Is it time to wonder if maybe HCTT has too much on his plate being Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, and QB Coach?

There can't be much precedent for this across Power 5 CFB

It's similar to the Shanahan model, though even he hires a QB Coach

Inspired by some discussions in other threads, I thought I'd take a look at how programs with limited reliance on the transfer portal are faring this season. Some people seem to have pretty defeatist views about Stanford's prospects in the new NIL/transfer portal era, but I continue to believe (I think with good reason) that a program can compete even if it's not reloading via transfers all the time. Here are current rankings for the teams that have had 16 or fewer incoming transfers the last two seasons combined:

1) Texas
3) Georgia
8) Notre Dame
9) Penn State
11) Iowa State
14) Kansas State
15) Clemson
21) Iowa
35) Virginia Tech
43) Rutgers
49) Maryland
86) Wake Forest
89) Northwestern
94) Stanford

Some of these don't take many transfers because they don't need to (and one because they're holier-than-thou) but even taking those out you have Iowa State, Kansas State, Iowa, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Maryland, Wake Forest, and Northwestern as being in a similar boat to Stanford. I'd like us to up our transfer game to be a little bit less of an outlier when it comes to availing ourselves of the transfer portal but I am going to assume, absent something major/surprising, that we are going to remain in this category of modest portal usage. Can programs compete without bringing in scads of transfers? Clearly yes. Wake Forest, Northwestern, and Stanford are struggling in this environment (and even then Northwestern was #56 last year), but the majority of the teams in this cohort are respectable and three of them are really good, even alive for the playoff.

Not giving up on Stanford competing. No reason we can't compete on the level of an Iowa State, Kansas State, Iowa, Virginia Tech, etc.

Read that here.

remdinded me of 'Niners-Cardinals game. A few comments:

1. Higgins TD was beautiful play call, well-executed. Sold well by Murray; nifty catch and footwork by Higgins;

2. Did anyone else find Tom Brady off-puttingly LOUD in his color commentary? I actually think his comments/insights are good, but he needs to not yell so much. This is one of the few times that "tone it down" has literal application.

3. Early in the season, I was going to admit that my opinion that Purdy was "just another guy" undersold him as an NFL QB. I thought he played particularly well in S.F.'s first loss of the season (or was it the second L against the Rams?). But then he has games like the last one against the Cardinals where his physical limitations come into play - 2 picks off deflections - and I revert to my belief that there are 20 guys out there who would be as productive in this offense as Purdy is. (And btw, that last pick was really bad, considering Kittle was wide open on shorter route - should have passed to him for medium gain, instead of going for bigger wind up/tougher throw). He wasn't great agaisnt NE, either. But he is a vry good QB; just not a great one.

4. But fundamentally, S.F. has 2 problems. #1, they can't stop the run. #2, Shanahan still doesn't "get" bigger-picture game management, which usually manifests in undue infatuation with the passing game. The former is a "this year" problem (though D was leaking oil on this last season, too). The latter is a "forever" problem with Shanahan. And I think it will prevent the 'Niners from ever winning a SB - at least as this window closes. (Once SF signs Purdy to $60+M contract, as most predict will happen, the run to NFC Championship games is over). And that is really pretty shocking, given how well-conceived Shanahan's offenses generally are. Maybe he gets too hung up on wanting to show off/be pretty, when the correct move in Q4 is to methodically run the ball down the field, use up clock, and leave the opponent with little/no time to respond. I don't think Shanahan has ever really appreciated this. I mean, even in the first Super Bowl against Kansas City, so many commentators have said "If Jimmy just completes that long pass, then S.F. wins." I could not disagree more. There was plenty of time for KC to get into GW FG range had the long pass been completed for a TD. And I have little doubt Mahomes would have done just that. The lack of bigger-picture, end-game management is a blind spot for Shanahan, that crops up too often.