Ok, this may seem far fetched, but hear me out first. Lets say that Carolina does fire Rivera and he returns home to Cal. Besides all the positive traits already discussed about Rivera, I think one thing that is intriguing to me is the assistants he could potentially bring in.

Ron English as DC. He was credited as a tedford-esque savior for bringing back an absolutely abysmal e. mich program to 6-6 last year. but he's 1-7 this year. realistically, probably not going to be fired after this year, and probably still wants a chance to prove he is HC material, but the one job that may lure him away is coming back to Cal. He has good pedigree as DC at Michigan and Louisville.

Hardy Nickerson as LB coach: former LB coach with Chi bears, HC bishop o'dowd. I would think he would jump at the chance to coach his son.

Richard Rodgers as Special Teams coach: currently ass. special teams coach with Carolina panthers. would be pretty obvious that rivera would just bring rodgers with him.


Now I know there are those who don't like hiring Cal people just for the sake of hiring Cal people. But its not like these guys don't have a good resume. English has HC experience and has been a DC at two major programs. Both Nickerson and Rodgers have experience coaching in the NFL. I think bringing them all in would bring a certain chemistry amongst the coaching staff and they would make it their absolute goal to get Cal to the rose bowl. not to mention that i think english and nickerson would recruit the hell out of it.

And the only guy who could assemble this staff is rivera.

if he wanted to hire pawlaski as QB coach just for the hell of it, I wouldn't mind that either. jk.

...file this one under: Pete Carroll, Chris Petersen, Jon Gruden. It just isn't going to happen.

I would much prefer either a hot offensive coordinator with Pac-12 experience or one of those hot mid major coaches that were listed here a few days ago.

Nice try though...good thought BUT.....

:gobears:

I have posted before that English would be nice to get in the fold. You haven't even scratched the surface of the number of people Rivera knows.
Panthers are having too many tough losses to fire a coach from a team that just 2 years ago was one of the NFL worst. Not exactly the most demanding NFL fan base either. Not holding my breath...

I would not have him coach our QB's, but I would love to have him recruit kids and be in a position on the staff where he could infect these kids with the fire he had for the game.

Following MB's advice, here's the profile of a very effective O Coordinator from the NFL, Mike McCoy from the Bronco's.

http://www.denverbroncos.com/team/coaches/Mike-McCoy/d0f303a8-afba-4f0d-926a-f19dc6731bce

He has been in the NFL for 13 years, he adapts his play calling to his talent, look at what he accomplished with Tebow at QB last year! With Manning at the helm, he has adjusted to throwing the ball downfield, which has made their running game more effective.

His name has been mentioned with both NFL and College openings, if it comes to be, I hope he will be considered as at CAL.

Full disclosure, although I have lived in CO since 2007, I am still a diehard 49'er fan, so I am not suggesting McCoy because I am a Bronco fan, this guy is a very good coach and deserving of consideration, much less an opportunity!

not a bad name to throw out-he is a West Coast guy...

BearsLair72;841989623 said:

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...file this one under: Pete Carroll, Chris Petersen, Jon Gruden. It just isn't going to happen.

I would much prefer either a hot offensive coordinator with Pac-12 experience or one of those hot mid major coaches that were listed here a few days ago.

Nice try though...good thought BUT.....

:gobears:

---

I want Dave Doeren from NIU. He's a midwest guy, but he did spend some time at USC.

I'm a fan of hiring no one with Cal connections. The rot runs deep.

I have no idea what that means. So, assuming you are an alum, your San Jose St. grad neighbor could persuade the incredibly bright kid(not an athlete) across the street that he should go to Cal over school X better than you can? You want to buy a Honda from a guy who drives a Camry?
The doubts about Rivera's availability aside, he is passionate about Cal where he was a true student athlete. A Super Bowl ring, his various mentors, and various coaches, that defines him as a football professional. A powerful combination...

SurvivorOf1and10fkaLEA;841989647 said:

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I want Dave Doeren from NIU. He's a midwest guy, but he did spend some time at USC.

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that's funny. he's near the top of my list as well. besides the unrealistic choices (ie petersen, kirby smart, charlie strong), i like:

1. dave doeren: was DC at Wisconsin for 4 years. has an overall 19-4 record at NIU last 2 years. he looks young and hungry.
2. Brent Pease OC at Boise st., now OC at Florida, supposed to have a good reputation for grooming QB's, still relatively young.
3. Willie Taggart: is also intriguing. young energetic guy who can recruit. RB coach under harbaugh, has west coast ties, turned around western kentucky. but i'm always weary of guys who are only winning in non-bcs leagues.

mbBear;841989671 said:

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I have no idea what that means. So, assuming you are an alum, your San Jose St. grad neighbor could persuade the incredibly bright kid(not an athlete) across the street that he should go to Cal over school X better than you can? You want to buy a Honda from a guy who drives a Camry?
The doubts about Rivera's availability aside, he is passionate about Cal where he was a true student athlete. A Super Bowl ring, his various mentors, and various coaches, that defines him as a football professional. A powerful combination...

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All that is true about Rivera, but the fact that he has been a head coach only once (currently 1 win, 6 losses) and has never coached or recruited at the major college level should be show stoppers.

Must we always look at Cal guys? Have we already forgotten how Joe Kapp fared?

....while it hurts to be reminded, McCoy is a "Utah" graduate, UGH!

ducky23;841989677 said:

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that's funny. he's near the top of my list as well. besides the unrealistic choices (ie petersen, kirby smart, charlie strong), i like:

1. dave doeren: was DC at Wisconsin for 4 years. has an overall 19-4 record at NIU last 2 years. he looks young and hungry.
2. Brent Pease OC at Boise st., now OC at Florida, supposed to have a good reputation for grooming QB's, still relatively young.
3. Willie Taggart: is also intriguing. young energetic guy who can recruit. RB coach under harbaugh, has west coast ties, turned around western kentucky. but i'm always weary of guys who are only winning in non-bcs leagues.

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Good, realistic list. Perhaps the best one posted so far. I think Taggart is our best shot.

Adrian The Cal Bear;841989695 said:

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Good, realistic list. Perhaps the best one posted so far. I think Taggart is our best shot.

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I like the Taggart option, in my completely uninformed opinion.

ducky23;841989621 said:

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Ok, this may seem far fetched, but hear me out first. Lets say that Carolina does fire Rivera and he returns home to Cal. Besides all the positive traits already discussed about Rivera, I think one thing that is intriguing to me is the assistants he could potentially bring in.

Ron English as DC. He was credited as a tedford-esque savior for bringing back an absolutely abysmal e. mich program to 6-6 last year. but he's 1-7 this year. realistically, probably not going to be fired after this year, and probably still wants a chance to prove he is HC material, but the one job that may lure him away is coming back to Cal. He has good pedigree as DC at Michigan and Louisville.

Hardy Nickerson as LB coach: former LB coach with Chi bears, HC bishop o'dowd. I would think he would jump at the chance to coach his son.

Richard Rodgers as Special Teams coach: currently ass. special teams coach with Carolina panthers. would be pretty obvious that rivera would just bring rodgers with him.


Now I know there are those who don't like hiring Cal people just for the sake of hiring Cal people. But its not like these guys don't have a good resume. English has HC experience and has been a DC at two major programs. Both Nickerson and Rodgers have experience coaching in the NFL. I think bringing them all in would bring a certain chemistry amongst the coaching staff and they would make it their absolute goal to get Cal to the rose bowl. not to mention that i think english and nickerson would recruit the hell out of it.

And the only guy who could assemble this staff is rivera.

if he wanted to hire pawlaski as QB coach just for the hell of it, I wouldn't mind that either. jk.

---

In all seriousness, it has always seemed to me that the whole Cal experience produces an extra amount of lovable craziness, loyalty and committment that goes way beyond what happens at other schools. That said, lets think big. New Orleans man of the year, Scott Fujita may be available. I am a Ron Gould fan, but if he leaves, Russell White?? Any thoughts for the O line? We certainly have enough that played in the pros. Mike Tepper and Tarik Glenn, (the Beaver beheader) were two of my favorites. Let's have some fun with this.

you are going to compare Rivera's experience to Joe Kapp's? Really?? Besides the fact that they both have Cal diplomas, is that even a comparison? That's like comparing me to Alex Morgan.
And if there is worry about head coaching experience, then okay, that eliminates a lot of candidates. Though when you think about Ron's football experience as a coordinator, its like asking a White House Chief of Staff to come teach Poli Sci, even though they haven't been a professor.

Lastly, if you ever get to meet Ron in person, the recruiting question would be out the window in 5 minutes max...okay,not everyone gets that chance, I get that.

Why would we want Rivera? -_-

Ive posted this question several times and havent got an answer.

just because he is a cal alum? he is 1-6... how about going for someone that is actually succeeding?

ducky23;841989677 said:

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that's funny. he's near the top of my list as well. besides the unrealistic choices (ie petersen, kirby smart, charlie strong), i like:

1. dave doeren: was DC at Wisconsin for 4 years. has an overall 19-4 record at NIU last 2 years. he looks young and hungry.
2. Brent Pease OC at Boise st., now OC at Florida, supposed to have a good reputation for grooming QB's, still relatively young.
3. Willie Taggart: is also intriguing. young energetic guy who can recruit. RB coach under harbaugh, has west coast ties, turned around western kentucky. but i'm always weary of guys who are only winning in non-bcs leagues.

---

Plese tell me your expectations are higher than this. Is this really the best we can do? Any hire is going to be a gamble, but I'd hope and expect we can attract someone with a better track record than these 3. It doesn't mean these guys couldn't do the job, but consider the list when Tedford got the job. The candidate pool was much more distinguished than guys of this ilk. We aren't Michigan or USC or Alabama, but we aren't Indiana or Iowa St., either.

His accomplishments as a Coordinator got him chosen to one of the top 32 positions in the game of football. Specifically, as a Coordinator, he was successful in implementing both a 4-3 and 3-4 defense...no one else in Pro Football has done that, and very few folks in college football I imagine have gone down that path. He has game planned (and therefore coached against in practice) with some of the most respected offensive minds in the game.
His improvement with the Panthers last year was highly regarded by most with NFL knowledge. This year sucks for him, yet the team is competitive (which means nothing I know) against some of the better NFL teams.
Get him 1 on 1, and he would rather talk about Cal than his Super Bowl/NFC Championship experiences. Let that sink in for a minute, then imagine him sitting across from your 17 year old and selling that (while he wears that effing big ring)...He isn't just a Cal alum-he is a former Cal student athlete.
I hope that helps....I don't expect him to be available, so this is all moot.

Agureghian;841989728 said:

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Why would we want Rivera? -_-

Ive posted this question several times and havent got an answer.

just because he is a cal alum? he is 1-6... how about going for someone that is actually succeeding?

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Because as the Chargers DC (and LB coach) he did a great job. Having watched the Chargers frequently during his tenure I can tell you they played fundamentally solid football with very smart game planning week in and week out.

Second, it is clear he has extensive contacts and relationships throughout the coaching community that can help with the near constant churn that occurs in the assistant ranks.

Finally, and I just don't think many don't have a clue how critical this is, he almost assuredly "gets" the position football occupies in the university and how, for example, it is fundamentally different than say Alabama football to Alabama; Boise State Football to Boise State or Louisiana Tech football to LTU.

One of my criteria - which is unlikely shared by many of you - is a guy with EXPERIENCE at coaching/playing at an institution where Football comes second. You need to know that, when tthe rock and the hard place meet, the coaching candidate will do the right thing and not skimp in a way that puts the program in SERIOUS peril with the Boskies of the world on the faculty senate. You think things are bad now? Just wait if the Faculty senate starts passing resolutions calling for the university to drop D1 sports and what THAT does to our recruiting. Think it can't happen? Go back and look at the Mike WHite debacles and how it lead to a multi-decade long exile into the wilderness for BOTH BB and Football.

It matters not who is chosen to coach as long as he lives in the 'burbs. Nothing says Berkeley like a Blackhawk zip code.

socaltownie;841989760 said:

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One of my criteria - which is unlikely shared by many of you - is a guy with EXPERIENCE at coaching/playing at an institution where Football comes second. You need to know that, when tthe rock and the hard place meet, the coaching candidate will do the right thing and not skimp in a way that puts the program in SERIOUS peril with the Boskies of the world on the faculty senate. You think things are bad now? Just wait if the Faculty senate starts passing resolutions calling for the university to drop D1 sports and what THAT does to our recruiting. Think it can't happen? Go back and look at the Mike WHite debacles and how it lead to a multi-decade long exile into the wilderness for BOTH BB and Football.

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THIS. I've tried to explain this point in previous posts, but this pretty much communicates how I feel. Cal is not any other university, its challenges are unique, and you need someone who understands that. which is why you can't necessarily just bring in some SEC mercenary.

i also don't think rivera is such a long shot. they could very well lose the rest of their games. the new gm may want to go in a new direction. if rivera is fired (obviously that is the big IF), then i think rivera would be interviewed and if offered he would gladly accept. rivera is much more likely than petersen, smart, or strong.

ducky23;841989773 said:

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THIS. I've tried to explain this point in previous posts, but this pretty much communicates how I feel. Cal is not any other university, its challenges are unique, and you need someone who understands that. which is why you can't necessarily just bring in some SEC mercenary.

i also don't think rivera is such a long shot. they could very well lose the rest of their games. the new gm may want to go in a new direction. if rivera is fired (obviously that is the big IF), then i think rivera would be interviewed and if offered he would gladly accept. rivera is much more likely than petersen, smart, or strong.

---

The only part I would object to is that Cal is unique. You might be surprised but I also believe Football comes second at many Big 10 Institutions (tOSU being an exception), Notre Dame, a few Big East Institutions and, perhaps most controversial, U$C under former President Steve Sample.

The key factors would include

A) Lots of Research (as measured by NSF and NHI $)
B) Prestigious faculty (as measured by membership in the Academy of Science and equivalent)
C) LOTS of power in faculty senate (and not so much power in the "board of governors/trustees/Regents) OR governors/trustees/regents protected from the political appointment power (and thereby big time football supporters). The antithesis of this governing system can be seen at Penn State.

PS. I HATE defending USC but 1) Sample did a pretty amazing job for a President in raising the visibility of research and raising $$ for non-football things and 2) When the Bu$h scandle broke Pete the Cheat and AD were gone. Time will tell how Sample's successor fairs when Lane the idiot breaks rules and gets sanctioned.

BearsLair72;841989623 said:

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...file this one under: Pete Carroll, Chris Petersen, Jon Gruden. It just isn't going to happen.

I would much prefer either a hot offensive coordinator with Pac-12 experience or one of those hot mid major coaches that were listed here a few days ago.

Nice try though...good thought BUT.....

:gobears:

---

Unlikely to happen, true, but it IS an option that is being seriously explored, unlike Gruden, et. al.

ducky23;841989773 said:

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THIS. I've tried to explain this point in previous posts, but this pretty much communicates how I feel. Cal is not any other university, its challenges are unique, and you need someone who understands that. which is why you can't necessarily just bring in some SEC mercenary.

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We will never win anything with that mindset. Academics are great to have, but to a certain extent. USC is no slouch academically yet still manage to win multiple bowl games, national championships, and p12 divisions. Sure PC committed some recruiting violations that he was "unaware" of but would I trade 2 national championships, several p10 championships, and Heisman trophies for 3 years of sanctions? I would. Someone could say that the heisman was stripped and the national championship was revoked... still, they were the best team that year regardless if reggie bush was eligible or not... AND USC has recovered and flourished under Lane Kiffin after those sanctions.

Agureghian;841989819 said:

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We will never win anything with that mindset. Academics are great to have, but to a certain extent. USC is no slouch academically yet still manage to win multiple bowl games, national championships, and p12 divisions. Sure PC committed some recruiting violations that he was "unaware" of but would I trade 2 national championships, several p10 championships, and Heisman trophies for 3 years of sanctions? I would. Someone could say that the heisman was stripped and the national championship was revoked... still, they were the best team that year regardless if reggie bush was eligible or not... AND USC has recovered and flourished under Lane Kiffin after those sanctions.

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uh, ok. i think you might be on the wrong board bro.

ducky23;841989825 said:

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uh, ok. i think you might be on the wrong board bro.

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youre right.

I should be on the "wants to win" board this clearly isnt it.

Agureghian;841989728 said:

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Why would we want Rivera? -_-

Ive posted this question several times and havent got an answer.

just because he is a cal alum? he is 1-6... how about going for someone that is actually succeeding?

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The difference between NFL and college coaching is very different, so I don't think you can hold that record against Rivera. First off, no successfully NFL coach is going to want to drop to the NCAA. So Saban left Miami after 2 losing seasons and Petrino left Atlanta midway through a losing season (did he see the writing on the wall, or just bail?), but again they weren't winning. The level of X's and O's at the NFL level is just so much better than college that it's not easy to compete. Bring a good X's and O's coach down to college, and they'll have a leg up on a lot of their opposing coaches.

Of course the flip side is that NFL schemes are more complicated and a pro coach might not be able to simplify them enough, or at least have some learning curve in terms of what is OK to expect from college players. There also has to be more of an emphasis on teaching and of course recruiting.... but since those are not staples in the NFL, it's hard to extrapolate whether an NFL coach can do that based on their NFL resume. But at the same time, it would be hard to know a lot of things when promoting a college OC or DC w/ no head experience... risks in everything.

Carolina is a pretty bad organization too. The canned John Fox, and maybe it was time, but his record in the last years isn't just a result of his coaching ability... they have major player personnel issues. And still do. In college sure you can hold a teams talent level against a coach, but NFL that's not the case.

I'm not saying Ron Rivera is right for the job, but I wouldn't be disappointed if he were a candidate. Of course he's still employed and I don't know why carolina would fire him now, unless he wanted out.. they would just install a new coach and get similar results.

ColoradoBear1;841989833 said:

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The difference between NFL and college coaching is very different, so I don't think you can hold that record against Rivera. First off, no successfully NFL coach is going to want to drop to the NCAA. So Saban left Miami after 2 losing seasons and Petrino left Atlanta midway through a losing season (did he see the writing on the wall, or just bail?), but again they weren't winning. The level of X's and O's at the NFL level is just so much better than college that it's not easy to compete. Bring a good X's and O's coach down to college, and they'll have a leg up on a lot of their opposing coaches.

Of course the flip side is that NFL schemes are more complicated and a pro coach might not be able to simplify them enough, or at least have some learning curve in terms of what is OK to expect from college players. There also has to be more of an emphasis on teaching and of course recruiting.... but since those are not staples in the NFL, it's hard to extrapolate whether an NFL coach can do that based on their NFL resume. But at the same time, it would be hard to know a lot of things when promoting a college OC or DC w/ no head experience... risks in everything.

Carolina is a pretty bad organization too. The canned John Fox, and maybe it was time, but his record in the last years isn't just a result of his coaching ability... they have major player personnel issues. And still do. In college sure you can hold a teams talent level against a coach, but NFL that's not the case.

I'm not saying Ron Rivera is right for the job, but I wouldn't be disappointed if he were a candidate. Of course he's still employed and I don't know why carolina would fire him now, unless he wanted out.. they would just install a new coach and get similar results.

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no use arguing with Agureghian. he wants someone who will put us on sanctions and/or sacrifice our academic integrity. i think bozeman might still be available.

Count me as not wanting Ron Rivera as the head coach. It has not to do with passion etc. There are plenty of brilliant coordinators that aren't cut out for head jobs, Norv Turner, Jeff Tedford, Mike Stoops, Kevin Steele. It's not an indictment of their abilities but rather merely an issue of not having what's necessary to succeed as a head man.

Carolina could be a complete snake pit and it may well be that he's a fantastic HC but numbers tend to show that when you don't have success at the HC level it rarely comes later. This doesn't mean that a coach is successful at the college level and fails at the pro level and then is successful as the colelge level again. It means in Riveras case there's no HC success period so all we know is what we see which is bad Carolina team.

just fyi. some very recent articles on rivera's job security.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8570265/ron-rivera-not-concerned-job-carolina-panthers-collapse

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000086039/article/ron-rivera-knows-hes-on-thin-ice-as-panthers-coach

"NFL Network analyst Michael Lombardi said "it's going to take a lot of wins for Ron Rivera to keep his job" on "NFL GameDay Morning." That's not exactly breaking news."

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/jason-la-canfora/20723343/the-nfl-today-panthers-changes-could-extend-to-ron-rivera-broncos-oc-mike-mccoy-a-potential-target

"Carolina owner Jerry Richardson parted with longtime general manager Marty Hurney this week, the first of what are likely to be sweeping changes in the organization, league sources said. With Cam Newton struggling and the Panthers near the bottom of the NFL again, Richardson is reviewing all aspects of the organization, including second-year head coach Ron Rivera. Any new general manager would likely want to evaluate Rivera as well."

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/23/ron-rivera-knows-hes-coaching-for-his-job-now/

"Rivera's just the new guy, a guy with a 7-15 record. And with a new GM coming in at some point, he has little security other than the possibility Richardson wants to save some more money."
-----------------

whether you like the idea of hiring him or not, the possibility of him being fired and him being interviewed by Cal are increasing by the day.

ducky23;841989860 said:

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whether you like the idea of hiring him or not, the possibility of him being fired and him being interviewed by Cal are increasing by the day.

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If there is any guaranteed money left in Rivera's contract (I think it's 4 years total actually), the panthers might be willing to negotiate a early departure if the next job mitigates their future obligations to Rivera.

another interesting article:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/10/27/3070495/panthers-coach-ron-rivera-knows.html

author speculates that Rivera might be 'too nice'.

ducky23;841989860 said:

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just fyi. some very recent articles on rivera's job security.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8570265/ron-rivera-not-concerned-job-carolina-panthers-collapse

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000086039/article/ron-rivera-knows-hes-on-thin-ice-as-panthers-coach

"NFL Network analyst Michael Lombardi said "it's going to take a lot of wins for Ron Rivera to keep his job" on "NFL GameDay Morning." That's not exactly breaking news."

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/jason-la-canfora/20723343/the-nfl-today-panthers-changes-could-extend-to-ron-rivera-broncos-oc-mike-mccoy-a-potential-target

"Carolina owner Jerry Richardson parted with longtime general manager Marty Hurney this week, the first of what are likely to be sweeping changes in the organization, league sources said. With Cam Newton struggling and the Panthers near the bottom of the NFL again, Richardson is reviewing all aspects of the organization, including second-year head coach Ron Rivera. Any new general manager would likely want to evaluate Rivera as well."

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/23/ron-rivera-knows-hes-coaching-for-his-job-now/

"Rivera's just the new guy, a guy with a 7-15 record. And with a new GM coming in at some point, he has little security other than the possibility Richardson wants to save some more money."
-----------------

whether you like the idea of hiring him or not, the possibility of him being fired and him being interviewed by Cal are increasing by the day.

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excellent!

ColoradoBear1;841989866 said:

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If there is any guaranteed money left in Rivera's contract (I think it's 4 years total actually), the panthers might be willing to negotiate a early departure if the next job mitigates their future obligations to Rivera.

another interesting article:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/10/27/3070495/panthers-coach-ron-rivera-knows.html

author speculates that Rivera might be 'too nice'.

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the one thing that strikes me from reading the miami herald article is how often he lays the blame with himself. he is very critical of himself. quite the departure from he who must not be named. the optimist in me thinks thats a good characteristic cause he won't be a stubborn ass like tedford and will always re-evaluate himself and adapt. the pessimist in me thinks a HC might want to be more sure of themself, especially at the nfl level.