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PACIFIC-12 CONFERENCE MEDIA DAYJuly 26, 2013David ShawShayne SkovDavid YankeyCULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA THE MODERATOR: We continue with Stanford coach, David Shaw, David Yankey, and Shayne Skov. COACH SHAW: No opening remarks. Q. Shayne, can you talk about the rule of targeting and possibly causing an ejection, how that might change your approach to the position and if you think there is any double standard involving running backs who lower their heads? COACH SHAW: I'll take that first if you don't mind. I think first and foremost, college football needs a rule just like the NFL needs a rule. I think you need hash penalties for guys that do something outside the rules of the game. At the same time we teach tackling every single day. There is nothing that's going to stop our guys for from playing the game, they love to play the game and we use the proper techniques and it needs to be emphasized, as it has been. It needs to be as safe as it can be. SHAYNE SKOV: You still want my answer as well? We have been trained properly and football is an aggressive sport and I'm going to keep playing the way I play, and it's part of the nature of the game and there are serious issues with neurological damage or can present neurological damage. If somebody is defenseless you're going to try to hit them in a way that's not going to give them head trauma, but we're going to play aggressive and do it the right way and if you do that we won't have any problems with head trauma collisions and I don't foresee any in the future. Q. David, two years ago there were questions about whether this program could withstand the loss of Jim Harbaugh to the NFL, last year Andrew Luck. Is it time this team gets its due that it can challenge for national titles on an annual basis? COACH SHAW: For us, we don't worry about what other people say. I think the foundation of our team is the team. It's never been about one coach, it's never been about one player it's about how well we play together and we've proven that. This year we have gotten notoriety about income a national championship chase, but I like to say three years ago we were one game away and last year two games away and this last year 10 points away. This year we anticipate being in the hunt for the foreseeable future. That's how we approach it and to say that this year is any different than any other, it's just not how we look at it. Q. Coach, we have afan question for you on Twitter. You've enjoyed a Gatorade shower or two this past season, what does it feel like and how have you not seen it coming? COACH SHAW: To be honest‑‑ honestly I have seen it coming a few times. They missed me a few times which was disappointing. I will say this, they finally got me, because Shayne held me. They employed somebody to make sure it happened, Shayne held me and the guys got me. For me it's a special moment and it should be saved for special moments. Hopefully we have a bunch of those in the future. Q. Shayne, you've obviously established yourself as a pretty mean defender on the field. I'm wondering last year who your favorite target was? SHAYNE SKOV: I think it's a team sport, so as a line backer the correct answer would be anybody that's got the ball because otherwise I'm just wasting energy hitting people who aren't going to make an impact on the play. Q. Coach Shaw, how do you see replacing the loss of Stepfan Taylor and who do you see start, Wilkerson or Gaffney and where do you see‑‑ fitting into that picture? COACH SHAW: First and foremost, to my left is the foundation of the running game, our big guys up front, that's where football starts for us. So we will have a lot of guys play running back for us, as long as our big guys can play well up front we will be productive. I truly believe in de emphasizing who starts the game but both those guys are going to play and play a lot, Tyler Gaffney came back in great shape, 220, he missed football and loves football and I think that says something. Wilkerson has made great plays for us in the past, and he will get multiple carries in a game and he's capable of great plays; and you will see multiple running backs back there. We anticipate playing up to five in a game. You will see Barry J. Sanders play some, but he will get spoon‑fed in the beginning but the thing is when guys are ready for a little bit they'll get a little bit and when they're ready for more, they will get more. We are a mature football team. Q. David, wherever you seen the biggest progress from Kevin Hogan after the late surgery he gave you guys? COACH SHAW:  The big thing for Kevin is we talked about taking the next step. Not to say that we gave him a small package, because his package got bigger every game. The better he played with the more he got. We will see how much he can handle. We want to overload him and give him as much as humanly possible. Because we're going to push the limits and we'll see how he comes out of it, because I believe that's what training camp is all about. Q. David, this league has produced so many great quarterbacks over the years and known as the "conference of quarterbacks" and seen a lot go to the NFL and maybe there is a drop‑off in the league. How much do you think this current crop has to prove to people to show that the conference has good quarterbacks? COACH SHAW: It won't take long. I think our quarterback is a budding super star, I think you've got probably the best complete quarterback in the nation up in Oregon, a budding super star at Washington, you've got an exciting young kid at Arizona State, another super star in the making at UCLA, I think this is still the conference of quarterbacks and I think this year is going to prove that again. Q. Coach Shaw, do you think your program has had sustained success and it's become easier to recruit in So Cal and potentially against your rivals down here? COACH SHAW: First of all, recruiting is never easy, and in particular at Stanford. We ask our guys to do a lot more in the application process and it's daunting for many. I think for us we recruit southern California and northern California as we do in the over 49 states. We are coast‑to‑coast and Hawaii and sometimes we end up in Canada, so we go across the nation looking for the kids that fit us. Q. Shayne, David is coming to match you and when Yankey is doing his thing, what would you say to that? SHAYNE SKOV: I think the first thing the line backer is looking at the guards and the second you see him pulling you better put your big boy pads on and I think given his size and talent, Yank wins a lot of them. It's a big collision you have to prepare for every single time. Q. For the two players, there is a lot of talk in the country about this cost of attendance stipend. How much would happen $2,000 mean to you guys during the course of a school year and how hard is it to get by without it now especially until an expensive area like Palo Alto? DAVID YANKEY: I think the extra money would help, a full scholarship doesn't cover everything, especially traveling home to see your parents especially across the country, personally being from Georgia. So that could definitely help a lot of players, so I think it could be helpful. SHAYNE SKOV: I would say that people have gotten by without it before and will continue to do so if the rear‑view mirror doesn't change. If the money is allocated and used for the right purposes it's beneficial, but I think there needs to be potential regulation on how‑‑ obviously if the money is given to them it's their right to spend it but for what use and purpose is that money allocated? COACH SHAW: A agree 100%. If the NCAA does pass the rule we will comply, but my big comment is we're also giving these guys a $58,000 a year education and unbelievable contacts and summer jobs and great opportunities as well and it's our job to make sure that these guys take advantage of these opportunities and I like to say that our job is to teach these guys how to make a living and not have them make a living in college. Q. Shayne, you guys run a real smash mouth offense and it seems like the rest of the pack has gone to the spread and some other offenses. Can you talk about facing it seldom now? And Coach, I know you recruit differently than others in the conference can you talk about the exceptions in the recruiting scale out there? SHAYNE SKOV: I think more than anything we pride ourselves on being physical and aggressive, so our offense helps us build that characteristic going up against them every single day, but we want to emphasize that we do what we do and we want to emphasize our own strengths. So when you're facing a spread offense that we have at Stanford we want to impose our will on offenses and when you're playing spread offenses you have to work at great tackling. So we work on that all year round and being fundamental and communication because when you are spread out and sped up, you have to focus and be calm and get the same calls and communication across the board with all the players. So I think with those two things that's how we combat the spread offense and we do what we do and try and impose our will on offenses. COACH SHAW: Recruiting for us, we have got pats on the back for recruiting the right kids and you see how big our guys are and how hard they play. One thing that I think has been underreported is our speed. We have some great athletes, years past, people said, yeah, they have some great athletes. But they don't have speed and if you watch the tapes we have an unbelievable secondary that can cover ground, make plays and score touchdowns, and that's one of the biggest changes in our team. All of those things are working together, we're finding kids that are big, tough, smart and we have some great team speed. THE MODERATOR: Gentlemen, thank you for your time. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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