The CardBoard
SI Sept. 8 edition - Printable Version

+- The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board)
+-- Forum: C-House! (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-4.html)
+--- Forum: The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-5.html)
+--- Thread: SI Sept. 8 edition (/thread-7687.html)


SI Sept. 8 edition - jacketree - 09-05-2014

I am not good enough to pirate this digitally, but it was available to me at my dentist's office yesterday.  There is a good cover story on Luck (some in the league think he is already the best QB if not well on his way to join Brady, Brees, Manning, Rogers) with detailed descriptions of plays he has made and how he will follow his progressions beyond what almost anyone does.  The play were Reggie Wayne was lost for the season last year, while a poor throw, was an amazing read by Luck. Something like the 5th option. No one makes that play.  And on the 64 yard TD that beat the Chiefs to cap their playoff comeback?  T.Y. Hilton's sole purpose on that play was to clear out the safety. Nothing else. Luck flashed his eyes to Hilton at the snap to be ready and instead of taking the safe, productive first down throw to Fleener, Luck went for the glory after noticing Hilton was getting behind the safety. 'With Andrew, no play is ever over.' Some good, deep stats on how while he was hit the most of any QB, he took fewer sacks per something or another, and he was the most efficient runner (made the right choice to scramble 88% of the time) of any QB by far.

[Image: si2014-09-04-recap-thumb.jpg]

Even better: A multi-page article on 'How Stanford Got its Football Groove Back', which is all about the 2007 USC game. Quotes from Harbaugh, Shaw, Bradford, Pritchard, Sherman, Marinelli, a bunch of Trojans including Booty and the DBs. Tons of interesting stuff.  Booty had a broken hand, but since he could make the short and intermediate throws they never thought of pulling him.  Carroll was pissed at the start of the game because his players were late to come out of the locker room. The Versus and  USC guys admit they thought this would be a rollover ('We had film of Will Ferrell jumping in a pool all spooled up for the second half'), but when the XP was blocked (Egboh I believe), they knew it was a real game.  USC guys talked about how they knew that goal line stand would come back to haunt them.  Still no USC adjustments at half-time. None whatsoever. The death of Bradford's father put life in perspective for him and he played the entire game in peace until the end when he figured 'something would be wrong' as he lay in the end zone until he heard 'total silence'.  The 4th and 20 to Sherman.  Play never made it in from the sideline. Tavita just called 'go to the Chevy down the street'.  Sherman just ran a simple post route and couldn't even remember if he needed 19 or 20 yards. Shaw remembered Marinelli dancing to 'Fight On - what else would they play' during the critical measurement and having to refocus.  Marinelli: 'I thought I had good soft hip swivel and rhythm off the charts.' Booty said absent that one bad throw at the end, the would have kicked the FG to win. Harbaugh's last words to Tavita after the INT: "Save the ball!" Which he (Tavita) did and it now sits in his office.

A real turning point:  Since that game Stanford is something like 55-13 with back to back to back to back BCS appearances while SC has floundered despite finishing that year with a Rose Bowl win and Top 5 ranking. Booty's main lament is that of everything he ever did in that uniform, all anyone wants to talk about is October 6, 2007.


Oh yeah, she (my dentist) did crown my ass.  51 years without a cavity until now :(

Re: SI Sept. 8 edition - FarmBoy - 09-05-2014

Not to be a Debby-downer, but I found this "counterpoint" to the SI article an interesting read.

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/the-case-against-andrew-luck-20140902

My heart tells me that Andrew Luck is already a class A human being and top shelf QB. But my brain has its doubts. You can make all the arguments in the world, but some of his stats are pretty mediocre. Hopefully this is the year his stats catch up to the hype.

Watching the Seahawks game last night, I was definitely thinking that I would trade their entire roster sans Wilson for the Colts entire roster sans Luck in a heartbeat. What a luxury to have that running game, defense and pretty decent receiving corp (especially that tight end.) I guess advance stats show that Wilson's OLine is not any better than Luck's and his receiving corp in 2013 was average (ADB aside, of course), but everything else on that team is just awesome. That GM has built an amazing roster.

Re: SI Sept. 8 edition - stupac2 - 09-05-2014

(09-05-2014, 11:51 AM)FarmBoy link Wrote:Hopefully this is the year his stats catch up to the hype.

Not likely. The Colts' roster is something of a dumpster fire outside of Luck and a few other bright spots. It's going to be a few years at least before he gets enough talent (especially the OL) to really tell if he's a step above the other guys.

Re: SI Sept. 8 edition - jacketree - 09-05-2014

The SI article talks about his underwhelming stats, but coaches and GM's in the league have no trouble getting past them. They realize the Colt's roster is largely a dumpster fire.  Luck has driven that flaming dumpster to 11-win seasons.

Re: SI Sept. 8 edition - 76lsjumb - 09-05-2014

That writer from Rolling Stone can say whatever he wants, but one thing is irrefutable:

Richard Sherman is still better at life than Skip Bayless...  :)

Oh, and until I see a report that Luck has filed a trademark application for "Andy Indianapolis," he's my guy...

jacketree, When you get done w/ engineering... - Redrum - 09-05-2014

you can put together a Vegas act featuring your amazing memory.  Or were you typing on your phone -- another prodigious act-- while skimming the articles in the dentist's office?  But, for the getting back that feeling from 2007,  I'm headed to the public library -- you remember those, right?--  to read that article in full.

Re: SI Sept. 8 edition - StanFan88 - 09-05-2014

(09-05-2014, 11:51 AM)FarmBoy link Wrote:Watching the Seahawks game last night, I was definitely thinking that I would trade their entire roster sans Wilson for the Colts entire roster sans Luck in a heartbeat. What a luxury to have that running game, defense and pretty decent receiving corp (especially that tight end.) I guess advance stats show that Wilson's OLine is not any better than Luck's and his receiving corp in 2013 was average (ADB aside, of course), but everything else on that team is just awesome. That GM has built an amazing roster.

I would do the same, but are there one, two, or three players on the Seahawks roster that you would trade Luck to get?  Doubt it.  Luck is a top tier NFL QB, Wilson is the next tier down but the dropoff isn't that brobdingnagian.  OTOH, the dropoff from a LOT of the Seahawks roster to the Colts roster is going from top tier or second tier to bottom tier.  Marshawn Lynch vs. Trent Richardson is one of many examples.

Irsay has done an AWFUL job of building a talented roster around Luck, and in spite of that they've still made the playoffs the last two years.

Re: SI Sept. 8 edition - jacketree - 09-05-2014

Good idea Redrum.  Well worth the read and you can tell me how off I am.  No phone, just me chomping down on a wadded up thingy of gauze for 'at least five minutes, do you want a magazine?' to cement the crown (felt a little like self service checkout at the grocery store - hey what if I f up, will this thing pop off like half the crap I've glued at home?)

I'll confess something too.  I was certain this would be a rollover but watched anyway.  Made plans with my wife for an anniversary dinner because, well it was our anniversary and I was certain it would be a rollover.  Halftime. Mrs. Jacketree: "We can cancel."  Me: "Nah, this will save me from watching the inevitable heartbreaking implosion."

I eventually watched the whole thing, but it is not the same when you know the outcome.

Re: SI Sept. 8 edition - Leftcoast - 09-05-2014

Does (Luck/Indianapolis 2014)  =  (Plunkett/New England 1973)?

If Indianapolis doesn't develop an Offensive Line and a credible running game then it may be time for Luck to look for his Oakland.

Re: SI Sept. 8 edition - Rally - 09-05-2014

(09-05-2014, 05:06 PM)leftcoast link Wrote:Does (Luck/Indianapolis 2014)  =  (Plunkett/New England 1973)?

If Indianapolis doesn't develop an Offensive Line and a credible running game then it may be time for Luck to look for his Oakland.

No.  Plunkett was Rookie of the Year but brutalized.  He didn't have Luck's mobility.  By this time in his career he could barely walk.  I don't understand how Luck takes more hits than any other QB yet fewer sacks.  And walks easily.  And wins.  Amazes me.

Re: SI Sept. 8 edition - jacketree - 09-05-2014

Luck was also one of those interviewed about the 2007 game. High school senior in Houston at the time. In Houston one watches Texas or A&M so he had to hide away in the office/den of one of his dad's friends to catch the game thru streaming or something like that. By the fourth quarter everyone was watching with him. At the end of the game Luck was running around his cul-de-sac screaming with joy.

Harbaugh told the team bus driver to honk the horn all the way to the interstate. They got back to campus early in the morning to a throng of students and fans. Bo McNalley (I think) said he felt like they were in the SEC for a night.

Re: SI Sept. 8 edition - stupac2 - 09-05-2014

(09-05-2014, 06:29 PM)jacketree link Wrote:Harbaugh told the team bus driver to honk the horn all the way to the interstate. They got back to campus early in the morning to a throng of students and fans. Bo McNalley (I think) said he felt like they were in the SEC for a night.

I will admit to not being particularly engaged with sports while I was on campus (one of the many things I regret about my time in school), but everyone knew about that upset. Around the fourth quarter or so Facebook lit up and everyone was texting everyone. My dorm didn't have cable at the time so I "watched" on the ESPN gamecast. Couldn't believe it. My buddy and I went around campus, it was insane. Mayfield was going nuts, everyone was out, partying, etc. We stayed up for the bus to get back to Maples (I don't remember it being that late, midnight or 1AM at the most, but I guess in college "not that late" is a lot different from real-life "not that late") and there was definitely a throng greeting the team. Despite playing and driving back from SoCal the team was full of energy, high-fiving people, etc. It was quite the scene.

I definitely never experienced anything even close to that in my time at Stanford.

Re: SI Sept. 8 edition - Rally - 09-06-2014

(09-06-2014, 07:06 AM)garvin link Wrote:I agree that Plunkett didn't have Luck's mobility, but he moved pretty decently when he was at Stanford. His rushing totals were positive all three of his varsity years, and he finished with more than 350 career rushing yards. (By contrast, John Elway was in minus yardage three of his four seasons and his career total was nearly 300 yards in the rushng red.)

It was when Plunkett joined the Patriots and their papier-mache line that his mobility went to hell.

Absolutely agree.  The rare times I got to see Plunkett play as a Patriot were painful to watch.  Jim was a true warrior but its a team sport.  He could have avoided some of the punishment but followed the "game plan" and stood in there, getting mauled.  I don't know, of course, but I think he only joy came on the few times when he saw The Rabbit running free and had time to get him the ball.  I heard at the time that the Patriots took Vataha only at Plunkett's insistence.  And remember it was the 49ers who first offered him a safe haven, a year or so of R&R before moving to the Raiders for more. 

I don't see that with Luck.  I see a repeat of Manning's career, only hopefully without the surgeries.  It is inevitable that once-in-a-generation quarterbacks get drafted by horrible teams.  Some fail, some survive, some find a way soar, e.g. Plunkett, Elway and . . . Luck?  TBD.

Re: SI Sept. 8 edition - CowboyIndian - 09-06-2014

(09-06-2014, 07:06 AM)garvin link Wrote:It was when Plunkett joined the Patriots and their papier-mache line that his mobility went to hell.

It was also Chuck Fairbanks (may he rot) bringing the triple option from Oklahoma and forcing one of the greatest passers in NCAA history to run the ball. Idiot!

Re: SI Sept. 8 edition - Rally - 09-06-2014

(09-06-2014, 07:55 AM)garvin link Wrote:I wouldn't call the 49ers a safe haven. Plunkett was the starter, and still got beat up quite a lot behind a substandard offensive line. (Do I remember correctly that O.J. Simpson was in the backfield with him?) It was the Raiders who essentially let him take off the entire 1978 season -- I think he literally did not take a snap outside of practice. He barely played in 1979, then got his second career started early in the 1980 season when Dan Pastorini's leg was broken. I remember watching Plunkett's second Raiders start, on a Monday night against the defending champion Steelers, and thinking, "Now that's the guy I watched in the Rose Bowl."

Yes, you're correct.  My bad. 

One more fond Plunkett memory.  In those days there used to be a College All Stars vs All Pro (I think). Held in the summer.  The Plunkett-led College All Stars beat the Pros and the NFL decided, wisely, to cancel that little exhibition.  The game wasn't televised but we listened to it on the radio.  I remember the announcers exclaiming that the college boys ran FIFTY PLAYS!  Amazing in those days.

Re: SI Sept. 8 edition - Rally - 09-06-2014

(09-06-2014, 08:43 AM)garvin link Wrote:I'd prefer your memory to this story, ferrari, but I suspect it's correct. Plunkett's team (ironically, he shared QB duties with Pastorini) put on a good show but lost. And the game continued into the late 1970s.

http://www.mmbolding.com/BSR/The_Chicago_All-Star_Game_1971.htm

The older I get the more I prefer my memories to inconvenient facts.

Interesting all star game, the All-Star classic - Mick - 09-06-2014

Fun facts:

1.  Started to benefit Chicago charities.
2.  79,000+ people at the first game in 1934.  Finished in a scoreless tie...just like soccer, heh heh.
3.  It was played between the NFL champion and a college all star team.
4.  The games were actually competitive through the 1940s, and the collegiate all stars won consecutive games in 1946 and 1947
5.  The college all stars won just 4 of 29 games after that.
6.  The last game was actually called due to bad weather, late in the third quarter with the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead 24-7.
7.  The game MVP award was always given to a college player.  In 1957, John Brodie won the award.  That year, the collegians lost to the NY Giants, 22-12.
8.  The last MVP was newly-elected Hall of Famer, Ray Guy, in 1973.

Re: Interesting all star game, the All-Star classic - Rally - 09-06-2014

(09-06-2014, 04:01 PM)Mick link Wrote:Fun facts:

1.  Started to benefit Chicago charities.
2.  79,000+ people at the first game in 1934.  Finished in a scoreless tie...just like soccer, heh heh.
3.  It was played between the NFL champion and a college all star team.
4.  The games were actually competitive through the 1940s, and the collegiate all stars won consecutive games in 1946 and 1947
5.  The college all stars won just 4 of 29 games after that.
6.  The last game was actually called due to bad weather, late in the third quarter with the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead 24-7.
7.  The game MVP award was always given to a college player.  In 1957, John Brodie won the award.  That year, the collegians lost to the NY Giants, 22-12.
8.  The last MVP was newly-elected Hall of Famer, Ray Guy, in 1973.

Oh yeah?  I still like my memory best.  How many games did YOU listen to on a cheap Japanese transistor radio, huh?!  Besides, there's no sense screwing up a good story by telling the truth.

Re: SI Sept. 8 edition - TreeWeird - 09-08-2014

:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8qcccZy03s