As a college football fan, you know a lot about the players on your team. You know their positions, numbers, who their back up is, where they want to high school, and probably one other obscure fact about them. So naturally, after seeing them play for four years (two years, if you’re an SEC or USC fan), you’re ready to support them as they move on to the next level. Basically, college football fandom is a gateway drug that leads to harder stuff, like NFL fandom.
In the last few years, we’ve seen an increased Stanford football presence in the NFL, not only players, but coaches too. This is really exciting for the program, and it’s been fun to follow the careers of the recent Stanford greats, like Andrew Luck, Zach Ertz, and David DeCastro, to name a few. However, it’s not all fun and games. There are definitely some challenges to being a Stanford NFL fan:
- You feel compelled to watch all one billion rounds of the NFL draft
Me, in the weeks prior to the draft: “Why in the world would they televise three full days of the NFL draft? What kind of a monster actually watches this?”
Me, during draft week: “Sorry I can’t come to your wedding. I’m busy, uh, doing… something…”
- Sometimes your favorite players don’t get drafted, and that really sucks
After painstakingly watching all seven rounds of the 2013 draft, I was livid when Chase Thomas was not picked by a single team. I was flabbergasted when same thing happened to Shayne Skov this year. What the? It’s really hard to see your favorites go unrewarded for their hard work.And don’t even get me started on the fact that the 49ers never draft anyone from Stanford. It’s infuriating and I’d like to see it stop pronto.
- Having to cheer for, like, half of the NFL teams
According to a recent SF Gate article, there are 22 former Stanford players on active rosters. Suddenly I have to keep up with the Bengals, Browns, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Colts, Dolphins, Eagles, Falcons, 49ers, Jaguars, Patriots, Saints, Seahawks, Steelers, Vikings, and the R*d Sk*ns? It’s EXHAUSTING. I have a full time job, you know?
- Old rivalries come back to haunt you
As a 49ers/Jim Harbaugh fan, I’m not exactly thrilled to face a bitter rival coached by Pete Carroll twice a year. Likewise, the thought of facing a fast-paced Chip Kelly offense, even occasionally, gives me a migraine. I’ve seen this all before, and the results have been mixed.
- Related to points #2 and #4: watching your favorite Stanford players beat your favorite NFL team
The rivalry between Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll has only ratcheted up in intensity since Harbaugh left Stanford and Carroll fled to the NFL. And since the 49ers refuse to draft Stanford players, they now play for other teams. And by other teams, I mean the Seahawks. I loved watching Doug Baldwin catch deep balls from Andrew Luck at Stanford. I do not enjoy watching Doug Baldwin roast my 49ers twice a year. Similarly, a Richard Sherman interception is a thing of beauty, however a Richard Sherman interception is far less appealing when it keeps my 49ers out of the Super Bowl. I was happy for them when they won, but also not happy for them. It was very confusing.
- Andrew Luck’s offensive line was better at Stanford
Everyone (minus Skip Bayless, because he’s an idiot) knows that Andrew Luck is an incredible player, a once-in-a-decade or so kind of talent. Unfortunately, Luck has one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. In fact, the Colts’ O-Line is so bad that my Twitter friends and I refer to it as the nO-Line. Luck’s line at Stanford, the Tunnel Worker’s Union, was a mighty fortress of man steel. Luck’s line in Indianapolis is the equivalent of a blinking orange light, merely suggesting to defenders that they slow down a bit before annihilating Luck and lying on his face. It is horrifying to watch, and I am legitimately scared for his safety. Save Andrew!
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