35 Comments
Oct 3, 2021Liked by Avinash Kunnath

I think Wilcox should have to play Squid Game after this season to earn another year as our HC.

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In screenwriting, we say that the beginning always hints at the end. That's why that Wazzu game feels familiar.

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I rode my motorcycle 1500 miles to see this joke of a game. Total incompetence. We made them look like Alabama. Horrible play calls. Horrible execution. Horrendous Oline play. Dumpster fire ala Holmoe. I will not attend another Cal game this year. And I'm die hard. That was beyond a joke. I hope they win a few for the seniors, but that level of total ineptitude does not happen accidentally. And have I read today that Wilcox has fired Ragle? No? No big changes? No? I've been all in on Wilcox, and certainly take nothing away from him as a man and saying the right things and the guys graduating and all that, but football is game played to win. And losing like that after losing like those others, too much. Next?

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Wilcox is not the coach Cal needs but the coach it deserves.

If you don’t know who the bottom dwelling wanker in the conference is, you’re the BDW.

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It comes down to recruiting - the GPA requirement has killed it. We have no outstanding athletes on the team - no speed and football is a speed game now. And you can't coach speed either.

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I don't agree with you on many fronts but let's start with the simplest only because it's the most obvious:

"In either of those above cases, do you see them getting better than they were in 2019? With this staff at the helm?

I can’t answer that question for you."

which you opine and answer yourself, just above this text with:

"(We don’t need to devote any mental energy to discussing the 1-3 win scenarios, which, I hope the athletic department recognizes would have to result in his ouster.)" I would have added emphasis if this site allowed me, but it doesn't.

If you want Wilcox out, just have the courage to say so. Wilcox is building a program but along the way he has made significant and common mistakes of a business manager / coach. One of his top 3 was hiring Greatwood. While GW had a great record/reputation he was clearly on the tail end of his career and wasn't a particularly great recruiter (Craig being his only blue chip). Nepotism is a manager/coach's worst act. Wilcox has repeated that with Sirmon. For Cal to be successful OL is one of the 2 foundations (DL is the other) that must exist. So, starting out with GW put the program back 2 - 3 years. A better solution would have been to hire an OL coach equivalent of Browning (current DL coach). Angus wasn't much of a step up from GW and recruiting is still iffy on OL. It doesn't look like Angus will bring in any blue chippers with this cycle ~ he's on the hot seat, starting with these next 2 weeks of "development".

The second major mistake is sticking with CG for so long. Albeit there are several reasonable reasons for this: Cal doesn't have anyone better or they had but they all transferred. Losing 2 QBs last spring falls on the staff. The other obvious reason is Cal's inability a recruit a top QB. I would describe a "top" QB not necessarily as a 4* or 5* but one that can throw the ball with velocity (accuracy can be taught, velocity can't). Should Wilcox go down he will have to reflect on sticking with CG. Many managers stick to their A player for too long only to find out later, much too late, that the underling was much better.

I am still a Wilcox supporter while recognizing that his mistakes are common and therefore stupid. Were I his advisor I would recommend several things by EOY:

Angus: improve this OL and get me 8 OL that I can depend on or your ass is gone in December.

Musgrave: play Millner a minimum of 3 series per game from now until the last game, starting after the Oregun game (it would be cruel to put a freshmen into an away game at Oregun as his first experience).

Sirmon/Browning/Watson: keep doing what you are doing

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Good article, one minor question or point of clarification.

“ has some parallels to the way Oregon State dominating the Bears was for the 2016 team”

Did mean Washington State instead of Oregon State? We actually showed fight against Oregon State in 16 and came back to take that game to OT, where eventually lost. WSU destroyed us 51-21 in 16 and that looked like a give up game.

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The Fire Wilcox chants were across several alumni sections as well. This was the first game I was able to go to and it was jarring to hear. There is a guy in the section next to us everyone just calls "Angry Guy". He's been coming to games by himself for 20 years and listens to Starkey on a transistor radio. He talks to himself a lot and mutters obscenities. When really ticked he jumps up and down. He was pretty quiet most of the game (for him) and then just got up and left in the middle of the third quarter.

A first. I find myself in the brain fog alluded to by Nam but also wanting the Executive Corrective Action program described by Taco. However, these would be very bold moves for a stoic Wilcox, and in order to keep fans and donors engaged, he'd have to communicate the details of his plan like leaders do with their stakeholders. He certainly *can* talk to reporters and fans, and does share some inside info with donors, but he has never really communicated anything from what I've observed. So no matter what, the fandom appears lost unless there is some epic turnaround and the fans get a glimpse of the post-Garbers era, which means Millner, Hunter, Sturdivant, Anderson, Mangum, Lee, etc. seeing some real time.

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