The State of Cal Football

AAAAAGGGGGHHH!!!

Guys - it is not that bad.

The Basketball team looks like it has something going for it this year - Hardin, Anderson and Christopher look to be a killer front line, and when the injuries come back, we will be pretty deep for the front 9 or 10.

As far as football, reading the blogs and the boards, we should just roll it up. And I agree - An 8 win season is not enough anymore. National Championship, or else fire the coach. Let's get Tom Osborn back. To the Glory Days!!! I am tired for the Black Shirts getting their asses run all over the field. I am tired of getting beaten by Oklahoma and Texas and....

Wait - we're not Nebraska fans. Sorry - my mistake. Hard to tell for a moment.

Must be Alabama.

Look - it is simple. Nate got hurt, and the wheels came off. It is not the first time and it certainly won't be the last time that happens. Look at Oregon this year with Dixon done. Oh year, and last year as well. Look at SC - Booty gets hurt and they lose two games. Look at Oklahoma - Bradford is hurt and they lose to Texas Tech. Look at UCLA. Look at Arizona State last year - their senior QB is run out of town, and they get the Redshirt Freshman (Kevin Riley, anyone?) who leads them no where except to a fired coach.

That is the long and the short of it. And if you are troubled by the team giving up, don't be. These guys wanted the National Championship, or certainly the Pac 10 title. And they lost 4 games practically in a row because the QB was injured. And it was cold and rainy. So they were down and they did not try. They are 20 years old. I can guarantee you that next week will be different. Because whatever has happened in the past, Tedford never saw his team give up (well, maybe against Texas Tech). I do not think he through they ever would. But they did and so now that veil of respect and mystery is gone. He is gonna ride their asses until they understand that they will produce or die trying. At least, I have faith that he will and they will.

As far as the other stuff - should we or shouldn't we with Gregory, or Alamar, or Delgado, who knows. I do know this: winning solves all of these issues. And there will be a bunch of openings in the Pac 10 on the coaches side. Dorrell, Doba and possibly Harbaugh (if Michigan is stupid). Maybe Gregory goes to one of those and the issue is resolved. I frankly do not see Tedford firing the guy. Except for the laying down saturday, the defense has not been doing a bad job from a scoring perspective. With better defensive linemen, this is a very good defense to run in the Pac 10. But you need guys up front who can stop the run (Brandon Mebane) and rush the passer. Also, relying on a freshman CB is a recipe for disaster. But Conte is going to be better. So next year, defensively, I think we have a good unit if some of the young guys can improve and we maybe get a run stopper in the recruiting class somewhere. Hill I think will develop into a good one.

I also think of what Cortez is doing right now. Doesn't if seem like we did a lot better with that guy there? Did he really add nothing to the equation? We need him or someone like him back. If this is the offense with an offensive lineman running the OC slot, give me a receiver or a QB coach, please. Are we going to wait for Daft to morph into Cortez, with JT coaching him along? Are we going to get Dilfer on staff next year (or will he be starting!). All of this is just fluff in the wind. We lost this year because our QB got injured and played poorly after that. It happens. I think he is better now, and I think that the team is going to be better. We'll see.

The one thing that this season did teach me is how much Tedford expects the QB to be THE leader on the team. It is a pretty dangerous thing. But it is a young team in a lot of ways. I think we will be fine.

GO BEARS!!