That is what Sonny Dykes said at the end of the Stanfurd game. These kids leaving for the NFL maybe 1 will be drafted. I'll root for the players that want to be Cal Bears!

I think this is the hardest part of coaching: getting people to buy in when things are hard. Getting a lot of people being told how awesome they are makes it hard to get them to engage in the challenge of change and following your lead when things are going sideways.

This is not to dis those leaving but to make sense of why a reasonably talented program that is struggling can look abominable during a culture change.

Lets hope those willing to stick with their new coaches start seeing a pay-off this coming year. And lets hope those steeped in these dark days can one day say they were there to see this thing through! Go Bears!

And I hope those who leave for the NFL and CFL and Arena league can feel proud to say "California" when asked to state their college program.

Look at our record the last 3 years. It isn't exactly stellar (5-7, 7-6, 3-9). Yet they all choose to come here and be bears. It's not like they walked into a 11-1 perennial winner. They knew that they would have to build the program and earn wins. The fact that they are leaving after a 1-11 season does not mean they don't want to be bears. The fact that we haven't had an exodus like this in God knows how long says more about the staff than the kids.

DykesHater;842260162 said:

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Look at our record the last 3 years. It isn't exactly stellar (5-7, 7-6, 3-9). Yet they all choose to come here and be bears. It's not like they walked into a 11-1 perennial winner. They knew that they would have to build the program and earn wins. The fact that they are leaving after a 1-11 season does not mean they don't want to be bears. The fact that we haven't had an exodus like this in God knows how long says more about the staff than the kids.

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I kinda agree with you, DykesHater.

Not the same staff....you are right...this one is holding players accountable and placing expectations on them, including an expectation that they go to class.

We want coaches who know how to coach and aren't killing off a valued football program and which helps fund out other fine sports programs. These players DO want to be Bears. The coaches are just incompetent.

HaloBear;842260164 said:

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I kinda agree with you, DykesHater.

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Let me get this straight. You're saying that our 1-11 season and exodus of players is in no way on Dykes? Time to stop sniffing the paint.

freshfunk;842260235 said:

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Let me get this straight. You're saying that our 1-11 season and exodus of players is in no way on Dykes? Time to stop sniffing the paint.

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Why are you still so incensed?

You should be comfortably numb by now like the rest of us.

"real Cal Bear?" What does that mean? There is no football tradition to boast of, nor trajectory to promise..We are going to subsist on 2-3 star recruits who aren't going anywhere else in the P12, or those who feel they might be showcased on a sh*tty team. What about that Cal degree? Even mommy and daddy know that the NFL is worth more these days..so..who will come to be a Bear? Wait a minute..what about the new glistening stadium that JT built? and the Oregon-like workout facility? Sonny dumps his DC after one season, makes wholesale changes..so who wants to come to be a Bear?? Actually the team colors are pretty cool..Top Dog? Sneak into Kips?? Getting embarassed by the Ducks at Levi Stadium should bring in..someone..??

^This

72CalBear;842260263 said:

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"real Cal Bear?" What does that mean? There is no football tradition to boast of, nor trajectory to promise..We are going to subsist on 2-3 star recruits who aren't going anywhere else in the P12, or those who feel they might be showcased on a sh*tty team. What about that Cal degree? Even mommy and daddy know that the NFL is worth more these days..so..who will come to be a Bear? Wait a minute..what about the new glistening stadium that JT built? and the Oregon-like workout facility? Sonny dumps his DC after one season, makes wholesale changes..so who wants to come to be a Bear?? Actually the team colors are pretty cool..Top Dog? Sneak into Kips?? Getting embarassed by the Ducks at Levi Stadium should bring in..someone..??

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You should consider not starting your rant in the title section. You're going to make mobile users upset when they can't see that part. For mobile users, it totally ruins the otherwise very angry rant you have going.

72CalBear;842260263 said:

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"real Cal Bear?" What does that mean? There is no football tradition to boast of, nor trajectory to promise..We are going to subsist on 2-3 star recruits who aren't going anywhere else in the P12, or those who feel they might be showcased on a sh*tty team. What about that Cal degree? Even mommy and daddy know that the NFL is worth more these days..so..who will come to be a Bear? Wait a minute..what about the new glistening stadium that JT built? and the Oregon-like workout facility? Sonny dumps his DC after one season, makes wholesale changes..so who wants to come to be a Bear?? Actually the team colors are pretty cool..Top Dog? Sneak into Kips?? Getting embarassed by the Ducks at Levi Stadium should bring in..someone..??

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Great. Do us all a favor and go over to the Ducks board

GranadaHillsBear;842260184 said:

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We want coaches who know how to coach and aren't killing off a valued football program and which helps fund out other fine sports programs. These players DO want to be Bears. The coaches are just incompetent.

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You're right. Making players accountable for going to class and academics is destroying out program

freshfunk;842260162 said:

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Look at our record the last 3 years. It isn't exactly stellar (5-7, 7-6, 3-9). Yet they all choose to come here and be bears. It's not like they walked into a 11-1 perennial winner. They knew that they would have to build the program and earn wins. The fact that they are leaving after a 1-11 season does not mean they don't want to be bears. The fact that we haven't had an exodus like this in God knows how long says more about the staff than the kids.

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Disagree: it shows that those kids are quitters, just like a lot of Sunshine fans on this board.

Staff hasn't quit, and neither has the balance of the team.

We are good to go.

:gobears:

GranadaHillsBear;842260184 said:

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We want coaches who know how to coach and aren't killing off a valued football program and which helps fund out other fine sports programs. These players DO want to be Bears. The coaches are just incompetent.

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I agree. If you come from the notion it will take a couple of years because it is a new system, then fine. But even Dykes said he has not seen anything like this, he looks dumbfounded on the post-game and does not know what to say. He has the look like, " my system is not working and we are going nowhere " This is bad news folks

freshfunk;842260162 said:

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Look at our record the last 3 years. It isn't exactly stellar (5-7, 7-6, 3-9). Yet they all choose to come here and be bears. It's not like they walked into a 11-1 perennial winner. They knew that they would have to build the program and earn wins. The fact that they are leaving after a 1-11 season does not mean they don't want to be bears. The fact that we haven't had an exodus like this in God knows how long says more about the staff than the kids.

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A lot of the players leavimg did not sign their loi's when Cal was 3-9 and definitely not 1-11. They wanted to be a part of a winning team. Whether or not that's on the staff or players, it is a bit of both.

Regardless, you shouldn't diss the guys that are getting a real NFL paycheck next year. It's not like they are choosing NFL or a shot at the Rose Bowl like Hundley is.

I also believe a lot of teams have attrition, but we simply don't follow them so don't know the details. Obviously, this Cal team's attrition is incredibly high but not completely unexpected.

Here's a live list of underclassmen declaring for the draft. You can see how we compare to others here. A transfer list is harder to track down.

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-mock-draft/2013/12/2/5168358/2014-nfl-draft-underclassmen-tracker

manus;842260309 said:

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Disagree: it shows that those kids are quitters, just like a lot of Sunshine fans on this board.

Staff hasn't quit, and neither has the balance of the team.

We are good to go.

:gobears:

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I don't think it's just coincidence that most of the transfers and early draft announcements are coming from the defensive side of the ball. These guys are leaving at the first opportunity because they lack faith in the defensive staff and quite frankly, the evidence is on their side. We had an epically bad defense last season where are players were not prepared with minimal skill development as the season went on. As a result, we currently don't have a DC, and need an additional DB coach. Just because Buh hasn't quit doesnt mean he was competent to be a DC. We need coaches who can do more than "not quit" they need to develop players to their full potential as well. Our D staff didn't do that last year.

Maybe if we had a legit DC in place earlier some of these guys would have taken a chance with a new defensive leader and strategist. But right now they have no idea what to expect and the deadline to declare for the NFL has already passed. While it would be nice if some of these guys stuck around to help improve the program, I don't fault them for deciding to move on in the abscence of other information on what to expect for our defensive staff.

matadude;842260042 said:

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That is what Sonny Dykes said at the end of the Stanfurd game. These kids leaving for the NFL maybe 1 will be drafted. I'll root for the players that want to be Cal Bears!

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What we want is coaches players want to play for. I hate to tell you this, but Dykes said that after the Big Game because there were players who had already made it clear to him that they didn't want to play for him.

I really don't understand you guys. You can't even imagine a situation where the coach is so unpleasant to play for that guys don't want to play for them. It must be that 15 guys are quitters. I hate to tell you another thing. Even if they ARE "quitters", they are the canaries in the coal mine.

These guys DID want to be Cal Bears. Did it ever occur to you guys that they might still wish they could be, but that playing for Dykes is too big of a price to pay?

I didn't just come to Cal when I was 18. I'm from a Cal family. Went to almost every Cal home game from the time I was 5. When I played football, I pretended I was playing for Cal. And I pretended a lot. Much of my childhood was spent wanting desperately to play WR for Cal. Had I been blessed with the talent to do so, Theder, Kapp, or Gilby easily would have gotten my LOI. No way Holmoe would. No way in hell Dykes would. And it would have killed me to go elsewhere. I guarantee you no guy on that team wants to be a Cal bear more than I do. At some point you have to make decisions with your head, not your heart.

I'm sorry but the phrase "we want players who want to be [fill in mascot here]" is seen on boards of loser programs everywhere. You can fantasize about level of commitment all you want, but most guys "who want to be" whatever want to because they don't have a better offer.

This many players leaving reflects badly on the coach, plain and simple.

manus;842260309 said:

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Disagree: it shows that those kids are quitters, just like a lot of Sunshine fans on this board.

Staff hasn't quit, and neither has the balance of the team.

We are good to go.

:gobears:

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Iceberg dead ahead. Full steam.

In your opinion.

OaktownBear;842260425 said:

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What we want is coaches players want to play for. I hate to tell you this, but Dykes said that after the Big Game because there were players who had already made it clear to him that they didn't want to play for him.

I really don't understand you guys. You can't even imagine a situation where the coach is so unpleasant to play for that guys don't want to play for them. It must be that 15 guys are quitters. I hate to tell you another thing. Even if they ARE "quitters", they are the canaries in the coal mine.

These guys DID want to be Cal Bears. Did it ever occur to you guys that they might still wish they could be, but that playing for Dykes is too big of a price to pay?

I didn't just come to Cal when I was 18. I'm from a Cal family. Went to almost every Cal home game from the time I was 5. When I played football, I pretended I was playing for Cal. And I pretended a lot. Much of my childhood was spent wanting desperately to play WR for Cal. Had I been blessed with the talent to do so, Theder, Kapp, or Gilby easily would have gotten my LOI. No way Holmoe would. No way in hell Dykes would. And it would have killed me to go elsewhere. I guarantee you no guy on that team wants to be a Cal bear more than I do. At some point you have to make decisions with your head, not your heart.

I'm sorry but the phrase "we want players who want to be [fill in mascot here]" is seen on boards of loser programs everywhere. You can fantasize about level of commitment all you want, but most guys "who want to be" whatever want to because they don't have a better offer.

This many players leaving reflects badly on the coach, plain and simple.

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Yep.
A good coach among other things gets players to play hard for him and want to play for him. This coaching staff looks like an epic fail in this regard.

freshfunk;842260235 said:

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Let me get this straight. You're saying that our 1-11 season and exodus of players is in no way on Dykes? Time to stop sniffing the paint.

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I agree it's on Dykes, all because he's trying to establish discipline and these are players that want to be babied.

SRBear;842260434 said:

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In your opinion.

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Yeah, this is a message board. people express opinions.

SRBear;842260180 said:

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Not the same staff....you are right...this one is holding players accountable and placing expectations on them, including an expectation that they go to class.

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In your opinion.

touche...however, there is no doubt the staff has changed. It's not known why players are making the decisions they are making. Expectations were that there would be player turnover. Even I expected more than one win...that best change or the seats on your bus will be full.

What is wrong with You guys? The Defense under Pendergrass gave up how many points to the Oregon schools the last two games of the 2012 season? The players were underperforming for Pendergast and Tedford and You want to lay the blame on a foundation of mediocre players that incurred a string of injuries of biblical proportion on Dykes and Buh? As for those leaving .. good riddance. The defense was bad and getting worse the last two years of Tedford. All those Tosh recruits turned out great didn't they? You guys need to quit pretending the last four years of Tedfords recruits were in the same class as his 1st four years,.. they are not even close. Stop the fairy tale belief that the Bears have Pac 12 Elite level talent, it's not true and look at the quitters and discipline problems that Tedford left for someone else to deal with. Brazinski and McCain were the poster boys for the lack of player commitment of Tedford's last gasp. Neither lived up to the football obligations of a scholarship to Cal. Someone mentioned 'deadwood' before the start of last season. His awareness was far too accurate for any comfort and results.

Yes, Dykes and staff are an EPIC fail - plain for all to see. Don't get why people fantasize otherwise...

Dduster;842260460 said:

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What is wrong with You guys? The Defense under Pendergrass gave up how many points to the Oregon schools the last two games of the 2012 season? The players were underperforming for Pendergast and Tedford and You want to lay the blame on a foundation of mediocre players that incurred a string of injuries of biblical proportion on Dykes and Buh? As for those leaving .. good riddance. The defense was bad and getting worse the last two years of Tedford. All those Tosh recruits turned out great didn't they? You guys need to quit pretending the last four years of Tedfords recruits were in the same class as his 1st four years,.. they are not even close. Stop the fairy tale belief that the Bears have Pac 12 Elite level talent, it's not true and look at the quitters and discipline problems that Tedford left for someone else to deal with. Brazinski and McCain were the poster boys for the lack of player commitment of Tedford's last gasp. Neither lived up to the football obligations of a scholarship to Cal. Someone mentioned 'deadwood' before the start of last season. His awareness was far too accurate for any comfort and results.

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Nobody thinks we have elite talent. We don't have worst in the country talent. We don't have get skunked by Colorado talent. Are you going to blame Tosh for Ragin? Whitener?

72CalBear;842260263 said:

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"real Cal Bear?" What does that mean? There is no football tradition to boast of, nor trajectory to promise..We are going to subsist on 2-3 star recruits who aren't going anywhere else in the P12, or those who feel they might be showcased on a sh*tty team. What about that Cal degree? Even mommy and daddy know that the NFL is worth more these days..so..who will come to be a Bear? Wait a minute..what about the new glistening stadium that JT built? and the Oregon-like workout facility? Sonny dumps his DC after one season, makes wholesale changes..so who wants to come to be a Bear?? Actually the team colors are pretty cool..Top Dog? Sneak into Kips?? Getting embarassed by the Ducks at Levi Stadium should bring in..someone..??

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I think the GG Bridge is still available for jumping. With a monicker like 72CalBears, I would assume you have been about for a bit. There has always been a disconnect at Cal. We want to be 5* good, but we want to do it with ivy League players that have military academy ethics. Get over it. We can't have it all. It just will not work.

As we scorn other methodologies, we aspire to their success. Gotta make a choice. Purity is gone. The big money has been around for years and is getting bigger, not smaller. The era of the true "student-athlete" is gone. Who are we trying to kid.

So what do we at Cal really want? You tell me?

MiZery;842260297 said:

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You're right. Making players accountable for going to class and academics is destroying out program

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Stop blaming the kids for the dysfunctional football program. They are a symptom and not the cause.

This cluster is 100% on the highly paid professionals who drove it into the ground. Unfortunately, current staff included.

OaktownBear;842260491 said:

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Nobody thinks we have elite talent. We don't have worst in the country talent. We don't have get skunked by Colorado talent. Are you going to blame Tosh for Ragin? Whitener?

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Sonny recruited Ragin. He is also recruiting a bunch of 2.something GPA students now and has been trolling Mississippi JUCOs for scholar athletes. The idea that Sonny is being rigorous about academics is silly. It's all PR deflection.

Darby;842260518 said:

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Stop blaming the kids for the dysfunctional football program. They are a symptom and not the cause.

This cluster is 100% on the highly paid professionals who drove it into the ground. Unfortunately, current staff included.

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Thank you Darby. Just torques me to hear these kids getting blamed, told they are quitters or soft. No, not the adults, the ones getting paid quite well to manage the AD and football team.

The talent we have or had on this team was not the worst in the conference, and by far. And it was certainly not the worst in our history. The results were though. Our recruiting the last few years, by most or all services, had us in the top 1/3 of the conference. We have or had sufficient talent to at least be competitive in our games. Coaching can and often does make a difference!

We know there was a cancerous dynamic of JT's last team to where the players just mailed it in the last few games. It was clear to many finally that JT's time was up. However, that team nearly beat tOSU in Columbus, and should have. They beat a ranked UCLA team, and did so handily. It was not a good year for sure, but you don't do those things with pathetic talent.

That said, with the talent we are losing and the prospects of this class, this excuse might be a valid one soon; and if so, it will be one created by SD, and his chosen staff.

As far as young men leaving the program, by any and all means, the pain of staying equated to giving-up. These 18-20 year olds didn't make these decisions alone, and I'd guess all were well-contemplated (I'm aware of a couple). They consulted former coaches and trainers, as well as family and friends. As someone said earlier, such sentiment (desire to leave) existed before the last game. At least one parent that I'm aware of spoke with SD before season's end, and it was not a fruitful discussion. It had seemed evident that other family members had done the same. Transferring next year was encouraged more so than this year, as it would look bad, particularly if more than a couple departed now… So much for that.

JT and staff didn't get us to the promised land, but they were a proven commodity to the recruits. The pro set O and playbook groomed all offensive positions very well for the next level. The D was led by a guy with NFL experience, the SB even. Like him or not, Pendy gave us the #1 defense in the conference, I believe in 2010 (yards allowed). In 2011 also, a different metric as I recall, but 2nd in yards allowed.

Just like a Cal degree is golden for one's career, Cal football was arguably the best out there in developing and preparing those for that career path. That is suddenly gone and replaced with a HC and staff, to be polite, very polite, is not proven. Further, horrific results aside, the offensive system is not something that lends itself well to what's expected in the League. Speaking of which, I believe none of the coaches have NFL experience (as player or coach). Lose a few renowned professors that makes a major very desirable on campus, and students will choose to matriculate elsewhere. Totally understandable.

This doesn't even factor-in other matters on the team, how things have been managed, personnel decisions, disciplinary approaches, altercation/s, practice players not on the sidelines on game day and no end of season awards.

These are not opinions.

As much as I love Cal, I feel that Cal failed these young men. That pains me for the kids (the ones still here too), as it does me being an alum and hardcore fan.

manus;842260309 said:

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Disagree: it shows that those kids are quitters, just like a lot of Sunshine fans on this board.

Staff hasn't quit, and neither has the balance of the team.

We are good to go.

:gobears:

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If they were quitters, then why did they stick around after the 2012 3-9 season? That would've been time to jump ship if they were quitters, especially considering Tedford's departure and the unknown element of a new coaching staff.

But people like Tagaloa said they would stick around a year and give the new coaches a chance. They did that and decided that they might have better chances elsewhere.

With a few exceptions, 99% of recruits choose Cal simply because Cal is the best offer they have. We don't have a football tradition to speak of, where kids watch us growing up and dream of playing us. We may have a notable exception like Joe Igber, who wants to receive an elite education and play some high-level football on the side, but we may get a Joe Igber once every 2 years.
For the rest, the question is what we can do for them.