[Goose]

But he hasn't demonstrated that he is able to raise his level of play to win games when things are not going well, at least not yet. So, I can't get behind the assertion that KJ is "better" than Chapman in the context of the next game. Not enough data on KJ.

Yes, if only Costello could have put more pressure on Darnold in the Pac-12 Championship game. If only he played CB and could stop a TCU WR from running right past him in the Alamo Bowl.

Straw men. Yes, if TCU sucked bad enough you or I could have been out there at QB and it wouldn't have mattered. They didn't, and our defense was unable to stop them.

 Sure Costello could have been better, but a 14/4 TD/INT ratio is pretty respectable, and Stanford was in position to win its last two games of 2018 with the performance Costello gave, had the defense stepped up.

Or if the offense had scored more points and/or had more sustained drives. But that didn't happen. Lots of possibilities of what could have happened. Did KJ play poorly against USC? No, he didn't. Could he have played better? Yes We lost a lot of close games last year, and in close games every little thing matters. KJ did not "lose" those games for us. He didn't win them either. 

And let's not forget, he was also playing with a torn hip labrum those last two games.

And yes, that matters. It basically took away any QB runs, I would imagine. However, anybody who trys to tell me that the last series of the TCU game was well managed and well executed by KJ (or the rest of the team) is going to get an argument from me. 

I can't honestly believe any Stanford fan would think the SDSU QB could be better than KJ, especially considering the OL, Love, and the array of receiving targets he has on his side.

The fact that KJ may have better weapons on his side makes it easier for him to be successful. It does not make KJ "better". It for sure makes Stanford better. And why is it so insane to think Chapman is pretty good, possibly better than what KJ has shown so far? Both QBs have benefited from there supporting casts, probably KJ more than Chapman.   I did at least did look at the record a bit. Do I believe that at the end of this year KJ will be considered a better QB than Chapman? I do. Do I think there is enough evidence to conclude that is obviously true today? I do not. Being a Fan(atic) may excuse some irrationality, but I happen to think Stanford is good enough that we don't need that.

Live a little. Let yourself go. Feel good about your team. Put your chest out a bit. Show some confidence and channel it into the players. Maybe they might feel more supported and give a bit more than they think they have because they know their fans really believe in them. Why the need to be so damn circumspect?

I do  reject the notion that it is correct to say "KJ is better than Chapman and I don't even have to look at Chapman to know this". I personally think KJ IS going to be better than Chapman, but I won't insult KJ or Chapman by saying that is a proven fact as of right now. If I do that, I think KJ would not value my opinion much. I do "feel good" about this team, and about KJ Costello as our QB. KJ has shown talent and, as Shaw says, "moxie". That counts a lot. One thing I like about KJ is that when interviewed, he seems to tell it like it is. I remember him saying "I missed that" in a situation where he didn't have to do so. The fans would never have known that.
I do feel good about our chances this year. I think it is neither necessary nor wise to downgrade our opponents in the name of "support our team". Quite the opposite. We want to beat the best, not the South Nowhere State teams. So, I am actually pretty high on our chances. That doesn't mean I am going to make no distinction between what I believe and what is "proven".

[Goose]

But he hasn't demonstrated that he is able to raise his level of play to win games when things are not going well, at least not yet. So, I can't get behind the assertion that KJ is "better" than Chapman in the context of the next game. Not enough data on KJ.

Yes, if only Costello could have put more pressure on Darnold in the Pac-12 Championship game. If only he played CB and could stop a TCU WR from running right past him in the Alamo Bowl.

Straw men. Yes, if TCU sucked bad enough you or I could have been out there at QB and it wouldn't have mattered. They didn't, and our defense was unable to stop them.

 Sure Costello could have been better, but a 14/4 TD/INT ratio is pretty respectable, and Stanford was in position to win its last two games of 2018 with the performance Costello gave, had the defense stepped up.

Or if the offense had scored more points and/or had more sustained drives. But that didn't happen. Lots of possibilities of what could have happened. Did KJ play poorly against USC? No, he didn't. Could he have played better? Yes We lost a lot of close games last year, and in close games every little thing matters. KJ did not "lose" those games for us. He didn't win them either. 

And let's not forget, he was also playing with a torn hip labrum those last two games.

And yes, that matters. It basically took away any QB runs, I would imagine. However, anybody who trys to tell me that the last series of the TCU game was well managed and well executed by KJ (or the rest of the team) is going to get an argument from me. 

I can't honestly believe any Stanford fan would think the SDSU QB could be better than KJ, especially considering the OL, Love, and the array of receiving targets he has on his side.

The fact that KJ may have better weapons on his side makes it easier for him to be successful. It does not make KJ "better". It for sure makes Stanford better. And why is it so insane to think Chapman is pretty good, possibly better than what KJ has shown so far? Both QBs have benefited from there supporting casts, probably KJ more than Chapman.   I did at least did look at the record a bit. Do I believe that at the end of this year KJ will be considered a better QB than Chapman? I do. Do I think there is enough evidence to conclude that is obviously true today? I do not. Being a Fan(atic) may excuse some irrationality, but I happen to think Stanford is good enough that we don't need that.

Live a little. Let yourself go. Feel good about your team. Put your chest out a bit. Show some confidence and channel it into the players. Maybe they might feel more supported and give a bit more than they think they have because they know their fans really believe in them. Why the need to be so damn circumspect?

I do  reject the notion that it is correct to say "KJ is better than Chapman and I don't even have to look at Chapman to know this". I personally think KJ IS going to be better than Chapman, but I won't insult KJ or Chapman by saying that is a proven fact as of right now. If I do that, I think KJ would not value my opinion much. I do "feel good" about this team, and about KJ Costello as our QB. KJ has shown talent and, as Shaw says, "moxie". That counts a lot. One thing I like about KJ is that when interviewed, he seems to tell it like it is. I remember him saying "I missed that" in a situation where he didn't have to do so. The fans would never have known that.
I do feel good about our chances this year. I think it is neither necessary nor wise to downgrade our opponents in the name of "support our team". Quite the opposite. We want to beat the best, not the South Nowhere State teams. So, I am actually pretty high on our chances. That doesn't mean I am going to make no distinction between what I believe and what is "proven".