Would you have started Tavita Pritchard or true freshman Andrew Luck in 2008? I'm pretty sure that was Harbaugh's call, and he chose TP (and the team finished 5-7). TP was 147-254 (57.9%) for 1633 yds, 10 TDs and 13 INTs in 12 games. As I recall, there were some folks calling for a QB change that year.
I can't believe I have to write this, but it's ludicrous to suggest that David Shaw is not competitive. Poor decision-maker re: personnel? He's not perfect, but more often than not he's right. Maybe it's his level demeanor that makes folks think he doesn't care, but I can guarantee you that he knows a lot more about coaching than anyone on this discussion board. He's the winningest coach in school history, won the Pac-12 North 4 times, the Pac-12 CG 3 times, won 2 out of 3 Rose Bowls, 4x conference Coach of the Year, etc. That's a pretty impressive resume for someone who's not competitive!
I can't believe I have to write this, but it's ludicrous to suggest that David Shaw is not competitive. Poor decision-maker re: personnel? He's not perfect, but more often than not he's right. Maybe it's his level demeanor that makes folks think he doesn't care, but I can guarantee you that he knows a lot more about coaching than anyone on this discussion board. He's the winningest coach in school history, won the Pac-12 North 4 times, the Pac-12 CG 3 times, won 2 out of 3 Rose Bowls, 4x conference Coach of the Year, etc. That's a pretty impressive resume for someone who's not competitive!
If there's one thing people have learned in Berkeley, it's that you can't put "Cal football" and "Rose Bowl" in the same sentence. The words just don't fit. You'd be better off linking "covered wagons" with "Mars travel." (Bruce Jenkins, Cal '70, SF Chronicle, Nov. 11, 2017)