[gailtate]

I have generally kept quiet on football this season  since I do not relish entering into the mud.  So I will post my thoughts on Shaw and our program here and then decline to participate in any similar threads this year.

1) It is of course undeniable that our program has fallen from a high point to a low point in the last few years under the leadership of David Shaw.  This makes me terribly sad, since I find so much to admire in the man.

2) The reasons for this decline are not always obvious.  There are major forces at work in college football that go far beyond the control of a coach.  I myself am unclear how much of the blame for our slide to futility rests with the coach and what does not.  I am humble about my own ability to evaluate the causes, let alone my ability to prescribe a cure. 

3) I find the tone of several posters on this board regarding David Shaw and the decline of our program to be very off-putting.  They not only critique Shaw's performance, but they make the same arguments over and over and with a bitter tone.  The disagreements on this board used to generally be more collegial and civil.  I miss that tone.

4) Recruits probably read this board.  Constant negativity may contribute to the decline.

5) Now that some of you have concluded David Shaw is irredeemable as a coach, it appears you celebrate his failures as a way to hasten his replacement and rekindle a better era in Stanford football.  I can understand that sentiment.  However, I submit that one plausible outcome of the firing/failure of David Shaw will be ending football at Stanford University.  Would that change your tone if you knew Shaw was your last chance?  Consider how close we came to losing the sport before Harbaugh was hired.  Now consider the numerous changes to football over the last couple of decades that make it an increasingly poor fit for an elite academic university.  So be careful what you wish for.



I'm done.  Back to my obsession with WBB.

I'd be curious about recruits paying any attention to the silliness of this board. Is there data available on this? I'm inclined to think there isn't any, but who knows. I seriously doubt that recruits would/could be "discouraged" in any way. To those who think otherwise I suggest checking out the bile and venom on the boards associated with the "blue-blood" schools whose recruiting, just like Old Man River, keeps on rollin' along...

[gailtate]

I have generally kept quiet on football this season  since I do not relish entering into the mud.  So I will post my thoughts on Shaw and our program here and then decline to participate in any similar threads this year.

1) It is of course undeniable that our program has fallen from a high point to a low point in the last few years under the leadership of David Shaw.  This makes me terribly sad, since I find so much to admire in the man.

2) The reasons for this decline are not always obvious.  There are major forces at work in college football that go far beyond the control of a coach.  I myself am unclear how much of the blame for our slide to futility rests with the coach and what does not.  I am humble about my own ability to evaluate the causes, let alone my ability to prescribe a cure. 

3) I find the tone of several posters on this board regarding David Shaw and the decline of our program to be very off-putting.  They not only critique Shaw's performance, but they make the same arguments over and over and with a bitter tone.  The disagreements on this board used to generally be more collegial and civil.  I miss that tone.

4) Recruits probably read this board.  Constant negativity may contribute to the decline.

5) Now that some of you have concluded David Shaw is irredeemable as a coach, it appears you celebrate his failures as a way to hasten his replacement and rekindle a better era in Stanford football.  I can understand that sentiment.  However, I submit that one plausible outcome of the firing/failure of David Shaw will be ending football at Stanford University.  Would that change your tone if you knew Shaw was your last chance?  Consider how close we came to losing the sport before Harbaugh was hired.  Now consider the numerous changes to football over the last couple of decades that make it an increasingly poor fit for an elite academic university.  So be careful what you wish for.



I'm done.  Back to my obsession with WBB.

I'd be curious about recruits paying any attention to the silliness of this board. Is there data available on this? I'm inclined to think there isn't any, but who knows. I seriously doubt that recruits would/could be "discouraged" in any way. To those who think otherwise I suggest checking out the bile and venom on the boards associated with the "blue-blood" schools whose recruiting, just like Old Man River, keeps on rollin' along...