10-15-2018, 04:12 PM
Good discussion here about some of the recruiting shortcomings for Stanford in the past few years. It especially hurts when Ben Burr Kirven is a midseason AA and Stanford failed to offer him in a timely manner despite pleas from a local high school staff with plenty of ties to Stanford.
2018 may be the year where Shaw’s hubris finally catches up to him.
On the playcalling front he clearly does not have any semblance of an effective run blocking O-line. Yet he cannot adapt and move back to the Walsh short pass ball control offense in lieu of his beloved power run game. Watching the NE Patriots use James White out of the backfield as both a safe route and blitz breaker reminds me that we never see Stanford’s RBs used effectively in the running game. And don’t get me started on the emasculation of the FB in Shaw’s offense. Blitzes should be welcomed as a chance to against man coverage and create a big play. Watching Stanford this year makes me think back to Buddy Teevens and his lack of “hot” routes.
I am also befuddled by Stanford’s injury woes. Spring practice was more about who was missing and even this fall Stanford doesn’t have enough linemen to fill out the scout teams. It seems like there is some sort of reverse karma going on for Stanford’s relative health in the 2012-2016 seasons. Is something going on with St. Turley or is Stanford’s unwillingness to pay market for a lead trainer catching up with them?
While recruiting cannot cover for misguided play calling, it can allow for a full roster. By my count Stanford was down 7 scholarship players when fall camp opened. Sure there were feel good stories about Richardson, Beecher and Williams getting scholarships but none of these players are starters. Basically Shaw has been underestimating the attrition on his roster for several years and has not revamped his recruiting accordingly. More Stanford players are opting to transfer for their senior year or simply stop playing, often for medical reasons. Casey Tucker would look pretty good at left guard right about now. The attrition has meant certain position groups have severe depth issues including OL, DL, ILB and even safety. Bloomgren, Hart, Hansen and Akina all bear some responsibility here. Hansen should have been banging the table for Burr-Kirven but will now be coaching a patchwork group both this year and next. Stanford needs a QB or two every year. Hillinski was just offered for 2019 but he should have been offered months ago. Stanford has a competitive edge at the TE spot but Henry should not have been the sole offeree until last week.
Shaw needs to rethink how he allocates his time. He needs to spend more time on roster management, recruiting and developing leaders with less time on his beloved play sheet. He had the opportunity to bring a strong OC but opted to go with someone who has never played or coached anywhere but Stanford.
Shaw is the right coach for Stanford and has bought a tremendous reservoir of good will. If 2019 turns out like this one, he starts moving into the Jack Christiansen realm.
2018 may be the year where Shaw’s hubris finally catches up to him.
On the playcalling front he clearly does not have any semblance of an effective run blocking O-line. Yet he cannot adapt and move back to the Walsh short pass ball control offense in lieu of his beloved power run game. Watching the NE Patriots use James White out of the backfield as both a safe route and blitz breaker reminds me that we never see Stanford’s RBs used effectively in the running game. And don’t get me started on the emasculation of the FB in Shaw’s offense. Blitzes should be welcomed as a chance to against man coverage and create a big play. Watching Stanford this year makes me think back to Buddy Teevens and his lack of “hot” routes.
I am also befuddled by Stanford’s injury woes. Spring practice was more about who was missing and even this fall Stanford doesn’t have enough linemen to fill out the scout teams. It seems like there is some sort of reverse karma going on for Stanford’s relative health in the 2012-2016 seasons. Is something going on with St. Turley or is Stanford’s unwillingness to pay market for a lead trainer catching up with them?
While recruiting cannot cover for misguided play calling, it can allow for a full roster. By my count Stanford was down 7 scholarship players when fall camp opened. Sure there were feel good stories about Richardson, Beecher and Williams getting scholarships but none of these players are starters. Basically Shaw has been underestimating the attrition on his roster for several years and has not revamped his recruiting accordingly. More Stanford players are opting to transfer for their senior year or simply stop playing, often for medical reasons. Casey Tucker would look pretty good at left guard right about now. The attrition has meant certain position groups have severe depth issues including OL, DL, ILB and even safety. Bloomgren, Hart, Hansen and Akina all bear some responsibility here. Hansen should have been banging the table for Burr-Kirven but will now be coaching a patchwork group both this year and next. Stanford needs a QB or two every year. Hillinski was just offered for 2019 but he should have been offered months ago. Stanford has a competitive edge at the TE spot but Henry should not have been the sole offeree until last week.
Shaw needs to rethink how he allocates his time. He needs to spend more time on roster management, recruiting and developing leaders with less time on his beloved play sheet. He had the opportunity to bring a strong OC but opted to go with someone who has never played or coached anywhere but Stanford.
Shaw is the right coach for Stanford and has bought a tremendous reservoir of good will. If 2019 turns out like this one, he starts moving into the Jack Christiansen realm.