[JohnR34231]

Shaw is a bit of an enigma to me.
Regardless of what Harbaugh left him, I don't think he could have accomplished what he did in 2011-2015 without being an excellent coach.
Then again, would an excellent coach have let the program slide from where it was in 2015 to where it is now?
Tough to figure.

Maybe ask yourself which is more likely:

That a mediocre coach won big in 2011-2015 with the roster talent at Stanford; or 
That an excellent coach let a Winning Big Program sink to all-time low depths?

It's obvious where I stand - but even I recognize that the truth, as is often the case, lies not on either extreme.

I don't think either is likely at all.
I don't think a mediocre coach takes a Stanford team to four NY6 Bowls in five years, especially given how often Stanford had made an NY6 bowl prior to then.
That's why I say it's tough to figure.

[JohnR34231]

Shaw is a bit of an enigma to me.
Regardless of what Harbaugh left him, I don't think he could have accomplished what he did in 2011-2015 without being an excellent coach.
Then again, would an excellent coach have let the program slide from where it was in 2015 to where it is now?
Tough to figure.

Maybe ask yourself which is more likely:

That a mediocre coach won big in 2011-2015 with the roster talent at Stanford; or 
That an excellent coach let a Winning Big Program sink to all-time low depths?

It's obvious where I stand - but even I recognize that the truth, as is often the case, lies not on either extreme.

I don't think either is likely at all.
I don't think a mediocre coach takes a Stanford team to four NY6 Bowls in five years, especially given how often Stanford had made an NY6 bowl prior to then.
That's why I say it's tough to figure.