I sure miss the days of Nam Le and practice reports of what was seen. I know teams have enforced more privacy for their practices, but are we going to see any reports of what was seen live by reporters?
Damn really sad to hear that Tevin Paul has moved on, I really loved what he brought to the table in terms of pressure and getting to the QB. I assume a mix of Patu and Croteau will be in the cards to take his spot but who knows. I think Wilcox helping Coach DB's will be great along with Reinwald as a FB since his TE position somewhat grapples with the idea of opening up holes for the run game. The person I'm most excited about is Jeremiah Hunter, the dude was insane at Central High School and I'm intrigued with what he brings along with Kekoa, Nikko, JMS, and Mavin.
I would be pretty calm too, if I could lose a majority of my conference games every year and retain my cushy, high paid position ad infinitum. Mazel tov, Justin.
I think Wilcox has the exact opposite of a "cushy" position! Has to be among the most difficult, stressful, unreasonable and harrowing positions one can have in a leadership capacity. And doing so at UC Berkeley must be the most, or among the most, challenging places to do it in the Pac12, despite all our advantages.
I think Wilcox' record is 21-21 including non-conference games, not too bad for a Cal coach but not Tedfordian yet. I hope we start 4-0 in the non-conference slate. Then we usually get into the Top 25 before falling like Icarus.
I am a little puzzled why Wilcox gets so much love on this site. His conference record is what counts, and he is pretty much bottom feeding with Chip Kelly. The difference between the overall records is that Kelly had to play some really good non conference teams like UCLA and Cincinnati while Wilcox got to play Mississippi and North Carolina programs that were getting ready to fire their head coaches.
I think at least some of that love comes from the fact that Wilcox is a true gentleman, looks great in Cal gear and comports himself so well with the media. It doesn't hurt that he beat USC once and Washington twice. But he needs to deliver the goods and start regularly beating the programs where Cal should have an advantage year over year. Arizona and Oregon State come first to mind. And Cal at the least should also be trading wins with little brother UCLA. So if the Bears take another beating from the Bruins this year, I see trouble ahead.
Not to sell Wilcox short, but its the context of our program, the previous regime, and our expectations.
- The constraints of coaching at a University that doesnt value football the same way most top 25 programs do. That includes us, the fans. Memorial Stadium isnt exactly the epicenter of rabid college football fandom.
- Academic constraints on recruiting, but an upward trend in the quality of recruits. (Best class now since Tedford)
- The debacle of Sonny Dykes' constant job search and wanting out. Wilcox apparently wants to be here.
- The debacle of Dykes' defenses, and apparently how this fan base requires having a respectable defense as a baseline for having a respectable program. Air Raid aint our style.
- And yes, quality of character, which can often be taken for granted
I personally am not a huge fan of Wilcox, but I'm happy to have him as coach.
I think he's too conservative of a game manager. AND let's face it, he doesnt have a thrilling extrovertive personality. You mentioned he is good with the media, but in my opinion he is one of the most boring interviews out there. Granted, lots of coaches are like that. I'm not going to say he's a Bill Bellichek, but wish he would lighten up some more.
To me, there's a fundamental "joy" missing, and I think that's what translates into the ultra conservative game strategy, where they are playing to technically get the win and not for the fun of the game.
I've quipped before, I wonder if Wilcox was given the chance to get a win in a game without even playing it, would he take the win? I mean, the point of the game is winning, so a win is a win right?
I would generally agree with your thoughts, however, everything is context. I do think Wilcox overachieves with the talent he inherited and concur that Sonny Dykes was a complete debacle that cost us a couple of years. Let's see what he can do with the better talent that has come in the last year. I will say with the way Oregon and USC are recruiting, I don't have any hope of ever seeing a conference championship or Rose Bowl in our future. I think the best goal we can hope to achieve is participating in a bowl game that is I am afraid our ceiling. I also think our Offensive recruiting is going to always hold us back. I saw an interview with Musgrave today and I am sure he is a good coach who knows his stuff. However, I just don't think he would be appealing to most recruits. I think we were lucky to get a couple of the recruits this year on the offensive side. Clearly, the defensive side of the ball is where we have our firepower.
But oh my lord the fan base does go crazy when the program starts winning regularly. I remember the Cal/Washington game of 1991 when you could not wedge a bag of peanuts into the bleachers between the mass of people. Or the Cal/Tennessee game in non conference 2007. It takes winning and players that excite the fan base. In 1991, Russell White could break a game open every time he touched the ball. In 2007, you paid the money to see DeSean Jackson run back a punt for a touchdown, as he did in the Tennessee game in maybe the most exciting play I have ever seen at Memorial.
I could not agree with you more about the conservative game manager part. I almost threw my shoe through a TV in the most recent Oregon game when all Cal needed to do was make a first down in Oregon territory to salt away the game. Instead, Wilcox and Co. ran it up the gut two or three times to let his defense win the game. That happened, but it could have easily gone the other way.
Assuming you have a "reply fail" here? as I literally said Wilcox is the most boring interview out there. Nevertheless, I do miss having a high powered offense, but not at the expense of defense.. I want both, damnit! So, I'm hopeful the offense will improve, and think that's more a product of the "rising tide raises all ships" concept as the program at large improves and we continue to draw better athletic talent in our draft classes. The right quarterback can change everything almost instantly (no disrespect to Garbers), so we can cross our fingers a little about a couple of our recent qb recruits. I dont think we have reason to believe Musgrave will be an innovative mastermind of any offensive 180 (not to mention Wilcox's conservatism), but I think he will be a more than competent offensive coordinator as far as x's and o's are concerned, than his predecessor Beau, who was a great guy, and is better suited as a head coach.
Wesley Walker may have been the best Cal receiver in the pros, but was far from the best ever receiver at Cal. Best ever in terms of yardage per catch? Okay, he did have insane yards per catch records every year. Lots of touchdowns? Yes, but Steve Rivera was the best receiver on both the '74 and '75 teams, which is why he caught four times as many passes one of those years than did Walker. And Steve Sweeney was a better receiver than Rivera. Loved Walker, but to me a team's best receiver is generally the one with the most catches. Sean Dawkins, Keenan Allen and for one year Chad Hansen and a number more seemed to me to be more significant Cal receivers than Walker.
Assuming you have another "reply fail" here as I never mentioned Jackson.. but, whats the basis of the "Walker" (do you mean Welker?) comparison? They're very different style receivers. Welker was a possession style slot receiver. Jackson a speedy homerun wide receiver.
Yes! With covid cases and deaths dropping, vaccines becoming increasingly available, and cal football spring practice, things are inching back to normal!
I'll for sure write about as many media sessions as I can, but Wilcox is stingy with his information about depth charts. It's impossible to know about that stuff unless protocols change and media is allowed back in.
Perhaps you can ask him if the QB position is open competition or if Garbers has the job. Hopefully like all other positions it is truly "open" competition. We need a big step up from that position and a QB that is willing to throw the ball into tight windows, Garbers seems reluctant to do that.
Not sure if I hate to sound like a cliche or not.... I cannot believe that every position isn’t open for competition. If another QB consistently shows they are more likely to win than Chase, the job is theirs. But Chase’s game experience counts for a lot; all things being equal in practice his game experience would put him WAY ahead of anyone else.
I sure miss the days of Nam Le and practice reports of what was seen. I know teams have enforced more privacy for their practices, but are we going to see any reports of what was seen live by reporters?
Right now, media are barred from practice due to COVID protocols. Rest assured I'll be at as many as possible once that's changed.
Thanks much
Damn really sad to hear that Tevin Paul has moved on, I really loved what he brought to the table in terms of pressure and getting to the QB. I assume a mix of Patu and Croteau will be in the cards to take his spot but who knows. I think Wilcox helping Coach DB's will be great along with Reinwald as a FB since his TE position somewhat grapples with the idea of opening up holes for the run game. The person I'm most excited about is Jeremiah Hunter, the dude was insane at Central High School and I'm intrigued with what he brings along with Kekoa, Nikko, JMS, and Mavin.
Hunter was hurt this past season IIRC. Do you know if he has been cleared to start practice?
Yes, Hunter is back.
I would be pretty calm too, if I could lose a majority of my conference games every year and retain my cushy, high paid position ad infinitum. Mazel tov, Justin.
I think Wilcox has the exact opposite of a "cushy" position! Has to be among the most difficult, stressful, unreasonable and harrowing positions one can have in a leadership capacity. And doing so at UC Berkeley must be the most, or among the most, challenging places to do it in the Pac12, despite all our advantages.
Was thinking the same. I LOVE college football and would never want that job knowing how crushing underperforming is to the fan base!
I think Wilcox' record is 21-21 including non-conference games, not too bad for a Cal coach but not Tedfordian yet. I hope we start 4-0 in the non-conference slate. Then we usually get into the Top 25 before falling like Icarus.
I am a little puzzled why Wilcox gets so much love on this site. His conference record is what counts, and he is pretty much bottom feeding with Chip Kelly. The difference between the overall records is that Kelly had to play some really good non conference teams like UCLA and Cincinnati while Wilcox got to play Mississippi and North Carolina programs that were getting ready to fire their head coaches.
I think at least some of that love comes from the fact that Wilcox is a true gentleman, looks great in Cal gear and comports himself so well with the media. It doesn't hurt that he beat USC once and Washington twice. But he needs to deliver the goods and start regularly beating the programs where Cal should have an advantage year over year. Arizona and Oregon State come first to mind. And Cal at the least should also be trading wins with little brother UCLA. So if the Bears take another beating from the Bruins this year, I see trouble ahead.
Not to sell Wilcox short, but its the context of our program, the previous regime, and our expectations.
- The constraints of coaching at a University that doesnt value football the same way most top 25 programs do. That includes us, the fans. Memorial Stadium isnt exactly the epicenter of rabid college football fandom.
- Academic constraints on recruiting, but an upward trend in the quality of recruits. (Best class now since Tedford)
- The debacle of Sonny Dykes' constant job search and wanting out. Wilcox apparently wants to be here.
- The debacle of Dykes' defenses, and apparently how this fan base requires having a respectable defense as a baseline for having a respectable program. Air Raid aint our style.
- And yes, quality of character, which can often be taken for granted
I personally am not a huge fan of Wilcox, but I'm happy to have him as coach.
I think he's too conservative of a game manager. AND let's face it, he doesnt have a thrilling extrovertive personality. You mentioned he is good with the media, but in my opinion he is one of the most boring interviews out there. Granted, lots of coaches are like that. I'm not going to say he's a Bill Bellichek, but wish he would lighten up some more.
To me, there's a fundamental "joy" missing, and I think that's what translates into the ultra conservative game strategy, where they are playing to technically get the win and not for the fun of the game.
I've quipped before, I wonder if Wilcox was given the chance to get a win in a game without even playing it, would he take the win? I mean, the point of the game is winning, so a win is a win right?
I would generally agree with your thoughts, however, everything is context. I do think Wilcox overachieves with the talent he inherited and concur that Sonny Dykes was a complete debacle that cost us a couple of years. Let's see what he can do with the better talent that has come in the last year. I will say with the way Oregon and USC are recruiting, I don't have any hope of ever seeing a conference championship or Rose Bowl in our future. I think the best goal we can hope to achieve is participating in a bowl game that is I am afraid our ceiling. I also think our Offensive recruiting is going to always hold us back. I saw an interview with Musgrave today and I am sure he is a good coach who knows his stuff. However, I just don't think he would be appealing to most recruits. I think we were lucky to get a couple of the recruits this year on the offensive side. Clearly, the defensive side of the ball is where we have our firepower.
But oh my lord the fan base does go crazy when the program starts winning regularly. I remember the Cal/Washington game of 1991 when you could not wedge a bag of peanuts into the bleachers between the mass of people. Or the Cal/Tennessee game in non conference 2007. It takes winning and players that excite the fan base. In 1991, Russell White could break a game open every time he touched the ball. In 2007, you paid the money to see DeSean Jackson run back a punt for a touchdown, as he did in the Tennessee game in maybe the most exciting play I have ever seen at Memorial.
I could not agree with you more about the conservative game manager part. I almost threw my shoe through a TV in the most recent Oregon game when all Cal needed to do was make a first down in Oregon territory to salt away the game. Instead, Wilcox and Co. ran it up the gut two or three times to let his defense win the game. That happened, but it could have easily gone the other way.
Assuming you have a "reply fail" here? as I literally said Wilcox is the most boring interview out there. Nevertheless, I do miss having a high powered offense, but not at the expense of defense.. I want both, damnit! So, I'm hopeful the offense will improve, and think that's more a product of the "rising tide raises all ships" concept as the program at large improves and we continue to draw better athletic talent in our draft classes. The right quarterback can change everything almost instantly (no disrespect to Garbers), so we can cross our fingers a little about a couple of our recent qb recruits. I dont think we have reason to believe Musgrave will be an innovative mastermind of any offensive 180 (not to mention Wilcox's conservatism), but I think he will be a more than competent offensive coordinator as far as x's and o's are concerned, than his predecessor Beau, who was a great guy, and is better suited as a head coach.
I want 2006/2007 Cal offense
Wesley Walker may have been the best Cal receiver in the pros, but was far from the best ever receiver at Cal. Best ever in terms of yardage per catch? Okay, he did have insane yards per catch records every year. Lots of touchdowns? Yes, but Steve Rivera was the best receiver on both the '74 and '75 teams, which is why he caught four times as many passes one of those years than did Walker. And Steve Sweeney was a better receiver than Rivera. Loved Walker, but to me a team's best receiver is generally the one with the most catches. Sean Dawkins, Keenan Allen and for one year Chad Hansen and a number more seemed to me to be more significant Cal receivers than Walker.
Assuming you have another "reply fail" here as I never mentioned Jackson.. but, whats the basis of the "Walker" (do you mean Welker?) comparison? They're very different style receivers. Welker was a possession style slot receiver. Jackson a speedy homerun wide receiver.
Tedford is my favorite coach, but I hope that someday Wilcox outperforms Tedford and becomes the best HC in Cal history.
We have Nevada, TCU, Sac State, and Arizona to start out, so we have a good shot at 4-0.
How many times did you check? I think you wrote at least four times that you "just checked"
Good question; lemme check....
Yes! With covid cases and deaths dropping, vaccines becoming increasingly available, and cal football spring practice, things are inching back to normal!
Looking forward to the season, and maybe attending the games.
I'll for sure write about as many media sessions as I can, but Wilcox is stingy with his information about depth charts. It's impossible to know about that stuff unless protocols change and media is allowed back in.
Perhaps you can ask him if the QB position is open competition or if Garbers has the job. Hopefully like all other positions it is truly "open" competition. We need a big step up from that position and a QB that is willing to throw the ball into tight windows, Garbers seems reluctant to do that.
Not sure if I hate to sound like a cliche or not.... I cannot believe that every position isn’t open for competition. If another QB consistently shows they are more likely to win than Chase, the job is theirs. But Chase’s game experience counts for a lot; all things being equal in practice his game experience would put him WAY ahead of anyone else.
https://twitter.com/CalFootball/status/1364771484288212992 additional video from Cal football shows what looks like Chase Garbers making throws with the 1's
The final practice is set for March 20; Wilcox hasn't stated anything about a standard spring game.