[Hulk01]

I wonder if a point here is missing.

Players want to win every game. Their, and the coaches job and entire effort, is to do just that.  To rest a player, in this case for the stated reason of avoiding an injury that might hamper his eventual professional career, and the earnings from it, seems so anti-team, anti-win, pro One Big Star that I can't imagine anyone in the program--Christian particularly--allowing it.

in my final game, after we took a 26-0 halftime lead against a very weak opponent, our coaches pulled all of our senior starters.  I still haven't forgiven them. And yes, the last game of a career has special meaning, but you don't kill yourself all fall to spend an entire half of a game spectating. You want to play; it's one of the great loves of your life.

[Hulk01]

I wonder if a point here is missing.

Players want to win every game. Their, and the coaches job and entire effort, is to do just that.  To rest a player, in this case for the stated reason of avoiding an injury that might hamper his eventual professional career, and the earnings from it, seems so anti-team, anti-win, pro One Big Star that I can't imagine anyone in the program--Christian particularly--allowing it.

in my final game, after we took a 26-0 halftime lead against a very weak opponent, our coaches pulled all of our senior starters.  I still haven't forgiven them. And yes, the last game of a career has special meaning, but you don't kill yourself all fall to spend an entire half of a game spectating. You want to play; it's one of the great loves of your life.

[Stymie]

[quote author=Hulk01 link=topic=16060.msg178533#msg178533 date=1478547704]
What made this a meaningless game?

And if it was, why did you bother to care about it one way or another?

It is one of the bottom three games on our schedule this year and the stakes are whether we play in a third or fourth tier bowl game.  I should have said "much less important on a relative basis" in hopes of preempting that comment, but was looking for emphasis over precision .  I wouldn't particularly care about the outcome of this game, except for what it means longer term (i.e., for the team's improvement, for McCaffrey's future, Shaw avoiding a Les Miles-ian trajectory, etc.).  That was my point, essentially.
[/quote]

[quote author=Hulk01 link=topic=16060.msg178533#msg178533 date=1478547704]
What made this a meaningless game?

And if it was, why did you bother to care about it one way or another?

It is one of the bottom three games on our schedule this year and the stakes are whether we play in a third or fourth tier bowl game.  I should have said "much less important on a relative basis" in hopes of preempting that comment, but was looking for emphasis over precision .  I wouldn't particularly care about the outcome of this game, except for what it means longer term (i.e., for the team's improvement, for McCaffrey's future, Shaw avoiding a Les Miles-ian trajectory, etc.).  That was my point, essentially.
[/quote]

Colonel Mustard

Are you related to Brad Mustard?  If so please thank him for his service.

Stymie

[Stymie]

[quote author=Hulk01 link=topic=16060.msg178533#msg178533 date=1478547704]
What made this a meaningless game?

And if it was, why did you bother to care about it one way or another?

It is one of the bottom three games on our schedule this year and the stakes are whether we play in a third or fourth tier bowl game.  I should have said "much less important on a relative basis" in hopes of preempting that comment, but was looking for emphasis over precision .  I wouldn't particularly care about the outcome of this game, except for what it means longer term (i.e., for the team's improvement, for McCaffrey's future, Shaw avoiding a Les Miles-ian trajectory, etc.).  That was my point, essentially.
[/quote]

[quote author=Hulk01 link=topic=16060.msg178533#msg178533 date=1478547704]
What made this a meaningless game?

And if it was, why did you bother to care about it one way or another?

It is one of the bottom three games on our schedule this year and the stakes are whether we play in a third or fourth tier bowl game.  I should have said "much less important on a relative basis" in hopes of preempting that comment, but was looking for emphasis over precision .  I wouldn't particularly care about the outcome of this game, except for what it means longer term (i.e., for the team's improvement, for McCaffrey's future, Shaw avoiding a Les Miles-ian trajectory, etc.).  That was my point, essentially.
[/quote]

Colonel Mustard

Are you related to Brad Mustard?  If so please thank him for his service.

Stymie

[fullmetal]

I agree with Hulk.  If you keep yanking your best players around like pawns instead of athletes, you risk losing their trust and compromising on-field execution.

[fullmetal]

I agree with Hulk.  If you keep yanking your best players around like pawns instead of athletes, you risk losing their trust and compromising on-field execution.

[Row80Critic]

[quote author=Row80Critic link=topic=16060.msg178621#msg178621 date=1478621065]
Philosophers might argue that nothing is inherently important.  We each choose for ourselves what to consider important or meaningless.  This is my 47th season watching Stanford football, and I can't remember a game that felt meaningless to me.  Beating Washington in 2006 with nothing but pride on the line; losing to Purdue in 1970; the GUE; any play where Darrin Nelson touched the ball; they're all important. A team needs the support of its fans the most when it is struggling. The best fans are those that come back and root harder than ever after losing to UC Davis.  We can question coaching decisions -- and I was the first to think we sure could have used the practice in the red zone at the end of the game -- but the bottom line is that Shawn has won more games, and has a higher winning percentage, than anyone since WWII.  He's got this.

Harbaugh and Shaw's greatest accomplishment is to get us to re-define "struggling" to include a 6-3 season and an eighth straight bowl game.

BC
[/quote]

Absolutely! (Although I was referring to struggling in general, like after losing to UC Davis, but your point is exactly right either way.  The vast majority of college football fans would trade Stanford's last decade for theirs in a NY minute....and most would take this year over theirs....)

[Row80Critic]

[quote author=Row80Critic link=topic=16060.msg178621#msg178621 date=1478621065]
Philosophers might argue that nothing is inherently important.  We each choose for ourselves what to consider important or meaningless.  This is my 47th season watching Stanford football, and I can't remember a game that felt meaningless to me.  Beating Washington in 2006 with nothing but pride on the line; losing to Purdue in 1970; the GUE; any play where Darrin Nelson touched the ball; they're all important. A team needs the support of its fans the most when it is struggling. The best fans are those that come back and root harder than ever after losing to UC Davis.  We can question coaching decisions -- and I was the first to think we sure could have used the practice in the red zone at the end of the game -- but the bottom line is that Shawn has won more games, and has a higher winning percentage, than anyone since WWII.  He's got this.

Harbaugh and Shaw's greatest accomplishment is to get us to re-define "struggling" to include a 6-3 season and an eighth straight bowl game.

BC
[/quote]

Absolutely! (Although I was referring to struggling in general, like after losing to UC Davis, but your point is exactly right either way.  The vast majority of college football fans would trade Stanford's last decade for theirs in a NY minute....and most would take this year over theirs....)

[BostonCard]

I replied to your post, but my message was not necessarily directed at you, but at all those who have pressed the case that the team is struggling and that some sort of shake-up is needed.  I note that you concluded by saying that "the bottom line is that Shawn [sic] has won more games, and a higher winning percentage, than anyone since WWII."

Of course, I get what they are saying; the offense is pretty bad, full stop, and like anyone else, I would love to see improvement.  But I am nonetheless thankful that I am in the position for wishing for  improvement on a 6-3 team.

BC

[BostonCard]

I replied to your post, but my message was not necessarily directed at you, but at all those who have pressed the case that the team is struggling and that some sort of shake-up is needed.  I note that you concluded by saying that "the bottom line is that Shawn [sic] has won more games, and a higher winning percentage, than anyone since WWII."

Of course, I get what they are saying; the offense is pretty bad, full stop, and like anyone else, I would love to see improvement.  But I am nonetheless thankful that I am in the position for wishing for  improvement on a 6-3 team.

BC

[Row80Critic]

I replied to your post, but my message was not necessarily directed at you, but at all those who have pressed the case that the team is struggling and that some sort of shake-up is needed.  I note that you concluded by saying that "the bottom line is that Shawn [sic] has won more games, and a higher winning percentage, than anyone since WWII."

Of course, I get what they are saying; the offense is pretty bad, full stop, and like anyone else, I would love to see improvement.  But I am nonetheless thankful that I am in the position for wishing for  improvement on a 6-3 team.

BC

Shawn?  Did I type that?  Opps.  My apologies to Mr. Shaw. :)

[Row80Critic]

I replied to your post, but my message was not necessarily directed at you, but at all those who have pressed the case that the team is struggling and that some sort of shake-up is needed.  I note that you concluded by saying that "the bottom line is that Shawn [sic] has won more games, and a higher winning percentage, than anyone since WWII."

Of course, I get what they are saying; the offense is pretty bad, full stop, and like anyone else, I would love to see improvement.  But I am nonetheless thankful that I am in the position for wishing for  improvement on a 6-3 team.

BC

Shawn?  Did I type that?  Opps.  My apologies to Mr. Shaw. :)