Great write up. The rhetorical tone is perfect. I realized yesterday that I don't know what I'm going to do about the Big Game. I'm coming out to the Bay Area for it, but I'm seriously thinking of sitting up on Tightwad Hill. This write up captures exactly why-I DO NOT WANT TO PAY $50 (or more!) to watch Cal football. Every bone in my body rebels against it, even though I can probably sit wherever I want to given what is likely to be not great attendance. TBH, every game I've been able to sit where I want every game of the Wilcox era I've attended. It IS one thing to be bad but exciting and zany, as some of the Dykes era games were but it is deadly to be boring and bad. You just want to turn away, so you don't see the car crash.
Cal never boress me! those are alive gues on the fielD who are putting pretty much everything on the line for the bears! CAP SAID ", THE BEARS NEVER DIE". THEY LIVE ON THE FIELD AND IN MY HEART!
It's an interesting quandary. Assuming Wilcox isn't trying to lose (and a lot of players still seem to be trying), 2 possibilities come to mind.
Did Wilcox legitimately think Musgrave's offense was going to work, at least with the right transfer QB? And by the time it became obvious that it's not going to with the players in aggregate Cal has and can attract, was it too late to make a productive change until after the season?
Or did Wilcox and Musgrave think they could attract a better transfer QB? Or did they think Plummer would develop into a more efficient QB that would be good enough to win with this system and supporting cast? And in either case, when it became clear the answer was no, it was too late to do anything about it?
In any of these cases, the result is a mostly lost season. But deciding which scenario for things going wrong is key to deciding what to do next. It's been a program defining issue for other teams in the conference as well; Mike Riley at Oregon State in the declining later years was the classic example, and loyalty to coordinators of questionable or out of date systems was at the center of the issue there as well.
The key decision when things aren't working is are you trying to do the right thing, and it would or will work if you work harder/do it better, or is what you are trying to do the wrong thing, and it won't work with any amount of hard work and effort (and you need to take a different approach, possibly with different types of coaches and players)? The latter choice is often very hard for a head coach to come to the conclusion needs to be made. After all, they honestly thought they were making the best choices of staff and scheme and style when they got everyone into the mess.
Boring and winning is one thing. Sonny Dykes was high scoring but defensively inept and never boring. Hard to get behind boring and losing. I guess at least there are no scandals like in other programs.
If JW wants to be boring adn good -- teh Wisconsin way -- he needs to recruit better offensive linemen. Period.
The elephant in the room is that boring and bad also leads current lads to turn their eyes towards the Portal. Of Ott, Sturdivant, and Hunter, will any of them return? Could anyone in good conscience counsel them to stay?
Harsin coached with Wilcox at Boise State 2001–2002 and 2006–2009. Harsin is a QB coach at heart, has won championships, was a poor fit at Auburn, and I'm sure has buyout language that makes the financials work.
Big shout-out to P12 Network and AT&T. Because in the 3rd quarter I was able sit in the stadium AND watch Cal’s amazing, sensational OT water polo win over UCLA. On my phone. WAAAY better than what was on the field in front of me. #1 in the country, baby!
I can't help but think back to when I came to Cal in 1989 (Bruce Snyder HC and Troy Taylor at QB) and they went 4-7 and nobody seemed to care. Things were bleak and Taylor was graduating, so people expected it to only get worse. The next year, with Paws at QB and Mooch as OC, there was new attitude and things really turned around (7W-4L-1T). 1991 was even better, (10-2). So, maybe there's more hope than we think?
I hereby call myself out for being a boring fan. I used to think up stuff to bring to games like a big "There Is No Stanfurdium" sign. I used to find joy in losing but at least being funnier and more grounded about it than other fanbases were. I think all of us here should commit for the rest of this season to being interesting. No more boilerplate "we have a horrible offensive line and x and y and z need to be fired" posts; we're decrying how boring our offense is while being even more boring ourselves by posting repetitive, predictable rants. We've had them ad nauseam. Let's get creative!
This was a bad hire from the start. Zak Hill and Musgrave were on the open market at the same time, and Hill chose ASU and we got second fiddle with Musgrave.
Hill was fired for bringing recruits on campus during the covid quiet period, but he's 42 and has a long road ahead of him. We can acquire a A+ OC for a discount at the end of this season.
Will Hill leave us for the SEC after a few years and bringing Cal back to relevancy? Yes.
Do I care? No. I just want to see the words "Cal + Relevancy" again.
Playing football without a defensive and offensive line seems like a difficult hill to climb.
Great write up. The rhetorical tone is perfect. I realized yesterday that I don't know what I'm going to do about the Big Game. I'm coming out to the Bay Area for it, but I'm seriously thinking of sitting up on Tightwad Hill. This write up captures exactly why-I DO NOT WANT TO PAY $50 (or more!) to watch Cal football. Every bone in my body rebels against it, even though I can probably sit wherever I want to given what is likely to be not great attendance. TBH, every game I've been able to sit where I want every game of the Wilcox era I've attended. It IS one thing to be bad but exciting and zany, as some of the Dykes era games were but it is deadly to be boring and bad. You just want to turn away, so you don't see the car crash.
Cal never boress me! those are alive gues on the fielD who are putting pretty much everything on the line for the bears! CAP SAID ", THE BEARS NEVER DIE". THEY LIVE ON THE FIELD AND IN MY HEART!
JUST STAY ALIVE ...AND ......GO BEARS!!!!
It's an interesting quandary. Assuming Wilcox isn't trying to lose (and a lot of players still seem to be trying), 2 possibilities come to mind.
Did Wilcox legitimately think Musgrave's offense was going to work, at least with the right transfer QB? And by the time it became obvious that it's not going to with the players in aggregate Cal has and can attract, was it too late to make a productive change until after the season?
Or did Wilcox and Musgrave think they could attract a better transfer QB? Or did they think Plummer would develop into a more efficient QB that would be good enough to win with this system and supporting cast? And in either case, when it became clear the answer was no, it was too late to do anything about it?
In any of these cases, the result is a mostly lost season. But deciding which scenario for things going wrong is key to deciding what to do next. It's been a program defining issue for other teams in the conference as well; Mike Riley at Oregon State in the declining later years was the classic example, and loyalty to coordinators of questionable or out of date systems was at the center of the issue there as well.
The key decision when things aren't working is are you trying to do the right thing, and it would or will work if you work harder/do it better, or is what you are trying to do the wrong thing, and it won't work with any amount of hard work and effort (and you need to take a different approach, possibly with different types of coaches and players)? The latter choice is often very hard for a head coach to come to the conclusion needs to be made. After all, they honestly thought they were making the best choices of staff and scheme and style when they got everyone into the mess.
Boring and winning is one thing. Sonny Dykes was high scoring but defensively inept and never boring. Hard to get behind boring and losing. I guess at least there are no scandals like in other programs.
If JW wants to be boring adn good -- teh Wisconsin way -- he needs to recruit better offensive linemen. Period.
The elephant in the room is that boring and bad also leads current lads to turn their eyes towards the Portal. Of Ott, Sturdivant, and Hunter, will any of them return? Could anyone in good conscience counsel them to stay?
I'm so far withdrawn from Cal football right now, I'll just say "Well said" on this. Not a cry, just yawn.
It's not fair to blame Wilcox for that sleeping guy. I've seen that guy sleeping in the stands since Tedford was here.
Hire Bryan Harsin for OC.
Harsin coached with Wilcox at Boise State 2001–2002 and 2006–2009. Harsin is a QB coach at heart, has won championships, was a poor fit at Auburn, and I'm sure has buyout language that makes the financials work.
Big shout-out to P12 Network and AT&T. Because in the 3rd quarter I was able sit in the stadium AND watch Cal’s amazing, sensational OT water polo win over UCLA. On my phone. WAAAY better than what was on the field in front of me. #1 in the country, baby!
Spav and Jacob Peeler will probably be looking for work soon :-D
I can't help but think back to when I came to Cal in 1989 (Bruce Snyder HC and Troy Taylor at QB) and they went 4-7 and nobody seemed to care. Things were bleak and Taylor was graduating, so people expected it to only get worse. The next year, with Paws at QB and Mooch as OC, there was new attitude and things really turned around (7W-4L-1T). 1991 was even better, (10-2). So, maybe there's more hope than we think?
I hereby call myself out for being a boring fan. I used to think up stuff to bring to games like a big "There Is No Stanfurdium" sign. I used to find joy in losing but at least being funnier and more grounded about it than other fanbases were. I think all of us here should commit for the rest of this season to being interesting. No more boilerplate "we have a horrible offensive line and x and y and z need to be fired" posts; we're decrying how boring our offense is while being even more boring ourselves by posting repetitive, predictable rants. We've had them ad nauseam. Let's get creative!
Terrific “spot on “ read. Many Thanks for your insight and efforts
This was a bad hire from the start. Zak Hill and Musgrave were on the open market at the same time, and Hill chose ASU and we got second fiddle with Musgrave.
Hill was fired for bringing recruits on campus during the covid quiet period, but he's 42 and has a long road ahead of him. We can acquire a A+ OC for a discount at the end of this season.
Will Hill leave us for the SEC after a few years and bringing Cal back to relevancy? Yes.
Do I care? No. I just want to see the words "Cal + Relevancy" again.
At end of season, fire McClure and Musgrave and get Troy Taylor as OC.