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I am a fan - martyup - 10-19-2014

I am a fan of Stanford football.  Today my heart is heavy and I am very disappointed.  I am a fan, but I have not enjoyed watching my team play football this season. 

I am not a football expert.  I do not know how to fix our team's problems.  I am not so vain as to think that my posting recommendations on this board would make any difference.  It might help others feel better, but not me.  I am a fan, and I am hurt.  Today our team will fall out of the top 25 for the first time in 72 weeks.

I was a fanatic when the hope of making the first college football playoff was a possibility.  I made the conscious choice to dream that we would be one of those four teams and we would win it all.  It was great to hear the name Stanford in the conversation of elite teams.  It has been fun watching our team come back from oblivion to National prominence.  I knew that the downside of such optimism was deep disappointment.  Now, I am just a disappointed fan. 

I believe that Coach Shaw is a good man, a good coach, and loves Stanford football.  I believe that he wants to win as much as anyone.  Is he perfect?  No.  Has he made mistakes?  Certainly.  Will he fix our offensive inadequacies?  I hope so, but last night leaves me skeptical.

I am a fan, and I am suffering.  I know it just a game.  I have followed Stanford football for 35 years.  I love this game.  I love this school.  I will continue to be a fan.  I can live through the pain.  Maybe I will live long enough to see Stanford win a National Championship.  If not, I will still have lived a better life for being a Stanford fan.  Today it hurts, but I am a fan.



Re: I am a fan - jayasena - 10-19-2014

I choose to be an optimistic fan. Not about this season but that the debacle yesterday will beget some positive changes at least by next season. Shaw has shown in the past that he's willing and able to make effective changes (e.g., benching Nunes). But he is a conservative guy. He doesn't seem to make changes if things are even border-line good enough. Until yesterday, we had been borderline good enough.

This is the first blowout loss of the Shaw era. There are no ifs or buts. It wasn't a couple of broken plays here and there. It wasn't bad officiating. It wasn't a top-5 opponent. This was a near-complete meltdown. Either yesterday was an aberration (highly unlikely given our recent trajectory) or something needs to change.

Re: I am a fan - stupac2 - 10-19-2014

(10-19-2014, 12:02 PM)somnambule link Wrote:This is the first blowout loss of the Shaw era.

No it wasn't, we lost to Oregon 53-30 in 2011. That's a much worse loss, and we had Luck at QB.

Sometimes I think people have forgotten about those Oregon disasters in 2010 and 2011...

Re: I am a fan - martyup - 10-19-2014

(10-19-2014, 12:02 PM)somnambule link Wrote:I choose to be an optimistic fan. Not about this season but that the debacle yesterday will beget some positive changes at least by next season. Shaw has shown in the past that he's willing and able to make effective changes (e.g., benching Nunes). But he is a conservative guy. He doesn't seem to make changes if things are even border-line good enough. Until yesterday, we had been borderline good enough.

This is the first blowout loss of the Shaw era. There are no ifs or buts. It wasn't a couple of broken plays here and there. It wasn't bad officiating. It wasn't a top-5 opponent. This was a near-complete meltdown. Either yesterday was an aberration (highly unlikely given our recent trajectory) or something needs to change.

Thank you Somnambule for choosing to be optimistic.  I know how hard that is today.  I sure hope you are right about Shaw making necessary changes.  I still believe we have the talent to do better on offense.

Re: I am a fan - Kathy - 10-19-2014

A 16-point differential is not a blowout.

Re: I am a fan - martyup - 10-19-2014

[Image: headbashwall.gif]

Re: I am a fan - Rally - 10-19-2014

(10-19-2014, 01:00 PM)Kathy link Wrote:A 16-point differential is not a blowout.

Not on paper, but it sure looked and felt like one while watching the game.

Re: I am a fan - jayasena - 10-19-2014

Fair points, Kathy and stupac2.

We can certainly argue about how big a differential constitutes a blowout but I think it was pretty obvious to anyone watching the game yesterday that we weren't going to catch ASU once they were up by 14. Conversely, it didn't feel that way in either of the Oregon games mentioned above well into the second half even though the point differentials were larger at times. Admittedly, this is all based on "feel" and my opinion only. But, to me, a three-score deficit with this offense is every bit a blowout (no, I don't think we could convert two 2-pt conversions).

Re: I am a fan - Rally - 10-19-2014

(10-19-2014, 12:04 PM)stupac2 link Wrote:[quote author=somnambule link=topic=10932.msg102789#msg102789 date=1413745333]This is the first blowout loss of the Shaw era.

No it wasn't, we lost to Oregon 53-30 in 2011. That's a much worse loss, and we had Luck at QB.

Sometimes I think people have forgotten about those Oregon disasters in 2010 and 2011...
[/quote]

The score differential was larger, yes, but we played like a good team.  Last night we didn't.  If I remember right the score both years was very close at the half.  Last night we were shut out in the first half and barring a dramatic offensive turn around the game was over.  Like Marty I have been a big and loyal fan all of my adult life.  I still am.  But I never pretended we were good when we weren't.  Neither has Marty or most of you, I suspect.  I haven't seen much to be optimistic about this year.  Some bright spots, sure, but over all?  No.there is always next year and I am optimistic about that.

Re: I am a fan - jayasena - 10-19-2014

Looks like ferrari and I were typing roughly the same things at the same time :)

Re: I am a fan - Rally - 10-19-2014

(10-19-2014, 02:38 PM)somnambule link Wrote:Looks like ferrari and I were typing roughly the same things at the same time :)

Fittingly we are both classed Dolly :)

Re: I am a fan - deepred - 10-19-2014

I am a fan and have been for 15+ years. I've seen many worse teams in those years but probably none as frustrating. I ask myself why, and I think it's because:
1. This team is underperforming with respect to expectations. We've had bad teams over the years, but we never expected much out of them. It's fair to say we expect more of Stanford football after 4 consecutive BCS bowl games and back-to-back Pac-12 championships.
2. This team is underperforming with respect to its talent. We have a great defense, and seemingly good talent on the offensive side. Stanford teams are typically greater than the sum of their parts, but the feeling is this one isn't.
3. The way this team is shooting itself in the foot with bad penalties. False starts, illegal procedure, penalties that wipe out scores. Sigh.
4. The way this team is killing itself with boneheaded plays and not taking care of the ball. Muffing a punt that should not have been caught, stretching for the goal line and fumbling. We expect Stanford to play smart. The team isn't.

Ultimately it's not 4-3 that has me concerned. It's the way we've played ourselves into 4-3 that's painful. I'm hoping Shaw can get us back to playing disciplined, mistake-free, smart, team football. That's what Stanford football is about.

Re: I am a fan - Hank 91 - 10-19-2014

(10-19-2014, 12:04 PM)stupac2 link Wrote:[quote author=somnambule link=topic=10932.msg102789#msg102789 date=1413745333]This is the first blowout loss of the Shaw era.

No it wasn't, we lost to Oregon 53-30 in 2011. That's a much worse loss, and we had Luck at QB.

Sometimes I think people have forgotten about those Oregon disasters in 2010 and 2011...
[/quote]

I haven't forgotten those disasters, but they were different, especially the 2011 blowout you mention. Remember, we were actually in that one. And remember 2010? We were up 21-0 before disintegrating. Also, with both of those losses I remember thinking, okay, we're not quite ready to compete with Oregon, but who is? It's quite different to get beat up by Arizona State.

Re: I am a fan - scorecard - 10-20-2014

(10-19-2014, 11:50 AM)martyup link Wrote:I am a fan, and I am suffering.  I know it just a game.  I have followed Stanford football for 35 years.  I love this game.  I love this school.  I will continue to be a fan.  I can live through the pain.  Maybe I will live long enough to see Stanford win a National Championship.  If not, I will still have lived a better life for being a Stanford fan.  Today it hurts, but I am a fan.

Well written, martyup.  I can honestly say that I would rather be a Stanford fan than win a national title with someone like Winston, and have an apologist like Jimbo Fisher as the coach.  If these kind of shenanigans were going on at Stanford, I would cease to be a fan.  I can unabashedly root for our team, because I can take pride in these kids, and all that they will accomplish in the future, outside of football, win or lose. 

With our recruiting and admissions limitations (and the Pac-12 refs), Stanford is always playing against a stacked deck, and as they say the house always wins.  Well, consider me a compulsive gambler then, because every year I'm betting big on Stanford with another piece of my heart.  Some may consider it foolish or even detrimental to my overall well-being, but trust me, dammit, one of these days, the payoff is going to be brobdingnagian. 

Re: I am a fan - Bruce Wang - 10-20-2014

We will put it together.  Our historical weakness has been defense and the secondary in particular.  Now those are strengths. Sherman, Reynolds, Richards, Carter, and Alexander have proven Walsh wrong.  An NFL caliber defensive back comes to Stanford every year.  Now when people think Stanford, they think defense.  At some point we can pair this defense with what has been our historical strength: offense.  Stanford is still QB U.

Shaw and Harbaugh have revealed the perception that Stanford's admissions prevents us from playing elite college football as a myth.  The admissions hurdle may prevent us from recruiting at level where we can field a Top 10 team every year.  But every once in awhile the stars will align and we will win it all eventually.  You have to taste the bitter before you can taste the sweet.  And sweet it will be when we do win it all - doing it the right way, with honor.  Winning when nobody thought we could.  That's what's fun and great about being a Stanford fan.





Re: I am a fan - martyup - 10-20-2014

When you play the game and things get tough, they call it "gut check time."  After that third loss with the #1 defense in the Nation, it is now gut check time for Stanford fans.

Re: I am a fan - Rally - 10-20-2014

(10-20-2014, 08:26 AM)martyup link Wrote:When you play the game and things get tough, they call it "gut check time."  After that third loss with the #1 defense in the Nation, it is now gut check time for Stanford fans.

Marty, unless the fans are going to start calling plays, catching balls, blocking freight trains or falling forward up the middle, it is gut check time for the players and coaches, not the fans.  My gut is fine but Turley would laugh me out of the gym.

Re: I am a fan - martyup - 10-20-2014

My gut is a wreck.  But, it might be because I binged on cupcakes and ice cream at halftime.

Re: I am a fan - stupac2 - 10-20-2014

(10-20-2014, 12:05 PM)martyup link Wrote:My gut is a wreck.  But, it might be because I binged on cupcakes and ice cream at halftime.

I was at a beer tasting where we drank a ton of beer, mead, and some wine. Plus ate a bunch of awesome cheese, sausages, and my wife's pastries. Between that and the game my guts were furious with me...

Gut check time - jacketree - 10-20-2014

No doubt it is difficult to go from a BCS-level team to one that appears average at best.  But if that is the worst thing that happens to any of us as fans, count our blessings.

I had my own gut check when I couldn't watch them blow a big lead at home against UCLA in 2005 because the game wasn't on in downtown Los Angeles of all places. So I just caught the meltdown via highlight interruptions into whichever lame game was on in downtown LA.  Why I was despondent after that, who knows? (Probably the utter pointlessness of it all.)  But I didn't even eat dinner that night.  Woke up the next morning having sworn off really caring about this stuff and have been the better for it since.

So now I have a five minute recovery time for things like watching Georgia Tech blow a 20 point lead to Georgia last year.  Or watching Tech get the go ahead score on an 80 yard reverse on 1st and 20 with 3 minutes left on Saturday, knowing that they had lost by not using all 3 minutes to score.  (Sho' nuf' UNC scored the winner with 0:11 on the clock.)  Heck, I recovered from the ASU game 5 minutes into the 4th quarter when it was clear this just ain't happening.

The secret is, even if you don't really care about this stuff, you can still enjoy winning the Rose Bowl.  Just not quite as much.