[StanfordMatt]

martyup: The NCAA limits the number of full-time, on-field assistant coaches to 9 so if we were to bring someone else in mid-season, one of the current coaches would either have to be fired or demoted to an off-field position. I don't see this happening.

One of the reasons I have a hard time placing too much of the blame for the offense's struggles on Bloomgren is that we just don't know how much freedom he's getting to run the offense. Over the years we've gotten glimpses into the offensive play calling whether it was Luck being given three plays to choose from or Shaw taking over play calling from Bloomgren inside the red zone. I haven't heard any specifics on the issue this season so I think it's hard for anyone on the outside looking in to know how Shaw and Bloomgren are sharing responsibilities.

Shaw's oversight of the offense also raises other questions in my opinion. While there's absolutely no one else I would want leading our football program, I wonder if Shaw is guilty of surrounding himself with "yes men" on offense. Look at the years of experience of our defensive coaches and then compare it to offense:

Randy Hart: 45
Duane Akina: 36
Lance Anderson: 18
Peter Hansen: 11
Avg: 27.5

Mike Bloomgren: 16
Lance Taylor: 8
Morgan Turner: 6
Tavita Pritchard: 5
Avg: 8.75

"Yes men" is probably too harsh of a term because I don't mean to disparage any of those coaches, but it's hard for me to imagine a coach with 5 years of experience being able to question Shaw when something isn't working. On the other side of the ball, when something goes wrong on defense, Anderson can turn to Hart and Akina who have a combined 81 years of experience to draw upon for potential solutions.

[StanfordMatt]

martyup: The NCAA limits the number of full-time, on-field assistant coaches to 9 so if we were to bring someone else in mid-season, one of the current coaches would either have to be fired or demoted to an off-field position. I don't see this happening.

One of the reasons I have a hard time placing too much of the blame for the offense's struggles on Bloomgren is that we just don't know how much freedom he's getting to run the offense. Over the years we've gotten glimpses into the offensive play calling whether it was Luck being given three plays to choose from or Shaw taking over play calling from Bloomgren inside the red zone. I haven't heard any specifics on the issue this season so I think it's hard for anyone on the outside looking in to know how Shaw and Bloomgren are sharing responsibilities.

Shaw's oversight of the offense also raises other questions in my opinion. While there's absolutely no one else I would want leading our football program, I wonder if Shaw is guilty of surrounding himself with "yes men" on offense. Look at the years of experience of our defensive coaches and then compare it to offense:

Randy Hart: 45
Duane Akina: 36
Lance Anderson: 18
Peter Hansen: 11
Avg: 27.5

Mike Bloomgren: 16
Lance Taylor: 8
Morgan Turner: 6
Tavita Pritchard: 5
Avg: 8.75

"Yes men" is probably too harsh of a term because I don't mean to disparage any of those coaches, but it's hard for me to imagine a coach with 5 years of experience being able to question Shaw when something isn't working. On the other side of the ball, when something goes wrong on defense, Anderson can turn to Hart and Akina who have a combined 81 years of experience to draw upon for potential solutions.