Again, I look at this season as an exhibition season. Not mad at Musgrave's offense so far. It's not perfect, but I think it would be way more effective if our line was there.
Using the term "pedestrian" to describe our QB play, while completely understandable given the numbers, seems to put an unfair amount at Chase's feet. It's hard to have him make long throws if he has a pass rusher in his face within 2-3 seconds on a majority of plays. That's not enough time for the receivers to even get 20yds out on their routes :/.
I'm ready to write off the season like everyone else, but I am enjoying the diamonds in the rough we are finding, like RB Moore.
So the more I think about it (and trust me I’m trying not to), this feels like the reverse of 2009. Team in long term decline with super conservative head coach heads on the road to meat slightly favored home team in Big Game. Home team falls behind but leads a seemingly inevitable final drive to complete the comeback (or tie in this case), however an unthinkable defensive play occurs and the road team squeaks out the win. Road team’s fans think that means they are destined to own the Axe forever, but that turns out to be very mistaken.
At least, that’s how I’m going to rationalize this for the next 11.5 months...
While there are legitimate explanations and so on, we blew a big game in a year in which we have the better team. To me that is just inexcusable given how rarely we have that advantage.
With sympathy to my fellow Bears that wrong-headedly follow the Dodgers, I think this MLB season, as well as CFB, are not genuine measures of the teams involved. With so many uncertainties, not to mention, the season was "off" for longer than they will actually play, I consider this whole season a one-off and that little or no authentic assessments can be made based upon such a year. But, oh my God, when one unit, under one coach, cost you the game more than once, that's a red flag, even in a Charlie Foxtrot, FUBAR of a season.
Especially when that unit is only on the field for a small percentage of the snaps, and when the mistakes have infiltrated all aspects of special teams play. Doesn’t seem to matter whether we are kicking or returning — a good number of experienced players are just not making basic plays.
Some of it is luck. Last year we were fortunate in the last minute of several games, this year not so. But, like they say "you make your own luck" by being prepared and ready for the moment.
Also I don't want to be bragging about how close we were to a win in all of our losses. If we played close to a Top 10 team, maybe we can be bragging, but we handed a first win of the season to all of our opponents.
The thing is, if Wilcox wants to be a defense oriented team, he needs to have better special teams play and that just hasn’t happened this year or really at all under Ragle/Wilcox.
Maybe the blocked FG/XP don’t happen if our three starters play today but who knows.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if we see players with NFL hopes start to opt out after this game.
Losing the first three and most winnable games on your schedule is not a good look for a head coach in his fourth year of the program. Let's remember that Bruce Snyder had two 1,000 rushers and beat UCLA for the first time in 25 years in his fourth year. And Jeff Tedford had already produced his best team ever and arguably the best Cal team in the modern era entering his fourth year.
Wilcox will have a weird shortened season and COVID to soften the blow on what could be a winless campaign. He will get a lot of air cover from the Cal administration and Cal backers going into his fifth season regardless of what happens. But I don't think he gets the offensive side of the ball the way that good head coaches must. I mean, how many creative offensive plays have we seen this year?
If he goes the way of Gilbertson, Holmoe and Dykes and exits Cal with a losing record, he will undoubtedly get picked up as a D coordinator at a very good program. In the meantime, the MEH of Cal football continues unabated.
All true. I’m still on the fence with regards to Wilcox. I like him and what he has accomplished with the defense but he is basically the upside down Dykes at this point. Good defense, average to bad offense, and special teams that are also average to bad. Wilcox has gotten exactly one unit right and he is in his 4th season with basically all his recruits and a team full of veterans throughout the roster yet he is 0-3 this season and 10-20 overall in Pac 12 play.
I really do think Wilcox is good coach. he's getting the most out of his players IMO. But what we see is that the roster just isn't all that talented. Recruiting is the lifeblood of a program and Cal just can't get the players needed to be consistently competitive for a P12 cha
Our ST is a real problem.
Here's a question: Will any players be able to play and keep their red shirts this year?
Every player gets another year of eligibility whether they played or sat out this year.
Oh, that's good.
Welp, I'm not sure I'd want to declare for the NFL after a season like this.
There's that.
Again, I look at this season as an exhibition season. Not mad at Musgrave's offense so far. It's not perfect, but I think it would be way more effective if our line was there.
We had the offensive line vs. Ucla
Party pooper
Using the term "pedestrian" to describe our QB play, while completely understandable given the numbers, seems to put an unfair amount at Chase's feet. It's hard to have him make long throws if he has a pass rusher in his face within 2-3 seconds on a majority of plays. That's not enough time for the receivers to even get 20yds out on their routes :/.
I'm ready to write off the season like everyone else, but I am enjoying the diamonds in the rough we are finding, like RB Moore.
It's hard to lose when you rush for 225 yards. But we did.
Also, hope we see more of Moore.
True enough.
So the more I think about it (and trust me I’m trying not to), this feels like the reverse of 2009. Team in long term decline with super conservative head coach heads on the road to meat slightly favored home team in Big Game. Home team falls behind but leads a seemingly inevitable final drive to complete the comeback (or tie in this case), however an unthinkable defensive play occurs and the road team squeaks out the win. Road team’s fans think that means they are destined to own the Axe forever, but that turns out to be very mistaken.
At least, that’s how I’m going to rationalize this for the next 11.5 months...
Being a Bear fan is hard on one's psyche.
Very creative. I like it.
While there are legitimate explanations and so on, we blew a big game in a year in which we have the better team. To me that is just inexcusable given how rarely we have that advantage.
With sympathy to my fellow Bears that wrong-headedly follow the Dodgers, I think this MLB season, as well as CFB, are not genuine measures of the teams involved. With so many uncertainties, not to mention, the season was "off" for longer than they will actually play, I consider this whole season a one-off and that little or no authentic assessments can be made based upon such a year. But, oh my God, when one unit, under one coach, cost you the game more than once, that's a red flag, even in a Charlie Foxtrot, FUBAR of a season.
Especially when that unit is only on the field for a small percentage of the snaps, and when the mistakes have infiltrated all aspects of special teams play. Doesn’t seem to matter whether we are kicking or returning — a good number of experienced players are just not making basic plays.
We probably are the "best" 0-3 team in the nation. Could have easily been 2-1 and headed into a pivotal game with Oregon, but it was not to be,
I rather it be that we are the worst 3-0 team in the nation. Win is everything.
Some of it is luck. Last year we were fortunate in the last minute of several games, this year not so. But, like they say "you make your own luck" by being prepared and ready for the moment.
That's my point. I rather win by fluke than lose by them. Losses hurt.
Also I don't want to be bragging about how close we were to a win in all of our losses. If we played close to a Top 10 team, maybe we can be bragging, but we handed a first win of the season to all of our opponents.
The thing is, if Wilcox wants to be a defense oriented team, he needs to have better special teams play and that just hasn’t happened this year or really at all under Ragle/Wilcox.
Maybe the blocked FG/XP don’t happen if our three starters play today but who knows.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if we see players with NFL hopes start to opt out after this game.
Losing the first three and most winnable games on your schedule is not a good look for a head coach in his fourth year of the program. Let's remember that Bruce Snyder had two 1,000 rushers and beat UCLA for the first time in 25 years in his fourth year. And Jeff Tedford had already produced his best team ever and arguably the best Cal team in the modern era entering his fourth year.
Wilcox will have a weird shortened season and COVID to soften the blow on what could be a winless campaign. He will get a lot of air cover from the Cal administration and Cal backers going into his fifth season regardless of what happens. But I don't think he gets the offensive side of the ball the way that good head coaches must. I mean, how many creative offensive plays have we seen this year?
If he goes the way of Gilbertson, Holmoe and Dykes and exits Cal with a losing record, he will undoubtedly get picked up as a D coordinator at a very good program. In the meantime, the MEH of Cal football continues unabated.
All true. I’m still on the fence with regards to Wilcox. I like him and what he has accomplished with the defense but he is basically the upside down Dykes at this point. Good defense, average to bad offense, and special teams that are also average to bad. Wilcox has gotten exactly one unit right and he is in his 4th season with basically all his recruits and a team full of veterans throughout the roster yet he is 0-3 this season and 10-20 overall in Pac 12 play.
I really do think Wilcox is good coach. he's getting the most out of his players IMO. But what we see is that the roster just isn't all that talented. Recruiting is the lifeblood of a program and Cal just can't get the players needed to be consistently competitive for a P12 cha
We scored over 40 against OSU in 2018.
Try 0 games, the best I believe we had was 37 in the Wazzu massacre of 2017.
I had to include the quote because it’s such a weird thing to say. We all know he’s going to play fewer snaps because of an injury.