I'm first and foremost a basketball fan. So when it comes to football, I like my style to be wide-open, up-tempo, "grass basketball." I was thrilled when we hired Bob Stitt. He promised another quality I liked: Going for it on fourth down. I've long felt football coaches are like investment advisors: They're too risk-averse. By not going for it on fourth-down, coaches too often sacrifice the most important aspect of the game: Possession of the ball. Finally! We had a coach that agreed with me. This was going to be fun!
But at the same time we hired Stitt, I was having just as much fun in the Bay Area watching Sonny Dykes's Air Raid offense. I tried never to miss a Cal game. Great show! Always saw a wrinkle I'd never seen before. But, alas, in his fourth year, Dykes went 5-7. He was fired. They said, coming from Texas Tech, that he "didn't fit the Berkeley culture." In truth his teams couldn't defend. The defensive schemes were as bad as the offense was good. And so Cal hired Justin Wilcox. His Dad was a legendary 49er; they cited his "Bay Area ties." But really: He was a Defensive Coordinator. That was the bottom line, and an obvious one-word snub of Dykes: Defense!
Which leads me to yesterday. At noon, I watched Cal-USC. Wow! Cal is good. They didn't win, but they hung with a bigger more talented team for three quarters. And their defense? Outstanding! I had no idea defense could be so much fun to watch. The SC quarterback, the heralded Sam Darnold, had no idea where the pressure was coming for on any play. And tackling? Super crisp. And always with multiple players in on or close to the tackle.
Then Montana-Eastern. At halftime I said to a friend, "You know the best player on Montana's defense? Eastern's QB. He's missed receiver after open receiver, including throwing two caught balls outside the end zone. They should have a ton more points than they have." And of course, in the second half, they did. The space those receivers had in the second half was incredible. One time, a receiver had time to juggle the ball twice, with his back to the line of scrimmage, turn around, and still have plenty of room to run.
What now? I still like Stitt. I love that offense. Remember, this was our young second-string quarterback. I thought he displayed a strong arm, and very good accuracy. He dropped some dimes on our receivers that they should have caught. This offense will only get better.
But the defense? Oh my. We've got a real problem. I'm not in the "fire Stitt" camp; not close. But he, or our A.D., has got to address this issue. Because the Cal scenario under Dykes is out there: If you can't play defense, you can't win at college football.
But at the same time we hired Stitt, I was having just as much fun in the Bay Area watching Sonny Dykes's Air Raid offense. I tried never to miss a Cal game. Great show! Always saw a wrinkle I'd never seen before. But, alas, in his fourth year, Dykes went 5-7. He was fired. They said, coming from Texas Tech, that he "didn't fit the Berkeley culture." In truth his teams couldn't defend. The defensive schemes were as bad as the offense was good. And so Cal hired Justin Wilcox. His Dad was a legendary 49er; they cited his "Bay Area ties." But really: He was a Defensive Coordinator. That was the bottom line, and an obvious one-word snub of Dykes: Defense!
Which leads me to yesterday. At noon, I watched Cal-USC. Wow! Cal is good. They didn't win, but they hung with a bigger more talented team for three quarters. And their defense? Outstanding! I had no idea defense could be so much fun to watch. The SC quarterback, the heralded Sam Darnold, had no idea where the pressure was coming for on any play. And tackling? Super crisp. And always with multiple players in on or close to the tackle.
Then Montana-Eastern. At halftime I said to a friend, "You know the best player on Montana's defense? Eastern's QB. He's missed receiver after open receiver, including throwing two caught balls outside the end zone. They should have a ton more points than they have." And of course, in the second half, they did. The space those receivers had in the second half was incredible. One time, a receiver had time to juggle the ball twice, with his back to the line of scrimmage, turn around, and still have plenty of room to run.
What now? I still like Stitt. I love that offense. Remember, this was our young second-string quarterback. I thought he displayed a strong arm, and very good accuracy. He dropped some dimes on our receivers that they should have caught. This offense will only get better.
But the defense? Oh my. We've got a real problem. I'm not in the "fire Stitt" camp; not close. But he, or our A.D., has got to address this issue. Because the Cal scenario under Dykes is out there: If you can't play defense, you can't win at college football.
