[BostonCard]

[quote author=Goose link=topic=17799.msg208672#msg208672 date=1509122446]
I think that we didn't see Costello (assuming there is no injury/other reason) because Shaw was quite aware that if he pulled Chryst, it was going to be real hard to trot him out as the starter against WSU.

I'd be OK with him not being the starter against WSU - or any other opponent for that matter. I've seen enough to know that Stanford will NEVER win a conference title with Chryst as the starter. Costello may not be superior at this point, but his ceiling is far higher and he has an extra year to get there.
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I'm not sure that we can say this.  Obviously we don't know where their respective ceilings are, but inasmuch as demonstrated best game, Chryst's best game (Oregon, where he went 15/21 (71%), 181 yards, 8.6 ypa, 3 TD, 1 INT (not his fault), for a PER of 181) was better than Costello's best game (UCLA, where he went 13/19 (68%), 123 yards, 6.5 ypa, 2 TD, 0 INT for a PER of 158).  Now, I don't think the game against UCLA is as good as it gets for Costello, and I think it is reasonable to assume that with more starting experience 8+ YPA/170+ PER games should be possible, so his ceiling may well be as high or higher than Chryst's (who, as everyone points out, has more time in the program, and a bunch more starts than Costello under his belt).  But I think the problem with Chryst is not that he has a limited ceiling; it's that he very frequently plays below it.  So, I am not convinced that Costello's ceiling is higher.

That being said, I don't want a player's ceiling to be the determining factor here.  With an all-American talent in Bryce Love, the QB doesn't need to have a high ceiling.  He just needs to play well enough.  Give the ball to Love, hit a few third down throws when needed, and every once in a while beat the defense so they have to respect the passing game and think twice about stacking the box.  As WIM put it, a Sean Mannion at QB wins 10 games for us.  But what we can't have is a guy who plays as badly as Chryst has played multiple times a season, because that will lose us games.

BC

[BostonCard]

[quote author=Goose link=topic=17799.msg208672#msg208672 date=1509122446]
I think that we didn't see Costello (assuming there is no injury/other reason) because Shaw was quite aware that if he pulled Chryst, it was going to be real hard to trot him out as the starter against WSU.

I'd be OK with him not being the starter against WSU - or any other opponent for that matter. I've seen enough to know that Stanford will NEVER win a conference title with Chryst as the starter. Costello may not be superior at this point, but his ceiling is far higher and he has an extra year to get there.
[/quote]

I'm not sure that we can say this.  Obviously we don't know where their respective ceilings are, but inasmuch as demonstrated best game, Chryst's best game (Oregon, where he went 15/21 (71%), 181 yards, 8.6 ypa, 3 TD, 1 INT (not his fault), for a PER of 181) was better than Costello's best game (UCLA, where he went 13/19 (68%), 123 yards, 6.5 ypa, 2 TD, 0 INT for a PER of 158).  Now, I don't think the game against UCLA is as good as it gets for Costello, and I think it is reasonable to assume that with more starting experience 8+ YPA/170+ PER games should be possible, so his ceiling may well be as high or higher than Chryst's (who, as everyone points out, has more time in the program, and a bunch more starts than Costello under his belt).  But I think the problem with Chryst is not that he has a limited ceiling; it's that he very frequently plays below it.  So, I am not convinced that Costello's ceiling is higher.

That being said, I don't want a player's ceiling to be the determining factor here.  With an all-American talent in Bryce Love, the QB doesn't need to have a high ceiling.  He just needs to play well enough.  Give the ball to Love, hit a few third down throws when needed, and every once in a while beat the defense so they have to respect the passing game and think twice about stacking the box.  As WIM put it, a Sean Mannion at QB wins 10 games for us.  But what we can't have is a guy who plays as badly as Chryst has played multiple times a season, because that will lose us games.

BC