I don’t pretend to know anything about the great state of Wisconsin other than the fact that they make some pretty good cheese, but there’s some controversy now about Brett Favre’s role in leading their team.  ESPN Insider access required, by the way.

I agree with Seth Wickersham here when he writes that the way the Packers are going is no way to build a team, relying on a 17th year veteran who waffles every offseason about whether he’s going to walk away or not.  Just because the guy has "earned the right to be selfish" as I’ve heard so many times, doesn’t mean that he’s not being selfish when he exercises that right.  I’d say calling out your team’s front office and demanding a trade - however understandable that demand is, and even if that demand is later rescinded - is pretty selfish.

What does this have to do with our Bears?  Wickersham also writes:

If I’m Aaron Rodgers, I’m working my tail off after-hours to become the leader of the young guys, exactly how Tom Brady did during his first year in New England. While every fan railed at how the Patriots were isolating Drew Bledsoe with lousy talent, Brady stayed late at the facility working with the late-rounders and undrafted free agents. They became a team within a team. When Brady took over as the starter, he believed the Pats could win with those guys. Guess what? They did.

It would be wise for Rodgers to think along those lines. After all, it’s obvious that Favre doesn’t.

There’s no question it’s a bit of a stretch to compare Favre/Rodgers with Bledsoe/Brady.  After all, Brady was never jobbed out of playing in the Rose Bowl because of that whiny cowboy Mack Brown, and Brady had to sit and wait for far longer during the NFL draft to hear his name called.  Ergo, Rodgers >>>> Brady.  Completely unbiased opinion.  But if things fall apart in Green Bay this year, which seems possible with no running game, things seem to be pointing towards Rodgers getting the nod as the Packers’ starting QB.  Starting next year.

 

Well, the folks over at BearInsider are reporting that ESPN College Gameday is coming to Berkeley on September 1st for the rematch of Cal and Tennessee! 

While I cannot find any confirmation of this report on the internet, we’ll roll with it anyways.  

Even before learning that ESPN College Gameday was coming to Berkeley, the Cal/Tennessee game was possibly the game of the year for Cal.  Good argument can be made that the Cal/USC game trumps this game since it has possible Rose Bowl implications.  But what the Cal/USC game doesn’t have is the practically undivided attention of the nation. 

Both Cal and Tennessee will probably enter next season as Top-25 teams.  Not only will these teams both carry high expectations but any chances at a possible National Championship will hang in the balance in their very first game of the season.  A win on the national stage of ESPN College Gameday will instantly vault the winner into the elite circle of National Championship contenders while the loser will likely go down as a pretender. 

High expectations surround Cal after our embarrassing loss last year.  A loss again this year will be devastating to team moral, a possible National Championship, and the Pac-10. 

Yup, Saturday, September 1st is more than just Cal vs. Tennessee.  It’s more than simply reppin’ ourselves.  It’s Pac-10 versus SEC.  It’s west coast versus east coast.  It’s the cliched razzle-dazzle west coast offense versus the blue collar lunch pail stingy defenses of the southeast.  It’s offense versus defense.  It’s hyphy versus crunk. 

We have to win this game.  Excuse me for stating the obvious.  But yeah, we have to win this game and win it big time.  A narrow win or overtime win isn’t enough.  We need a double digit victory - with that first digit being at least a 2. 

A narrow win will keep the viewers watching our game and not tuning in to the 50 other inferior games that week.  Lots of TV time is good for us but sheer domination of a tough SEC opponent is even better.

Imagine what they’ll say if we narrowly win a nail biter.  "Oh, Cal won because they were at home."  Or "they just got lucky".  Or "Tennessee wasn’t used to the time change".  Yeah, I’m sure they’ll have plenty of excuses for a narrow loss.  But there is no excuse for a drubbing of 20 points or more.

If Cal wants to be taken seriously on the national stage then it all starts on Saturday, September 1st with a dominant win in the national spotlight of ESPN College Gameday.