10-06-2015, 11:20 AM
I am more thrilled than anyone by what we're seeing on offense the last few games. It is FUN to watch Stanford football again on offense. Really, really fun.
But don't kid yourself on a few things. First, it is always better to be unpredictable than predictable, as you know. Yes, being unpredictable isn't much help if the WR drops an easy ball when he is wide open, but it's always better to have an open WR than a covered one. Second, we are seeing some nice plays being called. The play where Chryst pitched behind him left and then became lead blocker right was brand new; and the screen play to Wright was a TD as soon as it left Hogan's hand, given how out of position/fooled AZ was to defend it. (BTW, the beauty of that play reminded me of one of Walsh's most memorable calls: the delayed screen pass to JJ Lasley at ND - god that was beautiful!). Third, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that Hogan is playing exceptional ball lately. He is buying time in the pocket, moving well, and making plays on his own - often by late decision dump offs. And the toss to Cajuste in the 1H after stepping up in the pocket was an NFL-caliber play. So, I think we all need to be a little careful projecting that level of play for Hogan going forward - it really has been remarkable (and would be hard to sustain for anyone).
Still, it's hard not to get excited about Stanford's offense and Stanford football for THIS season. The D needs to tackle better, and if the boys can get and stay healthy, I think the experience will help the D improve as the season progresses. And that's exciting, too.
P.S. Love the fact that it was Arizona (and not Stanford) burning timeouts to call plays. Moreover, I think the burning of 3 timeouts in the 1H prevented Arizona form challenging a spot that I thought was erroneous in Stanford's favor on third and short. And this brings me to my one criticism - please dump the overloaded, no-split, 3-guys-bunched-in-the-backfield, everyone-within-4-yards-of-the-ball, running play. It gets 0-1.5 yards every time. There are better running formations than that one.Â
But don't kid yourself on a few things. First, it is always better to be unpredictable than predictable, as you know. Yes, being unpredictable isn't much help if the WR drops an easy ball when he is wide open, but it's always better to have an open WR than a covered one. Second, we are seeing some nice plays being called. The play where Chryst pitched behind him left and then became lead blocker right was brand new; and the screen play to Wright was a TD as soon as it left Hogan's hand, given how out of position/fooled AZ was to defend it. (BTW, the beauty of that play reminded me of one of Walsh's most memorable calls: the delayed screen pass to JJ Lasley at ND - god that was beautiful!). Third, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that Hogan is playing exceptional ball lately. He is buying time in the pocket, moving well, and making plays on his own - often by late decision dump offs. And the toss to Cajuste in the 1H after stepping up in the pocket was an NFL-caliber play. So, I think we all need to be a little careful projecting that level of play for Hogan going forward - it really has been remarkable (and would be hard to sustain for anyone).
Still, it's hard not to get excited about Stanford's offense and Stanford football for THIS season. The D needs to tackle better, and if the boys can get and stay healthy, I think the experience will help the D improve as the season progresses. And that's exciting, too.
P.S. Love the fact that it was Arizona (and not Stanford) burning timeouts to call plays. Moreover, I think the burning of 3 timeouts in the 1H prevented Arizona form challenging a spot that I thought was erroneous in Stanford's favor on third and short. And this brings me to my one criticism - please dump the overloaded, no-split, 3-guys-bunched-in-the-backfield, everyone-within-4-yards-of-the-ball, running play. It gets 0-1.5 yards every time. There are better running formations than that one.Â