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Troy Taylor and the Road Not Taken

There are certain givens for every new coach's introductory press conference. There are obligatory well wishes for the people left behind at the previous stop and the proper genuflection towards those who have just made the hire. Regardless of whether or not the position is seen as a destination job, on this day it is. Head coaches will almost always express gratitude that they've finally reached their dream job, even if the people listening know that they haven't. There are smiles, handshakes, and jabs at the rival and enough optimism to make Charlie Brown blush.

Troy Taylor certainly hit all those marks when he met the media last month for the first time as Stanford's new head football coach, but there was something that marked him different than most ball coaches who stand at the podium.

The Stanford (Gettysburg) Address

Abraham Lincoln travelled through time this morning to make an appearance at Stanford. It seems that President Lincoln has become quite a fan of college football, watching televised games by virtue of a hole in the space-time continuum and a magic box he keeps in his office. (It should be noted, however, that not even this cosmic phenomenon is powerful enough to allow him access to the Pac-12 Networks, and Honest Abe is angry about this.) Anyway, after enjoying a quick tour of the Stanford Football facilities, Mr. Lincoln gave me a few minutes of his infinite time, and we talked some football while slowly walking through the stadium.

Shakespeare on Shaw: To Punt or Not to Punt

Over the past two weeks -- or, if we're being honest, over the past few years -- David Shaw has been willing to punt even after his offense has crossed midfield. He's not the only coach to take this conservative approach, but I'm not sure there are any other coaches who make this choice so regularly or from so deep in enemy territory. Already this season he has twice punted from within the forty, and last year he famously punted from the 29 against USC.

Fans have been up in arms about this for quite some time, so I decided to consult that noted expert of American football, William Shakespeare. I asked him one simple question. His response was a bit longer than expected, but I shouldn't have been that surprised. The Bard always was a bit wordy...