Archbold: Still Ahead of His Time?

Just reviewed Archy: Build for Speed...It's pretty sick, but it got me thinking about the state of surfing. Matt Archbold, in his prime, was doing it all. He was carving and spinning out; getting shacked out of his mind and launching like a maniac. Have we really only inched along since then or was he that far ahead of the game? Had there been a system in place to help Archy navigate the pitfalls of traveling the world with a bunch of party-hound pro surfers, Archy might have made the impact of Pottz or Curren. Whose to blame? The industry? San Clemente locals who could have stepped in to help? Or the man himself? What made Dane Reynolds hold it together but Archbold burn out? Granted, Archy etched out a very cool space for free surfers in the surf industry, paving the way for a host of great surfers like Margo and Rasta. I don't know, it seems that based on the surfing that Archy was doing 20 years ago, we should be farther along in the continuum. Maybe there is only so much we can do against the force of gravity without a jet pack (or a jet ski?). Although we need to take Jamie Obrien out of the equation because he skews the results a bit with his inhuman and unatural wave-riding trickery. To look at the next flock of amateurs on the march up the ranks, no one seems to be doing anything new, or are they? If you know anyone who is breaking the mold let me know.