"One of the most distasteful things I got recently was a letter telling me I need to fire the head coach," Rivera said.

I love Ron, but why say that?

westcoastdude said:

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I love Ron, but why say that?

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Looks like Wilsux will be at Cal next year, too.

The beatings will continue until the letters improve.

This is incredibly disheartening.

As I have been saying, Ron Rivera is a Head Coach not a GM. Head Coaches support Head Coaches, it is a fraternity. I still think he would have been a good head coach for Cal to replace Wilcox, but I am losing faith in him as GM.

A letter saying he should fire Wilcox is input from his constituents. "Distasteful"? Uggh. No, even if the particular letter was distasteful in the way the opinion was stated. And why say anything about it? Honestly, we could have kept Knowlton for that kind of thinking.

But I am sure someone will just call me the "President of the Ron Rivera Fan Club" for this.

pingpong2 said:

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The beatings will continue into the letters improve.

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We have Louisville next week, then the Trees, then SMU, and then guess what we start 2026 at home versus the bear runts and then go to Provo to play a BYU team that will be playoff contenders, barring a huge turnaround we are going to be shellacked for a while

BrightBear said:

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"One of the most distasteful things I got recently was a letter telling me I need to fire the head coach," Rivera said.

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I lost faith in Ron and Cal.when he said that.

Remember when Oregon went to Boise and absolutely **** the bed, and that dummy punched that other dummy post game?

And Chip Kelley sent a check to a fan that complained and said "yeah, we need to do better."

Cal is the opposite. "If you don't like that, just wait until we make you long for that type of loss".

westcoastdude said:

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I love Ron, but why say that?

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Very stupid thing to say when he knows as well as we do that Wilcox needs to be fired ASAP.

He needs to pull the plug . Send more letters so we can restore Cal Football

NVBear78 said:

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BrightBear said:

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"One of the most distasteful things I got recently was a letter telling me I need to fire the head coach," Rivera said.

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When did RR say that??

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https://www.dailycal.org/sports/msports/football/a-sustainable-winning-culture-ron-rivera-shares-vision-as-cal-football-s-gm/article_0edd2fb2-5c91-4d97-bd2e-63fefbdd340b.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9COne%2520of%2520the%2520most%2520distasteful,insight%2520that%2520he%2520can%2520give.

As I said earlier, if RR's response is the same as it was in the article, just shut down the program. Only way to find out is to keep sending letters !

glutton said:

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Golden One said:

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westcoastdude said:

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I love Ron, but why say that?

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Very stupid thing to say when he knows as well as we do that Wilcox needs to be fired ASAP.

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He said it when Cal was still 4-2 and having a pretty good season.

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You mean after we got ripped to shreds by ****ing Dook? Hah

Strykur said:

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glutton said:

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Golden One said:

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westcoastdude said:

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I love Ron, but why say that?

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Very stupid thing to say when he knows as well as we do that Wilcox needs to be fired ASAP.

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He said it when Cal was still 4-2 and having a pretty good season.

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You mean after we got ripped to shreds by ****ing Dook? Hah

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And after getting blownout and shutout by San Diego State 34-0

Go!Bears said:

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calumnus said:

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NVBear78 said:

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BrightBear said:

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"One of the most distasteful things I got recently was a letter telling me I need to fire the head coach," Rivera said.

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When did RR say that??

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https://www.dailycal.org/sports/msports/football/a-sustainable-winning-culture-ron-rivera-shares-vision-as-cal-football-s-gm/article_0edd2fb2-5c91-4d97-bd2e-63fefbdd340b.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9COne%2520of%2520the%2520most%2520distasteful,insight%2520that%2520he%2520can%2520give.

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That piece was published October 16. The letter likely sent after the Duke loss, when we were 4-2. Not an encouraging start, but maybe a little early to be thinking about firing the coach. From where we sit today, things look a little different, but condemning RR for that sentiment, at that time is a little harsh. I'd prefer to know what he thinks today before going there.

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Cal got shutout by SDSU before that. If that game wasn't sufficient for RR to tarmac Wilsux, no other loss will be.

Big C said:

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Go!Bears said:

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calumnus said:

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NVBear78 said:

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BrightBear said:

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"One of the most distasteful things I got recently was a letter telling me I need to fire the head coach," Rivera said.

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When did RR say that??

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https://www.dailycal.org/sports/msports/football/a-sustainable-winning-culture-ron-rivera-shares-vision-as-cal-football-s-gm/article_0edd2fb2-5c91-4d97-bd2e-63fefbdd340b.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9COne%2520of%2520the%2520most%2520distasteful,insight%2520that%2520he%2520can%2520give.

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That piece was published October 16. The letter likely sent after the Duke loss, when we were 4-2. Not an encouraging start, but maybe a little early to be thinking about firing the coach. From where we sit today, things look a little different, but condemning RR for that sentiment, at that time is a little harsh. I'd prefer to know what he thinks today before going there.

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Exactly. Judge Ron Rivera by what he does over the next couple of months, not by what he said a few weeks ago.

GMs support their coach in public, until which time as they are no longer their coach (which will be the case very soon).

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I don't care about supporting the coach for reasons you say. Other than the fact that at the time of the article he should have been supporting Coach Harsin or Coach Rolovich.

My problem is the recurring theme that fans and donors need to provide unconditional support. The arguments about not withholding are problematic. He is the guy whose job it is to convince people not to withhold. Just do it isn't an argument. Gotta give people a reason to believe. Ron has the keys! is going to have a short shelf life.

And I can't imagine Wilcox isn't getting fired, but if we hit end of year and the message is we have to help Wilcox succeed with the same list of excuses, Rivera will chuck all goodwill he had coming in out the window. Have to think that he knows that and even if he thinks Wilcox is the next Lombardi he knows he can't keep him. But Cal never fails to surprise me, so I'm not counting chickens.

Big C said:

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Exactly. Judge Ron Rivera by what he does over the next couple of months, not by what he said a few weeks ago.

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I'm judging him what he has NOT done over the past month. Amazingly, he has not fired Wilcox, when such firing is clearly warranted. Rivera's failure to take decisive action makes me wonder if he can make timely tough decisions. Frankly, he has been a disappointment as GM so far in his tenure.

72CalBear said:

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Wilcox seems to be very capable with defense and there is where his future may be.

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How in the world can you say this given how our defense has performed the last few years. We've had a very poor pass rush, and our pass defense has been mediocre at best. Wilcox is just not a good coach, period.

Golden One said:

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Big C said:

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Exactly. Judge Ron Rivera by what he does over the next couple of months, not by what he said a few weeks ago.

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I'm judging him what he has NOT done over the past month. Amazingly, he has not fired Wilcox, when such firing is clearly warranted. Rivera's failure to take decisive action makes me wonder if he can make timely tough decisions. Frankly, he has been a disappointment as GM so far in his tenure.

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Yeah, the problem is that the Cal community likes to be pragmatic and prudent and mull things over to make sure the decision is not only right, but at the right time. Which is the right way to go for a lot of things, but the world of college football is a realm where you need to make bold moves and either succeed or fail fast. There has always been a streak among Cal fans that you have to hire a coach and give him five years to recruit all his own guys even if the first four are a disaster and I would argue that you know in 2 years whether a coach is going to work or not.

Hell, with Tedford we knew after one play.

BearlyCareAnymore said:

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Big C said:

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Go!Bears said:

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calumnus said:

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NVBear78 said:

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BrightBear said:

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"One of the most distasteful things I got recently was a letter telling me I need to fire the head coach," Rivera said.

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When did RR say that??

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https://www.dailycal.org/sports/msports/football/a-sustainable-winning-culture-ron-rivera-shares-vision-as-cal-football-s-gm/article_0edd2fb2-5c91-4d97-bd2e-63fefbdd340b.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9COne%2520of%2520the%2520most%2520distasteful,insight%2520that%2520he%2520can%2520give.

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That piece was published October 16. The letter likely sent after the Duke loss, when we were 4-2. Not an encouraging start, but maybe a little early to be thinking about firing the coach. From where we sit today, things look a little different, but condemning RR for that sentiment, at that time is a little harsh. I'd prefer to know what he thinks today before going there.

---

Exactly. Judge Ron Rivera by what he does over the next couple of months, not by what he said a few weeks ago.

GMs support their coach in public, until which time as they are no longer their coach (which will be the case very soon).

---

I don't care about supporting the coach for reasons you say. Other than the fact that at the time of the article he should have been supporting Coach Harsin or Coach Rolovich.

My problem is the recurring theme that fans and donors need to provide unconditional support. The arguments about not withholding are problematic. He is the guy whose job it is to convince people not to withhold. Just do it isn't an argument. Gotta give people a reason to believe. Ron has the keys! is going to have a short shelf life.

And I can't imagine Wilcox isn't getting fired, but if we hit end of year and the message is we have to help Wilcox succeed with the same list of excuses, Rivera will chuck all goodwill he had coming in out the window. Have to think that he knows that and even if he thinks Wilcox is the next Lombardi he knows he can't keep him. But Cal never fails to surprise me, so I'm not counting chickens.

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I agree 100% that Cal fans / alums need not provide unconditional support out of some "loyalty". That, if it ever was a thing, went out with $6 bottles of water, million-dollar coaches' salaries and player salaries disguised as NIL (I would also mention piped-in music, but I don't use that expression because MoragaBear doesn't need to hear it).

Some people support Cal because it is Cal. Heck, I do sometimes. A lot even. But sometimes we need a reason... like entertainment value.

DaveBear said:

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The constant drum beating for "fire Wilcox, fire now!+ contributes absolutely nothing to the discussion of where Cal football is going. Yeah,I get it.
The future of Cal coaching must change. I agree. But, firing your head coach alone solves nothing. Take a gander at the many 'buyouts" of coaches across the college football spectrum currently going on. It speaks to the mentality that coaching alone is the way to the promised land. All those buyouts, many prominent names:" were hired to solve problems.

I trust Ron Rivera to assess the situation as the season progresses, how it fits with plans to grow our football culture and how it fits with getting donors, alumni, and students buying into the future. After the recent two winnable losses, some serious assessment has to be going on. I also agree that Wilcox should go. But I trust this will not happen until there is some sense of a plan going forward to build on the progress made thus far (and there has been progress!)

If you want fire someone, fine. But that is a negative only. Speak to the future after that and who or what we can envision gets Cal to the next level.

GO BEARS

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I want a future without Wilcox.

Seriously, there's been a ton of discussion about what happens next. But the first step is firing Wilcox. Hard to put much meat on the where-do-we-go-from-here bone until that happens.

And I disagree - firing our HC alone would solve something. It would solve the problem of Wilcox being the HC. It's not a negative-only, it's a positive step in the right direction of turning this program into something we can all be proud to support.

100% we need a plan, but if RR doesn't already have a well-formulated plan by now, he'll never have one. I trust he does have one and he's just keeping his cards close to his vest - but if he's really still deciding on whether Wilcox is the answer, somebody needs to take back the keys.

Golden One said:

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Big C said:

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Exactly. Judge Ron Rivera by what he does over the next couple of months, not by what he said a few weeks ago.

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I'm judging him what he has NOT done over the past month. Amazingly, he has not fired Wilcox, when such firing is clearly warranted. Rivera's failure to take decisive action makes me wonder if he can make timely tough decisions. Frankly, he has been a disappointment as GM so far in his tenure.

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Unfortunately, I am convinced Rivera was miscast as GM. He is a football coach.

I don't expect him to fire Wilcox midseason, but I am very disappointed that he would call out a fan for wanting it. It is an option that he should be at least willing to consider even if he ultimately decides against it. The criticism of donors (Sebasta?) "withholding" when the whole point was to put Rivera in charge? Huh? Moreover, why say anything? He is acting more like a head coach protecting his starting quarterback from criticism. As GM he needs to be trying to attract fans to the games. As a Cal alum, he should know that the last thing Cal students and grads want is to just be told to do something "because" without any reasoning.

The biggest issue I have though is he is treating this year like it is the first year of Wilcox's and not the ninth. Sure, he has been coaching in the NFL with a million other things to worry about during football season than the details of what is going on at his alma mater, but he could have done a deeper dive upon taking the job. Talk with Cal alum Burl Toler at UCLA. Talk with Ott and Mendoza. Listen to Wilcox's critics and supporters. The "8 wins" was too low of a bar given the schedule. Wilcox won't meet it, but what if he had?

At least Ron will be picking the next coach and not Knowlton. I am very thankful for that.

DaveT said:

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DaveBear said:

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The constant drum beating for "fire Wilcox, fire now!+ contributes absolutely nothing to the discussion of where Cal football is going. Yeah,I get it.
The future of Cal coaching must change. I agree. But, firing your head coach alone solves nothing. Take a gander at the many 'buyouts" of coaches across the college football spectrum currently going on. It speaks to the mentality that coaching alone is the way to the promised land. All those buyouts, many prominent names:" were hired to solve problems.

I trust Ron Rivera to assess the situation as the season progresses, how it fits with plans to grow our football culture and how it fits with getting donors, alumni, and students buying into the future. After the recent two winnable losses, some serious assessment has to be going on. I also agree that Wilcox should go. But I trust this will not happen until there is some sense of a plan going forward to build on the progress made thus far (and there has been progress!)

If you want fire someone, fine. But that is a negative only. Speak to the future after that and who or what we can envision gets Cal to the next level.

GO BEARS

---

I want a future without Wilcox.

Seriously, there's been a ton of discussion about what happens next. But the first step is firing Wilcox. Hard to put much meat on the where-do-we-go-from-here bone until that happens.

And I disagree - firing our HC alone would solve something. It would solve the problem of Wilcox being the HC. It's not a negative-only, it's a positive step in the right direction of turning this program into something we can all be proud to support.

100% we need a plan, but if RR doesn't already have a well-formulated plan by now, he'll never have one. I trust he does have one and he's just keeping his cards close to his vest - but if he's really still deciding on whether Wilcox is the answer, somebody needs to take back the keys.

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Absolutely we need a plan, but posters on this board are not the ones that should be making that plan nor should they need to present a plan in order to complain about the coach. That is like going to the doctor and saying your sick and getting the response "Complaining about being sick is negative. What do you want to do about it." If I need to come up with the plan, I want $800K.

Here's the plan. Fire Wilcox. Do a competent job search. Hire someone good. Give him the support he needs to succeed.

We good now everyone?

BearlyCareAnymore said:

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Yeah, the problem is that the Cal community likes to be pragmatic and prudent and mull things over to make sure the decision is not only right, but at the right time. Which is the right way to go for a lot of things, but the world of college football is a realm where you need to make bold moves and either succeed or fail fast. There has always been a streak among Cal fans that you have to hire a coach and give him five years to recruit all his own guys even if the first four are a disaster and I would argue that you know in 2 years whether a coach is going to work or not.

Hell, with Tedford we knew after one play.

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Exactly. If Lyons and Rivera really mean what they have been saying about wanting to elevate the Cal football program, they aren't off to a good start. Quick, decisive action and being able to move on a dime are necessary to be consistently good. They haven't demonstrated the ability to do that so far.