Radical Acceptance: Stanford Head Coach David Shaw

The Cardinal won three Pac-12 titles in the 2010's but took a step back last year, when injuries put them into survival mode. Now they're back with star passer Davis Mills and a talented roster that gained valuable experience last season. Ashley Adamson and Yogi Roth go one-on-one with four-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year David Shaw.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
I think in really difficult situations alot of people, our first instinct as
human beings is to complain, right, and to point out those things that
we want to happen that didn't happen, to point blame, which really good
at in the media. All Right, somebody has to be blamed for something
going wrong. Who can we findthe blame? And for me, that

(00:22):
my idea of radical acceptance is,Okay, let's not waste time with that.
That's a waste of time, energyand emotion. What do we have
in front of us right now,what's the best thing for us to do?
And then let's go do it.Hard to believe, but it is

(00:47):
year number ten with David Shaw atthe Helm on the Farm, and this
year will be unlike any of hisprevious nines. We take a closer look
at the third iteration of Stanford's twentytwenty football schedule. Oregon call Washington on
the road home games against the Buffs, Coogs, and Beeves. The big
game by the way the Friday afterThanksgiving. So that'll be the first time
in one hundred and twenty three meetingsthat rivalry will be played on a Friday.

(01:11):
The head coach of the Stanford Cardinaljoins Yogi Roth and I now,
David, looking at that opener,let's start with that game number one in
Eugene, right out of the gateagainst the defending Pack twelve champs. I
know you have a lot to thinkabout these days, but have you step
back and thought about what it's goingto be like to play in a very
quiet auts and stadium with no fans. Yeah, you used to be.
We used to like when it didn'thave any noise in it, that means

(01:34):
we won the game. But nowto say that it's going to be quiet
and not completely quiet, right,We're gonna have some kind of ambient noise
and some kind of things go throughspeakers. But we all know it's not
the same to be able to gointo that stadium, be able to go
into Husky Stadium and know that we'regonna be able to hear You're gonna be
able to hear the quarterback, you'regonna be able to hear in the huddle,

(01:56):
you're gonna be here on the sidelines. Kind of looking forward to that.
It is going to be very,very different. But we can't lose
sight of the fact that we're goingto play a really good football team,
a team that's got length, they'vegot speed, they've got depth. So
that's what our focus is on goingup there and be ready to play our
best football. Curiously, if youtake us inside your program on the field

(02:17):
first, before we get to offthe field, all of stuff going on.
But this team coming off a seasonthat nobody anticipated. But you played
twenty true freshmen. You know,I think twelve of them burn their retest,
so they played a lot of snapsfor you. I gotta imagine that
there's a lot of noise when thoseguys are working out and connected and communicating
preparing for the season. What haveyou recognized in limited activity with them,

(02:40):
Well, it's just advanced their maturity. These guys played a lot of football.
They took a lot of lumps.Honestly, that Notre Dame front last
year was as good as we playedin a while. And at one point
in time we had four freshmen thatwere on the field and that was tough.
That was tough, but it's propelledthem to work extremely hard, to

(03:04):
be very self evaluative, to stilllook at the positives as well. We
were actually played well in spurts withall the young guys that were on the
offensive line, that we're in thedefensive secondary, that we're in the linebacker
and corps. So we played alot of guys and gained a lot of
experience and now the tough part forus. We talked about this as a
staff and with my team that wehad. We weren't survival mode the entire

(03:28):
year, right from the very beginning. It sort of getting injuries from week
one, losing our superstar left tackle, all the way down, all the
guys that we lost, we werein survival mode. You can't excel in
survival mode. So after the seasonit was about changing that mode back to
trying to excel, to try tobe great. We're not in survival mode
anymore. Everybody's healthy, everybody's gettingback, So now it's it's about going

(03:51):
out there and do what it takesto win football games. And it has.
For everything I've heard, it soundslike everybody is healthy and looking good.
Obviously, just like every other himin the country. You guys are
dealing with some attrition. Walker littleof course and opted out to focus on
the draft pulse and a debo announcinghe's doing the same just last week.
Just thoughts on your reaction to himmaking that decision. And we know Duenna

(04:13):
Keena has always found and developed elitedbs, so just maybe give us a
peek into what that room is likeright now. Well, neither guy was
a surprise, both guys for areason. The disruptions in the offseason I
think really deterred both of those guys, so we knew it was coming just
amount of time before they they madethose announcements. I had conversations with both

(04:34):
of those guys really over the lastfew months knowing that this was coming.
I'm really comfortable in our depth inthe defensive back room. I'm very comfortable
and the death and our offensive lineroom. Thank God now that we're healthy,
so I feel really good about theguys that we have defensive backwise.
I think we've got a couple ofyoung guys that played last year and a

(04:54):
couple of young guys that didn't playthat rich shirt and that we're really excited
to see. So we've got somelength and speed at the corner and position
as well as a safety position,not to mention multiple guys that can play
those extra defense back positions because weknow how spread spread out this offense.
These offenses are in our conference,so you have to have those nickels and
dimes. So I feel that wehave, you know, seven or eight

(05:15):
guys that really playing that back end. And I'm excited to see him get
out there. I bet you're excitedto see him and get tested by a
guy who I think is the bestpastor in this conference in Davis Mills in
practice too. You've known Davis fora long time, obviously recruiting him from
the East Coast. Is he atas healthy as now? And what do
you expect from him as he's playeda bunch of ball for you already heading

(05:35):
into this season as the Entrench starter. Yeah, from the first time we
saw Davis, we knew his ceilingwas extremely high. So I expect him
to battle and be one of thebest quarterbacks in our conference and potentially,
you know, one of the bestquarterbacks in the nation. I think we've
got a lot of weapons around him. I think he's finally healthy, and

(05:56):
I think you saw he saw asnapshot of it a little bit the last
couple of weeks of the sea andhis mobility, his ability to escape and
throw the ball in the run,his ability to throw the deep ball down
the field that game against Washington State. You know, we didn't have it,
we didn't win it. But atthe same time, some of the
film that he put out there wasoutstanding. I think getting all of our
receivers coming back, I think we'vegot a great cast, um, So

(06:19):
I'm expecting some big things from thatentire group. David, I heard you
say something last week during a pressconference that has stuck with me. This
philosophy of radical acceptance that you talkedabout. It feels especially poignant in a
global pandemic setting. Can you justkind of explain that philosophy and where it
came from. Yeah, it hassome roots and stoicism um, Ancient Greek

(06:45):
and Roman stoicism. UM. Ithas a lot to do with recognizing your
surroundings, looking at what's what's availableto you, and being decisive and making
the best decision possible. UM.I think in really different situations a lot
of people, our first instinct ashuman beings is to complain, right,

(07:05):
and to point out those things thatwe want to happen that didn't happen,
to point blame, which is reallygood at in the media. All Right,
somebody has to be blamed for somethinggoing wrong. Who can we find
the blame And for me that myidea of radical acceptance is Okay, let's
not waste time with that. That'sa waste of time, energy, and

(07:25):
emotion. What do we have infront of us right now, what's the
best thing for us to do,and then let's go do it. So
to me that that cuts a lotout of a lot of wasted time,
a lot of energy, a lotof wasted emotion, and keeps us all
together going in one direction. Sosomething bad happens, something unexpected happens,

(07:45):
Okay, great, assess the situation. Let's all get on the same page.
And with that said, where areyou guys at right now in Northern
California regarding beginning training camp and havingto radically accept so many changes that have
happened recently. Yeah, we stillhave some questions that need to get answered.
Our administration is in communication with ourcounty to make sure that we're on

(08:09):
the same page. The state mademade some announcements last week, so now
we're making our adjustments for that.Until we have those answers, we're not
going to get ahead of ourselves.The things that we can do right now
every single day that continue to prepareour team to play football. So those
things that we're going to do,and now we have multiple plans kind of
going ahead depending on what information weget back from the county, but we

(08:31):
intend on on practicing and starting Fridayand getting ready to place some football.
You know, David, I knowa lot of Stanford fans watching this right
now are excited to obviously see theproduct that you guys put on the field
come November. Can you give uskind of a sneak peak? Is there
anyone And I know that you've hadlimited access to your guys and it hasn't

(08:52):
been a typical offseason of course,but is there one or two even younger
guys that you're excited to see thatyou think that we'll be talking about as
the season progresses. I think there'sa lot of talk about our young,
skilled, skilled guys on the offensiveside. Um, you know E J.
Smith and and Casey Filkins both uhcoming out of high school being one
of the better players in the areasand making a lot of plays. Um,

(09:15):
you know. John Humphries is anothername that's that's thrown around a lot
as a as a as a bigtime receiver, scored a lot of touchdowns
in high school. Um, theseguys have a have a little road ahead
of them, a lot to learn, a lot of guys to compete with
to get on the field. Um. I think there's a lot of there's
the pressure is awful a lot ofour guys that this year doesn't count for
the eligibility, So not just forour young guys, but for our older

(09:37):
guys. Um, we have awe have a shortened season right now,
so we're not worried about guys makingcareer numbers and breaking school records and all
those things. Now, it's justabout guys getting in there, competing like
crazy, um, and then puttingthe best guys on the field for whatever
plays that we're gonna run. Ilove that John Humphries, you know how
I feel about him, regarding thosetwo guys, at least two of the

(09:58):
three EJ and John. What ifplayers said to you about what they've seen
in some of their organized workouts,Yeah, I think they've seen exactly what
you and I have seen. Um. You know, they guys that come
in young guys that come in firstof all, when they're humble, right,
That's the first thing that gets theolder guys attention. When the guys

(10:20):
come in and they just work.They ask good questions, and they follow
the older guys. Um, that'swhy all of our younger guys have done.
They come in and worked extremely hard. And the number two, you
know, they got ability. Itshows very quickly, and I think that's
we've got to I'm excited about thisfreshman class, not just for this year
but for the next, for thecoming years. Their maturity, their playmaking

(10:41):
ability. We've got some guys withsize and strength on our offensive line and
the defensive line. So I'm excitedabout this, this group growing up fast.
Last time I remember, coach you'retelling me a story about the older
guys paying attention to a younger guywas when they came and said, Coach,
we cannot wait for you to seehow Christian McCaffrey practice. Since that,
that line is still freshened my mindfrom a few years ago, and

(11:03):
that obviously turned out pretty well.David Show, thank you so much for
your time. We appreciate it.Best of luck with getting everything in place
that needs to fall into place thisweek, and we look forward to catch
enough with you soon and washing thecards this year. Thank you much,

(11:24):
Yogi. Every time we get achance to talk to David Show. And
we've been doing this for eight yearsnow. I leave every conversation with just
some nuance or something that I'm takingaway and like trying to apply to my
normal life, which is rare,I think the business that we're in.
But his philosophy of radical acceptance,like, I just want to start with
that, because to me, itis everything that everyone needs to hear right

(11:46):
now, not just college football players, not just people who work in the
media. It is spending time andemotion on something that is not available to
you anymore. The world is movingtoo fast to do that. So I
appreciated really what he said big pictureabout how he's kind of leaned in too,
you know, some of his stoicphilosophy roots. Yeah. Well,

(12:07):
look, I've said it at nauseumand will continue to He's in his tenth
year and I think he's the consciousof college football, let alone the PAC
twelve. And if you think aboutit, when the season was postponed initially,
what did his players say to him. I remember he went on Mike
Greenbridge radio show and they said,you know, coach, we've got a
ton of gratitude for the whole processand how you dealt with it. I

(12:28):
mean, think about that. Soyou hear him talk to us and we're
not in the locker room, sothen just imagine that thing times ten and
how he's talking communicating with his playerslike they will again. And I just
think the biggest element of this forthis season in a short year for these
teams, if you're a contender,which Stanford is, do you have the
discipline and focus to bring it forseven straight weeks? And I think this

(12:50):
team does, especially coming off fourand eight season playing twenty freshman. You
know, he talked about a bunchof them that that played last year in
terms of just being in survival mode, and then they're voted with some freshman
this year that will impact this team. Don't cut him out, I think
is the point. And you mentionedsomething in that interview that I would circle
back on Davis Mills the best passerin the conference at this point is that

(13:11):
you weren't just saying that because wewere doing the interview with David Shaw.
No, I don't tell that toall twelve coaches. I think he is.
I think Keaton Slovis has a chanceto be really dynamic at SC.
Jade Daniels is probably the best collectivequarterback in terms of all the things he
can do. But neither one ofthose guys have had to play complete games

(13:35):
at a really high level, orthey haven't done it a complete game at
a really high level. They've allhad their moments of brilliance, and I've
called a bunch of those games,and Davis Mills hasn't necessarily either. But
I just think for him when yougo back on watch Wazoo, which I
called that game, or you watchthe big game called that game, there's
times where he does stuff with theball that you're just like, how did

(13:56):
he do that? And I rememberhim at Lead eleven. He did it
two right, it was I thinkit was him and two the same year,
and going back and forth, who'sgoing to be the MVP of Elade
eleven. Davis just has this uncannyquietness to him, but he's got that
stuff in his throat that you needto have that is special, and he
has it. And I think forDavid Shaw, he loves the word discernment

(14:18):
from his quarterbacks, and it lovesquarterbacks that can anticipate. And he's got
this little journal that he's kept allhis notes from Bill Walsh on and those
are two words that are all overthat journal. And Davis Mills has discernment
in the system and incredible anticipation.So yeah, I think he's the best
pastor in the conference. And Ithink he's a guy that Stanford fans won't
want to hear it, but hemight play seven and bounce. I think

(14:39):
he's that type of player and couldhave that type of season. Yeah,
I think Stanford fans happy too happyto hear you say that for sure.
And this is what one last nuggetbefore we go. And I got this
from r. J. Batia,who writes for the Bootleg and cover Stanford
and does an excellent job. Butcal is the only team that Stanford plays
that has a returning starter at quarterback, which it's just kind of crazy to

(15:01):
think about. So it's gonna beinteresting to see how it all plays out.
You heard David mentioned it. Theywere in survival mode last year.
You cannot have success when you werein survival mode. He feels like they're
in a much different mode right now, and camp about to get underway and
we'll see what happens down on thefarm. November seventh at Oregon is when
it all kicks off. A reminderyou can listen to our interviews with all

(15:22):
twelve pactual football coaches right here onthis podcast. Just make sure you download,
right, review and subscribe, andyou can also check out these interviews
at pack dashtwelve dot com