[JeffInCorvallis]

Surely Jack West just needed more playing time...

There is no acceptable answer for why West started over McKee vs. KSU.

I don't know if you consider this acceptable or not, but I think that since West was the older (slightly) more experienced guy, and McKee didn't look substantially better than him in practice, Shaw decided to start West.

Nope. It's simply not credible to claim McKee didn't demonstrate he was the better QB in practices. There was an ulterior motive and it arguably cost Stanford a game and national TV embarrassment. College Football is a game of constant urgency. David Shaw doesn't have it in too many cases.

I had someone close to the program tell me Stanford's football people were putting out some bullshit about McKee didn't know the playbook as an excuse for why West started. To me, and I said this before the game started, it was just cover in case West didn't perform well. McKee didn't miraculously learn the playbook in one week before the USC game.

I had a feeling you wouldn't like that explanation. I don't have any inside information, just comments on the Cardboard that McKee did not always look impressive in practices.
I see after a weeks vacation from it, we are back to Shaw-bashing.

I am an unabashed Shaw critic. I also heap-on the praise when it is due (see my comments last week). Coach's weaknesses have been chronicled on this and other boards for years. One of the most flagrant is his exasperating, counter-productive loyalty to seniority. You ever see Nick Saban doing this? It cost Stanford the K-State game. McKee is and has always been the head-and-shoulders superior QB. You don't just blossom in one week. It strains credulity to believe that he was struggling with the infernal "playbook". He was and is The Guy. Stanford's sputtering offense in Arlington was the direct result of the hapless, needless tag-team "strategy" against a beatable team. This is was conspicuous during the game and glaringly obvious afterward. Even Chris Petersen (Fox Sports)could not let it pass unremarked. Shaw has abundant assets -- and some killer liabilities.

We got outgained on the ground 200 yards to 34 in that game. I agree with you that the QB platooning was a mistake, I don't agree it cost us the game. McKee played about half the K-State game, he didn't look awesome. He's been awesome since then.

[JeffInCorvallis]

Surely Jack West just needed more playing time...

There is no acceptable answer for why West started over McKee vs. KSU.

I don't know if you consider this acceptable or not, but I think that since West was the older (slightly) more experienced guy, and McKee didn't look substantially better than him in practice, Shaw decided to start West.

Nope. It's simply not credible to claim McKee didn't demonstrate he was the better QB in practices. There was an ulterior motive and it arguably cost Stanford a game and national TV embarrassment. College Football is a game of constant urgency. David Shaw doesn't have it in too many cases.

I had someone close to the program tell me Stanford's football people were putting out some bullshit about McKee didn't know the playbook as an excuse for why West started. To me, and I said this before the game started, it was just cover in case West didn't perform well. McKee didn't miraculously learn the playbook in one week before the USC game.

I had a feeling you wouldn't like that explanation. I don't have any inside information, just comments on the Cardboard that McKee did not always look impressive in practices.
I see after a weeks vacation from it, we are back to Shaw-bashing.

I am an unabashed Shaw critic. I also heap-on the praise when it is due (see my comments last week). Coach's weaknesses have been chronicled on this and other boards for years. One of the most flagrant is his exasperating, counter-productive loyalty to seniority. You ever see Nick Saban doing this? It cost Stanford the K-State game. McKee is and has always been the head-and-shoulders superior QB. You don't just blossom in one week. It strains credulity to believe that he was struggling with the infernal "playbook". He was and is The Guy. Stanford's sputtering offense in Arlington was the direct result of the hapless, needless tag-team "strategy" against a beatable team. This is was conspicuous during the game and glaringly obvious afterward. Even Chris Petersen (Fox Sports)could not let it pass unremarked. Shaw has abundant assets -- and some killer liabilities.

We got outgained on the ground 200 yards to 34 in that game. I agree with you that the QB platooning was a mistake, I don't agree it cost us the game. McKee played about half the K-State game, he didn't look awesome. He's been awesome since then.