RANT: I am so over people crapping on Coach Shaw

[yvonne]

<rant>

I had an appointment in Menlo Park today, so I stopped by Stanford on my way home. At the stadium apparel store, of all places, I heard the teller remark, "Shaw should learn a thing or two."

I just let loose because I'm so tired of hearing that. Shaw is the winningest coach in Stanford history. He's taken us to three Rose Bowls and won two. Only Tiny Thornhill matched the former, and only John Ralston matched the latter. Not even the great Bill Walsh managed that. Shaw has presided over the Pac-12 team with the best record this decade. 

Then Idiotboy disparaged the conference championships Shaw's won, "Yeah, but that game's only been since 2014," as though somehow teams got to 90-some Rose Bowls without being conference champions.

You don't think Shaw's a good coach? Dabo Swiney disagrees, and I think he know something about college football. 

The idiot at the Track House, as it's still colloquially called, said, "But Harbaugh smashed West Virginia in his bowl game and Shaw only won his by one point." I'm so over the comparisons. Harbaugh was a good coach for then, but he's not our coach now, and he never won even one FBS conference championship.

You guys comparing Harbaugh to Shaw need to get over it. It's always "Harbaugh would have..." You can talk about what Harbaugh might have done, but never look at what Shaw actually did. Stop pining for Harbaugh. He was a good coach who raised Stanford's profile and fans' perspective, but he cared about Stanford as much as he cared about the University of San Diego. It was a stepping stone. Every single time Harbaugh had the opportunity to look at another team, he did. Conversely, Shaw lives and breathes Stanford. 

And let's not get started on rivalry games because Shaw has never, ever lost to Cal. 

Don't like Shaw's play calling? Well, don't forget that it was an idiotic play call that lost the 2009 Big Game, which was the same play that made Harbaugh the only 49er coach to ever lose a Super Bowl. 

You Harbaugh fans who haven't gotten on board go become Michigan fans. I'm a Stanford fan, and I'm a fan of the guy who's in the skipper's seat now. 

</rant>

[martyup]

Right on Yvonne!

[d4cohn]

<rant>

I had an appointment in Menlo Park today, so I stopped by Stanford on my way home. At the stadium apparel store, of all places, I heard the teller remark, "Shaw should learn a thing or two."

I just let loose because I'm so tired of hearing that. Shaw is the winningest coach in Stanford history. He's taken us to three Rose Bowls and won two. Only Tiny Thornhill matched the former, and only John Ralston matched the latter. Not even the great Bill Walsh managed that. Shaw has presided over the Pac-12 team with the best record this decade. 

Then Idiotboy disparaged the conference championships Shaw's won, "Yeah, but that game's only been since 2014," as though somehow teams got to 90-some Rose Bowls without being conference champions.

You don't think Shaw's a good coach? Dabo Swiney disagrees, and I think he know something about college football. 

The idiot at the Track House, as it's still colloquially called, said, "But Harbaugh smashed West Virginia in his bowl game and Shaw only won his by one point." I'm so over the comparisons. Harbaugh was a good coach for then, but he's not our coach now, and he never won even one FBS conference championship.

You guys comparing Harbaugh to Shaw need to get over it. It's always "Harbaugh would have..." You can talk about what Harbaugh might have done, but never look at what Shaw actually did. Stop pining for Harbaugh. He was a good coach who raised Stanford's profile and fans' perspective, but he cared about Stanford as much as he cared about the University of San Diego. It was a stepping stone. Every single time Harbaugh had the opportunity to look at another team, he did. Conversely, Shaw lives and breathes Stanford. 

And let's not get started on rivalry games because Shaw has never, ever lost to Cal. 

Don't like Shaw's play calling? Well, don't forget that it was an idiotic play call that lost the 2009 Big Game, which was the same play that made Harbaugh the only 49er coach to ever lose a Super Bowl. 

You Harbaugh fans who haven't gotten on board go become Michigan fans. I'm a Stanford fan, and I'm a fan of the guy who's in the skipper's seat now. 

</rant>

I wish I could upvote this more than once. Thank you Yvonne.

As I commented a week or two ago, Shaw is a winner. Plain and simple. He wins with a great defense, and limited offense. He wins with a great offense, and limited defense. He wins with a young QB. He wins with a veteran QB. He wins bowl games with 6 available OL, and he wins bowl games where his QB tears his ACL, and he has to go three quarters with a rusty and limited backup.

The fact that Shaw won a bowl game with only 1 available OL sub the whole game is a masterclass in game management. We had no business winning either Sun Bowl, given personnel losses, and yet somehow, he still wins both. How he keeps Stanford in the conversation year after year, with the recruiting pool being so much smaller than just about any other FBS school in the country, is remarkable. And he has done it for 8 years now.

[JohnR34231]

Right on Yvonne!

I don't particularly like it either, but you know the saying.
Players play
Coaches coach
Fans complain

I don't often frequent other team boards, but when I have I've noticed plenty of complaining about the coaching. So it is hardly just Shaw.
My advice would be to just shrug it off.

[BobK]

You rock Yvonne

[JJJ]

Hear, hear!

[Spiny_Norman]

The idiot at the Track House, as it's still colloquially called, said, "But Harbaugh smashed West Virginia in his bowl game and Shaw only won his by one point."

To Trackhouse Guy - Harbaugh lost his bowl game this year. Florida thumped Michigan 41-15. Harbaugh's bowl record at Michigan is now 1-3. He is also 0-4 vs. Ohio State, 2-2 vs. Michigan State and 0-1 vs. Notre Dame. He has won no championships at Michigan.

[JohnR34231]

The idiot at the Track House, as it's still colloquially called, said, "But Harbaugh smashed West Virginia in his bowl game and Shaw only won his by one point."

To Trackhouse Guy - Harbaugh lost his bowl game this year. Florida thumped Michigan 41-15. Harbaugh's bowl record at Michigan is now 1-3. He is also 0-4 vs. Ohio State, 2-2 vs. Michigan State and 0-1 vs. Notre Dame. He has won no championships at Michigan.

That's my point.
What's the use of getting all hot and bothered about what a bunch of yahoos who have no idea of what they are talking about have to say?

[CowboyIndian]

I'm not gonna crap on Harbaugh. In fact, I will be forever grateful to him for what he managed to do at Stanford, which seemed an impossibility prior to his arrival. But he's gone....and he wanted to be gone...and several folks at Stanford, including some of his players, wanted him gone.

Despite some calls and recruiting policies I find unfathomable, I am also deeply grateful to Coach Shaw for what he's brought to us, all of which was once an opium dream to this 50+-year fan.

[crackpot]

Excellent post, yvonne. Thanks.

[Hurlburt88]

I was thrilled when we promoted Shaw.   I felt he would "get" the balance between academic and athletic excellence, would represent the university well, and as a bonus is a diverse person.  I did not expect him to do as well as he has done in terms of W-L record.  Other than that, all my original thoughts seems to be holding up.  Yes, I will critique various roster and play-calling decisions, and enjoy debating these with my fellow fans.   And in the meantime dread the time when he makes a career change . . .

[Nan3cy]

The Trackhouse Guy is apparently so clueless he doesn't even know that Harbaugh's big bowl game win was against Virginia Tech, not West Virginia...

[Spiny_Norman]

How would we feel if Trackhouse Guy was dumping on one of the assistants instead, say Pritchard or Carberry?

[d4cohn]

How would we feel if Trackhouse Guy was dumping on one of the assistants instead, say Pritchard or Carberry?

I don't think it would be deserved either. Tavita's offense (prior to having six available OL, plus down Irwin, Smith, Love) averaged nearly 30 points a game. Carberry also is in his first year, so it is unclear whether the performance of OL is due to his part, or the previous occupant's part. I personally need to see more before I definitively say it is on Carberry, rather than the previous OL coach.

[Mick]

Great post, Yvonne.  I've always supported Coach Shaw.  The fact that he can compile the record he has with the recruiting restrictions is simply amazing.

[shakrat]

Ditto! Thanks for summarizing all that Yvonne.

[Redrum]

I'm not gonna crap on Harbaugh. In fact, I will be forever grateful to him for what he managed to do at Stanford, which seemed an impossibility prior to his arrival. But he's gone....and he wanted to be gone...and several folks at Stanford, including some of his players, wanted him gone.

Despite some calls and recruiting policies I find unfathomable, I am also deeply grateful to Coach Shaw for what he's brought to us, all of which was once an opium dream to this 50+-year fan.

Yeah. What this guy said.  My takeaway is: we are entering our yearly Winter funk and criticizing the head coach or (enter person here) is all we have left until the recruiting class signs and has been dissected into tiny pieces.

The above does not immunize Shaw for his occasional bonehead plays, each one of which I recognize the very second the play has been blown dead.

[JohnR34231]

How would we feel if Trackhouse Guy was dumping on one of the assistants instead, say Pritchard or Carberry?

To borrow from "Animal House".
They can't criticize our assistant coaches. Yeah, only we can criticize our assistant coaches.

[CrazedZooChimp]

Man do I get mad every time I think about that stupid pass call that ended the 2009 Big Game. That play call cost Toby the ***** H trophy...

[Viking_Guy]

Especially considering:
(1) Toby had just run about 20 yards carrying multiple Cal defenders on his back after receiving a pass from Luck. And had rushed for 136 yards on the day, wiith Cal having little to no luck in stopping him.  Oh, and Luck had missed on 4 of 5 passes, including three of the four plays in the previous drive that had resulted in a turnover on downs at the Cal 21 yard line, when a field goal would've tied the game. 

(2) We had timeouts, and could've used one of them to give him a blow after that pass reception. When Toby was on the bench, we passed incomplete, then brought him back in on 2nd and 10 - and passed again, resulting in the interception that sealed the game.  And there was still 1:42 left in the game.

Yep, that one still stings.

VG