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Offensive Chemistry
Stanford simply needs to run the football. When I say run the football, it means develop some team toughness. This team is not as good as we expected them to be after the last 5 to 6 years. One reason Stanford has struggled is because they don't have an identity on offense. What is Stanford good at on offense? Nothing! You can say that they don't have the athletes, but to be honest Stanford has never had the greatest athletes. Chemistry has been Stanford's strength as they have consistently executed plays in the past by timing and trust. So how do you build chemistry in the offense? Run the football and build that trust through your offensive line. Chemistry is developed by building trust and establishing the identity to find your strengths on offense. One way you can start is in the trenches.
Find a constant in the offense
Right now I believe it's safe to say Stanford's quarterback play isn't very good. It seems like Stanford came into the season with Christian McCaffrey being the only constant in the offense. That is understandable, but when other teams or injury find a way to stop your key player then what is your offense? Stanford has to find a way to get Ryan Burns comfortable with some easy throws into the flats. Coach David Shaw needs to develop a plan for Ryan Burns to manage the game. Allow the constant in the offense to be protecting the football and avoiding negative plays.
Compete to win
In any sport, intangibles can't be taught; you either have them or you don't. The Stanford coaching staff must coach to win. Stanford has to develop a nastiness in the trenches. The skill players have to compete on every single down. When I look at this Stanford team I see a lot of conservative play calls and players afraid of getting beat by opposing opponents. There is still a long season ahead to find that competitiveness. Although the offense isn’t that good they must play prideful and aggressive.
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