[washingtonismoney]

Getting ugly over there, as they kicked off Chris McCain -- perhaps their best defensive player when his head is functioning properly -- for trying to get in a fight with their strength coach: http://california.scout.com/2/1331257.html

This upcoming WSU game looks like a tipping point. If they lose it, it's hard to find too many wins on the schedule. Think they'll thank us for roughing up their QBs a bit?

[washingtonismoney]

Getting ugly over there, as they kicked off Chris McCain -- perhaps their best defensive player when his head is functioning properly -- for trying to get in a fight with their strength coach: http://california.scout.com/2/1331257.html

This upcoming WSU game looks like a tipping point. If they lose it, it's hard to find too many wins on the schedule. Think they'll thank us for roughing up their QBs a bit?

[GoodGrief]

The great thing is that he didn't get kicked off for challenging the strength coach to a fight. That happened during the summer and he stayed on the team. Makes you wonder what the heck he did to actually get kicked off.

from the article:
McCain had, during the summer, challenged then head strength and conditioning coach Mike Blasquez to a fight on the 50-yard line because he felt he was "disrespected."

[GoodGrief]

The great thing is that he didn't get kicked off for challenging the strength coach to a fight. That happened during the summer and he stayed on the team. Makes you wonder what the heck he did to actually get kicked off.

from the article:
McCain had, during the summer, challenged then head strength and conditioning coach Mike Blasquez to a fight on the 50-yard line because he felt he was "disrespected."

[socalstanfan1]

Sign of a good program: under-rated players develop into solid contributors.

Sign of a dysfunctional team: highly regarded players go off the rails, disrupting the entire team.

Hmmmm, where do the two Bay Area teams fit into these descriptions?

[socalstanfan1]

Sign of a good program: under-rated players develop into solid contributors.

Sign of a dysfunctional team: highly regarded players go off the rails, disrupting the entire team.

Hmmmm, where do the two Bay Area teams fit into these descriptions?

[Redrum]

If McCain acts like a head case and does things only head cases usually do...then he's a headcase.  Guys, it's just not that hard to become one with a football team.  There is natural bonding gravity that always works in a diligent team member's favor.  Even the scrubs are accepted, their value as scout team and blocking dummies is acknowledged.  Band of Brothers and all that.  All you have to do is keep your sh** together and put the team first.  This is not a Dykes problem, it was a Dykes solution.  McCain had already been suspended, came back, and one of his first acts was to challenge an assistant coach to a fight.  Instead he gives a whole program (another) black eye.

And now he's managed to screw the pooch.  No team, soon no scholarship and a rep for being a misfit.  Deep hole to dig oneself out of.

[Redrum]

If McCain acts like a head case and does things only head cases usually do...then he's a headcase.  Guys, it's just not that hard to become one with a football team.  There is natural bonding gravity that always works in a diligent team member's favor.  Even the scrubs are accepted, their value as scout team and blocking dummies is acknowledged.  Band of Brothers and all that.  All you have to do is keep your sh** together and put the team first.  This is not a Dykes problem, it was a Dykes solution.  McCain had already been suspended, came back, and one of his first acts was to challenge an assistant coach to a fight.  Instead he gives a whole program (another) black eye.

And now he's managed to screw the pooch.  No team, soon no scholarship and a rep for being a misfit.  Deep hole to dig oneself out of.

[71Bear]

Some background for you...

McCain lost his scholie in the spring (academic issues) but regained it in the summer after he improved his academic standing during summer school. 

He was dismissed for reasons other than academics or legal issues.  According to those in the know, this has been a developing story for some time.  He was given a chance.  He failed to live up to his  end of the bargain and now he must be held accountable.

Let's face it.  This guy never belonged at UC.  He was recruited by a renegade assistant who signed guys regardless of their character or ability to assimilate into the kind of culture that is evident at schools like UC and Stanford.

I am pleased to see CoachDykes continue weed guys like McCain out of the program.  This is definitely a case of "addition by subtraction".

[71Bear]

Some background for you...

McCain lost his scholie in the spring (academic issues) but regained it in the summer after he improved his academic standing during summer school. 

He was dismissed for reasons other than academics or legal issues.  According to those in the know, this has been a developing story for some time.  He was given a chance.  He failed to live up to his  end of the bargain and now he must be held accountable.

Let's face it.  This guy never belonged at UC.  He was recruited by a renegade assistant who signed guys regardless of their character or ability to assimilate into the kind of culture that is evident at schools like UC and Stanford.

I am pleased to see CoachDykes continue weed guys like McCain out of the program.  This is definitely a case of "addition by subtraction".

[terry]

Let's face it.  This guy never belonged at UC.  He was recruited by a renegade assistant who signed guys regardless of their character or ability to assimilate into the kind of culture that is evident at schools like UC and Stanford.

I assume you're referring to Lupoi when you say McCain was recruited by a "renegade assistant." I don't think it's that simple. Lupoi was just part of the story. The Ca.l program appears to have had an association with a "street agent" who brought McCain, Keenan Allen, Zach Maynard, and Gabe King to Ca.l.

I've posted this before, but it has been a while, so I will summarize it again.

These four players all came from Guilford County, North Carolina, and signed with Ca.l in 2010. The recruitment of these players was unusual because a "mentor" of the four players played such a prominent role. The "mentor" was Otis Yelverton, who coached at several high schools in the Guilford County area over a period of years. Yelverton has been described as a "street agent."

Yelverton reportedly paid for the four players' unofficial visits to Ca.l and Oregon, and accompanied the players on those visits. He also hosted the players' press conference on LOI day. The players' high school coach had no contact with Ca.l, which is unusual. All contact was through Yelverton. There were rumors that Ca.l agreed to provide a job for Yelverton in return for delivering the four players to Ca.l.

Yelverton did, indeed, get a job in California. He became an assistant football coach at Contra Costa College in San Pablo.  It seems odd for a guy with long-time roots in Guilford County, North Carolina, to suddenly pop up at a college just 10 miles away from Berkeley.

The head coach at Contra Costa College is Alonzo Carter. Carter formerly coached at McClymonds High School in Oakland, then at Berkeley High School. Carter sent players to Ca.l from both schools. Carter apparently knows Jeff Tedford pretty well, because Tedford wrote a letter of recommendation to help Carter get the job at Berkeley High School. Tedford said he would be proud to entrust his own children to Carter.

Ca.l and Contra Costa College seem to have had a working relationship since Carter got there. Ca.l held its spring practices at Contra Costa College one year. Zach Maynard, one of the Guilford County players, enrolled at Contra Costa to get his academics in order so that he could transfer to Ca.l.

So, Yelverton delivered four players to Ca.l, there were rumors that Yelverton was offered a job in return, and Yelverton showed up near Berkeley working for a friend of Tedford's. An interesting series of events, I think.

[terry]

Let's face it.  This guy never belonged at UC.  He was recruited by a renegade assistant who signed guys regardless of their character or ability to assimilate into the kind of culture that is evident at schools like UC and Stanford.

I assume you're referring to Lupoi when you say McCain was recruited by a "renegade assistant." I don't think it's that simple. Lupoi was just part of the story. The Ca.l program appears to have had an association with a "street agent" who brought McCain, Keenan Allen, Zach Maynard, and Gabe King to Ca.l.

I've posted this before, but it has been a while, so I will summarize it again.

These four players all came from Guilford County, North Carolina, and signed with Ca.l in 2010. The recruitment of these players was unusual because a "mentor" of the four players played such a prominent role. The "mentor" was Otis Yelverton, who coached at several high schools in the Guilford County area over a period of years. Yelverton has been described as a "street agent."

Yelverton reportedly paid for the four players' unofficial visits to Ca.l and Oregon, and accompanied the players on those visits. He also hosted the players' press conference on LOI day. The players' high school coach had no contact with Ca.l, which is unusual. All contact was through Yelverton. There were rumors that Ca.l agreed to provide a job for Yelverton in return for delivering the four players to Ca.l.

Yelverton did, indeed, get a job in California. He became an assistant football coach at Contra Costa College in San Pablo.  It seems odd for a guy with long-time roots in Guilford County, North Carolina, to suddenly pop up at a college just 10 miles away from Berkeley.

The head coach at Contra Costa College is Alonzo Carter. Carter formerly coached at McClymonds High School in Oakland, then at Berkeley High School. Carter sent players to Ca.l from both schools. Carter apparently knows Jeff Tedford pretty well, because Tedford wrote a letter of recommendation to help Carter get the job at Berkeley High School. Tedford said he would be proud to entrust his own children to Carter.

Ca.l and Contra Costa College seem to have had a working relationship since Carter got there. Ca.l held its spring practices at Contra Costa College one year. Zach Maynard, one of the Guilford County players, enrolled at Contra Costa to get his academics in order so that he could transfer to Ca.l.

So, Yelverton delivered four players to Ca.l, there were rumors that Yelverton was offered a job in return, and Yelverton showed up near Berkeley working for a friend of Tedford's. An interesting series of events, I think.

[socalstanfan1]

Some background for you...

McCain lost his scholie in the spring (academic issues) but regained it in the summer after he improved his academic standing during summer school. 

He was dismissed for reasons other than academics or legal issues.  According to those in the know, this has been a developing story for some time.  He was given a chance.  He failed to live up to his  end of the bargain and now he must be held accountable.

Let's face it.  This guy never belonged at UC.  He was recruited by a renegade assistant who signed guys regardless of their character or ability to assimilate into the kind of culture that is evident at schools like UC and Stanford.

I am pleased to see CoachDykes continue weed guys like McCain out of the program.  This is definitely a case of "addition by subtraction".

I agree. Dykes has a big job ahead in changing the culture of the program (at least it seems that way from where I sit). Some coaches accomplish it quickly. I think Mora's big accomplishment (assisted greatly by a phenomenal young QB) was changing the team culture at UCLA from,one where the HC winked at seniors playing hookie from practice, to one in which the students handle themselves with seriousness and focus. USC may have to do the same thing after so man years of Kiffin.

[socalstanfan1]

Some background for you...

McCain lost his scholie in the spring (academic issues) but regained it in the summer after he improved his academic standing during summer school. 

He was dismissed for reasons other than academics or legal issues.  According to those in the know, this has been a developing story for some time.  He was given a chance.  He failed to live up to his  end of the bargain and now he must be held accountable.

Let's face it.  This guy never belonged at UC.  He was recruited by a renegade assistant who signed guys regardless of their character or ability to assimilate into the kind of culture that is evident at schools like UC and Stanford.

I am pleased to see CoachDykes continue weed guys like McCain out of the program.  This is definitely a case of "addition by subtraction".

I agree. Dykes has a big job ahead in changing the culture of the program (at least it seems that way from where I sit). Some coaches accomplish it quickly. I think Mora's big accomplishment (assisted greatly by a phenomenal young QB) was changing the team culture at UCLA from,one where the HC winked at seniors playing hookie from practice, to one in which the students handle themselves with seriousness and focus. USC may have to do the same thing after so man years of Kiffin.

[Redrum]

Tedford wrote a letter of recommendation to help Carter get the job at Berkeley High School. Tedford said he would be proud to entrust his own children to Carter.

Now THAT is funny.  Given how Tedford did NOT entrust his kids to Carter.  Tedford, instead, bought a house in Blackhawk, about as far from the Berkeley city schools as one can live and still get to work on a daily basis.

And, to repeat, good on D.ykes.  Life is too short to work with bad people in any type of organization.

[Redrum]

Tedford wrote a letter of recommendation to help Carter get the job at Berkeley High School. Tedford said he would be proud to entrust his own children to Carter.

Now THAT is funny.  Given how Tedford did NOT entrust his kids to Carter.  Tedford, instead, bought a house in Blackhawk, about as far from the Berkeley city schools as one can live and still get to work on a daily basis.

And, to repeat, good on D.ykes.  Life is too short to work with bad people in any type of organization.

[admin]

The quote button is the sixth from the right in the bottom row.

To quote from someone else's post, press the quote link in the upper right, and the sofrware will automatically insert the quote text, as well as the poster's name and time stamp.

[admin]

The quote button is the sixth from the right in the bottom row.

To quote from someone else's post, press the quote link in the upper right, and the sofrware will automatically insert the quote text, as well as the poster's name and time stamp.

[Redrum]

The quote button is the sixth from the right in the bottom row.

To quote from someone else's post, press the quote link in the upper right, and the sofrware will automatically insert the quote text, as well as the poster's name and time stamp.

You know I do it my way because: (choose one or many)  a)  I am too old to use newfangled buttons.
b) I do it just to bug you.  c) every quote is precious in its own way, and shouldn't be treated by factory processes. d) Sometimes, to focus on one single snippet,  it's easier and simpler just to copy/paste that one phrase.  True, without the author/time/date stamp serious historians in the future will have a harder time tracing back to the original source material, but historians almost always get it wrong anyway.

[Redrum]

The quote button is the sixth from the right in the bottom row.

To quote from someone else's post, press the quote link in the upper right, and the sofrware will automatically insert the quote text, as well as the poster's name and time stamp.

You know I do it my way because: (choose one or many)  a)  I am too old to use newfangled buttons.
b) I do it just to bug you.  c) every quote is precious in its own way, and shouldn't be treated by factory processes. d) Sometimes, to focus on one single snippet,  it's easier and simpler just to copy/paste that one phrase.  True, without the author/time/date stamp serious historians in the future will have a harder time tracing back to the original source material, but historians almost always get it wrong anyway.

[washingtonismoney]

...but historians almost always get it wrong anyway.

This history major is not amused.

[washingtonismoney]

...but historians almost always get it wrong anyway.

This history major is not amused.

[admin]

Sometimes, to focus on one single snippet,  it's easier and simpler just to copy/paste that one phrase.

Copy and paste as you normally would, but instead of hitting the italicized I button. Select the button next to the hash tag. It's no more difficult, and will highlight only the selected portion. In addition, you can have still your fun foiling historians since that method doesn't insert the time stamp!

[admin]

Sometimes, to focus on one single snippet,  it's easier and simpler just to copy/paste that one phrase.

Copy and paste as you normally would, but instead of hitting the italicized I button. Select the button next to the hash tag. It's no more difficult, and will highlight only the selected portion. In addition, you can have still your fun foiling historians since that method doesn't insert the time stamp!

[Redrum]

Let's talk after historians get American Exceptionalism worked out and put to bed.

[Redrum]

Let's talk after historians get American Exceptionalism worked out and put to bed.

[pefloresjr]

I agree that it is a good sign for Cal that Yikes is clearing out some baggage.  It sends a strong message that he is in control and things need to be done his way.  It is still a big mystery to me how Tedford went from an energetic strategic coach to a guy who seemingly lost control of his teams.  He didn't or couldn't make them perform academically and he allowed some selfish players to dictate the way the team was run.  Don't get me wrong, I'd be perfectly happy to see the same happen to Yikes, but this move is a sign that he is trying to do things right. 

Cheers,
Pete F.

[pefloresjr]

I agree that it is a good sign for Cal that Yikes is clearing out some baggage.  It sends a strong message that he is in control and things need to be done his way.  It is still a big mystery to me how Tedford went from an energetic strategic coach to a guy who seemingly lost control of his teams.  He didn't or couldn't make them perform academically and he allowed some selfish players to dictate the way the team was run.  Don't get me wrong, I'd be perfectly happy to see the same happen to Yikes, but this move is a sign that he is trying to do things right. 

Cheers,
Pete F.

[washingtonismoney]

Let's talk after historians get American Exceptionalism worked out and put to bed.

Is this academic usage or popular "'MURICA NUMBER ONE LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT" usage? Because I'd guess most historians would agree in the former sense.

[washingtonismoney]

Let's talk after historians get American Exceptionalism worked out and put to bed.

Is this academic usage or popular "'MURICA NUMBER ONE LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT" usage? Because I'd guess most historians would agree in the former sense.

[GoodGrief]

Good for Sonny. Cancers should always be cut out of the team. It sounds as if there was no big incident that triggered the ejection--just ongoing lousy behavior and attitude. It's hardest to eject somebody when there's no major incident, but when you keep the cancer on, as as a coach you find yourself always wondering if the powderkeg is going to explode. Great that Sonny just decided that he'd had enough.

[GoodGrief]

Good for Sonny. Cancers should always be cut out of the team. It sounds as if there was no big incident that triggered the ejection--just ongoing lousy behavior and attitude. It's hardest to eject somebody when there's no major incident, but when you keep the cancer on, as as a coach you find yourself always wondering if the powderkeg is going to explode. Great that Sonny just decided that he'd had enough.

[fullmetal]

Ivan Maisel tweeted that the Bears have announced safety Alex Logan, center Chris Adcock as out for the year with injuries.  I believe Adcock was the starting center, which is all kinds of trouble for kal.

https://twitter.com/Ivan_Maisel/status/3...8097209344

[fullmetal]

Ivan Maisel tweeted that the Bears have announced safety Alex Logan, center Chris Adcock as out for the year with injuries.  I believe Adcock was the starting center, which is all kinds of trouble for kal.

https://twitter.com/Ivan_Maisel/status/3...8097209344

[stupac2]

At this point you have to start wondering if all these injuries are on the staff's shoulders. Something clearly isn't right.

[stupac2]

At this point you have to start wondering if all these injuries are on the staff's shoulders. Something clearly isn't right.

[StannyBoy]

Ivan Maisel tweeted that the 59ers have announced safety Alex Logan, center Chris Adcock as out for the year with injuries.  I believe Adcock was the starting center, which is all kinds of trouble for kal.

https://twitter.com/Ivan_Maisel/status/3...8097209344

I saw something about Logan retiring due to injuries so a little different than just being out for the rest of the season.

[StannyBoy]

Ivan Maisel tweeted that the 59ers have announced safety Alex Logan, center Chris Adcock as out for the year with injuries.  I believe Adcock was the starting center, which is all kinds of trouble for kal.

https://twitter.com/Ivan_Maisel/status/3...8097209344

I saw something about Logan retiring due to injuries so a little different than just being out for the rest of the season.

[ahuang06]

At this point, I feel for them - rebuilding is hard and will take a long time. They don't even have enough people to play a dime package without bringing in a receiver.

[ahuang06]

At this point, I feel for them - rebuilding is hard and will take a long time. They don't even have enough people to play a dime package without bringing in a receiver.