01-15-2016, 10:13 AM
I have a tough time swallowing that Shuler might be moving on because he doesn't like Shaw. Sure, he lost his short-yardage center position, but for the vast majority of snaps, he was our starting center. It seemed like he was one of the most frequently interviewed or quoted players on the team in TV stories and newspaper articles.Â
Like others here, I don't have any inside information, but it seems like Graham Shuler is a stand-up kid who works hard and represents the program well. He had a rough game vs. Northwestern, and so we made a football change on the short-yardage packages. But do we have any other evidence that he's in Shaw's doghouse? Would he keep being a public face of the program if he were? In the UCLA game, after the absurd Owusu catch, I remember seeing Shuler make a comment to Shaw that earned the classic Shaw "wow, I can't believe that just happened" face. I realize that is just one data point, and one without proper context or background to boot. But aside from getting replaced in the short-yardage package, is there a single piece of evidence that Shuler dislikes Shaw?Â
As to whether he'd lose his starting spot, I doubt it, though one never knows. Overall, it seems our OL is best with Shuler at C and Caspers at G. The last depth chart had Burkett as Shuler's backup, but I don't recall if Burkett got any time this year. It seems hard to imagine that anyone else would be starting at center next year, particularly as we break in a new quarterback. Obviously everyone has to compete for their job on this team, but I don't see the evidence that Shuler would lose his spot.Â
If Shuler and Rector declare for the NFL and go down that road (rather than transferring), I think it's hard to pin that on Shaw based on what we know now. Sometimes young men make bad (or at least premature) decisions. I think it would be a mistake for both Shuler and Rector to move on, since I think they'd grow as players with another year. For Rector, he'd be the reliable, experienced receiver that doubles as a deep threat, so with Cajuste and Hooper both gone, Rector would likely get more looks next year than this one, with a chance to flash more on tape than he has so far. For Shuler, he'd get a chance to be seen as one of the dominant OL on the team (with both Murphy and Garnett gone), meaning he'd get more credit for the overall OL performance than he did this year. (And selfishly, an offense breaking in at least two new OL starters and a new QB could really, really use a veteran center.)Â
Though I don't really have any evidence for disputing the "these guys are moving on because they don't like Shaw" hypothesis, I'll offer another one for Shuler. SPECULATION ALERT: We know that the linemen in that recruiting class were very close and tended to come to meetings in a big group. Peat was gone this year, and now Murphy and Garnett will be gone, leaving only Caspers and Davidson from that class (along with Shuler, of course). With some of his closest friends and contemporaries on the team (as far as we know) moving on, it may just feel like time to move on to him, too. Now, as noted above, I'd argue that his NFL prospects would improve with another year at Stanford, but sometimes that little voice inside our heads saying "it's time" is tough to ignore.
Like others here, I don't have any inside information, but it seems like Graham Shuler is a stand-up kid who works hard and represents the program well. He had a rough game vs. Northwestern, and so we made a football change on the short-yardage packages. But do we have any other evidence that he's in Shaw's doghouse? Would he keep being a public face of the program if he were? In the UCLA game, after the absurd Owusu catch, I remember seeing Shuler make a comment to Shaw that earned the classic Shaw "wow, I can't believe that just happened" face. I realize that is just one data point, and one without proper context or background to boot. But aside from getting replaced in the short-yardage package, is there a single piece of evidence that Shuler dislikes Shaw?Â
As to whether he'd lose his starting spot, I doubt it, though one never knows. Overall, it seems our OL is best with Shuler at C and Caspers at G. The last depth chart had Burkett as Shuler's backup, but I don't recall if Burkett got any time this year. It seems hard to imagine that anyone else would be starting at center next year, particularly as we break in a new quarterback. Obviously everyone has to compete for their job on this team, but I don't see the evidence that Shuler would lose his spot.Â
If Shuler and Rector declare for the NFL and go down that road (rather than transferring), I think it's hard to pin that on Shaw based on what we know now. Sometimes young men make bad (or at least premature) decisions. I think it would be a mistake for both Shuler and Rector to move on, since I think they'd grow as players with another year. For Rector, he'd be the reliable, experienced receiver that doubles as a deep threat, so with Cajuste and Hooper both gone, Rector would likely get more looks next year than this one, with a chance to flash more on tape than he has so far. For Shuler, he'd get a chance to be seen as one of the dominant OL on the team (with both Murphy and Garnett gone), meaning he'd get more credit for the overall OL performance than he did this year. (And selfishly, an offense breaking in at least two new OL starters and a new QB could really, really use a veteran center.)Â
Though I don't really have any evidence for disputing the "these guys are moving on because they don't like Shaw" hypothesis, I'll offer another one for Shuler. SPECULATION ALERT: We know that the linemen in that recruiting class were very close and tended to come to meetings in a big group. Peat was gone this year, and now Murphy and Garnett will be gone, leaving only Caspers and Davidson from that class (along with Shuler, of course). With some of his closest friends and contemporaries on the team (as far as we know) moving on, it may just feel like time to move on to him, too. Now, as noted above, I'd argue that his NFL prospects would improve with another year at Stanford, but sometimes that little voice inside our heads saying "it's time" is tough to ignore.