09-09-2015, 09:12 PM
Buddha, I assume I am one of the people who has upset you. I applaud your passion, and Im sorry if I made you angry. However, I have just as much passion, and I want Stanford football to succeed every bit as much as you do. If I didnt care, I wouldnt say jack.
Im not going to go on some long rant about Saturday. Heres the TLDR version:
- I will ALWAYS bias toward criticizing coaches over players when the team plays poorly (and not only when they lose). Coaches are highly-paid professionals, players are young men.
- I use the term Shawgren because it is very unclear to me who is responsible for the offense. There are four questions that we always knew the answer to when Harbaugh was HC, and I dont know the answer to any of them today:
  o Who owns the offensive gameplan?
  o Who does the playcalling?
  o Who decides when the gameplan isnt working?
  o Who is responsible for adjusting the gameplan if its determined to not be working?
I think this is a significant problem. Harbaugh may have owned all of these, and although Im not sure thats right, its better than lacking clarity.
- I cant speak for others, but I dont recall calling for Shaw to be fired so I hope that comment wasnt directed at me. The greatest extent I recall going to was to state that if this isnt fixed quickly, Bloomgren needs to go in the offseason. I stand by that statement.
So why am I so frustrated? Any optimism that the first 2/3 of last season was the blip was completely laid to waste on Saturday, and I am left searching for a sign any sign that things will be different this season. I have yet to read or hear any statements from Shaw (post-game, Tuesday, or today) that gives me that confidence. If you have please share Id love to be wrong.
I do question whether Shaw cant or isnt willing to look in the mirror with honesty. I do wonder if what he said late last season was just a bunch of empty words because Im not sure whether he really did learn a damn thing last season. I dont care if he doesnt scream & yell, but I do care when his comments to date seem solely about execution and dont show any responsibilityfor that debacle or any contrition. Things he could say: I didnt have this team ready to play on Saturday. I should have recognized sooner that the gameplan wasnt working as intended and made some changes. I should have gone for it on 4th & 5 from the NU 37. I want a head coach whos willing to admit when hes made a mistake, and when he's unwilling to in the face of what I consider pretty compelling evidence, it comes across to me as stubborn & arrogant. I don't expect anything close to perfection, but I do expect honest self-evaluation.
Id love to be wrong, and Id love to go to bed this Saturday night not having these questions and concerns any more. More than anything else, I want this team to show the world on Saturday that it can play well enough to beat anybody. Doesnt mean it will happen, but at least show that the potential of the team is up to the talent level of the individuals both on the field and the sideline.
Im not going to go on some long rant about Saturday. Heres the TLDR version:
- I will ALWAYS bias toward criticizing coaches over players when the team plays poorly (and not only when they lose). Coaches are highly-paid professionals, players are young men.
- I use the term Shawgren because it is very unclear to me who is responsible for the offense. There are four questions that we always knew the answer to when Harbaugh was HC, and I dont know the answer to any of them today:
  o Who owns the offensive gameplan?
  o Who does the playcalling?
  o Who decides when the gameplan isnt working?
  o Who is responsible for adjusting the gameplan if its determined to not be working?
I think this is a significant problem. Harbaugh may have owned all of these, and although Im not sure thats right, its better than lacking clarity.
- I cant speak for others, but I dont recall calling for Shaw to be fired so I hope that comment wasnt directed at me. The greatest extent I recall going to was to state that if this isnt fixed quickly, Bloomgren needs to go in the offseason. I stand by that statement.
So why am I so frustrated? Any optimism that the first 2/3 of last season was the blip was completely laid to waste on Saturday, and I am left searching for a sign any sign that things will be different this season. I have yet to read or hear any statements from Shaw (post-game, Tuesday, or today) that gives me that confidence. If you have please share Id love to be wrong.
I do question whether Shaw cant or isnt willing to look in the mirror with honesty. I do wonder if what he said late last season was just a bunch of empty words because Im not sure whether he really did learn a damn thing last season. I dont care if he doesnt scream & yell, but I do care when his comments to date seem solely about execution and dont show any responsibilityfor that debacle or any contrition. Things he could say: I didnt have this team ready to play on Saturday. I should have recognized sooner that the gameplan wasnt working as intended and made some changes. I should have gone for it on 4th & 5 from the NU 37. I want a head coach whos willing to admit when hes made a mistake, and when he's unwilling to in the face of what I consider pretty compelling evidence, it comes across to me as stubborn & arrogant. I don't expect anything close to perfection, but I do expect honest self-evaluation.
Id love to be wrong, and Id love to go to bed this Saturday night not having these questions and concerns any more. More than anything else, I want this team to show the world on Saturday that it can play well enough to beat anybody. Doesnt mean it will happen, but at least show that the potential of the team is up to the talent level of the individuals both on the field and the sideline.