Oski Talk

I guess I am pretty surprised at the idiocy going on in Media world. Yes, the Bears took a big fall at the end of this year - but it is pretty simple to figure out why. It is not rocket science to see that Nate was hurt, played poorly, and the team lost focus and desire after they were number 1 in the country for three hours.

So now it is time to change everything about the program? Ratto suggesting that Tedford may be considering moving on? Wilner suggesting that Tedford is ready to leave now that his kid is done with High School? What a load of crap. Jeff Tedford will be the coach of the Bears for the next 15 years if he wants, even if we never get to a rose bowl or National Championship game. Years and years of winning 8,9 and 10 games per season will be just fine with the powers that be at Cal, and frankly, for fans like me who are used to winning four and five games per year.

The issue is, it probably is not fine for Tedford. He is the one who will decide what the issue is, what to do about it, and who is going to be doing it. And no one else.

I can see how dealing with these idiots may make him want to leave. But he would get that anywhere.

Lets face it - they are just pissed off that JT says nothing in the press conferences that is juicy enough to write salacious stories about. Wilner whined - 'he ALWAYS protects his players!" I think that is why the players like him. But I can guarantee you that it is not that way in practice. I am sure that the players have a healthy respect and fear for the coach.

That is what the is most impressive about JT. He cares about his team and what they are going through, and he will not throw them under the bus, like the media wants. Remember last year, when Ayoob was told he was not going to start, and JT though he would transfer for his senior year. He was so impressed with Joe that he stayed at Cal. He was impressed because JT keeps his QB through the year, and will not play games like that. No Matter What. So if you do not like that, then forget being a fan of the Bears. If you are OK with that, take if for what it is worth, and move on with your life. The idiots who think he was about to start Kevin Riley are the same idiots who think Kevin Riley would transfer. He will never leave because he knows once it is his turn the coach has his back TOTALLY. Riley will get the job, then Mansion, then whoever else is the annointed one. That is why Reed left, and Riley will stay.

That is probably a flaw but it is the way it is and it probably will not change. JT firmly believes that the QB is the most important position on the team - not just a physical leader but the primary leader from an emotional standpoint as well. And that leader must be protected as much as possible. Even to the degree that they let the guy struggle a bit and lose a game or two because that individual is playing poorly. There will be no in-season QB controversy in Tedford's mind.

That being said, there is no way in hell that the Bears lose tomorrow. They made a strong statement by benching guys who were not playing on defense. The offense at Washington actually played well. But the defense played poorly, just about as poorly as they ever have under JT.

In any event, after the season, there will be time for everyone to settle down, and Tedford to figure out who is left from the coaching changes that look like they may take place - like Gregory leaving. I have to say, for the people on the message boards, there is a lot of discussion about how Gregory is the scourge of the team, etc. But no where else do people bag on Cal's defense. In fact Stewart Mandel has been complimentary of Gregory and Cal's defense in the past, calling for him to move up to the head coaching ranks in prior seasons. I do not think that the Cal defense is that big of an issue. I mean, we held USC to 24, Oregon to 24. We laid an egg at Washington. But frankly, if Cal could have average 32 points a game, like we have every other year of Tedford's tenure on campus, we would have won all but one game - the Washington game. And a few of those scores are Defensive scores - like at UCLA, on the Pick Six, or the short fields after all of Nate's touchdowns.

So I think looking at it, if we lose Gregory, we will be in pain. Gregory has a good, complimentary defense that matches JT style. We just need to score at least 30 per game to win. And that really should not be a problem for our team.

I am not going to analyze Stanfurd. There is no point. They are terrible. They have lousy players. We should trounce them. If we don't it will be disappointing to say the least. But I think, sad as it is, this is a statement game for our players. And I think they will say something.