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Probing the dry-rot in the B.earz football program - Printable Version

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Probing the dry-rot in the B.earz football program - Redrum - 05-21-2013

An inside story from the publisher of the Cal Sports Digest, Scout's site.  In a thread about predictions for next year, the conversation veered into a discussion about whether  a) No hope because Tedford had hollowed the team of talent,  or  b) fans could expect better play in Yikes' first year because last year they just quit on Tedford.  Find the "win" in that analysis if you can.

But the capper was publisher Ryan Gorsey's account:

"I can tell you right now that a lot of folks wearing the uniform were dumbfounded as to why CJ Anderson didn't get more carries, and were incredibly frustrated with Maynard under center. From a LOT of what I've heard from the locker room to the parents to players themselves, not all of those 33 sacks were accidents."  (emphasis mine)

BTW, in that thread our old friend Blueblood (now using the moniker Bluebloodthescorned) predicted a 5-win season:  Portland State, Colorado, USC (!), WSU and UDub.  These guys really, really have a thing about UDub and Tosh Lupoi.

Re: Probing the dry-rot in the B.earz football program - fullmetal - 05-21-2013

Wow.  That OL must have really despised Maynard...he took a beating.

Re: Probing the dry-rot in the B.earz football program - Griffins78 - 05-21-2013

(05-21-2013, 08:59 PM)Redrum link Wrote:Not all of those 33 sacks were accidents.
Wow! If that's the case then it says a lot about the character of those players, no matter who the coach or QB or RB was. I cannot imagine a player with any sense of pride would purposefully let their QB get sacked.

Re: Probing the dry-rot in the B.earz football program - washingtonismoney - 05-21-2013

Link?

Re: Probing the dry-rot in the B.earz football program - Redrum - 05-22-2013

Link.

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=166&f=1419&t=11489087

Re: Probing the dry-rot in the B.earz football program - 76lsjumb - 05-22-2013

Interesting.  It looks like, if you rearrange these letters -- W  A  L  T  H  A  R  R  I  S , you may be able to spell: J.E.F.F.  T.E.D.F.O.R.D.

[I just hope S.O.N.N.Y. D.Y.K.E.S. can't be rearranged to spell Jim Harbaugh...]

Re: Probing the dry-rot in the B.earz football program - Kathy - 05-22-2013

What's this … an epiphany?

Quote:at the school I wish I had gotten into,  Stanford, Calif. - L (Cal still not in the 'furds' league yet)


Actually, that shows a lot of growth in Blueblood - Redrum - 05-22-2013

Can't remember when you joined the Cardboard.  However, back in the day, when he posted here and on the K.al boards, Blueblood  wouldn't concede: that Stanford had played in Rose Bowls since Kal last played,  wouldn't concede that Plunkett could throw the ball more than 10 yards,  and wouldn't admit a person could get a decent meal in Palo Alto.  He would have made a perfect North Korean Minister of Propaganda.

So admitting that Stanford is odds-on to kick their ass next year is real growth in his maturity.  Now, all we have to do is really execute on those odds.

Re: Probing the dry-rot in the B.earz football program - Leftcoast - 05-22-2013

Quote:In that thread our old friend Blueblood (now using the moniker Bluebloodthescorned) .....

This caught my interest.  BlueBlood was quite a character back in the day and some of his tantrums are legendary. So how did he become Bluebloodthescorned now haunting a minor Cal board?  Turns out he was "banned for life" from Grrrowls (nee CyberBears).

His side of the story and much back and forth is in this thread.

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=166&f=1419&t=11469284

Re: Probing the dry-rot in the B.earz football program - Kathy - 05-22-2013

Apparently, the weenies are not very tolerant of the grammar police ...

Quote:my banishment was closely related to the discussion where a poster alluded to a facebook or twitter or whatever post supposedly made by a Cal football player wherein he apparently confused the use of the word "our" with the word "are." I was warned by the moderator to not draw any more attention to this literal miscue with any further posts. I ignored this warning which apparently proved to be the last straw to the said f#@&en BI moderator


Re: Probing the dry-rot in the B.earz football program - fullmetal - 05-22-2013

I started reading through that thread (against my better judgment), and now I need a shower.  Couldn't make it past the first page.  So thankful to have you all here on the Cardboard.

Re: Probing the dry-rot in the B.earz football program - OutsiderFan - 05-22-2013

You guys have no idea how "rotten" Cal's program had become under the previous coach.  It was falling apart at the seams at virtually every corner.  Wether it was recruiting failures, academic progress (or lack thereof), S&C, team leadership, player personnel decisions, press relations, the thing was an unmitigated disaster.

It's funny, Gorcey said people thought CJ Anderson should have had more carries. What about Brendan Bigelow? 

Sonny has a brobdingnagian reclamation project on his hands for sure.



Re: Probing the dry-rot in the B.earz football program - fullmetal - 05-22-2013

Ohio State was glad Bigelow didn't get more carries.  That was a crazy game for him.

Re: Probing the dry-rot in the B.earz football program - yvonne - 05-22-2013

(05-22-2013, 02:41 PM)OutsiderFan link Wrote:Sorry has a brobdingnagian reclamation project on his hands for sure.

Not necessarily. If there is a lot of dispirited talent  there, it could be a short reclamation project.

Re: Probing the dry-rot in the B.earz football program - fullmetal - 05-22-2013

Unhoned talent becomes rusty and dull.  I don't know if the dispirited talent can regain their edge after a full season of hypothetically mediocre practice/training.

Re: Probing the dry-rot in the B.earz football program - OutsiderFan - 05-22-2013

There is a good amount of talent at certain positions, and very limited talent at others.

Strong areas:  DL, LB, WR (maybe)
Weak Areas:  DBs, OL
Mediocre:  RB
Totally unknown: QB

Beyond DL & LB there is practically no depth on the roster at all. 

Just by having a head coach who instills a team concept and has credibility as a leader, Cal should win 6+ games in 2013.  But with the likelihood of a Frosh QB and weak OL, there are real challenges.  The thing to look at is if the will of the players to win and buy in to the Dykes regime can overcome the shortcomings of the team.

Re: Probing the dry-rot in the B.earz football program - OutsiderFan - 05-23-2013

The discussion about Tedford obviously begs the question as to why he seemed to be so good early, and subsequently went into a death spiral.

Three primary reasons: 

1. There was more talent on the roster when the team went 1-10 in 2001 than was suspected
2. Tedford was super motivated to win at a high level until his ridiculous contract* and Cal's indifference to winning culture transformed him
3. He got lucky to find Aaron Rodgers (only found by accident)

Dykes is a far more competent leader than Tedford ever imagined being, and doesn't carry all the baggage that comes with being orphaned as a child. 

* Cal gave him an unwarranted contract following the disastrous 2007 season (the Longshore/Riley debacle) and going 8-4 in 2008.  It was all downhill from there.

Re: Probing the dry-rot in the B.earz football program - Embo - 05-23-2013

Outsiderfan -

This allegation in the above link - that some of the c.a.l OL may have intentionally allowed some sacks of Maynard - is stunning.  However, I thnk I can understand its plausability.

Here's where I'd like your input.  I don't go over to B.earInsider except in a blue moon, as the level of animosity towards things Cardinal makes me uncomfortable.  But I did hear about some thread there either late last year or early this year.  Supposedly, a C.a.l player parent posted something along these lines:  that the son heard Keenan Allen in the locker room say that he wasn't playing unless Tedford started Maynard, and/or Allen was doing some behaviors (like skipping workouts) that would earn any other player suspensions.  Having seen Tedford's fealty to Maynard, I can believe the first part.  So I can see why players would quit on Tedford, as well as Maynard.

Is that locker room story true or apocryphal (or did I not hear/read it correctly)?  I'm looking for a B.earInsider reader to confirm.

Re: Probing the dry-rot in the B.earz football program - washingtonismoney - 05-23-2013

I think a reasonable best-case scenario for C.al is to be better on the field but worse in terms of the W-L record. Hellacious schedule.

But then you can also make strong case for the upside and downside case as well.

Upside: Tedford recruited great talent but didn't coach it; a decent-to-good coach turns it around in a hurry. (See "The Neuheisel")

Downside: C.al loses a ton of that talent, however; Phil Steele has 9 returning starters for them, which is a major alarm number. Furthermore, it seems they're contemplating starting Jared Goff, a true freshman. No matter how good you are as a QB, starting as a true freshman always makes me majorly nervous. I recognize Kline is the sentimental favorite for fans, but it looks like D.ykes has always listed Goff first on the depth chart (albeit with "OR" attached) and I believe I read that Goff got the majority of snaps w/ first team in practice and spring game. To me, this looks like S.onny's preparing to start Goff, though I admit I'm likley wrong. If that comes to pass, it could get ugly in Memorial. I'm also suspicious of the Andy Buh hire, who was pretty mediocre for us. (maybe the main problem for Buh was the talent; but then, why did Vic Fangio turn it around in the space of a year?)

Word among the derelicts down on Telegraph Ave. - Redrum - 05-23-2013

Is that Goff is a "gamer"...K.al's Kevin Hogan?  Maybe  a gamer is what they need to unify the players.

I hope you're right about Buh being mediocre.  I'd love to slap him and his players upside the head.  Hate to think he really had talent but conflicts with Harbaugh drove him off.  Worked out great for us on defense anyway.