Did Sirmon raise the ceiling of the talent in the building? Yup. So good on him. The late Kellen Moore hiring for New Orleans probably had a part in the timing of all this.
Promoting Sirmon over Tim DeRuyter was probably the stupidest move Justin Wilcox has ever made . . . and his tenure at Cal is chock full of some really, really, really stupid decisions.
The timing is because New Orleans just got a new head coach. Late because he was busy being the OC in the Super Bowl. So he’s just getting his staff together.
I agree with others timing sucks. I was fine with Sirmon. I think he and JW are good coaches. They have worked very hard. We have come so painfully close to turning the corner in terms of having a good season. Both coaches both seem tired. Besides solid coaching, we need more energy.
I was a Sirmon hater but I think he did a good job last year. We just didn't have the depth to maintain the intensity for 4 quarters in tight games as the season went along. The defense was notably gassed in those cases. At least, I'm assuming that was a depth issue and not because they weren't subbing as much as they could've and shouldve.
Sirmon was a solid coordinator who served Cal admirably. How good would his numbers have been in 2024 (and other years) with a better offense (that did not put the defense on the field so much)? College football is a pain in the a$$ now. The NFL is probably an easier task with no recruiting required. Easy choice.
My big concern now is that with the spring portal opening might Uluave and others decide to move on.... or will it allow the Bears to bring in additional talent that even improves on any losses. Spring ball could be critical as key players get to assess the situaion.
I always thought Sirmon was too conservative in his D calls. However he was a really good ILB coach. I met Cade Uluave's parents and apparently he really liked Sirmon and that's one reason he stayed at Cal instead of going into the portal. I sincerely hope he stays with us now. Losing him would be a devastating to next year's defense.
Coach Sermon did a great job. Cal had a top 5 ACC defense. This move had to tied to Rivera. Now the question is why is Wilcox the coach? The team follows the same pattern every year. They beat all the cup cakes in the schedule and loose to everyone eh law. After the season it’s a mad exudes of coaches and players. The one constant is Wilcox. You can’t win thst way.
Agree. NFL opportunities don't happen every day. A lot of over-analysts at the college level also over-value college programs and positions, and look for non-existent hidden reasons when you need look no further than "NFL".
That's fair, but the timing seems crazy to be coincidental. There were rumors of Sirmon leaving before; with absolutely zero foundation behind my conspiracy theory, it feels like Wilcox's loyalty to his staff was enough to keep Sirmon around...but Rivera is the outsider that can see where we need improvements. Everyone is happy. The fans can actually expect us to hold 3rd and longs and 4th downs going forward, Sirmon gets to move on to the NFL, Rivera and Wilcox get to work together to find a DC that is closer to TDR (gets non Blue Chip recruits to play clean defense and perform above their individual levels as a unit).
Or would a new DC be locked into keeping Sirmon’s position coaches, which would possibly mean less churn from transfers because their recruiter is still on staff?
Rivera to the rescue. My guess is this move started with a review by our new GM who wanted a DC that was a bit more of a risk taker. Sirmon ran a defense that was supposed to shut down big plays and make other teams run a lot of plays to get into the end zone, thereby increasing the odds of a breakdown forcing a turnover whether by punting or takeaways. I'm guessing Rivera probably has a replacement in mind right now that can mix it up a bit and be unpredictable. Time will tell.
Sirmon's defense seemed to be the definition of like cognitive dissonance. We didn't have the depth to stay on the field like we needed to for a bend-but-don't-break defense, which I'm guessing is why we always looked gassed and broke on 3rd and longs. Unfortunately, we also didn't have the recruiting to be a havoc-based defense that gets off the field quickly.
Regardless, I agree. Rivera and Wilcox would never let a coach go like this without a plan in place, and I don't believe Sirmon would just randomly quit on Wilcox based on their relationship.
If that's the case, that has huge meanings. Wilcox and Sirmon are buddies who are inseparable. Wilcox even showed a very successful TDR the door in order to make Sirmon the DC.
If Wilcox in fact listened to Rivera and let Sirmon go, then that shows how much control Rivera has over Wilcox.
It's all conjecture on my part, but JW is on the ropes and if Rivera suggested a change at DC, then it was going to happen. JW made YUGE changes on the offensive side and brought in some excellent position coaches on defense. I just don't think Sirmon would have given up a DC position at a P4 school on the rise, to take a position coach job in the NFL...and he took the job late, which means something wasn't right. He is JW's buddy and I think if Rivera did a review, then the writing was on the wall and JW gave Sirmon time to shop the market and pick up a decent job.
Did Sirmon raise the ceiling of the talent in the building? Yup. So good on him. The late Kellen Moore hiring for New Orleans probably had a part in the timing of all this.
That said - any updates on new DC?
Promoting Sirmon over Tim DeRuyter was probably the stupidest move Justin Wilcox has ever made . . . and his tenure at Cal is chock full of some really, really, really stupid decisions.
Good riddance.
Well the good news is that Tim DeRuyter got fired at Tech so is now available to come back?
The timing is because New Orleans just got a new head coach. Late because he was busy being the OC in the Super Bowl. So he’s just getting his staff together.
Whaaaaa? It's nearly March!
I agree with others timing sucks. I was fine with Sirmon. I think he and JW are good coaches. They have worked very hard. We have come so painfully close to turning the corner in terms of having a good season. Both coaches both seem tired. Besides solid coaching, we need more energy.
I was a Sirmon hater but I think he did a good job last year. We just didn't have the depth to maintain the intensity for 4 quarters in tight games as the season went along. The defense was notably gassed in those cases. At least, I'm assuming that was a depth issue and not because they weren't subbing as much as they could've and shouldve.
I generally agree, but that's the problem at its core. He ran the 40th best defense in the nation last year, and that was an improvement.
It's time for new new. Wilcox is probably next, but at least he gets a full coaching staff revamp in his final attempt.
Sirmon was a solid coordinator who served Cal admirably. How good would his numbers have been in 2024 (and other years) with a better offense (that did not put the defense on the field so much)? College football is a pain in the a$$ now. The NFL is probably an easier task with no recruiting required. Easy choice.
My big concern now is that with the spring portal opening might Uluave and others decide to move on.... or will it allow the Bears to bring in additional talent that even improves on any losses. Spring ball could be critical as key players get to assess the situaion.
I always thought Sirmon was too conservative in his D calls. However he was a really good ILB coach. I met Cade Uluave's parents and apparently he really liked Sirmon and that's one reason he stayed at Cal instead of going into the portal. I sincerely hope he stays with us now. Losing him would be a devastating to next year's defense.
Super interesting. So Rug thinks that this had to do with RR and Bozeman thinks this has nothing to do with RR.
Either way, I’m not too sad about this (although I was not expecting this at all). When we had TDR, I thought we had a better defense.
Maybe Justin will just be d coordinator?
Coach Sermon did a great job. Cal had a top 5 ACC defense. This move had to tied to Rivera. Now the question is why is Wilcox the coach? The team follows the same pattern every year. They beat all the cup cakes in the schedule and loose to everyone eh law. After the season it’s a mad exudes of coaches and players. The one constant is Wilcox. You can’t win thst way.
Where TDR at?
Might be the first big move of the Ron Rivera era.
Rivera's fingerprints are all over this one....looks like "Times Are Changing"
Why is everybody saying this? Maybe he just wanted to change things up and go to the NFL?
Agree. NFL opportunities don't happen every day. A lot of over-analysts at the college level also over-value college programs and positions, and look for non-existent hidden reasons when you need look no further than "NFL".
That's fair, but the timing seems crazy to be coincidental. There were rumors of Sirmon leaving before; with absolutely zero foundation behind my conspiracy theory, it feels like Wilcox's loyalty to his staff was enough to keep Sirmon around...but Rivera is the outsider that can see where we need improvements. Everyone is happy. The fans can actually expect us to hold 3rd and longs and 4th downs going forward, Sirmon gets to move on to the NFL, Rivera and Wilcox get to work together to find a DC that is closer to TDR (gets non Blue Chip recruits to play clean defense and perform above their individual levels as a unit).
Questions:
Could we lose a recruit (or two) with this news?
Or would a new DC be locked into keeping Sirmon’s position coaches, which would possibly mean less churn from transfers because their recruiter is still on staff?
Rivera to the rescue. My guess is this move started with a review by our new GM who wanted a DC that was a bit more of a risk taker. Sirmon ran a defense that was supposed to shut down big plays and make other teams run a lot of plays to get into the end zone, thereby increasing the odds of a breakdown forcing a turnover whether by punting or takeaways. I'm guessing Rivera probably has a replacement in mind right now that can mix it up a bit and be unpredictable. Time will tell.
Sirmon's defense seemed to be the definition of like cognitive dissonance. We didn't have the depth to stay on the field like we needed to for a bend-but-don't-break defense, which I'm guessing is why we always looked gassed and broke on 3rd and longs. Unfortunately, we also didn't have the recruiting to be a havoc-based defense that gets off the field quickly.
Regardless, I agree. Rivera and Wilcox would never let a coach go like this without a plan in place, and I don't believe Sirmon would just randomly quit on Wilcox based on their relationship.
If that's the case, that has huge meanings. Wilcox and Sirmon are buddies who are inseparable. Wilcox even showed a very successful TDR the door in order to make Sirmon the DC.
If Wilcox in fact listened to Rivera and let Sirmon go, then that shows how much control Rivera has over Wilcox.
It's all conjecture on my part, but JW is on the ropes and if Rivera suggested a change at DC, then it was going to happen. JW made YUGE changes on the offensive side and brought in some excellent position coaches on defense. I just don't think Sirmon would have given up a DC position at a P4 school on the rise, to take a position coach job in the NFL...and he took the job late, which means something wasn't right. He is JW's buddy and I think if Rivera did a review, then the writing was on the wall and JW gave Sirmon time to shop the market and pick up a decent job.
Maybe Rivera used his NFL connections to find Sirman the NO job and help him save face.
I agree the timing is very odd for this move. As long as we make an improvement I'm ok
And we have to keep Cade at all costs. I'm mentally preparing for him to be in the portal.