Comments on: Football: Jeff Tedford — the full interview

By: Gobears49

Gobears49 — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 22:32:54 +0000

Just read the interview again. Very good questions. Unfortunately Tedford didn’t answer a lot of them and I think that is because he couldn’t provide a reason for a lot of things. One of them was the QB question. He had a lot of QB talent available, at least on paper (lots of Elite 11′s).

I think things started going downhill a lot earlier than Tedford said. I blame it on the foot/ankle injury to Longshore. He was doing great before then and, along with him, the team. Riley did pretty well as a sub at that time, but I never thought he had the potential of Longshore, at least as a passer. Perhaps a turning point game was against UCLA in the Rose Bowl, when Longshore, playing on a gimpy foot, through an interception that was returned for a touchdown (I believe) and we lost. That was when I decided the “Tedford is God” T-shirts were off the mark. We should have won that game.

Longshore couldn’t play QB on most teams now, as he was as much determined to pass the ball at all costs rather than run it as any QB I have ever seen. Times have changed and most teams want their QB to be able to run as well as throw.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 08:27:36 +0000

Thanks to Jeff & Jeff, Co. That is great journalism and I’m glad coach saw a lot of what we saw last year.
I hope Tedford’s next gig is out of conference so I can root for him, and because it sounds like he will be a lot better at this head coach thing.

By: ConcordBear

ConcordBear — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 06:07:59 +0000

Thank you Jeff Tedford for all your hard work and passionate pursuit of winning.
You led our Bears to many great victories and very good seasons.
Look forward to giving ou a standing ovation when you enter the California hall of fame.
Also hope you will be in Pasadena with us and your Cal hat on when we go to the Rose.
All the best coach and thanks for the good times.
Go Bears!

By: Caladan

Caladan — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 05:59:44 +0000

Thank you, Coach. As an alumnus/fan since the ’70s, I appreciate you making Cal football interesting, fun, and relevant. Memorial Stadium is a monument to your success and will be enjoyed by generations of Cal fans for years to come.

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 04:47:02 +0000

Jeff – that is excellent journalism. You asked some easy Qs to draw him out but gave him tough ones. We need more journalists, and less puff pieces like what Rick Reilly writes.

By: Juancho

Juancho — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 01:11:26 +0000

Wish him the best.

Did some good. Did some bad. Good to see him take some accountability for a few things – like the constant tinkering with the offense.

Weird to see him pass the buck – on the Tosh thing, and on him being more “hands off” with the quarterbacks. You can’t say that, and then follow up with “I’m not saying that’s the reason”. Yeah you are.

He should be proud of all the good things he did. And learn from the stuff he could have done better.

Didn’t mention alumni once in the interview. That’s telling about how closed off he became with the program. Same with his answer on the Maynard situation, and him saying it wasn’t an issue internally. That hurt him long term. He alienated too many people by treating the program like it was his and his alone.

Just because you’re responsible for something, doesn’t mean it’s yours alone.

By: bobbear

bobbear — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 01:07:56 +0000

Thanks to Jeff and Jeff for a great interview–good questions, honest answers. As a Cal fan since the early 1950′s, I’m deeply grateful for what Tedford did for the program.

By: joshiemac

joshiemac — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:19:07 +0000

Tedford is a good man who did a lot of great things for the school and the program. I wish him well, wherever he ends up. He’ll always be a bear in my book.