The comparison of the slickster (yet most successful) coaches in the Pac 12 to the morally wonderful Tedford does not ring true. Let’s just start with Maynard- as Ive heard, in the spring, Maynard was not even showing up to at least one of his classes. When he was finally forced to (the football offices got wind of it) , he showed, sat in the back, and literally put his head down on the desk and slept- repeatedly. The coaches knew about this. Clearly the academic rumors floating around about our QB had more than a thread of truth to them. He had to take 9 units in summer school to be eligible to play in the fall. How can that be possible unless he treats the academics part of his being at Cal as a joke? Please keep in mind that this is behavior from our QB, who should be a team leader. The fact that Tedford has repeatedly praised him to the media as a leaders that has matured and improved (when to me is neither mature or improved) doesn’t speak well of Tedford. Then you have the whole deceiving debacle of him not starting yesterday as a surprise to everyone. The coaches have known about this since June and told no one about it until right before kickoff. Oh, except for the players- they knew about days before. There are red flags all over the place just in these details, not to mention what we have seen on the field for years. Oh, and Maynard was supposed to sit out the first quarter yesterday- but when things weren’t going too well, that punishment was amended on the spot.

Please let’s not criticize all these other PAC 12 coaches as morally bereft by contrast that Tedford and Cal football are bastions of virtue. I’ve have read so much on here over the years how Tedford’s supporters think that the alternative to him is either Tom Holmoe type football (losing) or crooked football (winning). Really? Aren’t Cal grads and fans be smarter than that? Is Chris Peterson crooked? Is Chris Ault, whose less talented teams have embarrassed Cal 2 of the last 3 teams crooked? Was Jim Harbaugh crooked at Stanford? Heck, is Chip Kelly crooked? Just for fun, if you could wave a magic wand and have Chip Kelly as the Cal coach, would you? I would in a split second. Why do I know that MANY Cal fans think that Cal is somehow some morally superior place than almost everywhere? Please.

Also, we are all wondering if somehow Sandy Barbour would somehow be able to fire Tedford or find a way to buy him out. She’s as bad as he is. She’s the one that gave him a seemingly lifetime contract- this is worse than Barry Zitos contract. She’s the one that butchered the whole dropping sports situation. Shes every but as bad in her job as Tedford, we just don’t see that on display as often as we see Tedford’s less than mediocrity on 12 fall Saturdays every. Yet there was good ol Sandy front and center out there cutting the ribbon at mid-field yesterday.

PAC 12 and D1 football are big business. Cal needs a dynamic, aggressive, confident, progressive, creative, hard working leader that can and will field a team that inspires us and makes us proud most of the time- without breaking the rules. Tedford did that for 5 years, yet he will make an annual fortune for 15 years or more here at Cal. The lost potential revenue prior to this years was bad enough- and make no mistake that there has been a TON of lost potential the last several years as attendance has dwindled and tv coverage has lessened as Cal football has become worse and worse- and less relevant. That was without the astronomical debt that now exists and must be serviced.

The question that will become very obvious is not whether can Cal afford to fire Tedford (thus eating his contract and paying a new coach and staff), but can Cal afford not to?

Sandy Barbour and the wealthy donors that make these decisions whiffed badly by waiting 3 years too long to get rid of Ben Braun. The basketball program has never yet recovered. Tedford’s teams are now worse than Braun’s were, and the time is dragging on to where its going to drag on longer than it did with Braun. Cal entered into the high stakes game of business by committing almost $500 million by deciding to enter the D1 football arms race. I believe it was the right decision to do so, but when you don’t have a competent person running these programs, the damage will be great. The price to be paid is now a lot more than sucking at football.

In short, I agree we have no more excuses, we may not be LSU or Alabama but we have the facilities and talent to put a better product on the field than what I saw on Saturday. Speaking of which, Direct TV sucks, I had to go over to someone’s house with Cox Cable. But then again, the way the Bears played yesterday maybe Direst TV is trying to save me from a stroke!

Please don’t turn this into a dichotomy or a choice between maintaining our academic/moral stature or having winning football. These are by no means mutually exclusive and I’m sure you and most on this site can name numerous examples where both are the norm, in football and/or basketball (the main draws as far as college sports go). Thank you to everyone on this site who is as enraged as I have been the last few years. NO MORE DEFENDING, NO MORE JUSTIFYING, NO MORE RATIONALIZING. NEW FACILITIES ARE NOT A DEFENSE. ACTION!!! JEFF (AND SANDY AS WELL) MUST GO!

I wish I could think offhand of more possibilities for replacements. There already have been several mentioned above. As another poster indicated, the next “great thing” may likely not be a name at the tip of anyone’s tongue currently, but a successful, innovative assistant with recruiting credibility as well. Knowledge of “the Twitter” and “the Facebook” a plus.

This season could be shades of 2001 in a hurry – a bunch of talented players who have given up on their head coach. I think that happened half-way through the 2007 season and could happen much sooner this season.

Still, as much as I like Tedford, I’ve reached the point where I can’t defend the game yesterday. Nevada may end up as a top 25 team but man! How could Coach T claim to have prepared for that game and have a D play that poorly against the pistol. After a sleepless night I must say that I am depressed and tired.

All in all, I’d still rather than be a Bear than a Toejam! GO BEARS.

Sandy to Tedford – “Jeff, it is time to talk about your redundancy”

Tedford to Sandy – “Show me the money and all $10M of it. Until then these meetings are redundant.”