In the unofficial annals of football comparisons, you'd be hard-pressed to find many made between a college running back and a retired NFL quarterback.
Add one for the record: David Shaw went there Friday.
The Stanford coach sees star running back Christian McCaffrey's impact on the team similar to Rich Gannon's when his career effectiveness peaked late with the Oakland Raiders after the age of 35. Shaw was asked whether he might lighten the role of McCaffrey, who got a whopping 437 touches last year in breaking the NCAA record for all-purpose yardage (3,864).
"I think when you have a great player, the last thing you want to do is pump the brakes. You want to push the accelerator," Shaw said. "... When I was in Oakland we had Rich Gannon, and Rich at a later stage of his career had really hit his stride. He was one of the best players in the league. He was league MVP, All-Pro, Pro Bowl, led the team to the Super Bowl."
McCaffrey, the son of former NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, was a Heisman finalist last year and won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation's most versatile player.
"When you've got a great player, you have to challenge that great player, you have to push that great player, because he'll push the rest of the team, and that's what we did with Andrew (Luck), that's what we're doing with Christian," Shaw added.
Here are six other things we learned Thursday and Friday from Pac-12 Media Days:
USC star addresses his future: USC football fans hoping Adoree' Jackson returns to the Trojans as a senior in 2017 have all the more reason to root for his track and field career. The Trojans cornerback and track star has his eye on the 2017 IAAF World Championships next August, but recognized the potential conflict if he enters the NFL draft as an underclassman next year.
"I'm trying to go to the World Championships, honestly, next year. That's still weighing on my mind," Jackson told The Los Angeles Times at Pac-12 Media Days on Thursday. "Hopefully, I can do it. God willing if I go to the (NFL), they might not let me go out there and run track because I would be a rookie."
Jackson was an All-Pac 12 first-team cornerback last year for the Trojans. He reached the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer in the long jump event, but failed to qualify for the Rio Summer Games. College Football 24/7 named Jackson one of the game's most freakish athletes for 2016. Jackson (5-foot-11, 185 pounds) was rated the No. 8 cornerback in college football by NFL Media analyst Lance Zierlein, who noted his explosive athleticism but also a need to sharpen his instincts in coverage.
Tough as nails. One thing new San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil shouldn't have to worry about with rookie DeForest Buckner is toughness. Oregon coach Mark Helfrich raved about his former player's grit Thursday.
"He was playing one-armed last year and played phenomenally well. He and coach (Ron) Aiken did a lot of work on his craft, just to overcome his wrist and his arm, and he never -- I mean, the guy never missed a rep, never missed a rep at practice," Helfrich said. "We had to physically remove him from being a scout team special teams player."
Action Jackson. New USC coach Clay Helton said he wants Adoree' Jackson's focus in fall camp to be on improving defensively, noting question marks on the Trojans defensive line make the team's secondary play all the more important. Still, Helton described the two-sport athlete as "Superman" and confirmed his limited role on offense will continue in 2016.
Petersen adds Tedford. Washington coach Chris Petersen has hired former Cal coach Jeff Tedford as a consultant, per the Seattle Times. Tedford, who served as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator in 2014, resigned as coach of the CFL BC Lions in December.
Allen's decision. Oregon WR Devon Allen has qualified for the Rio Summer Games in the 110-meter hurdles and hasn't decided what his football future holds. Helfrich gave no indication where Allen's mind is at in that regard.
"Our plan right now is go win a gold medal. ... We're doing some team development things, some stuff with football, and he's there every single day," Helfrich said.
Media picks. Pac-12 media voted Stanford and UCLA as preseason favorites to win the Pac-12's North and South divisions, respectively, with Stanford picked to win the league's title game. It's the first time in the 56-year history of the media poll that Stanford has been chosen as the league favorite, according to the Los Angeles Times.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
