The heart and soul was taken from that team after the Miami game. The complete collapse of the coaching staff was a complete disappointment. As for the Syracuse game, I knew coming in that Syracuse was a good team, that stat about them being lucky was stupid. The bottom line is I like Wilcox but he continues to make the wrong decisions that cost this team wins, every year. He is never able to get this team over the hump. It’s too bad because they have talent.
Like the anger and angst among many over the national election results, Cal fans are searching for a way to explain the ongoing failure of the Golden Bears to achieve competitive respectability. The focus in my humble opinion rests on one particular area; our offensive line. The coaches have done the best they can with the players at their disposal, even after injuries. But if you look at even some other mediocre teams, all have respectable, if not better, offensive lines. Mendoza should win an award for the most effective quarterback without a running game or adequate protection in the nation this year. Unless Cal can recruit and pay for a strong offensive line, then our defenses, no matter how better than average, will be exposed in the 4th quarter of games. Of course, if we had a denfense line that not only could stop the run, but put pressure on opposing quarterbacks consistently, that would be wonderful. But it appears we will end up either 6-6 or 5-7, and that is a sad outcome for the players who have given all that have, save the performance against Syracuse.
First of all, thank you Piotr. I'll look forward to the podcast.
Asked of Chat GPT:
Me: "Why is Cal football losing so many games?
Chat GPT with an answer that seems better suited for last year than this year:
"Cal football has struggled with consistency in recent seasons, and there are several key factors contributing to their losses:
1. **Quarterback Play**: Inconsistent quarterback performance has been a major issue for the Golden Bears. Quarterback play is vital to a team's success, and Cal has faced challenges in finding a reliable signal-caller who can lead the offense effectively. Poor decision-making and turnovers have plagued the team at times.
2. **Offensive Struggles**: Cal has been one of the least productive offenses in the Pac-12, especially in the passing game. They often struggle to generate big plays, and their offensive line has had issues with pass protection and run blocking. This has led to difficulty in maintaining drives and scoring consistently.
3. **Injuries**: Like many teams, Cal has been hurt by injuries to key players. Injuries to important positions, including the offensive line and key defensive players, have hindered their ability to compete at a high level.
4. **Coaching Changes**: The team has gone through some coaching instability, which can disrupt a program's continuity. New schemes and systems take time to implement, and it can be challenging for players to adjust to these changes while facing competitive Pac-12 teams.
5. **Defensive Inconsistency**: Cal traditionally has had a strong defense, but in recent years, their defense has shown inconsistency. While the team still has some talented defensive players, lapses in coverage, missed tackles, and a lack of pressure on opposing quarterbacks have contributed to their struggles.
6. **Tough Competition**: The Pac-12 is a highly competitive conference, with several teams that consistently rank among the best in the nation. Teams like Oregon, Washington, and USC often outperform Cal, putting more pressure on the Bears to compete at a high level.
These combined factors have led to Cal football's struggles in recent seasons. While they have some strong individual players and the potential to improve, overcoming these issues will be key to their future success."
I am reading recaps of Wilcox's Tuesday presser and again I am not seeing where anyone asked him what it would take for him to quit. (sigh) Hopefully those questions are just not being reported.
Looking at the luckiest teams - three of the top 13 played (and beat) us. My first reaction was that it was unlucky for us to face the lucky teams, but then I realized they were lucky precisely because they played us and we handed the games to them.
Because we're not unlucky, we're just bad. The only reason we were up 35-10 against Miami in the first place was getting lucky on a couple blown coverages
Under Justin Wilcox we have never had a good offensive line. He always makes defense a priority in recruiting and from the portal. But even his defense is underperforming this year and last year. We have good skill players on offense, but with no offensive line to block we don't go anywhere. I can't say for sure, but I don't think Wilcox is a good motivator. Look at the beginning of the season when expectations were high. We beat Auburn raising expectations, but look what a team Auburn has turned out to be. We got GameDay and expectations were high. The players were probably fired up on their own from all the hype. We scored a lot of points but tired out by the 4th quarter. Maybe the conditioning program is at fault also. I think one thing that could be done to improve our record is replace the artificial turf with real grass. This would cost far less than buying out Wilcox, which unfortunately is probably not possible. We have had far more injuries since switching to artificial than when we played and practiced on natural grass. The first year after switching to artificial turf our injuries soared.
It is a sad commentary, especially considering the one incredibly bright moment of the season - when Cal fans showed up in the dark wee hours of the morning for ESPN College Game Day and then packed Memorial Stadium for the ensuing game. The fan base is there, if only the program showed up with the same energy and enthusiasm.
The heart and soul was taken from that team after the Miami game. The complete collapse of the coaching staff was a complete disappointment. As for the Syracuse game, I knew coming in that Syracuse was a good team, that stat about them being lucky was stupid. The bottom line is I like Wilcox but he continues to make the wrong decisions that cost this team wins, every year. He is never able to get this team over the hump. It’s too bad because they have talent.
Like the anger and angst among many over the national election results, Cal fans are searching for a way to explain the ongoing failure of the Golden Bears to achieve competitive respectability. The focus in my humble opinion rests on one particular area; our offensive line. The coaches have done the best they can with the players at their disposal, even after injuries. But if you look at even some other mediocre teams, all have respectable, if not better, offensive lines. Mendoza should win an award for the most effective quarterback without a running game or adequate protection in the nation this year. Unless Cal can recruit and pay for a strong offensive line, then our defenses, no matter how better than average, will be exposed in the 4th quarter of games. Of course, if we had a denfense line that not only could stop the run, but put pressure on opposing quarterbacks consistently, that would be wonderful. But it appears we will end up either 6-6 or 5-7, and that is a sad outcome for the players who have given all that have, save the performance against Syracuse.
Ugh.
Thanks Piotr!
First of all, thank you Piotr. I'll look forward to the podcast.
Asked of Chat GPT:
Me: "Why is Cal football losing so many games?
Chat GPT with an answer that seems better suited for last year than this year:
"Cal football has struggled with consistency in recent seasons, and there are several key factors contributing to their losses:
1. **Quarterback Play**: Inconsistent quarterback performance has been a major issue for the Golden Bears. Quarterback play is vital to a team's success, and Cal has faced challenges in finding a reliable signal-caller who can lead the offense effectively. Poor decision-making and turnovers have plagued the team at times.
2. **Offensive Struggles**: Cal has been one of the least productive offenses in the Pac-12, especially in the passing game. They often struggle to generate big plays, and their offensive line has had issues with pass protection and run blocking. This has led to difficulty in maintaining drives and scoring consistently.
3. **Injuries**: Like many teams, Cal has been hurt by injuries to key players. Injuries to important positions, including the offensive line and key defensive players, have hindered their ability to compete at a high level.
4. **Coaching Changes**: The team has gone through some coaching instability, which can disrupt a program's continuity. New schemes and systems take time to implement, and it can be challenging for players to adjust to these changes while facing competitive Pac-12 teams.
5. **Defensive Inconsistency**: Cal traditionally has had a strong defense, but in recent years, their defense has shown inconsistency. While the team still has some talented defensive players, lapses in coverage, missed tackles, and a lack of pressure on opposing quarterbacks have contributed to their struggles.
6. **Tough Competition**: The Pac-12 is a highly competitive conference, with several teams that consistently rank among the best in the nation. Teams like Oregon, Washington, and USC often outperform Cal, putting more pressure on the Bears to compete at a high level.
These combined factors have led to Cal football's struggles in recent seasons. While they have some strong individual players and the potential to improve, overcoming these issues will be key to their future success."
ChatGPT's knowledge cutoff might still be earlier than the start of this season (last I checked it was December 2023)
Wow, I thought I was lazy.
AI makes me feel better... 'til Skynet.
And SkyNet will make us all feel better... cf cp Colossus The Forbin Project
Wow, Thanks for that rabbit hole. Very pre-Terminator AI nightmare. And, partly, filmed at Lawrence Hall of Science
The first terminator “flashback” scenes of the post skynet future are so horrifying I still shudder thinking about it.
Full of iconic scenes.
I was excited when I saw that Cal is making a move. But this was not what I expected. What BS is this? This was posted on official Cal FB Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DCk4OZ5PfPO/?igsh=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA==
Click bait. Like dangling a jar of honey in front of hungry bears.
I am reading recaps of Wilcox's Tuesday presser and again I am not seeing where anyone asked him what it would take for him to quit. (sigh) Hopefully those questions are just not being reported.
No one should ask him such a question since directly hounding someone about their job in a public space like this, it is bush league behavior.
Really...??? you REALLY think you have to FURDsplain it in a public venue like this? I AM SO EMBARASSED...!!!
Yes, I'm waiting for Justin, himself to say the quiet part out loud.
Justin: "I think I need to step back from being a head coach."
LOL
Looking at the luckiest teams - three of the top 13 played (and beat) us. My first reaction was that it was unlucky for us to face the lucky teams, but then I realized they were lucky precisely because they played us and we handed the games to them.
☹️
Here’s a chart of the unluckiest teams. I’m surprised we’re not on the list:
https://www.betkansas.com/kansas-unluckiest-college-football-teams
Because we're not unlucky, we're just bad. The only reason we were up 35-10 against Miami in the first place was getting lucky on a couple blown coverages
I guess that losing games on missed FGs doesn’t count as bad luck……nor should it!
Under Justin Wilcox we have never had a good offensive line. He always makes defense a priority in recruiting and from the portal. But even his defense is underperforming this year and last year. We have good skill players on offense, but with no offensive line to block we don't go anywhere. I can't say for sure, but I don't think Wilcox is a good motivator. Look at the beginning of the season when expectations were high. We beat Auburn raising expectations, but look what a team Auburn has turned out to be. We got GameDay and expectations were high. The players were probably fired up on their own from all the hype. We scored a lot of points but tired out by the 4th quarter. Maybe the conditioning program is at fault also. I think one thing that could be done to improve our record is replace the artificial turf with real grass. This would cost far less than buying out Wilcox, which unfortunately is probably not possible. We have had far more injuries since switching to artificial than when we played and practiced on natural grass. The first year after switching to artificial turf our injuries soared.
It is a sad commentary, especially considering the one incredibly bright moment of the season - when Cal fans showed up in the dark wee hours of the morning for ESPN College Game Day and then packed Memorial Stadium for the ensuing game. The fan base is there, if only the program showed up with the same energy and enthusiasm.
A sad commentary. Go (woeful) Bears!