David Shaw explains his mindset, desire to bounce back after 2021 season

David Shaw wants to get Stanford back on track after three disappointing seasons. After not having a losing season his first eight seasons, the Cardinals have gone 11-19 in the last three. In the end, though, nothing has changed with his program besides his mindset that he’s applying in order to return to form.

Shaw joined ‘The Paul Finebaum Show’ to talk about his efforts to get Stanford back on top. He says there isn’t a specific checklist to follow in fixing a program’s problems. Based on his beliefs, a lot of it is just making the most with the hand you’re dealt when it comes to circumstances.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

“There’s no template. I love stoicism, which goes back thousands of years. It’s just a way of thinking. The things that happen? They just happen,” said Shaw. “In this college football world, we’re always looking for the reasons. Who to blame, who to give credit to and all that stuff but sometimes things just happen. The people who are successful and the people that are wise? They look at what happens and they learn from it.”

This has led David Shaw to find everything he can that could help the Cardinals improve their recent 3-9 campaign. He says the worst thing his team can do is be complacent or accept things as they come. In order to get back to winning, they can’t just accept wins. The program has to understand why they’re winning and apply those lessons to the rest of their games.

“Some of the worst things you can do is if you have a great year then you just pat yourself on the back. Sometimes you have to say to yourself, ‘Why did we have a good year?’ It wasn’t me. It was because we did X, Y, and Z,” Shaw said. “I think always being able to self-evaluate but then, as a head coach, being able to evaluate the program.”

No school wants to suffer a fall from grace like David Shaw’s has the last few seasons. Going from eight straight bowl games to where they are now is a tough pill to swallow as a program and fanbase. However, Shaw says it may be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Cardinals. He thinks seasons like the ones Stanford has experienced as of late can be powerful learning lessons. If they use it correctly, Shaw believes it can be a launching pad for the Cardinals to get back to where they’re used to being under his leadership.

“Sometimes going through a difficult year is really what you need sometimes to bounce back and have a great year the next year…The year before (2015) for us was a struggle. It’s also what propelled us to having a great year that year and that’s how I feel about this team this year.”