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Glass half-full or half-empty? - OutsiderFan - 10-06-2014

Stanford football is now 3-3 in its last six games.  Not exactly the stuff of elite program performance, and this year looks uncertain, but trending downward based on the cataclysmic offensive struggles.

Until Saturday my belief, based on an expected win in South Bend was Stanford is a Top 10 program that should be expected to round into conference champion contending shape.  But no matter how good this season ends, I'm not feeling very optimistic about 2015.  There is nobody to replace Parry and Anderson it seems.  Solomon Thomas and Harrison Philips have had good reviews, but Kaumatule and Watkins can't even get on the field this year.  Moreover, there seems to be less recruiting momentum than in recent years, and even some momentum in the wrong direction.

Just watching Keller Chryst's H.S. highlights makes me think Stanford will be better at QB in 2015, and probably OL, but the defense seems ready to take a big step back because the DL looks pretty weak in 2015. 

Overall, this is the first time in years I've seen the future outlook not at least as good as the present.  Curious what others think.










Re: Glass half-full or half-empty? - Stymie - 10-06-2014

I agree (sadly) but still hope for some sort of renaissence this year.  As for next year, how can Chryst help us if Hogan, Crower and Burns are still ahead of him on the depth chart?

Re: Glass half-full or half-empty? - washingtonismoney - 10-06-2014

(10-06-2014, 01:43 PM)Stymie link Wrote:I agree (sadly) but still hope for some sort of renaissence this year.  As for next year, how can Chryst help us if Hogan, Crower and Burns are still ahead of him on the depth chart?

Because he's a true freshman?

Re: Glass half-full or half-empty? - Papa John - 10-06-2014

My five years at Stanford included, in no particular order, one winning season (6-5), no bowl games, The Play and a miserable 1-10 season.

Since 2010 Stanford has the most FBS wins of any program in the country!

Trust me. These are the good old days for Stanford football.

Re: Glass half-full or half-empty? - Farm93 - 10-06-2014

The three losses were all to teams ranked in the top 15 teams, and they were all close.  No real reason for sadness just yet.

If the team finishes 8-4, or better, then all will be OK.  The even years are always tougher than the odd years for Stanford, and I believe that 2015 will be much better than 2014, for several reasons.

Re: Glass half-full or half-empty? - BrevinsBest - 10-06-2014

At the beginning of the season, I thought the team would finish 9-3. I still think that's going to be their record. It's just disappointing and frustrating to see the way they've lost these 2 games. It was a good thing the Giants won on Saturday because it was shaping up to be a long weekend.

Re: Glass half-full or half-empty? - stupac2 - 10-06-2014

I want to see how we do against Wazzou before I get all mopey about this season. I keep coming back to 2012, how despondent were we after that loss? And that was the best season we've had. If things do start to improve, if the coaching staff don't look for ways to fix the offense, if we don't come out and slaughter the Cougars, then I'll get worried.

Re: Glass half-full or half-empty? - StanFan88 - 10-06-2014

(10-06-2014, 01:43 PM)Stymie link Wrote:I agree (sadly) but still hope for some sort of renaissence this year.  As for next year, how can Chryst help us if Hogan, Crower and Burns are still ahead of him on the depth chart?

Who says they will be ahead of him next year?  Shaw expected Hogan to be better - he isn't.  Crower and Burns apparently aren't better or they would play.  Shaw is not going to burn Chryst's redshirt - forget about him playing this year.

Re: Glass half-full or half-empty? - CTcard - 10-06-2014

(10-06-2014, 01:39 PM)OutsiderFan link Wrote:Overall, this is the first time in years I've seen the future outlook not at least as good as the present.  Curious what others think.

The outlook for 2012 was far and away worse than 2011.
We didn't just lose Luck, we lost Whalen, Owusu, Fleener, DeCastro, Martin, and Gaffney.
We also lost Michael Thomas, Delano Howell, Matt Masifilo, Terrence Stephens, Johnson Bademosi, Harold Bernard, Max Bergen.
The 2012 was clearly the weakest of the four BCS years, but really how far that team went was amazing considering the personnel turnover.

Most prognosticators had Stanford projected to be down this year as well, mostly with comments that it would be a 1 year thing.

My view of next year is mixed.

The OLine should be significantly better. We should either have everyone back or lose just Peat with Tucker being groomed as an apparently high-level replacement. Improvement there will be absolutely the H-word.

We lose Montgomery, our best player on offense.
Otherwise, no losses in the receiving corps, no real losses in the RB group, no loss at QB.

The offense must be better next year.
[Must as an imperative, not an inevitability.]

The defense is mainly an issue on the line. Anderson, Parry, Leuders all gone. We'll need to see some folks emerge here. A big worry.
Tarpley and Vaughters gone from the linebacking corps but there seem to be candidates for replacements.
Lyons and Richards gone from the secondary. Think we have some candidates there.


I see no reason in particular that Stanford football should be down next year - though  the DLine will need development.
And of course these days there's more down room than up - which I am thankful for.





Re: Glass half-full or half-empty? - TrumpCard - 10-06-2014

When looking at next year, one thing to consider is early departures for the draft.  The guys who could, in theory, leave with eligibility remaining are: Peat, Carter, Lyons, K. Anderson, Hogan, and Cajuste.  Based on what I've seen, none of the redshirt juniors would be drafted in the first four rounds.  I suppose they could choose to leave anyway, but these are guys who have a chance to improve and make a lot more money by staying.  The true juniors are the ones who would go higher in the draft, but they may choose to stay for the degree, especially since they are both sons of long-time NFL players and therefore probably aren't desperate to cash in immediately.  In sum, this might be the first year in a while when everyone with eligibility remaining decides to return.  I know there are some elite players in the group of graduating seniors, but there should be at least a respectable replacement for all of them. 

Re: Glass half-full or half-empty? - stupac2 - 10-06-2014

I thought Vaughters had a year of eligibility left. Am I just crazy?

Re: Glass half-full or half-empty? - Durty Nelly - 10-06-2014

Unfortunately, he is done this year.  See his profile.  He has played in at least 13 games the past 3 seasons.


http://www.gostanford.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=208167773&DB_OEM_ID=30600

Re: Glass half-full or half-empty? - Rally - 10-06-2014

(10-06-2014, 04:25 PM)Durty Nelly link Wrote:Unfortunately, he is done this year.  See his profile.  He has played in at least 13 games the past 3 seasons.


http://www.gostanford.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=208167773&DB_OEM_ID=30600

Pretty decent resume :)