[OutsiderFan]

Hank, you are no doubt correct in your why explanation for Shaw's inability to make a change to what he planned.

That doesn't make it right, of course.  Anyone who knows anything about competition knows "everyone has a plan until the first punch is thrown."  It means those who can adapt on the fly are the ones who will succeed the most.  Competition is not like taking a test, where there is one right answer.  And there is a fine line between staying the course in terms of following the plan, and being overly impatient to change on the fly to meet different conditions than you planned to encounter.  Stanford doesn't seem to come even close to it, and I think by definition you won't win championships in college football unless you have an extreme sense of urgency to change what isn't working.  The games are far too meaningful to be overly patient.

[OutsiderFan]

Hank, you are no doubt correct in your why explanation for Shaw's inability to make a change to what he planned.

That doesn't make it right, of course.  Anyone who knows anything about competition knows "everyone has a plan until the first punch is thrown."  It means those who can adapt on the fly are the ones who will succeed the most.  Competition is not like taking a test, where there is one right answer.  And there is a fine line between staying the course in terms of following the plan, and being overly impatient to change on the fly to meet different conditions than you planned to encounter.  Stanford doesn't seem to come even close to it, and I think by definition you won't win championships in college football unless you have an extreme sense of urgency to change what isn't working.  The games are far too meaningful to be overly patient.