[gailtate]

Asked before, I’ll ask again - if not Shaw, who?  Stanford is not going to get a “name” to replace him.  So it’s from the staff or a so called up and comer. Like Scott Frost was. Or Wilcox.  Not so much, today.  Which is the problem looking for “up and comers.”  

It’s not just a matter of how “good” is Shaw.  It’s can you hire better.  Crapshoot to say the least. And if you do strike gold, how long does he stay.

I don’t get the feeling that there is any emphasis on Football from either the AD or Admin.  The newer recruiting and transfer rules hurt Stanford.  Shaw needs to up his recruiting game, no doubt.  Depth is non existent. And the talent level has dropped. 

Not a good situation at this point. 

Shaws not going anywhere.  And he deserves some time to try and turn this back around.  He’s earned that. How long is anyone’s guess.  

Shaking things up within his assistants is another option, of course.  He’s never done that.  To a point I admire his loyalty.  But only to a point.  

At the end of the day, I think Shaw needs to figure out how to get back to “intellectual brutality”. Or whatever they called it.  If Stanford is going to win consistently, it starts in the trenches.  Otherwise, they may have a few Oregon wins sprinkled in.  But they will not be anything other than a team flirting with .500 and the occasional 8-4.  In other words, what Stanford has historically been. 

McKee gives them a chance in games this year.  Having a top flight QB generally will.  But it doesn’t make up for a lack of being physical and a lack of team speed.  They can and should recruit hard to solve the former. Speed is always harder for Stanford.

So if it’s me, I go back to the old blueprint. Recruit and aim towards power football. And stick to it. It’s not sexy.  But it’s the only way, IMO they can consistently win.

---

Asked before, I’ll ask again - if not Shaw, who?  Stanford is not going to get a “name” to replace him.  So it’s from the staff or a so called up and comer. Like Scott Frost was. Or Wilcox.  Not so much, today.  Which is the problem looking for “up and comers.”  

It’s not just a matter of how “good” is Shaw.  It’s can you hire better.  Crapshoot to say the least. And if you do strike gold, how long does he stay.

I don’t get the feeling that there is any emphasis on Football from either the AD or Admin.  The newer recruiting and transfer rules hurt Stanford.  Shaw needs to up his recruiting game, no doubt.  Depth is non existent. And the talent level has dropped. 

Not a good situation at this point. 

Shaws not going anywhere.  And he deserves some time to try and turn this back around.  He’s earned that. How long is anyone’s guess.  

Shaking things up within his assistants is another option, of course.  He’s never done that.  To a point I admire his loyalty.  But only to a point.  

At the end of the day, I think Shaw needs to figure out how to get back to “intellectual brutality”. Or whatever they called it.  If Stanford is going to win consistently, it starts in the trenches.  Otherwise, they may have a few Oregon wins sprinkled in.  But they will not be anything other than a team flirting with .500 and the occasional 8-4.  In other words, what Stanford has historically been. 

McKee gives them a chance in games this year.  Having a top flight QB generally will.  But it doesn’t make up for a lack of being physical and a lack of team speed.  They can and should recruit hard to solve the former. Speed is always harder for Stanford.

So if it’s me, I go back to the old blueprint. Recruit and aim towards power football. And stick to it. It’s not sexy.  But it’s the only way, IMO they can consistently win.

Thoughtful piece. Shaw's in a precarious, albeit well-compensated, spot right now. If he continues to flounder and tread water at .500 or below and the NY6 bowls become things of Stanford's past, he will for all but his loyal fans be remembered as The Guy Who Slip-Streamed Harbaugh. Cruel or downright unfair as that may seem to some people, that's just the way it is. In the next 3-5 seasons, this should play out and we'll see what a great--or not so great--HC he really is in the brave new world of college ball. IMHO, a return to glory feels like a long-shot for this coach.

That's absurd.  To casual observers of Stanford football Harbaugh is ancient history.  Maybe remembered for the biggest upset, and "what's your deal".  

Shaw is Stanford's winningest coach with an overall record to be proud of.

Hardly absurd. And you sound like loyalist, which is understandable. Still, don't underestimate the memory of those "casual observers". I suspect history will be kind to Shaw but only to the degree that the next several years see Stanford consistently above .500 and in big-time bowl conversations. Hey, it's a cruel world and college football, now more than ever, is a performance enterprise, as in what-have-you-done-for-me-lately. Particularly when you're salaried at the Shaw level.

[gailtate]

Asked before, I’ll ask again - if not Shaw, who?  Stanford is not going to get a “name” to replace him.  So it’s from the staff or a so called up and comer. Like Scott Frost was. Or Wilcox.  Not so much, today.  Which is the problem looking for “up and comers.”  

It’s not just a matter of how “good” is Shaw.  It’s can you hire better.  Crapshoot to say the least. And if you do strike gold, how long does he stay.

I don’t get the feeling that there is any emphasis on Football from either the AD or Admin.  The newer recruiting and transfer rules hurt Stanford.  Shaw needs to up his recruiting game, no doubt.  Depth is non existent. And the talent level has dropped. 

Not a good situation at this point. 

Shaws not going anywhere.  And he deserves some time to try and turn this back around.  He’s earned that. How long is anyone’s guess.  

Shaking things up within his assistants is another option, of course.  He’s never done that.  To a point I admire his loyalty.  But only to a point.  

At the end of the day, I think Shaw needs to figure out how to get back to “intellectual brutality”. Or whatever they called it.  If Stanford is going to win consistently, it starts in the trenches.  Otherwise, they may have a few Oregon wins sprinkled in.  But they will not be anything other than a team flirting with .500 and the occasional 8-4.  In other words, what Stanford has historically been. 

McKee gives them a chance in games this year.  Having a top flight QB generally will.  But it doesn’t make up for a lack of being physical and a lack of team speed.  They can and should recruit hard to solve the former. Speed is always harder for Stanford.

So if it’s me, I go back to the old blueprint. Recruit and aim towards power football. And stick to it. It’s not sexy.  But it’s the only way, IMO they can consistently win.

---

Asked before, I’ll ask again - if not Shaw, who?  Stanford is not going to get a “name” to replace him.  So it’s from the staff or a so called up and comer. Like Scott Frost was. Or Wilcox.  Not so much, today.  Which is the problem looking for “up and comers.”  

It’s not just a matter of how “good” is Shaw.  It’s can you hire better.  Crapshoot to say the least. And if you do strike gold, how long does he stay.

I don’t get the feeling that there is any emphasis on Football from either the AD or Admin.  The newer recruiting and transfer rules hurt Stanford.  Shaw needs to up his recruiting game, no doubt.  Depth is non existent. And the talent level has dropped. 

Not a good situation at this point. 

Shaws not going anywhere.  And he deserves some time to try and turn this back around.  He’s earned that. How long is anyone’s guess.  

Shaking things up within his assistants is another option, of course.  He’s never done that.  To a point I admire his loyalty.  But only to a point.  

At the end of the day, I think Shaw needs to figure out how to get back to “intellectual brutality”. Or whatever they called it.  If Stanford is going to win consistently, it starts in the trenches.  Otherwise, they may have a few Oregon wins sprinkled in.  But they will not be anything other than a team flirting with .500 and the occasional 8-4.  In other words, what Stanford has historically been. 

McKee gives them a chance in games this year.  Having a top flight QB generally will.  But it doesn’t make up for a lack of being physical and a lack of team speed.  They can and should recruit hard to solve the former. Speed is always harder for Stanford.

So if it’s me, I go back to the old blueprint. Recruit and aim towards power football. And stick to it. It’s not sexy.  But it’s the only way, IMO they can consistently win.

Thoughtful piece. Shaw's in a precarious, albeit well-compensated, spot right now. If he continues to flounder and tread water at .500 or below and the NY6 bowls become things of Stanford's past, he will for all but his loyal fans be remembered as The Guy Who Slip-Streamed Harbaugh. Cruel or downright unfair as that may seem to some people, that's just the way it is. In the next 3-5 seasons, this should play out and we'll see what a great--or not so great--HC he really is in the brave new world of college ball. IMHO, a return to glory feels like a long-shot for this coach.

That's absurd.  To casual observers of Stanford football Harbaugh is ancient history.  Maybe remembered for the biggest upset, and "what's your deal".  

Shaw is Stanford's winningest coach with an overall record to be proud of.

Hardly absurd. And you sound like loyalist, which is understandable. Still, don't underestimate the memory of those "casual observers". I suspect history will be kind to Shaw but only to the degree that the next several years see Stanford consistently above .500 and in big-time bowl conversations. Hey, it's a cruel world and college football, now more than ever, is a performance enterprise, as in what-have-you-done-for-me-lately. Particularly when you're salaried at the Shaw level.