I don't always agree with Shaw's decisions

But when speaking he comes off as candid and authentic.

By worldblee on 07.25.19 10:21am

Shaw is the epitome of Stanford's team this year.

Off the field, like his players, Shaw is articulate, knowledgeable, and smart. On the field, Shaw also embodies this year’s team. He has been leading Stanford for some time; this year’s team has 10 senior presumptive starters and 2 fifth year senior starters. Shaw has achieved considerable success in the past; this year’s team will start four 5-stars and nine 4-stars. Shaw enters the season with some assistants where the jury is still out (Carberry and Pritchard); and the team will also rely on several unproven players. This year in particular, as Shaw goes, so goes the team.

By SU74 on 07.25.19 4:17pm

3rd in the north seems appropriate but can we really beat WSU this year?

I expect a combination of getting good teams at home and missing Utah and ASU played a part in us getting picked 3rd. Win early against a mediocre-but-talented SC and the margin for error increases. But that road game against WSU in pullman is the bogey shaw has to break this year. If we go 9-3, shaw has to be pac-12 coach of the year but right now with that difficult schedule I see 7-5 as the most likely outcome this year.

By layman on 07.25.19 11:28pm

Defense, defense, defense

This year like all the others will come down to our Defense and our running game. If we can’t stop the other team from scoring and control the clock, we are going to be happy with 8-4. WSU is a team that really stresses our Secondary. We generally can’t outscore them in a shootout. If we hold them below 20, we win.

By Blackjoy on 07.26.19 12:51pm

This Is The Year That The Chickens Come Home To Roost

We have played much worse than our record the past two years, benefiting from some gifts to avoid losses (see Oregon 2018, and others) and a generally weak Pac 12. Despite an experienced offensive line and Bryce Love, we were completely unable to run the ball last year. We were not so great the year before, with Bryce Love’s phenomenal string of long runs from scrimmage pushing up our averages. Under Coach Shaw, we always start the season slowly – with the offensive line not ready to execute and a very narrow playbook. In most years, we learn as the year goes on…..but sometimes squander an opportunity for post season play due to an unfortunate early loss. We did not necessarily get better last year, but Costello with JJ and Kaden Smith kept us in games and beyond. Think how ugly that Pittsburgh game was last year.

This year Stanford seems to be facing the Perfect Storm. We open up against a very good and well coached Northwestern team, which has added a very high quality transfer QB from Clemson. Then USC comes to town. Sure, they are not what they used to be. But never take them lightly. Travelling east to face UCF??!! They have lost one game over the past two years and we do not travel well to the East Coast (jet lang and humidity). Their star QB is out, but ex Notre Dame QB Brandon Wimbush is an experienced player with a good long ball and strong legs. He is prone to make mistakes under pressure (as he did in his last outing at Stanford Stadium), but is clearly a force to be reckoned with. UCF will be on fire to take down the Cardinal and get some more respect for their program. Then Oregon! Oregon State and Washington. I can’t see us starting the season better than 2 – 4, though we have an outside chance at 3 – 3. Over the last six games, we lose to Notre Dame and Washington State. And probably pick up one more loss from the other four games. So maybe 3 – 3. This looks like a 6 – 6 team at best, which seems like a big drop-off but I think the team played like a 7 – 5 team the past two years – despite the final record.

As noted above, Shaw is starting a lot of 5 star and 4 star players – and continues to recruit well on that basis. The problem is getting the performance out of them. David Shaw’s brand of football puts the team at risk of taking losses as he plays conservatively and works for field position. I will not deny that it has worked well for him, but it is reliant on an offense which chews up clock, a very strong punter, and a defense that can shut down the opponent when necessary. We have not had a ball control offense for two years. Jake Bailey is on the New England Patriots, and our bend but don’t break defense has broken a bit more over the past two years (to some degree because it has been on the field more) – and enters this year with a lot of question marks. To me, it is also telling that a number of 5th year seniors, including starters and presumptive starters elected to pass on playing this year. Sure, there may be lots of individual explanations, but it may also reflect a view as to the state of the program this year.

The jury is still out on Carberry. But I think a failure to deliver an offensive line that generates a consistent ground game suggests that his time is about up. If a run oriented ball control offense is a core aspect of Shaw ball, this failure is becoming pretty much inexcusable. I know there were some injuries, and maybe more given the limited disclosure of such things at Stanford, but we are getting to point where there will be some statistical significance to the failure of our run game. Which takes us to the game planning vs. execution dilemma. For David Shaw, our failures are always about execution – that is, we have the right strategy, just are failing to make it work. Again, this is fine by me in the short term. But we are heading into year 3 of a possible failure to execute a run game and, at some point, this becomes something larger than just execution or the responsibility for that execution rests somewhere above the players. But let’s hope for the best this year – despite the trend. Which takes us to the offensive coordinator position. Most teams of Stanford’s caliber actually have a real high quality experienced individual helping or completing running the offense. Tavita Pritchard is not that guy in any respect, which is probably good as I do not think Shaw relies on anyone but himself in offensive game planning. But it seems a wasted opportunity on the coaching staff. But again, I have no problem with Shaw running the offense as he sees fit. He is the coach and has a demonstrated record of success at Stanford playing Shaw ball. But I think that record is going to be severely tested this year, and has, in fact, been tested on the field the past two years – if not in the final win/loss column. Having said all of that, I love David Shaw and wish no other to be Head Coach at Stanford. Just hope that he proves willing to bring in some high quality offensive coaching personnel if the record suggests that a change in strategy (or execution) is necessary.

There is upside this year. Costello is a high quality and experienced QB with some real talent in the receiving corps. Unfortunately, even if talented, they will be replacing two NFL draftees and Trenton Irwin. Connor Weddington could prove to be the second coming of Christian McCaffrey. Maybe another running back will emerge. I am less concerned about the defense. Lance Anderson consistently produces a solid bend but don’t break defense – whose success is ultimately tied to the offensive side of the ball chewing up clock. Lots of new faces, but the system works.

So hoping for a good year, but expecting a disappointing and revealing one. Nonetheless, I will be at 2 -3 games and catch the rest on TV (assuming I can get the Pac 12 channel….).

Go Cardinal!

By hoyaparanoia on 07.26.19 1:29am

Not so paranoid

Hoya, I’m more optimistic than I have been in 2 years. I watched the Spring Game (switched to DISH from DTV – I love it. Steep learning curve but I’m watching Stanford games from last year that I didn’t get to see in real time – and in that no commercials format. Awesome!). The SG was more a practice session because of the injury situation at the time. But, I see we have something like 7 stud-like DT/DE – the most depth we’ve had there in a long time. The LBs stood out as fast and aggressive. There are at least two studs in the D backfield. I think the D is going to surprise in a pleasant way.
The O – if both 5-star tackles can play on the line – has the potential to be very good. Shaw learned something last year – when you can’t run, you have to do something, and Costello and crew executed at a high level in the passing game. He has 3, maybe 4, receivers who can take the top off a defense; I think he’ll use them well.
There is a lot of talent out there. If they perform well, this year could be very good. If not, then changes need to be made.

By jafco99 on 07.26.19 6:32pm

Agree There Is Upside

Guess my views are colored by the past two years of disappointment along the offensive line and an out of conference schedule that is really challenging – three teams ranked in the final top 21 last year! Also, our challenges will start on the first football Saturday of the season, with no "warm-up" games against anyone. We need to be ready. Costello also needs to stay healthy. There is talent but almost no experience backing him up.

Hey………………but that is why they play the games and I can’t wait for the season to get started! Don’t mind at all being surprised!

By hoyaparanoia on 07.27.19 12:00am

I tend to agree with you

But I remain an optimist until proven otherwise. At the beginning of 2015, when we opened the season with that disastrous loss to Northwestern, I feared the glory days of Stanford football were finally over and the team was heading south. What I did not realize at the moment was that the team was indeed heading south — to the Rose Bowl. It’s an unpredictable sport, and a few key breaks and a few key break-out players can transform an entire season (read: McCaffrey in 2015). But yes, you make some great points in your comment and highlight many fears I have concerning the development of the program. Maybe Shaw will surprise us with some new wrinkles that we have not yet seen. Maybe this will be 2014 redux. After the first few games, we will know a whole lot more. If we can find a way to start 3-0, I will be a whole lot more optimistic. If we launch the 2019 campaign at 0-3, we might be headed for Shaw’s first losing season. 2-1 and 1-2 are more likely.

By Jeff Tarnungus on 07.31.19 2:19pm

Hi Jeff..............I Am Not Full Negative...Just Cautious And Not Optimistic

As you have noted, we will know a lot about this team after a few games…………the team will be really tested early.

But would love a 3 – 0 start………….it would say a lot about what this team can do.

By hoyaparanoia on 08.01.19 12:15pm

Watched Shaw in 15-minute segment at Media Day

He sounded optimistic. He said he hoped to see a good running game develop. Then he started talking about the receiving corps, and he really got loquacious. He finished saying "This could be one of the top passing offenses in the nation." To do that one actually has to throw the ball. I suspect we may see a 50-50 or even 45-55 (run-pass) offense this year. It won’t go much out of those bounds I think, unless one facet is just having a field day, or we have to play catch-up ball.

By jafco99 on 07.28.19 11:40am