Stanford Football: 11 Things the Cardinal Does Very Well
The alma mater of John Elway.
A storied tradition.
The program went on a decline post-Elway, but Jim Harbaugh came to the rescue.
Before bolting for the NFL, Jim Harbaugh brought the Cardinal back into the national spotlight.
He made sure his teams did everything well. Very well.
The following are 11 things that the Cardinal does very well.
Tackling
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Defense wins championships.
That is the phrase every successful team lives by.
The first and foremost aspect of a great defense is having excellent tacklers.
Stanford's defense is a prime example.
It's a simple aspect of the game, yet so crucial to playing great defense.
The Cardinal returns two outstanding tacklers in OLB Chase Thomas and ILB Shayne Skov for the 2011 season.
Offensive Line Dominance
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In order for any offense to be productive, it must have a stalwart offensive line.
The line needs to be able to protect the quarterback and pave the way for the rushing attack.
Stanford's line was perhaps the best in the country last year in those aspects.
Quarterback Andrew Luck had a phenomenal year (3,338 yards, 32 touchdowns), as did running back Stepfan Taylor (1,137 yards, 15 touchdowns).
New head coach David Shaw faces the challenge of replacing three starters from last season's squad.
That task will be the Achille's heel for Stanford this season.
Route Running
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Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of an offensive attack is the route running of receivers.
The best receivers playing the game today are extremely efficient route runners.
Having a Heisman-quality quarterback such as Andrew Luck surely makes the receivers better, but an offense will not produce without terrific route runners at the receiver position.
Look for senior receivers Griff Whalen and Chris Owusu, two very fundamentally sound players, to step in and put up big numbers right away this fall.
Quarterback Play
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The foundation of every team is the quarterback.
There's no doubt about that.
And it helps when your quarterback is Andrew Luck.
Had he chosen to remain in this year's edition of the NFL draft, he was a lock to be the No. 1 pick.
However, he decided to return to school for his senior season.
He is a proven leader in the fact that he makes everyone around him better, and he has guided his team to a victory in a BCS bowl game.
Andrew Luck is the heart and soul of the Stanford football team. He is the engine behind the Mack truck of his team.
Team Speed
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Whether it be linebackers chasing down the ball carrier, kick returners eluding the coverage or defensive ends getting in the face of the quarterback, team speed is a necessity in order to do those things effectively.
Stanford certainly possesses a tremendous amount of team speed.
It is evident in the aggressive 3-4 style defense employed by new co-defensive coordinators Derek Mason and Jason Tarver.
That 3-4 defense gets to the ball and gets there fast.
The same is true on the offensive side of the ball.
Running back Stepfan Taylor showcased his speed on a number of occasions, particularly against Oregon and in the Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech.
Those are just a few of many examples, though.
Make sure to take some time to truly notice Stanford's overall team speed this season.
Decision Making
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With the rigorous admissions standards at Stanford, the coaching staff is charged with recruiting intelligent players.
It can be a daunting task at times but surely pays dividends on gameday in the form of excellent decision making.
While some may balk at this slide and claim that all decisions are made by the coaching staff, they're wrong.
Andrew Luck is responsible for reading the defense and making the necessary adjustments.
The defensive line must make the necessary shifts according to the offense's packages.
The list goes on and on.
Those decisions are typically great ones when coaching staff puts intelligent players on the field.
Stanford may be the most intelligent team in the nation.
Running the System Effectively
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While "running the system" may seem like a general observation, it takes a very well-oiled machine to do so effectively.
Stanford employs a Power-I attack on offense and a base 3-4 on defense.
Teams know what is coming, so scouting isn't much of a problem for opponents.
So how does the Cardinal keep winning?
They run their system very, very effectively. Perhaps as well as any team in the nation.
Each player knows what his assignment is and executes it.
Very rarely will one see a blown assignment from David Shaw's squad on either side of the ball.
Physicality
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Appropriate phrases used to describe truly physical teams usually include "bone-rattling, skull-crushing, mind-numbing," etc.
Those same phrases most definitely should be associated with the play of Stanford football.
Graduated ILB/FB Owen Marecic embodied the physical nature of Stanford teams. He was an authentic "bruiser." He always put his head down going for a tackle or running the football.
He bowled opposing players over like bowling pins.
Marecic's attitude has certainly been filtered down through the younger classes.
Current ILB Shayne Skov will put a hurting on opposing offenses this season, as will fellow OLB Chase Thomas and DE Matt Masifilo.
Those guys are big, fast and hit hard.
Teams set to square off against Stanford better pack the ice bags when they meet on the field.
Swagger
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According to Dictionary.com, the word swagger is defined as "a very confident and typically arrogant or aggressive gait or manner."
The term and its definition suit Stanford perfectly.
When they take the field, they know they are going to win.
There is never any doubt in the minds of the players or coaches.
It must be intimidating watching Stanford's team from the other sideline.
The best teams in the past have always had swagger.
Nebraska and USC in the 2000s, anyone?
Miami in the 80s and 90s?
Stanford has yet to reach the levels of success of those teams, but they have the swagger of those teams.
Playing as One
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"Playing as one" is a mantra elicited by many coaches regardless of sport or league.
It is perhaps one of the defining traits of all championship-level teams.
Stanford has that trait.
Ever hear complaints from players? No.
Ever see any acts of "me-first" attitude? No.
Stanford has one goal in mind: To win a BCS National Championship.
They are pursuing that goal as "one."
Like Al Pacino's character in the film Any Given Sunday said, "Either we heal now, as a team, or we will die as individuals."
I think you know what Stanford has been and will continue to do.
Getting the Job Done
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At the end of the day, the only thing that matters in the high-stakes game of college football is winning.
Great coaches may refer to it as getting the job done.
That's what Stanford does. They get the job done. They win.
They might not be a flashy, sexy team like Oregon (how many uniform combinations do they have?), or a wildly popular team like Notre Dame (are we relevant yet?), but they get it done. Period.
