I've always liked the 49ers but I'm a much bigger fan of Cal and college football in general. Of course we all wish for former Cal players to do well in the NFL, but usually that doesn't mean we root for a particular former Cal player's team to beat our favored NFL team. But I think the QB position is a special case. The QB is usually the star and most important player on the team. This increased visibility and stature of a QB does in fact make me root for a former Cal QB's team over the 49ers, which for whatever reasons has many Stanford connections and has historically ignored Cal players.
Here's why I will always favor Goff (and whatever team he is on). It's the sum of all of these things:
The Bay Area and Cal connection: Both of his parents grew up in the Bay Area and both went to Cal. Jared grew up in the Bay Area and went to Cal games. Jared loves Cal and has as strong a connection to Cal as anyone; he is a great representative for Cal. He loves Cal, he is a straightlaced guy who doesn't get in trouble, and he has shown great leadership skills. His teammates always have his back.
Cal QBs fighting The Narrative. Rodgers was seen as being too cocky or something and fell all the way to 24th after the 49ers passed on him. Cal fans knew what a monster talent he was but somehow all those NFL GMs just followed The Narrative. While Goff did manage to get drafted #1, The Narrative still said he was a "system quarterback" with small hands. Then The Narrative evolved to him being a puppet of McVay.
Here are some plain facts. Goff has an incredible record turning around three separate teams. We all know he's tough as nails both physically and mentally, and had to endure tough times at each stop. In addition to his play, his leadership absolutely helped these teams turn things around.
Cal:
Year 1 - 1 win
Year 3 - 8 wins with a bowl win
Rams:
Year 1 - 0-7 as the starter (team was 4-12)
Year 3 - Super Bowl appearance
Lions:
Year 1 - 3 wins
Year 3 - 12-5 record, division title, two playoff wins and appearance in conference championship game for the first time in decades
I go to Lions forums to read the chatter and get the mood of the fans. When the regular season ended, before the first playoff game, there were still Lions fans arguing whether Goff was the guy who could take them to the promised land. The Narrative is insidious, it's hard for people to shake those doubts.
As people have pointed out, the sad sack Lions can be seen as the pro version of the sad sack Cal Bears. And their fans don't suck like Philadelphia fans or other fanbases with bad reputations, so it's super easy to root for them reaching heights not seen in decades.
Blue and Silver, almost as good as Blue and Gold!
#CalFansForGoff
