[lex24]

So you take no consideration of their top 7 lineman being hurt. You cannot have that type of attrition on a unit that demands cohesion and expect success. Further, what it meant was that they did not have, to steal your phrase, the army they came with. They expected to have the best running back in the nation running behind a dominant o line. The line was banged up beyond recognition. And Love was hurt most of the year. So the infantry was decimated. Leaving only an aerial attack. Any military historian will tell you, you cannot win on air power alone. (BTW- I don’t like football/war analogies. But you started it, so I ran with it.)

Shaw has come out throwing in damn near every game since Utah. But we have the narrative and it cannot be shaken. No matter the facts. (They have the second highest pass-run ratio in the Pac 12 behind only WSU.)

Yes they have excellent skill position players on offense. With a banged up line they could not control the LOS. Defensively they were thin coming into the season and lost Alfieri, Toohill for much of the year and Edwards for essentially all of it. Leaving them with an Old Fashioned style pre intellectual brutality Stanford football team. And that is NOT a good thing. Nor btw is a 60-40 pass run ratio. Give me 60-40 run pass any day. Look at Stanford’s best years. They occur when they run it more not less.

If they were relatively healthy I’d agree 8 wins was underachieving. But with these injuries....no

Can’t comment on Wash as I didn’t see it. But Utah? Let’s review. 0-0. Utah punts. Absurd roughing penalty extends drive. That’s 7. Costello misses a double team read throws a goal line pick six. That’s 10 to 14. Costello throws silly pick falling down while scrambling on a third down pass on about the Utah 20. 3 more. Stanford gives up a late FG after a PI in the last seconds of first half. 3 more. Buncom has a pick on a desperation downfield heave. Falls down. Guy catches it and walks in. 7 more . That’s 30 to 34 points. PLAYERS sometimes make mistakes. They made many against Utah. And they got creamed at the LOS on both sides.

Two questions- in your opinion do they EVER win a game because they outcoached the opposition? Or when they win is it the players, when they lose is it’s the coaches.

Second, you didn’t respond vis-à-vis Tavita. The CW was that he can’t develop QB’s. Well KJ has developed quite nicely. Is that in spite of a Tavita. Or does he get just a smidge of credit.

I repeat, I think Tavita has done a hell of a job. I’ll be more specific. He’s had no run game to work with. The passing game, which I have felt for years was too basic, has evolved. They have used more of the field. You have seen more drag routes, crossing routes. He’s utilized his TE’s very well. And he’s exploited mismatches. Beautifully. Which is one reason JJ has 14 TDs and Parkinson 7. Irwin has been used much more effectively. Plus Costello has flourished. His accuracy has improved markedly. He’s much more under control.

But again , the narrative. Tavitas young. Shawvita. Etc. Bull.

And I’m calling BS on your BS.  57 percent pass rate (and rising) does not lie. The offense has changed markedly. 

Run/pass by game

• SDSU 28/31
  
• U$C 28/27
  
• UCD 33/33
  
• UO 24/26. I don't have the first/second half splits but given we were down 24-7 I'd reckon the second half was more pass than run, and that was the part that worked
  
• UFDG 24/27. Again, likely more pass heavy in the second half when we fell behind
  
• Utah 27/41. Same story as the last two games. First half 50/50, passed when behind
  
• ASU 43/29 + turtling
  
• WSU 23/43
  
• UW 23/43. Again, pass heavy when playing from behind. Run heavy in first half didn't work
  
• OSU 30/37
  
• UCLA 27/37
  

I think this offense should have been at least 60/40 pass/run starting with ND. That's close to the overall statistic but that's biased by the number of times Shaw HAD to pass after falling behind while being 50/50 or lower.

When he had the ability to choose, Shaw chose run too often through Game 7 and that's too damn late to have figured it out. That's 3 games, and I pin the Utah and UW losses on coaching.

re Carberry - He's the OL coach & run game coordinator. The run game sucks and the OL run blocking sucks. Yes, injuries but this OL is two-plus deep with 4- and 5-star recruits. Something has to change, and you can't fire the players.

We will have to disagree about an 8-win season being OK. I don't find that an acceptable result with the talent on this roster, especially on offense.

The defense has stunk of late, but unlike Carberry & Pritchard, Anderson has a track record which buys him time. Same story with Alamar.

I don't think Shaw's going to change a damn thing on his staff, and that also shows me that he hasn't learned much this year - or last year. I hope he surprises me.

[lex24]

So you take no consideration of their top 7 lineman being hurt. You cannot have that type of attrition on a unit that demands cohesion and expect success. Further, what it meant was that they did not have, to steal your phrase, the army they came with. They expected to have the best running back in the nation running behind a dominant o line. The line was banged up beyond recognition. And Love was hurt most of the year. So the infantry was decimated. Leaving only an aerial attack. Any military historian will tell you, you cannot win on air power alone. (BTW- I don’t like football/war analogies. But you started it, so I ran with it.)

Shaw has come out throwing in damn near every game since Utah. But we have the narrative and it cannot be shaken. No matter the facts. (They have the second highest pass-run ratio in the Pac 12 behind only WSU.)

Yes they have excellent skill position players on offense. With a banged up line they could not control the LOS. Defensively they were thin coming into the season and lost Alfieri, Toohill for much of the year and Edwards for essentially all of it. Leaving them with an Old Fashioned style pre intellectual brutality Stanford football team. And that is NOT a good thing. Nor btw is a 60-40 pass run ratio. Give me 60-40 run pass any day. Look at Stanford’s best years. They occur when they run it more not less.

If they were relatively healthy I’d agree 8 wins was underachieving. But with these injuries....no

Can’t comment on Wash as I didn’t see it. But Utah? Let’s review. 0-0. Utah punts. Absurd roughing penalty extends drive. That’s 7. Costello misses a double team read throws a goal line pick six. That’s 10 to 14. Costello throws silly pick falling down while scrambling on a third down pass on about the Utah 20. 3 more. Stanford gives up a late FG after a PI in the last seconds of first half. 3 more. Buncom has a pick on a desperation downfield heave. Falls down. Guy catches it and walks in. 7 more . That’s 30 to 34 points. PLAYERS sometimes make mistakes. They made many against Utah. And they got creamed at the LOS on both sides.

Two questions- in your opinion do they EVER win a game because they outcoached the opposition? Or when they win is it the players, when they lose is it’s the coaches.

Second, you didn’t respond vis-à-vis Tavita. The CW was that he can’t develop QB’s. Well KJ has developed quite nicely. Is that in spite of a Tavita. Or does he get just a smidge of credit.

I repeat, I think Tavita has done a hell of a job. I’ll be more specific. He’s had no run game to work with. The passing game, which I have felt for years was too basic, has evolved. They have used more of the field. You have seen more drag routes, crossing routes. He’s utilized his TE’s very well. And he’s exploited mismatches. Beautifully. Which is one reason JJ has 14 TDs and Parkinson 7. Irwin has been used much more effectively. Plus Costello has flourished. His accuracy has improved markedly. He’s much more under control.

But again , the narrative. Tavitas young. Shawvita. Etc. Bull.

And I’m calling BS on your BS.  57 percent pass rate (and rising) does not lie. The offense has changed markedly. 

Run/pass by game

• SDSU 28/31
  
• U$C 28/27
  
• UCD 33/33
  
• UO 24/26. I don't have the first/second half splits but given we were down 24-7 I'd reckon the second half was more pass than run, and that was the part that worked
  
• UFDG 24/27. Again, likely more pass heavy in the second half when we fell behind
  
• Utah 27/41. Same story as the last two games. First half 50/50, passed when behind
  
• ASU 43/29 + turtling
  
• WSU 23/43
  
• UW 23/43. Again, pass heavy when playing from behind. Run heavy in first half didn't work
  
• OSU 30/37
  
• UCLA 27/37
  

I think this offense should have been at least 60/40 pass/run starting with ND. That's close to the overall statistic but that's biased by the number of times Shaw HAD to pass after falling behind while being 50/50 or lower.

When he had the ability to choose, Shaw chose run too often through Game 7 and that's too damn late to have figured it out. That's 3 games, and I pin the Utah and UW losses on coaching.

re Carberry - He's the OL coach & run game coordinator. The run game sucks and the OL run blocking sucks. Yes, injuries but this OL is two-plus deep with 4- and 5-star recruits. Something has to change, and you can't fire the players.

We will have to disagree about an 8-win season being OK. I don't find that an acceptable result with the talent on this roster, especially on offense.

The defense has stunk of late, but unlike Carberry & Pritchard, Anderson has a track record which buys him time. Same story with Alamar.

I don't think Shaw's going to change a damn thing on his staff, and that also shows me that he hasn't learned much this year - or last year. I hope he surprises me.