TedfordTheGreat said:
ac_green33 said:
Bearly Clad said:
LunchTime said:
ColoradoBear said:
F Mendoza
That said, the thought of looking up his stats and worrying about how he is doing does not cross my mind on a regular basis. Only when there is yet another post on BI… it's good for your mentals just to let it go.
Now that it has been brought up, in addition to some weak sauce teams, Indiana actually plays two real games this year (no idea how Illinois was ranked) - @Oregon and @Penn State.
I am of the full opinion that part of the reason Mendoza sat out @SMU was because they had the best defense on our schedule and they could have thrashed him thus diminishing his portal value.
So maybe I watch the Oregon game just to see. Or maybe I go golfing because it really doesn't matter to me.
I feel like checking in on him like I do about checking in on any Cal player that leaves.
Rodgers, Lynch, Jackson, Gonzalez, etc. They all left early for a better opportunity and did well.
The "F Mendoza" petulance really shows why no players should come to Cal until its the destination... which makes it hard to be the destination.
Lets just be honest. Some of it is fans' sour grapes over the way he left, some of it was justified criticism, but most of it is just modern internet culture.
Yea the way he acted when he left was ****ty, and acting like he's terrible and would be exposed is stupid, but if anyone actually expects him to win the Heisman I have several bridges to sell you in New Mexico.
Having watched him at Indiana he's the same player he always was. He makes some big plays, he's better with his legs than he was credited with, he has some dog in him. But his deficiencies are still there. He takes some sacks that he shouldn't due to his lack of pocket presence (admittedly it seemed worse here because our OL was so weak), he still doesn't throw a great deep ball, he still doesn't read a defense very well.
Indiana fans are already noticing his shortcomings and commenting about them. When they hit the meat of their schedule and he crashes to the ground hard I'm sure the sour grapes folks will be out in force again. But nothing is ever as good or bad as it seems to be. He's not as good as he looks right now and he's not as bad as he will seem when he plays OhSt, Oregon, or PSU-Happy Valley.
These goldfish-length memory reactions and petty internet knee jerks are ridiculous both ways. Mendoza is a solidly above average college QB. He's not elite. He won't win the Heisman but he will win plenty of games this season. And a few vocal fans who dislike him based on his actions do not represent the Cal fanbase and shouldn't prevent any other player from coming here. Just look at the Tennessee treatment of Iamaleava, that's a much larger subsection of their fans and no one is claiming that it's proof no one should go to Knoxville
This is exactly right
i think besides calling JKS and scaring him off (shows immaturity but he is a young man) what bothers me more is that he quit on the team 2 games before the end of the season, a game after "98 yards with the boys"
I understand both decisions, 1 comes with the territory of a teenager, the other comes with protecting millions of dollars in assets. I think the unique thing nowadays is that these players are essentially on 1 year contracts and have to protect their best financial interest
A key principle in philosophy is that you always give your opponent the best possible interpretation.
Let me preface this by saying I'm not happy with how it played out...at all. But its not difficult to imagine a scenario where each of his actions are justified.
For instance: "His boys" included all of the players on the team. That included backup quarterback Chandler Rodgers. Now, I'm sure that when he was recruited the offensive coaches were very careful NOT to say things explicitly like "if you come here you are the guaranteed starter." But its not hard to imagine that it was heavily insinuated and I'm sure it was easy for a kid to take it as a guarantee.
I can also see Mendoza talking with Rodgers and Rodgers being frustrated that he isn't getting to play despite the impression he had when he chose to transfer to Cal that he was going to be the starter.
By the time of the SMU game our fate was already sealed. We made a bowl game, but win or lose it was going to be an uninspiring one. It was also the last chance Chandler Rodgers would get to start a game. Would it not have been doing "his boy" a solid to try to get him an opportunity to start in his home state in the last game of his collegiate career?
Further, if you felt your friend had been lied to about his starting prospects you might take it upon yourself to let the next guy being recruited know? That despite whatever they are being told they likely aren't going to start next year. It's not so much telling them to stay away or that they won't be able to compete...just clearing the air about what the last person was told and what their likely future is. And lets be honest, if Mendoza had stayed the chances of JKS starting this year are extremely low.
Of course after forcing his way out of the SMU game so his boy Chandler Rodgers could get a start and after JKS decommits after a chat with Mendoza the coaches and the fans turn on him. Despite potentially having every intention of being here this year priorities can change pretty quickly when the world collapses on you. Especially when there are mitigating family circumstances.
And its worth noting when he says "98 yards with my boys" he means 98 yards with his fellow players. "My boys" in no possible interpretation includes his coaches. The very coaches he may have felt lied to his friend Chandler Rodgers about whether or not they had a guaranteed starting spot if they came to Cal and may have lied to JKS about his starting prospects if he committed.
Is that how it played out? I have no clue. But its possible and entirely contiguous with his statement of "98 yards with my boys" along with every action that happened after.
