11-27-2018, 11:01 AM
Sure, Tavita deserves some credit for Costello's development and the offense's success as a whole. But all of us also know that Shaw comes from an offensive background and is much more involved in the offense than the defense. I think it just comes down to the level of degree. Personally, I'm reluctant to give too much credit to Tavita just as I would never cast too much blame on him.
Just look at the title of this thread. Shaw is commenting that he personally has learned a lot this year and has had to make adjustments to the offense. Tavita isn't mentioned anywhere. If our defensive identity were to undergo a significant transformation, would Shaw be making statements like the ones referenced in the article? No, it would be Lance Anderson.
While the article and Shaw's quotes are just one piece of the puzzle in deciphering how our offensive braintrust operates, there have been several tea leaves over the years. It's rare, but Shaw drops them occasionally in his weekly press conferences. I remember a few years back when our offensive play calling was being criticized and Bloomgren was under fire, Shaw took some of the heat off Bloomgren by stating that he called plays in the red zone. Does Shaw still call plays in the red zone? Does he call all offensive plays? I don't think there have been any public statements on the topic since Tavita took over as OC, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me.
As far as SamuelMcF's comments, most of those are objective facts. It's a fact that Tavita is young at 31 for a Division I OC and that he's never worked anywhere outside of Stanford. He may be a great coach but there's no evidence to suggest that he has more control over the offense now than Bloomgren did when he was OC. If anything, the circumstantial evidence suggests the opposite is more likely true.
Just look at the title of this thread. Shaw is commenting that he personally has learned a lot this year and has had to make adjustments to the offense. Tavita isn't mentioned anywhere. If our defensive identity were to undergo a significant transformation, would Shaw be making statements like the ones referenced in the article? No, it would be Lance Anderson.
While the article and Shaw's quotes are just one piece of the puzzle in deciphering how our offensive braintrust operates, there have been several tea leaves over the years. It's rare, but Shaw drops them occasionally in his weekly press conferences. I remember a few years back when our offensive play calling was being criticized and Bloomgren was under fire, Shaw took some of the heat off Bloomgren by stating that he called plays in the red zone. Does Shaw still call plays in the red zone? Does he call all offensive plays? I don't think there have been any public statements on the topic since Tavita took over as OC, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me.
As far as SamuelMcF's comments, most of those are objective facts. It's a fact that Tavita is young at 31 for a Division I OC and that he's never worked anywhere outside of Stanford. He may be a great coach but there's no evidence to suggest that he has more control over the offense now than Bloomgren did when he was OC. If anything, the circumstantial evidence suggests the opposite is more likely true.