[Goose]

There is always the potential for a minor injury during the three more games that most of us would like to see him play - if he plays earlier, he can still come back later and stay under three games.  

By starting to play him earlier, assuming he's healthy, the coaches still maintain the option of playing him for the rest of the season or not. This can depend on how it's going and whether it makes a meaningful difference in our ability to win games right now.

It's unlikely that Brown will be with Stanford for all 5 years, but if he is, there's always the chance of major injury during the early part of one of those other seasons. He could take his redshirt then.

The stretch of Wake Forest (game 8) and NC State (game 9) is an easy part of the schedule. I like the idea of playing him vs. a very soft Wake Forest defense to get his feet wet. It's one step up from Cal Poly. The only reasons not to do this would be if he's not yet healthy enough or if he's strongly against it.

Agree with almost all your points. I do however believe that the decision to redshirt him should be based almost totally on whether it "probably" get us to six wins. There is no reason to deny him the possibility of playing his a year five (at Stanford or elsewhere) unless it has a very  tangible benefit to Stanford this year. By his year five Stanford may have a better option :-) or it will be clear (to him at least) that playing elsewhere for a year would be to his overall advantage. The very last thing we want to do (if Brown is our QB1 at that point) is force that decision to be made in year four (because it is his "last chance").

While Andrew Luck did stay, his NFL#1 draft choice future was not in doubt. That isn't typical. Had Luck played the previous year that fifth year would not have been available. It wasn't worth it, to Luck or to Stanford. If there is a probable sixth win in it IMO burning Brown's shirt might make sense. Otherwise, it doesn't (for him or Stanford).

[Goose]

There is always the potential for a minor injury during the three more games that most of us would like to see him play - if he plays earlier, he can still come back later and stay under three games.  

By starting to play him earlier, assuming he's healthy, the coaches still maintain the option of playing him for the rest of the season or not. This can depend on how it's going and whether it makes a meaningful difference in our ability to win games right now.

It's unlikely that Brown will be with Stanford for all 5 years, but if he is, there's always the chance of major injury during the early part of one of those other seasons. He could take his redshirt then.

The stretch of Wake Forest (game 8) and NC State (game 9) is an easy part of the schedule. I like the idea of playing him vs. a very soft Wake Forest defense to get his feet wet. It's one step up from Cal Poly. The only reasons not to do this would be if he's not yet healthy enough or if he's strongly against it.

Agree with almost all your points. I do however believe that the decision to redshirt him should be based almost totally on whether it "probably" get us to six wins. There is no reason to deny him the possibility of playing his a year five (at Stanford or elsewhere) unless it has a very  tangible benefit to Stanford this year. By his year five Stanford may have a better option :-) or it will be clear (to him at least) that playing elsewhere for a year would be to his overall advantage. The very last thing we want to do (if Brown is our QB1 at that point) is force that decision to be made in year four (because it is his "last chance").

While Andrew Luck did stay, his NFL#1 draft choice future was not in doubt. That isn't typical. Had Luck played the previous year that fifth year would not have been available. It wasn't worth it, to Luck or to Stanford. If there is a probable sixth win in it IMO burning Brown's shirt might make sense. Otherwise, it doesn't (for him or Stanford).