Bleacher Report - Articles by Dave Fowkes

Q&A with Stanford Assistant Coach Greg Roman

Dave Fowkes — Mon, 18 May 2009 18:13:58 -0400

Stanford football has a new assistant coach for the 2009 season. Greg Roman has arrived on the farm where he is coaching tackles and tight ends and will serve as the running-game coordinator.

Before coming to Stanford, Roman spent 13 seasons in the NFL with his last being in Baltimore as an assistant offensive line coach for the Ravens in 2007.

Coach Roman was kind in talking about Stanford football. I now deliver the Q&A format to you so you can read what Coach Roman had to say about the running game, tight ends, offensive line and recruiting.

Q: Welcome to the Bay Area. How is the adjustment from the east coast for you and your family?

A: Very smooth. This place (Palo Alto) is kind of like Shangri-La. Wake up every day and walk outside, and it is a beautiful day. I can see why people fall in love with this place. It is going well. My family got out here in March, [and] everything is great.

Q: You spent 13 years as an NFL assistant; now you are in college. Why the decision to move from the NFL to college?

A: A lot of reasons, but it wasn’t a decision to just go into the college ranks it was a decision to go to Stanford if that makes sense.

Q: You have three different hats. You coach tackles, tight ends and you are the run game coordinator. Seems like you might be kind of busy?

A: It is great because I get to be involved in a lot of different areas with a lot of coaches. Coach Tim Drevno, who is an outstanding coach, coaches the offensive line and specifically the centers and guards.

But, there are the times he will take the tackles too. There are times when I will take the right side, and he’ll take the left side. There are times I’ll take the tight ends and he’ll take the entire line. There are times I will meet with everyone involved in the running game.

It gives us a lot of flexibility. I think it works out really well that way because it allows us to maximize our teaching. A lot of times I have been in situations where there are 15 offensive linemen and just one person teaching and it is a 15:1 ratio. So we are trying to split that down to a 7:1 ratio.

What it allows us to do is to spend a little more time individually on the line. As far as the run game goes, I have yet to meet the person that has all the answers. I have been around a lot of great ones, but the staff we have here has a lot of great ideas. Starting with Coach Harbaugh, Drevno, Willie Taggart, and David Shaw, I look for their input all the time. That way, we get a lot of varied experience. It is just such a great thing to draw on. So I am going to draw on it.

I am sure I will help build a consensus as we make a decision on what plays we are going to run and how we are going to run them, and when we are going to run them, but the whole process is all of us doing it together.

Stanford Linebacker Clinton Snyder: Q&A

Dave Fowkes — Fri, 08 May 2009 16:53:10 -0400

Stanford linebacker Clinton Snyder is going to play a key role on the defense this year for the Cardinals. Snyder, who has been a rock on the outside the last three years, is moving to inside linebacker for his senior season.

In another of a series of note clearing articles from the spring football game, here is what Snyder had to say after the Spring game about himself and the team.

Q: What did you think of tonight’s game?

A: I am just glad we got out with everyone healthy. We played well on defense on both sides of the ball. I think Andrew Luck just picked apart the red team a little bit. He is going to be a really good player for us. I am just happy. The whole game went well for us.

Q: Was it fun to play in the stadium under the lights? (It was the first time the spring game was held at night)

A: Yeah, it is always fun to get out here in a game situation and get yourself hyped up and get yourself ready to play a real game.

Q: How do you feel about where your game is coming out of spring ball?

A: I did not get to practice the first half of spring (Snyder was out recovering from an ankle injury) so I came in the second half and I think I really picked it up. I am happy where I am at. I am still bringing my ankle along a little bit. Getting into the rest of spring and summer we are going to fine tune the defense a little bit.

Q: What is the next step the defense needs to take to improve over last year?

A: I think we have a good solid defense in place, we just have to get stronger and faster, we have to get ready for the season, we have to get in the film room and know our assignments and everything like that. Then we just need to keep it rolling into the season.

Q: What is the team attitude after spring practice?

A: The energy is awesome right now. Everybody is upbeat, the whole team is pushing in the right direction right now and that is outstanding.

OTHER SPRING GAME ARTICLES:

Stanford Has Smart Athletes

Dave Fowkes — Fri, 08 May 2009 16:48:35 -0400

Here is some breaking news: Stanford football has smart athletes.

The NCAA released the latest "Academic Progress Rate" report. Stanford football earned a 984 to lead the country. The 984 put Stanford above Air Force, Duke, Rutgers, and Rice rounding out the top five.

The complete report can be found on the NCAA Web page.

The APR is a measure the NCAA comes up with based on eligibility, retention and graduation numbers over a four year span. These numbers released cover students from 2004 through 2008.

Stanford received a "Public Recognition Award" for its high standards. The Cardinal athletic program as a whole dominated yet again with a few programs receiving perfect scores.

Stanford football 984 led the Pac-10 football schools with Cal being runner up at 970. USC, Washington, UCLA, ASU, Oregon, OSU, Arizona and Washington State with a 918 round out the Pac-10.

Schools that do not score in the 900's receive penalties from the NCAA and the true offenders could receive sanctions that include scholarship losses.

Keeping an Eye on Stanford Football and Baseball's Toby Gerhart

Dave Fowkes — Fri, 08 May 2009 16:43:01 -0400

To say the fate of the Stanford football season rests on the shoulders of one player is a bit over-dramatic. But there is no arguing that running back Toby Gerhart will be a key to success if he plays this year.

The "if" comes from the fact that Gerhart is playing baseball right now and has publicly said, if the money is there this summer, he would forgo his senior season to turn professional in baseball.

It is logical to assume that if Gerhart gets drafted in the top two rounds, he will go to baseball. So far I have not been able to find any mock drafts or prospect reports that list Gerhart as a first round pick. But can he climb is way into that next tier?

As Stanford baseball gets ready to host New Mexico this weekend, with just two weeks left in the season, Gerhart is currently hitting .288 with five home runs, 36 run scored and 24 RBI. He has a .468 slugging percentage and a .384 on base percentage. His numbers really have not changed that much in the last 10 days since my first Toby Gerhart update.

It appears Gerhart is putting together a good year but not a great one. That might just be the perfect combination for football fans who hope to see the potential star back on the gridiron this fall.

Former Stanford NT Babatunde Oshinowo Hopes for Success with Carolina

Dave Fowkes — Mon, 04 May 2009 20:58:31 -0400

Former Stanford nose tackle Babatunde Oshinowo is still trying to earn his way in the NFL. The former star is now in Carolina trying to earn a job with the Panthers. It is his fifth NFL club since leaving the farm in 2006.

The Charlotte Observer has a wonderful profile on Oshinowo’s latest attempt to prove he belongs.

I must admit to being surprised that Oshinowo has not been able to find himself at the next level. Oshinowo was dominant at Stanford. He was a true run stopper in the middle and a sack master on third down.

He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the 2006 draft. Oshinowo played in a 3-4 defense on the farm and in Cleveland was asked to play nose tackle to win a job. Despite Herculean strength, Oshinowo just is not big enough to play nose tackle in the NFL.

He was eventually cut by Cleveland and moved through Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington. Despite all the stops, he has only played in two regular season games in his career, registering two tackles.

Landing in Carolina at 26 years of age, this is probably his last and best chance for making it in the NFL. The Panthers will line him up as a defensive tackle in a 4-3 scheme. Oshinowo should be able to use his strength against more one-on-one blocking to his advantage.

Oshinowo is a true scholar who will land on his feet no matter what he does after football. But Cardinal fans who watched him excel at Stanford on the field will route for him to find success in Carolina for at least a few more years, before he moves off into bigger and better things.

For more on Stanford Football visit me at: Stanford Football Examiner.

Stanford to Play Notre Dame In Primetime Thanksgiving Weekend

Dave Fowkes — Sun, 03 May 2009 14:54:23 -0400

Stanford will battle Notre Dame in prime time on Thanksgiving weekend. While most of the game times this year have yet to be determined for the Cardinals, it has been announced that the annual Stanford vs Notre Dame game will begin at 5pm on November 28.

The Saturday night game will be broadcast on ABC. The Thanksgiving weekend show down will be the regular season finale for both teams.

Notre Dame’s football contracts with USC and Stanford have them on the west coast each year over Thanksgiving, alternating between Los Angeles and Palo Alto.

Two years ago, when Stanford hosted Notre Dame Thanksgiving weekend, the Irish beat the Cardinals 21-14.

Notre Dame leads the all-time series against Stanford 17-6. The Cardinal shave not beaten the Irish since 2001.