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* In general a subdued vibe that's hard to get a read on so I won't try to divine indications of confidence, anxiety, defensiveness, or any other big picture takeaway like that based on this interview. Shaw tends to have a mature perspective about the various parts of the calendar and he's not going to take the first practice, or really any practice before pads, all that seriously. As a result the media availability had a kind of pro forma tenor to it and that's fine.
* Observing the video, the team's health does seem notable, with very little yellow visible anywhere on the field. Filkins and Lukrich are two we know about and Shaw talked about Filkins and Bragg both being 80-ish percent ready. To me that raises some questions about readiness for Colgate (not a game we'd rush anybody for) but it's good health at this stage. The question is whether we can get through camp without significant injuries.
* Shaw making the distinction between the two deep "guys getting ready to play" as opposed to the young guys was interesting. Usually there's at least an ostensible notion that there are camp battles/competition but here Shaw just seems realistic that the guys who will play against Colgate and USC are relatively clear. Eyeballing our roster and depth chart that makes sense. Not much drama around who the key players on the roster will be. I could be over-thinking that though as Shaw appears to be making the distinction mainly to say "only freshmen are seriously injured."
* The bluntness with which Shaw said Bailey, Roush, and Reuben would play as of today was interesting, especially for Reuben to be put in that group despite the depth at WR. As all of us commented in the spring, all three of these guys appear to have over-recruited some older players.
* Especially accounting for body language, I don't think the 2023 early enrollee comment had four in mind when Shaw said "we anticipate having more than three next year." It sounds like a continued, significant expansion into the world of early enrollment. No idea if that means six or eight or 12 or 15.
* On McKee, in case folks missed it, the hype is starting to really pick up. An ESPN article this week handicapped McKee as one of the 11 top candidates to go #1 overall in the next draft while a PFF article had McKee as the #1 NFL prospect in the Pac-12.
* Really hoping for a superstar turn for Bragg. I could see it going either way. I think he has the talent to be one of the top five linemen in the Pac-12 but I'm also starting to worry a bit about his availability.
* I realize I said earlier I'd try not to read too much into Shaw's tone and body language in this interview, but the discussion of the OL is an example of how it lands differently in a transcript as opposed to video. The transcript reads unequivocally confident but actually watching Shaw say those words I think the reading between the lines version is "everything I want to do depends on gigantic improvement from that group and we'll see if they can deliver." Cautious optimism strikes me as a much better read of Shaw than confidence.
* Folks are probably tired of me raising alarm bells about the RB room's depth but it's so freaking bleak. Filkins cannot be trusted. He's been on the sidelines 55 percent of the games in his career and is now only 80 percent after an entire off-season of rest. I'm very anxiously awaiting word on whether Harris is one of the freshmen coming in banged up, as it sounds like there are numerous. I'd love to be surprised but I really don't like this room.
* That, of course, puts even more pressure on Smith. He's unquestionably the guy and maybe the Stanford player with the most pressure on him this season (I guess you can always say QB1 faces uniquely intense pressure). I thought I had said everything I had to say about Smith and now it's just a matter of waiting until the USC game (running for 150 yards against Colgate isn't going to mean anything), but it turns out Shaw had something interesting to say about Smith with this bit about how "we've had a plan for EJ since the beginning." There's a pessimistic read and an optimistic read. Pessimistically, Shaw knows Smith is very unproven and that it's a brobdingnagian gamble to go into 2022 with basically everything in the run game riding on Smith, so Shaw could be spinning/self-justifying, especially insofar as our "plan" drove away proven RB depth. Optimistically, Smith came in as very much an all-purpose back and a tantalizing talent with receiver chops but no track record as an all-around back (despite his family pedigree), so there very well may have been a multi-year plan to "groom" him as Shaw says. All off-season I have gravitated toward the pessimistic read but I surprisingly found myself listening to this and feeling optimistic. Something about how Shaw talked about "the plan" resonated with me given Smith's recruitment, first two year usage, and the data points about Jones/Peat perceptions of their role in the offense despite how much more they had played than Smith to date. Maybe there has been a plan....
* I was much less taken with Shaw's very next answer on coaching staff continuity. This whole stripping things down and rebuilding from the studs process sounds much more comfortable than challenging. We have been in such a dire state that I'm not comforted by the idea that it's at all good for the coaches to be comfortable in getting to go through that stripping down/rebuilding together/with familiar faces/drawing on institutional memory/blah blah blah. Equally fundamentally, I just have no confidence Shaw and the team he's built and refused to hold accountable even know how to rebuild from the studs. They may think they're questioning assumptions and starting from first principles, but all of that comfort and institutional memory practically ensures continuity with past practices. Would a computer program look fundamentally different if all the same engineers were asked to do a reboot together?
* I don't think McGill and Wilson have Bragg's ceiling but those are two other guys who I am really pulling for to have big seasons and could see it going either direction. I think many here know how close those players are to the top of my list of favorite current Stanford players.
* I'm so bummed about Manley. I really viewed him as the #2 corner on the roster and arguably the most underrated player on the team. I view corner back as not much of a strength now to be honest. Kelly has a high ceiling but has been burned way too regularly throughout his career to think of him as elite in the way Shaw talks about, and the others are all so mediocre (or worse). We've kind of thought of DB as a clear strength of this team, but as the season approaches the coverage part of DB doesn't look that great to me.
* As for the intrigue behind Manley's absence......remains a mystery. Shaw's answer and body language very much leave open the possibility this is an academic or disciplinary thing. I have no idea if it's that or medical or just personal. It is a mystery. I'm kind of holding out hope it's a Pakola kind of situation but it turns out differently this time and we get a prodigal son returning for 2023 when we will really need help at DB. Again, no idea if that's at all in the realm of the possible.
