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Some perspective - Roberton3 - 10-09-2016

Some posters here seem to be bitterly angry anytime the team isn't contending for a national championship.  But every program has down years.  And some prominent programs are having much worse years.  Notre Dame is 2-4, and has less than a 50% shot at being bowl-eligible this year.  Oregon, same thing.  Despite the last two games, Stanford has a winning record, and a significantly easier schedule going forward (the two toughest games left are probably against the two 2-4 teams just mentioned).

Re: Some perspective - Spiny_Norman - 10-09-2016

Michigan State also a candidate for Biggest Disappointment this season.  But the struggles of other teams does not help me feel better.  There seems to be a chasm between Stanford right now and a team that is competitive in the Pac 12. 

Re: Some perspective - TheFarm07 - 10-09-2016

It's not that we are losing, but the scores and how we look in the last couple games. Losing by 30+ points is not good. Our defense has more holes than Swiss cheese and our offense looks as inept as my senior year in 2006 when we had 50 total yards of offense in our homecoming game against Arizona.

Even in our 2014 season when we won only 8 games the only blowout loss was to a Mariota-led Oregon team.

UW looks like it's going places but to be dominated by WSU at home is another matter.

Re: Some perspective - CornFed - 10-09-2016

It is NOT about the losing.  For me it is about the realization that I have been delusional.  I have actually participated in conversations focused on what sort of breaks would be needed for Stanford to make the playoffs.  In truth, with the benefit of hindsight it is clear that was NEVER going to happen.  We all mentioned the uncertainties related to our OL, our QB and our LB.  But I don't think the range of potential for these groups assessed properly the downside we have seen.  I am rattled.  It is similar to my shock at the outcome of the Northwestern game last year.

The UCLA game was physically brutalizing.  The Huskies hammered our psyches with their maniac crowd and disciplined team.  By the time we faced WSU our mojo had been decimated.  I'm concerned that we have been slowly evolving into a program that reflects the soft-spoken, cerebral nature of our head coach.  We have lost the swagger and passion of our "founding principles".  There is no longer a TWU.  That seems lost to us.

The question that arises, then, whether or not we can re-discover our resolve and belief in ourselves and OUR game.  Perhaps when we demolish the Huskies next year, we can go for two on the extra point just to hang 50 on them; then walk of the field as though it were just another day at the office.

Re: Some perspective - JJJ - 10-09-2016

All of a sudden, vacation planning has become easier. (actually, I don't believe I will get any time off, but that is another issue altogether...)  :'(

Re: Some perspective - washingtonismoney - 10-09-2016

Correct. 3-2 would've been an acceptable result after five games; not thrilling, but not crazy given the difficulty of the schedule. Being blown out twice in a row is deeply concerning.

Re: Some perspective - martyup - 10-09-2016

I agree that losing two games is bad, but the way in which we lost is horrible.  We are the team that built itself into a national powerhouse by fielding offensive linemen that could wear down defenders with pancake blocks galore.  We anticipated this season to be all about our AP National Player of the Year getting the ball running through gaping holes in the line and juking linebackers and DBs on the second level.

Instead, we see our offensive linemen getting bull rushed by no name defensive linemen and our QB either scrambling for his life or getting creamed.  We've watched CMAC consistently dodging defenders three yards in the backfield.  We have watched our guys get out-toughed by the Washington State Cougars. 

Our defense is competent and, if healthy, one of the best in the Pac-12.  The loss of our corners certainly helped the Washington schools score more points than they would have with our starters.

I think many of us thought that we had a steady stream of offensive linemen ready to step in and become the next Garnett or Murphy.  Well, it looks like the well of those type of players has gone dry this season.  It looks like this season we are going to get pushed around by defensive lines that would have been pummeled by the offensive lines Stanford had in the last several seasons.  Watching this unfold has been and will continue to be excruciating for Stanford fans. 

I'm not sure there is much that the coaches can do to stop our offensive linemen from getting beat.  Sure, you can improve their technique a bit.  But when they are getting blown backwards on every play there is not much a coach can do to help.  Perhaps we can adjust our game plan to compensate for our poor offensive line play.  However, there are very few offensive schemes that will work without good blocking.

I am and will remain a Stanford football fan.  I just hope that sooner than later we can get back to where we were when we smoked Iowa in the Rose Bowl.