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The success that Harbaugh started and Shaw expanded was predicated on a Big Ten philosophy. Defense first. A ball control offense, behind a strong offensive line. Physical power football. Stop the run on defense. Win with the run on offense.

It wasn’t exciting. But it was efficient. Think of the ‘13 game vs Oregon. A game plan executed to perfection. Total dominance at the LOS. Oregon’s offense hardly saw the field.

Stanford cannot do that anymore. And they haven’t seemed to recruit to that philosophy the last few years.

Now they have to figure out a way to win playing a more wide open style that they are not equipped to do.

Going forward Shaw has to figure out if he wants to change- and join the spread revolution. Or go back to trying to build physically dominant teams and play a style that is different from the rest.

What they can’t do is “half and half”. That is a recipe for 3-9.

BTW- the Bay Area team that is employing Stanford’s former model is UCB. Wilcox has taken a soft team that tried to win 51-48 and turned them into a physical group that relies on power running and a terrific defense. If they get any QB play, they will be very good.

nice post. not much to disagree with. big question is does Shaw want to work hard enough to reverese the program's long-term trendline. I'm not seeing it -- at least in terms of numbers of offers, timing of offers, use of in-home visits, use of official-visits, investments in the back end of the program. on those metrics, we lag D-1.

[slide]

The success that Harbaugh started and Shaw expanded was predicated on a Big Ten philosophy. Defense first. A ball control offense, behind a strong offensive line. Physical power football. Stop the run on defense. Win with the run on offense.

It wasn’t exciting. But it was efficient. Think of the ‘13 game vs Oregon. A game plan executed to perfection. Total dominance at the LOS. Oregon’s offense hardly saw the field.

Stanford cannot do that anymore. And they haven’t seemed to recruit to that philosophy the last few years.

Now they have to figure out a way to win playing a more wide open style that they are not equipped to do.

Going forward Shaw has to figure out if he wants to change- and join the spread revolution. Or go back to trying to build physically dominant teams and play a style that is different from the rest.

What they can’t do is “half and half”. That is a recipe for 3-9.

BTW- the Bay Area team that is employing Stanford’s former model is UCB. Wilcox has taken a soft team that tried to win 51-48 and turned them into a physical group that relies on power running and a terrific defense. If they get any QB play, they will be very good.

nice post. not much to disagree with. big question is does Shaw want to work hard enough to reverese the program's long-term trendline. I'm not seeing it -- at least in terms of numbers of offers, timing of offers, use of in-home visits, use of official-visits, investments in the back end of the program. on those metrics, we lag D-1.