocket passers. In his self-conception at least this flexibility is foundational, deserving of mention alongside all the talk about being dynamic and creating space. The immediacy of his results at Eastern Washington and Sacramento State supports this. I have pretty high confidence he'll take what the Stanford roster offers and come up with uses for players to create space. Over time he may recruit different kinds of players, but it does seem plausible that this offense isn't as much about personnel as some assume.