Because, unfortunately, Cal is incompetent and Wilcox has a brutal contract. If I had a magic wand, he wouldn't or Cal would have the $$ to fire him. Eventually he will be fired . . . and "recruited over" in a sense.bearsandgiants said:BearGoggles said:Agreed. And Mendoza's prior season - which was impressive given his pedigree and inexperience - didn't exactly cement him as a sure fire starter. He took a huge leap this last year - credit to him. But he still has to earn his position every day.calumnus said:BearGoggles said:Who are these people? Because I've never heard or seen this reported (though I could have missed the reports) and it seems completely at odds with how recruiting works and how things actually played out. I'm sure Rogers was told he'd be able to compete for the job - just like Harris was.DaveT said:I'm not claiming to know what happened. I'm claiming that several people who have historically had solid information about the team and hold themselves out as having connections said Rogers was promised the QB1 spot by Bloesch. It also appears Fernando's brother chimed in on it - and he's probably closer than any of us are to the situation.Big C said:
It is a dumb strategy for a coach to be promising a starting job as a recruiting lure. Okay, maybe Bloesch is dumb and this is why he's out, who knows?
One possibility is that a coach says one thing and a recruit hears another. That happens.
Correct me if i am wrong: At no time was Chandler Rogers ever the starter (except SMU), listed as the starter, or said to be the presumed starter. Through the spring, summer and early fall camp, it was said to be two guys vying to be #1. So what, was Rogers the "secret starter"?
None of us knows what happened, although lots of people on this thread seem to believe they do because they attended a communications workshop or something. "One possibility is that a coach says one thing and a recruit hears another." Another possibility is Bloesch told Rogers he would be the starting QB - just like several people have reported. And if that is true, it's a pretty **** thing to do to Mendoza and Rogers.
And the people on this website who do in fact have insider status are reporting that they have no reason to think such a promise was made.
All any player at any position should ever expect is the chance to compete for playing time or the starter's role. And even as the returning starter, at any position, you should expect that you will have to prove you deserve to continue to start in camp, in practice or in games. Sure, if you are the incumbent, you should get the benefit of a draw.
I am not a big fan of Bloesch but I doubt he said anything much different. And that is what we saw. They were even in Fall camp, so Mendoza got the start, played well and kept playing well. If anything, they went out of their way to protect Mendoza by mostly using Rogers as a designated runner the few times he came in. The coaches were pretty clearly all in with Mendoza once the season started, but it is very possible it was not communicated well by Bloesch and Wilcox.
Why doesn't Wilcox?
I'm trying to understand your point. If it is just a criticism of Cal's AD and contracting practices, I agree.
But it has nothing to do with whether Mendoza should expect Cal to bring in other talented QBs. Mendoza is a player, not a coach. Even professional athletes - with contracts - know that is the reality. And, to my original point, Mendoza had hardly cemented his hold on the job after last year.
There was no reason for him to think Cal shouldn't bring in other qbs and give them shot. And, of course, the irony is that Mendoza himself rose from 3rd string to starter because he . . . won a competition with other qbs who probably thought they should be starters. Imagine that.