I’m almost positive that Tedford will start Longshore in the bowl game. I couldn’t say whether that decision gives Cal the best chance of winning, but that’s what, as fans, we’ll have to live with.

I’m disappointed that you’re withdrawing your support from the program. We’re obviously experiencing what I hope is a small downturn within a larger upswing of fortune, but we’ll need lots of support, both from donors and common fans alike, if Cal is to maintain its heightened position in the college football landscape.

I do think your characterization of our support as ‘irrational’ is a gross misstatement. We do support our university and its football program, it’s true, but we do not hold Tedford or the other coaches blameless for this team’s collapse. Rather, instead of of calling for firings and attempting to coach the team from our couches, we hope to provide a somewhat grounded evaluation of the team, with the obvious caveat that we don’t attend practices or have inside medical information, so we can only speculate as to the reasons why certain decisions were made. In continuing to support Tedford, we understand that while we don’t always understand or agree with all of his decisions, we also recognize that he’s forgotten more about football than we will ever know, and that Cal football with Tedford is far more successful today than it ever would have been without him.

There is far too much undeserved appreciation for Tedford. A great coach can become a bad coach. The fact is that Tedford did an incredibly terrible job coaching this year. And he should be fiercely challenged for that. Especially his juvenile decision to let Nate ruin the season, much as he allowed Ayoob to less than two years ago.

And I question the notion that Tedford ever was that great of a coach. He never led Cal to the heights that the team was capable of. With the amount of Talent present on the team, both this year and years past, he has been a colossal FAILURE.

If he plays Longshore in the Armed Forces Bowl I’ll have no choice but to withdrawal my substantial donations to the program. Is this really what we as a program and school want? I assure you I am not the only donor who has taken this stance.

Who really knows what the inside-the-huddle dynamics are, but my guess is that Nate’s always loose and joking-around style works great when the team is winning, but comes up far short during adversity–especially when he himself is not coming through with the clutch plays to win ballgames. (Indeed, it was that contrasting, desperate competitive fire at the end of the OSU game, rather than efficiency or overall quality of play, that has made Riley a quick favorite among many fans such as myself.)

And Forsett. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a more inspiring leader-by-example in my three decades of watching Cal football. His performance against Arizona sits right there next to Marshawn’s last year against Washington and, back in the day, Russell White’s game at UCLA in 1991. Yet somehow, Forsett’s example failed to ignite the rest of the offense. Why? The only explanation I can come up with are distractions based in the passing game; Nate and his receivers just couldn’t get on the same page, and it infected the rest of the offense the entire second half of the season. Here’s hoping that Forsett runs the ball at least 30 times in Fort Worth, and that Nate’s stat line ends up something like 14-20, 170 yards, 2 TDs, O INTs.

1) Would it be appropriate for the coaches to approach players individually and help them evolve into a particular type of leader, especially if the team needed one? I realize some players will never become certain types of leaders, but maybe they need to be pushed to realize themselves. All part of becoming a better football player, right?

2) Looking through this perspective really highlights the difference in the latter halves of the past two seasons. The 2006 team struggled at times as well, but it never seemed to be hopeless, and they overcame their challenges. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen this year, and I’m now even more concerned about the Armed Forces Bowl.