Stanford vs VT

cj — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:26:52 +0000

This is an article we wrote about a month ago, just before the Discover Orange Bowl was played in Miami, FL between our Stanford Cardinal and the Virginia Tech Hokies. Enjoy! (Not a bad prediction... except for the score)
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The Orange Bowl match-up between Stanford and Virginia Tech is one of the most evenly matched bowls of the bowl season. Here are my 4 keys to the game:

1. Staying on Schedule. • Both Stanford and Virginia Tech have strong running attacks and attacking, big play defenses. Both teams will look to stay on schedule, meaning they will use the run game and play action to make positive gains on first and second down to put themselves in third and manageable situations. By staying in third and short situations, this will prevent either defense from getting into their turnover-forcing blitz packages. With two efficient quarterbacks and without big plays, the defenses could be on the field for extended drives and with two strong running attacks, the fresher defense in the fourth quarter could be a big factor.

2. Winning on Third Down. • Both teams have big-play quarterbacks. Luck and Taylor are the type of players that the longer that they are on the field, the more likely they are to make a big play for their teams. Containing each quarterback's mobility on third and medium downs will be key to winning the third down battle as both quarterbacks have shown the awareness to tuck the ball and reach the sticks. I think Stanford will get pressure off the edges with Chase Thomas and Thomas Keiser, flushing Taylor up in the pocket. So the key will be for the interior line maintaining their rush lanes and the middle linebackers playing in space when Taylor tucks and runs. This is one area where Stanford does not match-up well as mobile quarterbacks have given this defensive personnel trouble in the past (See Oregon game).

3. Big Plays on Special Teams. • Virginia Tech is known for its big play special teams. Stanford was one of the most explosive teams in the country in the return game last season, but Chris Owusu's injuries have somewhat stymied that production. With Virginia Tech's big play reputation and Stanford's Owusu healthy, look for a big special teams play to swing the momentum one way or the other.

4. Execution of Scheme • This will be the difference in the game. Both coaching staffs are proven and will come up with solid gameplans to exploit the other teams weaknesses. However, with Andrew Luck at the helm and a line-up full of Academic All Americans, I think Stanford will have a slightly more complex scheme that will cause some confusion with Virginia Tech and Stanford will execute this scheme more cleanly. Tyrod Taylor is a great athlete and collegiate quarterback, but the NFL-level consistency and efficiency of execution that Andrew Luck has displayed will be the difference in the ball game.

Final Prediction: Stanford 27 - Virginia Tech 21

4 Compelling Reasons to Turn Away $60 Million

cj — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 18:26:56 +0000

A few weeks ago, Andrew Luck turned down $60 million dollars as the consensus #1 pick in the NFL Draft to return to Stanford to complete his degree in Architectural Design. He has received some criticism for his decision. However, regardless of what you think about his decision, you have to respect it because his reasons must be very compelling to turn down $60 million (set for life kind of money). I think some of Luck's critics have lost sight of the fact that the point of going to college and receiving a collegiate scholarship is to graduate with a degree. Even for the best players, football only lasts until their 40s. For Luck, standing on his morals and finishing his Stanford degree is a decision that will last a lifetime.

As Luck said, there are definitely worse decisions to make in life. Wouldn't we all love the opportunity to choose between beginning an NFL career with a $60 million contract and receiving a Stanford degree and competing for a national championship? Through all the attention and hype around him and Harbaugh, Luck handled the whole situation with class (Lebron James should take note).

Here are my TOP 4 REASONS ANDREW LUCK MADE THE RIGHT DECISION:

1. The uncertainty of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement • The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is the labor agreement between the NFL Franchise Owners and the NFL Player's Union. Without a new agreement in place by March 3rd, 2011, there will be a lockout, meaning owners will lock the doors to all practice and training facilities for all players. In this argument between millionaires and billionaires, all reports indicate that no agreement will be reached and an extended lockout is a near certainty. Luck's father, Oliver Luck, former president of the World Football League, probably had some insider information on the progress of the agreement and this was probably a heavy factor in Luck's decision. The lockout would have affected Luck's career in two ways. The first is that during the lockout no players will receive a paycheck, so Luck would not have gotten paid for however long it takes to come to an agreement. The second and most important effect is that there will be no practice/mini-camps/team training facilities available for players during the lockout. No matter how "NFL Ready" a quarterback is there is still a huge adjustment to the speed and sophistication of the NFL. Once the CBA is reached, it is likely the NFL will head straight into an abbreviated season without any training camp or preseason. Being thrown into the fire like this could have definitely stunted Luck's growth as a quarterback.

Not comparing Luck to him in anyway other to compare the effect of not going through that first training camp/preseason, look at former number one pick Jamarcus Russell. Because of his contract situation (in contrast to Luck's situation, his holdout was by his own choice), Russell missed half his rookie season and he never caught up in his development and 5 years later he is out of the NFL.

2. The Carolina Panthers are not a stable franchise. • Being drafted into an unstable system can ruin a quarterback's career. Prime example is former number one pick right here in the Bay Area, Alex Smith. Look at the difference between the career paths of Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers of the Packers (not to say that Rodgers was not a more talented QB all along, but I do think outside factors came into play). Alex Smith was drafted onto a bad 49ers team with a defensive minded coach (Mike Nolan) and then went through six offensive coordinators in six seasons. Aaron Rodgers was drafted by a stable Packers organization as Brett Favre's heir apparent. He had time to learn the system and learn from Favre in a much more stable environment. Now, Rodgers is the hottest quarterback in the NFL playing for the NFC Championship and Alex Smith is the scapegoat of another failed 49ers season.

Carolina's situation has a lot of similarities to the 49ers' six seasons ago. They just hired a defensive-minded coach in Ron Rivera. Their top receiver, Steve Smith, wants to be traded and there is not much talent on the team. Here's the proof: quickly name 5 players on the Carolina Panthers... This is the exact same situation the 49ers were in 6 seasons ago and as we saw this season, although they have acquired talent over the past six seasons, they are still not a stable, quarterback-friendly situation.

3. Becoming a role model. • Luck is now the poster child for staying in school and completing one's college degree. What he may lose in salary, he will make up for in endorsements because wouldn't every mother want their child to be a well-spoken, intelligent, academically-minded young man like Andrew Luck. Gatorade and Nike are probably already putting together campaigns for him (as is PSTI, hopefully we can land him).

4. He picked his happiness over money. • Luck's decision was clearly about more than the money. Luck is clearly very happy as a college student athlete. His sister will be attending Stanford next year, so he will get to spend time with her in her freshman year. He will also get to finish what he started and compete for a national championship with the recruiting class that he came in with. According to reports, Luck and his family spoke to Peyton Manning (who also chose to stay in school) and one of the things that I think Manning probably emphasized is that never again will Luck get the opportunity to compete and grow 4 consecutive years with the same 20 brothers by your side (his recruiting class). The NFL is a business and the relationships are much more professional, as players are coming in and out every year. Look at how the Colts just let Marvin Harrison go after all the success he and Manning had together. Just like Manning, I'm sure Luck plans on having a long successful career in the NFL and out of all the early QB draft picks that I mentioned in this article (among others who have flamed out including Ryan Leaf, David Carr, Akili Smith, Tim Couch), Manning is the one who's path that seems pretty smart to follow.

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Stanford vs VT

4 Compelling Reasons to Turn Away $60 Million