[FarmBoy]

My fear now, admittedly based mostly on speculation combined with that established fact, is that Shaw inherited a team whose culture had been completely transformed by Harbaugh. Those were the guys (many not highly regarded as recruits) that took us to 4 straight BCS games. However, now the guys who embodied Harbaugh's culture have largely left the system. This year's team has only the last remnants of that culture, and the consequences are evident in our record and play. Our guys don't make key plays like they used to, and I think that is a reflection of Shaw's priorities. They play with a "negative" motivation, fearing the consequences of making a mistake more than positive rewards (credit/promotions/props) they might get from making a play. In addition to ending in a lot more losses, this play-not-to-lose style is intolerably boring to me. I don't enjoy watching our games anymore.

And this is the narrative I expect Stanford to have to recruit against in the coming months. Is 2014 a blip on the stock chart or a natural correction to Shaw's baseline performance? After 2011, everyone expected 2012 to be the true reflection of Shaw. Then it would be 2013 because half the 2012 roster was recruited by Harbaugh. After 2013's success, the narrative died away, but I don't doubt the recruiting leads at other Pac12 schools are reopening it.

This team has lost its mojo. It's not just that this year things aren't breaking for us like they did in '12 and '13. We're playing much more tentatively. Last year, Hogan would air it out to Cajuste, Ty or Rector a few times a game. This year, we only challenge deep once or twice, it seems. I think there's a confidence issue in the locker room, as much as an issue with personnel, tactics and game plan. And if so, that is squarely on Shaw's shoulders to fix.

[FarmBoy]

My fear now, admittedly based mostly on speculation combined with that established fact, is that Shaw inherited a team whose culture had been completely transformed by Harbaugh. Those were the guys (many not highly regarded as recruits) that took us to 4 straight BCS games. However, now the guys who embodied Harbaugh's culture have largely left the system. This year's team has only the last remnants of that culture, and the consequences are evident in our record and play. Our guys don't make key plays like they used to, and I think that is a reflection of Shaw's priorities. They play with a "negative" motivation, fearing the consequences of making a mistake more than positive rewards (credit/promotions/props) they might get from making a play. In addition to ending in a lot more losses, this play-not-to-lose style is intolerably boring to me. I don't enjoy watching our games anymore.

And this is the narrative I expect Stanford to have to recruit against in the coming months. Is 2014 a blip on the stock chart or a natural correction to Shaw's baseline performance? After 2011, everyone expected 2012 to be the true reflection of Shaw. Then it would be 2013 because half the 2012 roster was recruited by Harbaugh. After 2013's success, the narrative died away, but I don't doubt the recruiting leads at other Pac12 schools are reopening it.

This team has lost its mojo. It's not just that this year things aren't breaking for us like they did in '12 and '13. We're playing much more tentatively. Last year, Hogan would air it out to Cajuste, Ty or Rector a few times a game. This year, we only challenge deep once or twice, it seems. I think there's a confidence issue in the locker room, as much as an issue with personnel, tactics and game plan. And if so, that is squarely on Shaw's shoulders to fix.