[jacketree]

I get what Teejers is saying.  Sometimes one more pitch between tackles against a stacked box on first down is one too many. 

But as neat as going to the RB in 1999 was, that wasn't a great team.  I give them credit for handling ASU when the Devils were playing at home with a Rose Bowl on the line, but if UCLA doesn't beat UW, that team is in yet another garbage bowl.  Really funny RB though - defense showed pretty well outside of a couple RON DAYNE!!! runs, but the offense was MIA.  I get the injuries - Stanford does have better depth now.  Year 2000 only had a win against a crummy USC team and a pull out of the arse OT win against Cal.  Blah.  2001 was pretty good - arguably a dropped pass away from being a dropped pass away from something.  But I don't recall it being otherworldly or worth dismantling what they do now for what they did then.  Wasn't is just pretty basic pro-set offense with decent balance?  They didn't constantly run the play clock down to 0:02, which drives me a little crazy; or use stacked formations when wider gap spacing is probably better; but I'm not getting the nostalgia to party like it's 1999. I really don't remember those offenses as particularly memorable.  Defenses were a little shaky IIRC.

I do get irked about people complaining about the Fiesta and MSU Rose Bowl losses.  Those were Top 4 teams they played in Ok State and MSU.  Either was a play or two away from the playoff, as was probably Stanford.  Good teams play good teams tight and that was the case both times. Fiesta Bowl:  perfect late game execution; kid just missed the kick.  Should have let Luck keep firing right?  That's great in the alternate universe that doesn't include an end zone pick or anything.  Seem to remember Luck throwing a huge interception that lead to the tying score.  But yeah, hindsight is awesome.

I will absolutely grant that the last offensive possession against Sparty was offensive.  That I will never understand.

Welcome to the land of being good all the time and nationally elite if you can just avoid those two dingbat losses in a given year.  It's tough to win; the other guys have scholarship players too.  Way better than discussions about Mandarin oranges or whatever excuse of the day stuff we used to talk about on the various sites.

[jacketree]

I get what Teejers is saying.  Sometimes one more pitch between tackles against a stacked box on first down is one too many. 

But as neat as going to the RB in 1999 was, that wasn't a great team.  I give them credit for handling ASU when the Devils were playing at home with a Rose Bowl on the line, but if UCLA doesn't beat UW, that team is in yet another garbage bowl.  Really funny RB though - defense showed pretty well outside of a couple RON DAYNE!!! runs, but the offense was MIA.  I get the injuries - Stanford does have better depth now.  Year 2000 only had a win against a crummy USC team and a pull out of the arse OT win against Cal.  Blah.  2001 was pretty good - arguably a dropped pass away from being a dropped pass away from something.  But I don't recall it being otherworldly or worth dismantling what they do now for what they did then.  Wasn't is just pretty basic pro-set offense with decent balance?  They didn't constantly run the play clock down to 0:02, which drives me a little crazy; or use stacked formations when wider gap spacing is probably better; but I'm not getting the nostalgia to party like it's 1999. I really don't remember those offenses as particularly memorable.  Defenses were a little shaky IIRC.

I do get irked about people complaining about the Fiesta and MSU Rose Bowl losses.  Those were Top 4 teams they played in Ok State and MSU.  Either was a play or two away from the playoff, as was probably Stanford.  Good teams play good teams tight and that was the case both times. Fiesta Bowl:  perfect late game execution; kid just missed the kick.  Should have let Luck keep firing right?  That's great in the alternate universe that doesn't include an end zone pick or anything.  Seem to remember Luck throwing a huge interception that lead to the tying score.  But yeah, hindsight is awesome.

I will absolutely grant that the last offensive possession against Sparty was offensive.  That I will never understand.

Welcome to the land of being good all the time and nationally elite if you can just avoid those two dingbat losses in a given year.  It's tough to win; the other guys have scholarship players too.  Way better than discussions about Mandarin oranges or whatever excuse of the day stuff we used to talk about on the various sites.