In all honesty, Stanford will be just fine at FB next year. Patrick leaving is a hit on depth, so it is not a non issue, but on balance, they will be fine. Let me try and explain.
For starters, over the course of last season, my sense was (I dont count these things like some, so please correct me if I am wrong) that as we realized our power running game was not working well, we went less and less out of a power I formation, and more and more into a shotgun formation. And in so doing, FB reps were eliminated.
So for starters, assuming the same holds true for next year, the FB simply is less important in our offense than it was say in 2013 and before.
Then, our 4 TES are simply freaking awesome. And we need to get them on the field. That is not my analsysis, but player's analsyis. So, in addition to the trend away from the Power I (dont know if that is the right term, so again, simply correct me if wrong), we need to find a way to get more TEs on the field, and the easiest way to do that is take the FB off of it.
Then, lastly, Daniel Marx will be good. He will be at the very least competent this year, and then has the potential to be good to very good.
First of all, he is 260 pounds. Patrick was always a bit mis cast as a FB in our offense as we like a heavy people mover in that role, and at 235 pounds, he was undersized for how we use our FB. Marx is not.
In addition to that, Marx is a good athlete for his size.
Lastly, he is willing to be physical. He is not perfect, and there are some issues he needs to work on, but who is, and who doesnt, so he can improve, but on balance, he will be just fine this year and may end being another Stanford FB who makes it into the NFL.
Dont know who was before Marecic, but since him we have Marecic, Hewitt, I think Ward has a good shot, and Patrick is well ranked on most 2016 draft lists in spite having been a backup. (Patrick's value will be higher in the NFL that it was at Stanford as they will more highly value his overall athleticism, and his ability to play STs. As an example, Patrick is the only FB I can remember of those above who played on KO coverage.)
I have been a Stanford fan since I started going to games with my Dad (Stanford ´60) as a 6 year old to watch Plunkett and Vataha. And FB is not one of my concerns for this year, honestly. Now DL, DB and kicking, ummmmm, yeah, FB, no.
For starters, over the course of last season, my sense was (I dont count these things like some, so please correct me if I am wrong) that as we realized our power running game was not working well, we went less and less out of a power I formation, and more and more into a shotgun formation. And in so doing, FB reps were eliminated.
So for starters, assuming the same holds true for next year, the FB simply is less important in our offense than it was say in 2013 and before.
Then, our 4 TES are simply freaking awesome. And we need to get them on the field. That is not my analsysis, but player's analsyis. So, in addition to the trend away from the Power I (dont know if that is the right term, so again, simply correct me if wrong), we need to find a way to get more TEs on the field, and the easiest way to do that is take the FB off of it.
Then, lastly, Daniel Marx will be good. He will be at the very least competent this year, and then has the potential to be good to very good.
First of all, he is 260 pounds. Patrick was always a bit mis cast as a FB in our offense as we like a heavy people mover in that role, and at 235 pounds, he was undersized for how we use our FB. Marx is not.
In addition to that, Marx is a good athlete for his size.
Lastly, he is willing to be physical. He is not perfect, and there are some issues he needs to work on, but who is, and who doesnt, so he can improve, but on balance, he will be just fine this year and may end being another Stanford FB who makes it into the NFL.
Dont know who was before Marecic, but since him we have Marecic, Hewitt, I think Ward has a good shot, and Patrick is well ranked on most 2016 draft lists in spite having been a backup. (Patrick's value will be higher in the NFL that it was at Stanford as they will more highly value his overall athleticism, and his ability to play STs. As an example, Patrick is the only FB I can remember of those above who played on KO coverage.)
I have been a Stanford fan since I started going to games with my Dad (Stanford ´60) as a 6 year old to watch Plunkett and Vataha. And FB is not one of my concerns for this year, honestly. Now DL, DB and kicking, ummmmm, yeah, FB, no.
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