[gailtate]

"One day it's fine and next it's black"

I voted yes toward keeping Shaw but it's a weak yes at the moment.  

What most bothers me about Shaw as a head coach is his loyalty to failing lieutenants.  There needs to be some accountability for the collapse we've seen over the last four years and I just haven't seen it applied by the guy on top.  I would feel much better about retaining Coach Shaw if I had confidence we would see new leadership at the OC/DC positions next year.

On the plus side, I've been a Stanford fan since 1980 and missed the early 70s Rose Bowls.  Prior to Coach Shaw I saw one Rose Bowl, under Willingham, which we lost.  NOTHING in my Stanford fandom beats the glorious C-Mac Rose Bowl of 2016.  Shaw earned some goodwill for bringing that to Stanford fans.

Less emotionally convincing but relevant is the year the Pac-12 implodes IS NOT a great time for a change and unsteady leadership.  Having a respected representative able to communicate what's best about Stanford football is important and never more so than RIGHT NOW.  Setting aside what's happening on the field (a big ask, I know), Coach Shaw is that guy.   

There's no guarantee that we get the next hire right.  We've gotten it wrong often.  Imagine having Teevens or HARRIS at the helm right now ...

If Shaw returns next year, it is GUARANTEED we got it WRONG.

Stanford needs to appraise the current landscape, replace Muir and Shaw, and integrate the new AD and HC into the process of joining a conference where it can re-establish a viable program. The option here is the doomsday scenario. Yes, it's that stark. Nobody wants to admit this.

[gailtate]

"One day it's fine and next it's black"

I voted yes toward keeping Shaw but it's a weak yes at the moment.  

What most bothers me about Shaw as a head coach is his loyalty to failing lieutenants.  There needs to be some accountability for the collapse we've seen over the last four years and I just haven't seen it applied by the guy on top.  I would feel much better about retaining Coach Shaw if I had confidence we would see new leadership at the OC/DC positions next year.

On the plus side, I've been a Stanford fan since 1980 and missed the early 70s Rose Bowls.  Prior to Coach Shaw I saw one Rose Bowl, under Willingham, which we lost.  NOTHING in my Stanford fandom beats the glorious C-Mac Rose Bowl of 2016.  Shaw earned some goodwill for bringing that to Stanford fans.

Less emotionally convincing but relevant is the year the Pac-12 implodes IS NOT a great time for a change and unsteady leadership.  Having a respected representative able to communicate what's best about Stanford football is important and never more so than RIGHT NOW.  Setting aside what's happening on the field (a big ask, I know), Coach Shaw is that guy.   

There's no guarantee that we get the next hire right.  We've gotten it wrong often.  Imagine having Teevens or HARRIS at the helm right now ...

If Shaw returns next year, it is GUARANTEED we got it WRONG.

Stanford needs to appraise the current landscape, replace Muir and Shaw, and integrate the new AD and HC into the process of joining a conference where it can re-establish a viable program. The option here is the doomsday scenario. Yes, it's that stark. Nobody wants to admit this.