Pac 12 Media Day

[Spiny_Norman]

Media Day is next Wednesday, July 24. Coach Shaw is bringing KJ Costello and Casey Toohill.

Schedule here - https://pac-12.com/football/media-day-2019

Hank - will you be attending again?

[SamuelMcF]

I think this gives a pretty good indication of who 2 of our team captains are gonna be. (Obviously KJ was already a captain last year.) Wonder who else...have heard good things about Malik Antoine stepping into a leadership role.

[Hank 91]

Yes, I’ll be there. Can’t wait!

[Spiny_Norman]

Yes, I’ll be there. Can’t wait!

What are you planning to ask Shaw, Costello and Toohill about?

[Hank 91]

I'm especially looking forward to talking to Costello. For one thing, I'm interested in his development, especially during his first year (and a few games) before seeing the field. Also, I think he'll be able to give us some insight into what to expect from what should be a pretty loaded group of wide receivers. The linebackers are a pretty big question mark right now, so hopefully Toohill can shed some light on that. As for Shaw, I don't have anything too specific for him. Media Day Shaw is the best Shaw, so it's always fun to hang out with him and soak up some stories. I look forward to more of that.

[OutsiderFan]

Nobody knows much about Stanford this year on account of half the team missing Spring practices. My quick assessment:

OFFENSE
QB = Good
OT = Good and potentially great, with limited depth
OG/C = Decent with limited depth
TE = Great starter with limited depth
RB = Solid, but best talent is True Frosh
WR = Good recruiting rankings but inexperienced

DEFENSE
DT = Decent with some depth
DE = Good with some depth
OLB = Good outside pass rushers, deep and experienced
ILB = Weakest unit on team; best players are RS Frosh
CB = Very good
Safety = Lots of uncertainty

Great kicker.  Don't know about Punter, but can't be as good as Bailey.

Does this sound about right?

[ADPinWDC]

Yes, OutsiderFan -- looks about right.  But, Safety is thinner than ILB, IMO.
But, perhaps some of the Frosh on Defense can contribute earlier, which we saw last year.

I see these Four-stars coming in from high-powered H.S. championship teams more as JuCo transfers. 
They have played with and against higher caliber talent, and with playoffs have played 3+ extra games every year for 3 years.
B'ODowd with A.Jones (RB) took the NorCal Div II Championship, and he was the SF Bay Area Player of the Year -- that's not a corner of KY. 
Tristan Sinclair (LB/S/RB) helped ride San Ramon to the D1 H.S. Championship in the East Bay.  
On video, Sinclair plays and hits like Jabrill Peppers (LB) from Michigan (2016), NFL first round, now a safety for NYG. 

As a power RB, Sinclair might have the speed to play Safety (where we need help), at least Nickel. 
Hell, with Sinclair JUST PLAY MORE NICKEL.  Let him cover the RBs on flare routes, and he can run stop also.  
https://247sports.com/player/tristan-sinclair-46049602/

[OutsiderFan]

Sinclair was my favorite recruit in the class. Reminds me of Matt Grootegoed, from the mid 2000s USC teams. LB/Safety tweener who is just a damn good football player.

[Phogge]

If I were asking questions of Shaw my first would be, “Why did you throw into the EZ against Cal in 2009 when you had Toby resting for the next play?” There is nothing remotely interesting about the coming season that is as telling of the Coach’s offensive mindset.

[CTcard]

If I were asking questions of Shaw my first would be, “Why did you throw into the EZ against Cal in 2009 when you had Toby resting for the next play?” There is nothing remotely interesting about the coming season that is as telling of the Coach’s offensive mindset.

I think the answer would be more telling of Harbs' mindset.

And I think the answer is some combination of trusting Luck too much and overly panicking about the clock (though I suppose it's possible Gerhart was still pretty winded after the long run on the swing pass).

[ADPinWDC]

For me the Pac12 anchors try to play too chummy with the guys, and strive to be liked.  Mike Yam most guilty. 
Forget the dam golf putting gimmick.  Give us INSIGHTFUL ANALYSIS.  Stop trying to get cute.  

Ask Shaw what he thinks of some of the best opposing QBs in the country 
-- how do we counter as the #11 Pass Defense in Pac12 for 2018?:  
Herbert (OREG) is a first round NFL pick.  
Kahlil Tate (ZONA) is a serious Dual Threat. 
Eason (WASH) started at Georgia as a top SEC prospect. 
JT Daniels (USC) got snuffed early last year by Stanford, but has a dynamic set of targets in 2019.
Gage Gubrud (WAST) is the next Mike Leach transfer project, with boffo numbers from E.Wash.  
Steve Montez (COLO) is more experienced than KJ, and has thrown for close to 7,000 yards in three years.
Ian Book (NDAM) was an elusive nightmare for us in last year's loss. 

KalSucks just doesn't have a QB.

[slide]

Yes, OutsiderFan -- looks about right.  But, Safety is thinner than ILB, IMO.
But, perhaps some of the Frosh on Defense can contribute earlier, which we saw last year.

I see these Four-stars coming in from high-powered H.S. championship teams more as JuCo transfers. 
They have played with and against higher caliber talent, and with playoffs have played 3+ extra games every year for 3 years.
B'ODowd with A.Jones (RB) took the NorCal Div II Championship, and he was the SF Bay Area Player of the Year -- that's not a corner of KY. 
Tristan Sinclair (LB/S/RB) helped ride San Ramon to the D1 H.S. Championship in the East Bay.  
On video, Sinclair plays and hits like Jabrill Peppers (LB) from Michigan (2016), NFL first round, now a safety for NYG. 

As a power RB, Sinclair might have the speed to play Safety (where we need help), at least Nickel. 
Hell, with Sinclair JUST PLAY MORE NICKEL.  Let him cover the RBs on flare routes, and he can run stop also.  
https://247sports.com/player/tristan-sinclair-46049602/

on passing downs, put Adebo at nickel on the other team's top 1st down option.  we gave up way too many 1st downs on obvious 3rd down pass plays last year.

[Phogge]

Absolute senior moment. Who was Harbaugh? I'm still incredibly upset about the pick. My apologies to Shaw.

[JJJ]

I thought I saw somewhere that the Pac-12 media day would be aired for free on twitter but don't see that anymore.
Here's a piece from CBS which says we're the 7th likely to win the league and tied for 5th in the league to make the playoffs (or something like that)...

https://www.cbssports.com/college-footba...ff-return/

[Papa John]

JJJ, I think you are referring to odds to win the Pac-12 championship game:
UW, UO and Utah are +300
WSU and USC are +800
UCLA is +1400
Stanford is +1800
UA and ASU are +3000
Cal is +5000

Odds to make the CFP:
UW, UO and Utah are 12/1
WSU is 25/1
USC and Stanford are 50/1
UCLA is 75/1
Stanford is +1800
UA, ASU and Cal are 250/1

These are betting lines, not predictions. There are professionals who set the "true" odds, and then the house makes adjustments based on betting trends so that the house can make money. Of course, I present these odds for purely entertainment purposes!

[Hank 91]

I've heard there's a network out there somewhere that has a contract to cover the Pac-12 Conference. They'll be there, and they'll be broadcasting and streaming everything. Here's the typical flow. The head coach and two players will take the stages at the same time for twenty minutes. The head coach is on the main stage, mic'd and on camera, while the players are in opposite corners at small tables. Their sessions aren't recorded or broadcast. After those twenty minutes, the three will head directly to the Pac-12 stage, where they'll yuck it up with the hosts, then play some made-for-TV games. In years past those games have been: corn hole, putting competition, piñata breaking, and slime making. The players have fun, and the schools get some whimsical video to promote. Once that's all done, the group heads to lunch to sit and chat with reporters, which is the best part. When all three are on stage, I never talk to Shaw, because he's mobbed by national reporters asking banal questions. Also, I'll eventually get a transcript of that entire session, so there's no sense fighting the crowd to listen to it. (Incidentally, if someone can tell me how to post a PDF here, I can post the transcript of Shaw's presser, and all the other head coaches, for that matter.)

[CowboyIndian]

if someone can tell me how to post a PDF here, I can post the transcript of Shaw's presser, and all the other head coaches, for that matter.)

If you have Adobe Acrobat, you can transform it into a .jpg and upload that here.....I think.

[CompSci87]

Uploading message attachments via the board software didn't work last time I looked. We could upload it manually if it's not on an open web site that you can link to. Assuming the copyright allows.

[BostonCard]

https://www.cbssports.com/college-footba...ibilities/

On the odds, it looks like the odds-setters have caught on to the fact that there are a lot of question marks with this team.  The odds imply a tie for fourth in the pac-12 north with Cal.  Moreover, CBS calls us the “worst wager”, even worse than Cal, which is offered the same 30-1 odds.

The odds suggest a 2-5-2 record against our Pac12 schedule, which means making a bowl will require a few breaks going our way.

BC

[stupac2]

You can just upload it to dropbox or google drive or whatever and link it here. I'd be surprised if the transcript was copyrighted (anyone can make a transcript...) but it'll probably be obvious if it is.