David Shaw

[CougPatrol]

I know I’ve said this before, but I can’t see him surviving this season. Stanford has been reduced to a Wulffian standard.

They’re now 3-6 and riding a 4 game losing streak with games remaining at Oregon State, vs. Cal, and vs. Notre Dame.

 

[Cougarfan2013]

Does anyone at Stanford care about football though? Even when they were good they couldn’t sell out their stadium

 

[BiggsCoug]

Does anyone at Stanford care about football though? Even when they were good they couldn’t sell out their stadium

Not 1 team in the PAC 12 is selling out their stadium.

Shaw went away from what Harbaugh did to build it. Where is the OL? Where is the punishing DL? Where are the tight ends? Where did their run of QBs go?

 

[CougPatrol]

Not 1 team in the PAC 12 is selling out their stadium.

Shaw went away from what Harbaugh did to build it. Where is the OL? Where is the punishing DL? Where are the tight ends? Where did their run of QBs go?

For all the crap we give our program, we were at least able to stay competitive with Utah when JDL was out. How TF does Stanford not have a capable backup QB or depth on their offensive line? How do they not have a running game?

They may not care from a Butts in the seats standpoint, but their donors are big and their alumni are proud. They care more than you think, and more importantly, they’re intelligent. They know the importance of having a quality football product.

 

[KRUSTYtheCOUG]

That Oregon loss to stanford is looking worser and worser with each passing week. Oh well, won't matter for the ducks after next Saturday. That's all I have to say about that.

 

[Glad Cougar]

And how the heck did Stanford beat Oregon? That loss alone should have kept the Ducks out of the top 4 in the CFP rankings.

Glad Cougar


NOTE: Hey Krusty, I was writing my post while you were posting yours. Great minds think alike!

 

[BiggsCoug]

For all the crap we give our program, we were at least able to stay competitive with Utah when JDL was out. How TF does Stanford not have a capable backup QB or depth on their offensive line? How do they not have a running game?

They may not care from a Butts in the seats standpoint, but their donors are big and their alumni are proud. They care more than you think, and more importantly, they’re intelligent. They know the importance of having a quality football product.

Couple things… If the staff has missed evals and kids arent gonna play, are they moving them on? Wanna crush a roster? Have 20 guys on scholarship that you are never gonna play… I think Shaw screwed up the offense. Stanford gets 4 star qbs. These kids have performed well and are very bright. How is it they can’t play all of a sudden? Coaching. I think we’re seeing college offenses get so complex the kids can’t do it. Too much info, too many decisions to be made, too little time to coach it all and what you get is a neutered qb that looks like a deer in headlights.

If Im coaching Stanford I acknowledge that I may have trouble getting offensive perimeter talent. I run a 2 TE offense, zone blocking, 2 WRs in routes, play action, zone read option, chew the clock offense. On defense I knock as many people down as I can and chase the ball carrier. Harbaugh laid out the blueprint to win there. It wasnt with what Shaw has been doing recently.

 

[KRUSTYtheCOUG]

Couple things… If the staff has missed evals and kids arent gonna play, are they moving them on? Wanna crush a roster? Have 20 guys on scholarship that you are never gonna play… I think Shaw screwed up the offense. Stanford gets 4 star qbs. These kids have performed well and are very bright. How is it they can’t play all of a sudden? Coaching. I think we’re seeing college offenses get so complex the kids can’t do it. Too much info, too many decisions to be made, too little time to coach it all and what you get is a neutered qb that looks like a deer in headlights.

If Im coaching Stanford I acknowledge that I may have trouble getting offensive perimeter talent. I run a 2 TE offense, zone blocking, 2 WRs in routes, play action, zone read option, chew the clock offense. On defense I knock as many people down as I can and chase the ball carrier. Harbaugh laid out the blueprint to win there. It wasnt with what Shaw has been doing recently.

Agree. Stanford had a unique thing going there. They were a tough team to prepare for and matchup with since they were the only one in the conference running an old-fashioned offense.

Now, why hasn't harbaugh been able to duplicate that in Michigan? I think he's tried but they just aren't out "physicalling" teams on either side of the ball. They have not yet resembled the best Stanford teams he had.

 

[SDCoug]

Am I alone in thinking that Shaw has never been a good head coach? I’ve always felt he was riding the brand Harbaugh created.

This is where highly intelligent and extremely athletic individuals come to play football.​

I’m starting to think that the highly intelligent folks are realizing he’s not a good coach and he’s only left with the “regular” athletic guys.

 

[BiggsCoug]

Agree. Stanford had a unique thing going there. They were a tough team to prepare for and matchup with since they were the only one in the conference running an old-fashioned offense.

Now, why hasn't harbaugh been able to duplicate that in Michigan? I think he's tried but they just aren't out "physicalling" teams on either side of the ball. They have not yet resembled the best Stanford teams he had.

What is Michigan known for? Is he aligned with the brand of football UM has been great at?

I dont watch enough M football to know. But I do know what their “brand” was…

Zone blocking, play action pass, 1000 yard back, featured big time WR, NFL bound TEs, aggressive 43 defense with big time corners…. and NFL qbs that can play with their back to the defense in play action and then throw deep.

If Harbaugh is doing this and losing, fire him. If he is trying to run a multiple set offense with a passing game so complicated he is running thru one 4 star qb after another…. the problem is him.

 

[BiggsCoug]

Am I alone in thinking that Shaw has never been a good head coach? I’ve always felt he was riding the brand Harbaugh created.

​

This is where highly intelligent and extremely athletic individuals come to play football.​

I’m starting to think that the highly intelligent folks are realizing he’s not a good coach and he’s only left with the “regular” athletic guys.

He has a narrow demographic for recruit. I wouldnt crucify the guy if he had some down years. He doesnt walk into a HS and have the ability to recruit every kid.

 

[79COUG]

Shaw's body language on the sidelines speaks volumes.

 

[CougPatrol]

He has a narrow demographic for recruit. I wouldnt crucify the guy if he had some down years. He doesnt walk into a HS and have the ability to recruit every kid.

No, but he does have the ability to recruit nationally. Kids don’t typically say no to a Stanford offer. The problem is, and I think this has happened to Shaw, you can’t get complacent with recruiting. You’ve got to cover all 4 corners of the Nation.

 

[425cougfan]

I work with some pretty hardcore Stanford guys (some of them fly to most games, etc.) and they are livid. Shaw has had a long leash but I wouldn't be surprised to see him "explore other opportunities" in a Larry Scott-style "mutual decision."

 

[425cougfan]

Stanford recruiting is interesting. He has a fairly narrow pool, but he also has the tremendous power of being able to land a very high percentage of those kids who are into academics and value related considerations (powerful network, connections, etc.). Getting a Stanford education paid for and getting to live for free in Palo Alto is a pretty sweet deal. There almost always are a lot of top players, especially at certain positions, who fit that profile. So the pool is limited, but he can pull kids who otherwise might go to football factories and it's conducive to that style Harbaugh started and he originally maintained. He doesn't have real competition from the Ivy League or otherwise on that front. The further Stanford gets from success, though, the more challenging it is to sell that.

 

[KRUSTYtheCOUG]

Stanford, schmanford. Go look through the years. There's a whole gotta "meh" in there with occasional spans of excellence. In some ways like us. The bad hasn't been as bad as often, but other than recent harbaugh success,they seem to be receding back to their normal selves. But yeah, Shaw hasn't kept it going.
Taihtsat

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Check out the Stanford Cardinal College Football History, Stats, Records, Polls, Bowls and More College Football Stats at Sports-Reference.com

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[rufffrider]

He has a narrow demographic for recruit. I wouldnt crucify the guy if he had some down years. He doesnt walk into a HS and have the ability to recruit every kid.

Couple this with the changes to the college football landscape the last 18 months (impacts from Covid, transfer portal, etc...) there are a lot of factors at play that can derail any program for a year or two. I think it's pretty hard to look at this season and last and draw any solid conclusions on a head coach's ability. Would not surprise me in the least to see Shaw excel again in a year or two, nor would I be shocked if we were looking at the end of Shaw's run at Stanford. It's a pretty tough time to read all the tea leaves.

 

[BiggsCoug]

Couple this with the changes to the college football landscape the last 18 months (impacts from Covid, transfer portal, etc...) there are a lot of factors at play that can derail any program for a year or two. I think it's pretty hard to look at this season and last and draw any solid conclusions on a head coach's ability. Would not surprise me in the least to see Shaw excel again in a year or two, nor would I be shocked if we were looking at the end of Shaw's run at Stanford. It's a pretty tough time to read all the tea leaves.

He has accumulated enough talent to win 10 games next year. The cupboards arent bare there. One good class and Stanford is back in business again.

 

[BiggsCoug]

No, but he does have the ability to recruit nationally. Kids don’t typically say no to a Stanford offer. The problem is, and I think this has happened to Shaw, you can’t get complacent with recruiting. You’ve got to cover all 4 corners of the Nation.

It will be interesting to see what happens there. They’ve gone to Atlanta, Nashville, Texas before. I would imagine they can get kids from the NE if they wanted. The academic standards make it easy. You are either smart enough to get in or you aren’t. So…. do you have a 3.??? gpa??? If not, next kid. Stanford isnt sorting thru 1000 potential kids. It’s a narrow list.

 

[OrangeGravy]

Not 1 team in the PAC 12 is selling out their stadium.

Shaw went away from what Harbaugh did to build it. Where is the OL? Where is the punishing DL? Where are the tight ends? Where did their run of QBs go?

There was no chance they could sustain that level of talent. They've been bad for a few years. Their QBs have been progressively worse every cycle since Luck. Stanford is one of the few institutions that can afford to not care about football without it damaging their image. NIL is gonna permanently cement them in the basement of college football forever. I don't think they'll even attempt to get kids money. They're headed straight back to the pre Harballs era

 

[COCoug]

I don't think it is possible for Stanford to fire Shaw.
There is a strange level of apathy with regards to Stanford football.
It was just a few years ago when WSU beat Stanford on homecoming, with both teams ranked in the top 20, in front of a small and quiet crowd.
Stanford pretty much sticks with their coaches, and I think Shaw is bulletproof. Plus, there is a lot of chatter that they are loaded going forward. Plus, the conference is so weak they will never be out of the hunt.

 

[couginphx]

Personally, I've said for a while Shaw is the most over rated coach in the country. He most definitely benefitted from what Harbaugh left behind, they were fading well before the pandemic and he is conservative to a major fault. To his/their credit they do play a more challenging schedule with notre dame every year and usually another at least decent P5 opponent which is detrimental to their record.