06-22-2013, 05:25 AM
How many teams are returning as many sacks and TFLs as Stanford? The defense promises to be even better in 2013 than 2012. That mitigates a lot of the returning yards from other teams.
The OL is returning 4/5 starters. Peat and Yankey could form the best left side of any OL in the land. Fleming is no slouch at RT, and whether it's Danser and Garnett or Wilkes and Danser at C & RG, Hogan will improve simply by being in his second year as a starter. That OL will open holes for runners to improve the play action game, and the added time Hogan gets will allow the fleetest WRs (Montgomery, Rector, Young, and Owusu) Stanford has been able to put on the field at once in a while to stretch the field vertically and horizontally. It would obviously have been incredible to have Ertz still, but there is plenty of talent in the TE ranks for them to be effective enough.
Yes, it would be nice to have a bunch of experienced ball carriers and receivers, but being dominant on the LOS is what enables the skill guys to produce. Most objective observers would choose this Stanford team over the 2010 or 2011 version. Even though those teams had an amazing Luck at QB, the 2013 team is much more talented across the board and has more depth. If Hogan completes 70% of his passes as he did in 2012, the 2013 Stanford team will be very difficult to beat. Keep in mind, the 2012 team was suppose to be a rebuilding team and it won the freaking Rose Bowl.
The OL is returning 4/5 starters. Peat and Yankey could form the best left side of any OL in the land. Fleming is no slouch at RT, and whether it's Danser and Garnett or Wilkes and Danser at C & RG, Hogan will improve simply by being in his second year as a starter. That OL will open holes for runners to improve the play action game, and the added time Hogan gets will allow the fleetest WRs (Montgomery, Rector, Young, and Owusu) Stanford has been able to put on the field at once in a while to stretch the field vertically and horizontally. It would obviously have been incredible to have Ertz still, but there is plenty of talent in the TE ranks for them to be effective enough.
Yes, it would be nice to have a bunch of experienced ball carriers and receivers, but being dominant on the LOS is what enables the skill guys to produce. Most objective observers would choose this Stanford team over the 2010 or 2011 version. Even though those teams had an amazing Luck at QB, the 2013 team is much more talented across the board and has more depth. If Hogan completes 70% of his passes as he did in 2012, the 2013 Stanford team will be very difficult to beat. Keep in mind, the 2012 team was suppose to be a rebuilding team and it won the freaking Rose Bowl.