[pcgoode]

Austroturf wrote:  "Yes, I have often wondered the same about Harbaugh's culture vs. Shaw's culture.  Shaw is clearly the better statesman, a balanced and even-keeled "Director" of the football program.  And he knows the sport inside out and has an impressive depth of experience.  I am also sure the players really like him, certainly more than Harbaugh's players like him.  But can Shaw light a fire under the players the way Harbaugh could?  My impression is that this element has gone missing in the course of the past eight years...."

I have heard Shaw say that he doesn't see firing up the team as his job; it must come from the team.  With the exception of KJ, I don't see much passion out of our players.  "Imposing our will" doesn't seem to be in their vocabulary--certainly nowhere near the level of the TWUs or "Party in the Backfield"s of the past.  Luck used to pace along the bench/sideline firing up the team;  Skov was a firecracker.  Didn't Flacco make an eloquent rousing speech to the team after one of our losses a few years ago?  Who are the movers and shakers on this year's team?  We need some fire and brimstone at this point in the season.

I still care about Stanford football, but honestly, this team is just not very much fun to watch most of the time.  Only saw a few minutes of the UW game (IIFC, switched right after the DoG penalty) because my husband preferred the Wazzu game, and I didn't put up any argument.

I have great respect for Coach Shaw, but it strikes me that Shaw picks his staff with a view to technical competence, but also with a view to people he thinks he will like and get along with. Nothing surprising about that - but I think it ultimately means that when the team recruits athletes, there may be more of a tendency to recruit personalities that the coaches find agreeable as well - and fiery, having a mean streak etc. don’t exactly come to mind when I think of Shaw and his staff. There are always exceptions - KJ is certainly a fierce, vocal competitor, but I get the sense that we don’t have enough like him on the team, particularly in the trenches.

[pcgoode]

Austroturf wrote:  "Yes, I have often wondered the same about Harbaugh's culture vs. Shaw's culture.  Shaw is clearly the better statesman, a balanced and even-keeled "Director" of the football program.  And he knows the sport inside out and has an impressive depth of experience.  I am also sure the players really like him, certainly more than Harbaugh's players like him.  But can Shaw light a fire under the players the way Harbaugh could?  My impression is that this element has gone missing in the course of the past eight years...."

I have heard Shaw say that he doesn't see firing up the team as his job; it must come from the team.  With the exception of KJ, I don't see much passion out of our players.  "Imposing our will" doesn't seem to be in their vocabulary--certainly nowhere near the level of the TWUs or "Party in the Backfield"s of the past.  Luck used to pace along the bench/sideline firing up the team;  Skov was a firecracker.  Didn't Flacco make an eloquent rousing speech to the team after one of our losses a few years ago?  Who are the movers and shakers on this year's team?  We need some fire and brimstone at this point in the season.

I still care about Stanford football, but honestly, this team is just not very much fun to watch most of the time.  Only saw a few minutes of the UW game (IIFC, switched right after the DoG penalty) because my husband preferred the Wazzu game, and I didn't put up any argument.

I have great respect for Coach Shaw, but it strikes me that Shaw picks his staff with a view to technical competence, but also with a view to people he thinks he will like and get along with. Nothing surprising about that - but I think it ultimately means that when the team recruits athletes, there may be more of a tendency to recruit personalities that the coaches find agreeable as well - and fiery, having a mean streak etc. don’t exactly come to mind when I think of Shaw and his staff. There are always exceptions - KJ is certainly a fierce, vocal competitor, but I get the sense that we don’t have enough like him on the team, particularly in the trenches.