http://www.espn.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/107237/cal-coach-sonny-dykes-is-running-out-of-chances-to-get-the-defense-fixed

"This is no longer about the defensive coordinator. It's about Dykes. . .

At this point in his career, he has a clear, deserved reputation as a head coach: His teams can score a lot of points, but they can’t stop anyone."


Interesting tidbit: "Of the 43 teams in the country that have averaged more than 32 points per game in the last four years, only two have a losing record: Cal and Texas Tech."

"but the combination of Dykes’ history with defense and his poorly-kept secret of wanting to coach elsewhere limits the job’s appeal."

"There is not one right way to make this hire, but Dykes had better make it work because if it doesn't, he won't get another opportunity."

Hack job

Nice shot of Sonny there performing his signature move

going4roses;842778883 said:

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Hack job

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Personal perspective

OaktownBear;842778893 said:

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Personal perspective

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Hmmm K.

going4roses;842778883 said:

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Hack job

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Looks pretty accurate to me.

Sigh.

going4roses;842778883 said:

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Hack job

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Also an inarguably correct hack job. In seven seasons as a head coach, Dykes has fielded a competent defense exactly once (2011 Louisiana Tech). This is a different schools, with different players and different staffs.

The common denominator is Sonny Dykes.

No - this is very accurate. There is no evidence to the contrary.

This is like a chemical formula - the precipitating agent is Sonny Dykes. Denying this is like saying Dr. Jekyl isn't moody.

A good DC made Mac look like a genius in Boulder. If Sonny can strike gold he may be able to pull it off but odds are long.

Sometimes the truth hurts but this article seemed like the truth. No matter how badly Sonny wants out he will not get another opportunity unless he wins here in 2017 so our interest are aligned.

It's also possible Sonny takes an OC job in the NFL so he can reboot as a college HC in a few years.

I'm still amazed Williams is allowing this charade to continue, especially after Dykes again was looking for greener pastures elsewhere.

I don't see a high probability of this working out. Most likely it'll be an implosion season, it has that kind of feel to it, with 1-3 wins and Dykes likely not making it through the season.

If by some miracle the next DC could turn around the defense, the Bears would be poised for a big turnaround season. I know Leach did that at Wazzou, I just don't see Sonny pulling that off at Cal. Hope I'm wrong, but the 2017 season feels like Dead Team Walking already.

Unit2Sucks;842778910 said:

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A good DC made Mac look like a genius in Boulder. If Sonny can strike gold he may be able to pull it off but odds are long.

Sometimes the truth hurts but this article seemed like the truth. No matter how badly Sonny wants out he will not get another opportunity unless he wins here in 2017 so our interest are aligned.

It's also possible Sonny takes an OC job in the NFL so he can reboot as a college HC in a few years.

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I think he needs an offer first, doesn't he?

going4roses;842778883 said:

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Hack job

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one person's hack job is everyone else's fact based truths.

Unit2Sucks;842778910 said:

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A good DC made Mac look like a genius in Boulder. If Sonny can strike gold he may be able to pull it off but odds are long.

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It's so hard to see it because the defense is regularly SO bad. But if we merely gave up an average of 38 points a game - 5 TDs and a FG - we'd win 8ish games every year.

moonpod;842778881 said:

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"but the combination of Dykes' history with defense and his poorly-kept secret of wanting to coach elsewhere limits the job's appeal."

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How is Cal supposed to recruit players when Dykes is out interviewing every time he takes a road trip? Time to cut our losses & give Dykes what he wants: coaching somewhere else besides Cal.

OaktownBear;842778893 said:

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Personal perspective

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Shut the hell up lol

NYCGOBEARS;842778894 said:

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Hmmm K.

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And you too hush it.

Hater ****. Obviouslyshit is not right. I'm not happy at all about 5-7 etc etc but I can give a damn about the coaches my thoughts are "what about the players and commits/recruits?"

Get a new coach or coaches Wtf just fix it.

Saying it's "Dykes fault 100%" while still HC and recruiting isn't all bad?

End of the day I see no reason to pile on especially now.

Losing is not cute nor is acting like a ________.

tequila4kapp;842778916 said:

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one person's hack job is everyone else's fact based truths.

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I think the problems at Cal are much more complex. It's real easy to blame everything on Dykes. He's part of the problem but the administration is just as much to blame. He doesn't get much support. He wanted to hire Aranda, Akina and more recently Lupoi. But for one reason or another, most notably money, he didn't get any of the guys he wanted. Oregon hires Taggert and gives him pretty much unlimited resources to hire the coaches he wants. They're always a step ahead of us. Competing in one of the two or three best conferences in the country is serious business. Until the administration make a real commitment, we'll remain a mostly struggling program. We'll be hiring new coaches every three or four years. They'll be unsuccessful, or they'll have some success and move on to a real football school. Is it any wonder Dykes is interviewing for other jobs. This is not a desirable coaching job. Very little support from the administration. Very little support from Cal community. Heck, a lot of people would just as soon drop the football program. Fairly strict academic requirements. Low assistant salaries pretty much guarantees we'll be a step behind in that department too. Dykes is not the worst coach I've seen at Cal. Far from it. He's really somewhere in the middle and probably the best we can expect. He can be more successful with a better defensive coordinator. That's his downfall. He'll get one more chance. Let's hope his plan B guy is much better than the last two. The biggest problem on defense is lack of talent. They haven't produced an NFL caliber player in years. Lots of teams run up tempo offenses and play much better defense. They can't recruit defense, particularly front seven. The new coordinator and position coaches have to be able to recruit. I continue to dream. That's why we frequent these sites. But I can't believe the number of posters who think it's as simple as getting rid of Dykes. For Cal to be successful they need a completely different approach and mindset.

AEM80;842778946 said:

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I think the problems at Cal are much more complex. It's real easy to blame everything on Dykes. He's part of the problem but the administration is just as much to blame. He doesn't get much support. He wanted to hire Aranda, Akina and more recently Lupoi. But for one reason or another, most notably money, he didn't get any of the guys he wanted. Oregon hires Taggert and gives him pretty much unlimited resources to hire the coaches he wants. They're always a step ahead of us. Competing in one of the two or three best conferences in the country is serious business. Until the administration make a real commitment, we'll remain a mostly struggling program. We'll be hiring new coaches every three or four years. They'll be unsuccessful, or they'll have some success and move on to a real football school. Is it any wonder Dykes is interviewing for other jobs. This is not a desirable coaching job. Very little support from the administration. Very little support from Cal community. Heck, a lot of people would just as soon drop the football program. Fairly strict academic requirements. Low assistant salaries pretty much guarantees we'll be a step behind in that department too. Dykes is not the worst coach I've seen at Cal. Far from it. He's really somewhere in the middle and probably the best we can expect. He can be more successful with a better defensive coordinator. That's his downfall. He'll get one more chance. Let's hope his plan B guy is much better than the last two. The biggest problem on defense is lack of talent. They haven't produced an NFL caliber player in years. Lots of teams run up tempo offenses and play much better defense. They can't recruit defense, particularly front seven. The new coordinator and position coaches have to be able to recruit. I continue to dream. That's why we frequent these sites. But I can't believe the number of posters who think it's as simple as getting rid of Dykes. For Cal to be successful they need a completely different approach and mindset.

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Most programs can't afford $1 million coordinators. Most programs do just fine without one.

The problem is poor HC + poor recruiting = low talent levels = more losses than wins. You can blame admin for extremely high academic standards as it relates to poor recruiting, but overpaying for a DC would demonstrate a cognitive dissonance among admin because it would suggest they do no acknowledge what is truly the source of Cal football's failures.

AEM80;842778946 said:

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I think the problems at Cal are much more complex. It's real easy to blame everything on Dykes. He's part of the problem but the administration is just as much to blame. He doesn't get much support. He wanted to hire Aranda, Akina and more recently Lupoi. But for one reason or another, most notably money, he didn't get any of the guys he wanted. Oregon hires Taggert and gives him pretty much unlimited resources to hire the coaches he wants. They're always a step ahead of us. Competing in one of the two or three best conferences in the country is serious business. Until the administration make a real commitment, we'll remain a mostly struggling program. We'll be hiring new coaches every three or four years. They'll be unsuccessful, or they'll have some success and move on to a real football school. Is it any wonder Dykes is interviewing for other jobs. This is not a desirable coaching job. Very little support from the administration. Very little support from Cal community. Heck, a lot of people would just as soon drop the football program. Fairly strict academic requirements. Low assistant salaries pretty much guarantees we'll be a step behind in that department too. Dykes is not the worst coach I've seen at Cal. Far from it. He's really somewhere in the middle and probably the best we can expect. He can be more successful with a better defensive coordinator. That's his downfall. He'll get one more chance. Let's hope his plan B guy is much better than the last two. The biggest problem on defense is lack of talent. They haven't produced an NFL caliber player in years. Lots of teams run up tempo offenses and play much better defense. They can't recruit defense, particularly front seven. The new coordinator and position coaches have to be able to recruit. I continue to dream. That's why we frequent these sites. But I can't believe the number of posters who think it's as simple as getting rid of Dykes. For Cal to be successful they need a completely different approach and mindset.

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Cal has plenty of problems, but historically bad defense is very much a problem he brought to us. We can look at the last 15 years of defense at Cal and see his is a very specific problem. It should never be a choice between getting your top hire & hot f*cking garbage. Even twice.

That's some bs false dichotomy.

socaliganbear;842778954 said:

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Cal has plenty of problems, but historically bad defense is very much a problem he brought to us. We can look at the last 15 years of defense at Cal and see his is a very specific problem. It should never be a choice between getting your top hire & hot f*cking garbage. Even twice.

That's some bs false dichotomy.

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This, exactly.

Dear Sonny:

AEM80;842778946 said:

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I think the problems at Cal are much more complex. It's real easy to blame everything on Dykes. He's part of the problem but the administration is just as much to blame. He doesn't get much support. He wanted to hire Aranda, Akina and more recently Lupoi. But for one reason or another, most notably money, he didn't get any of the guys he wanted. Oregon hires Taggert and gives him pretty much unlimited resources to hire the coaches he wants. They're always a step ahead of us. Competing in one of the two or three best conferences in the country is serious business. Until the administration make a real commitment, we'll remain a mostly struggling program. We'll be hiring new coaches every three or four years. They'll be unsuccessful, or they'll have some success and move on to a real football school. Is it any wonder Dykes is interviewing for other jobs. This is not a desirable coaching job. Very little support from the administration. Very little support from Cal community. Heck, a lot of people would just as soon drop the football program. Fairly strict academic requirements. Low assistant salaries pretty much guarantees we'll be a step behind in that department too. Dykes is not the worst coach I've seen at Cal. Far from it. He's really somewhere in the middle and probably the best we can expect. He can be more successful with a better defensive coordinator. That's his downfall. He'll get one more chance. Let's hope his plan B guy is much better than the last two. The biggest problem on defense is lack of talent. They haven't produced an NFL caliber player in years. Lots of teams run up tempo offenses and play much better defense. They can't recruit defense, particularly front seven. The new coordinator and position coaches have to be able to recruit. I continue to dream. That's why we frequent these sites. But I can't believe the number of posters who think it's as simple as getting rid of Dykes. For Cal to be successful they need a completely different approach and mindset.

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Why would Lupoi want to come here? He is a hot position coach on team that is perennially one of the best teams in the country. If he stays there another year he will have his pick of potential DC jobs (and maybe Cal would be included).

Everybody in the entire country know that Dykes does not want to be at Cal and will likely get fired if he has another poor season. And if Lupoi was to come back to Cal it would be because he wants to be at his alma mater, not because he wants to be on Dykes' staff. So, if Lupoi was to join Dykes he would have everything to lose and nothing to gain.

going4roses;842778945 said:

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Hater ****. Obviouslyshit is not right. I'm not happy at all about 5-7 etc etc but I can give a damn about the coaches my thoughts are "what about the players and commits/recruits?"

Get a new coach or coaches Wtf just fix it.

Saying it's "Dykes fault 100%" while still HC and recruiting isn't all bad?

End of the day I see no reason to pile on especially now.

Losing is not cute nor is acting like a ________.

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If you care about the players and not the coaches how do you feel about a coach that only slightly more politely says it isn't his fault. His players just suck

socaliganbear;842778954 said:

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Cal has plenty of problems, but historically bad defense is very much a problem he brought to us. We can look at the last 15 years of defense at Cal and see his is a very specific problem. It should never be a choice between getting your top hire & hot f*cking garbage. Even twice.

That's some bs false dichotomy.

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Once again, I wish the site had a "like" button

socaliganbear;842778954 said:

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Cal has plenty of problems, but historically bad defense is very much a problem he brought to us. We can look at the last 15 years of defense at Cal and see his is a very specific problem. It should never be a choice between getting your top hire & hot f*cking garbage. Even twice.

That's some bs false dichotomy.

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+1

Cal has institutional issues, no doubt.

But having a consistently bad defense is on Dykes. His track record leads to no other conclusion.

btsktr;842778971 said:

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Why would Lupoi want to come here? He is a hot position coach on team that is perennially one of the best teams in the country. If he stays there another year he will have his pick of potential DC jobs (and maybe Cal would be included).

Everybody in the entire country know that Dykes does not want to be at Cal and will likely get fired if he has another poor season. And if Lupoi was to come back to Cal it would be because he wants to be at his alma mater, not because he wants to be on Dykes' staff. So, if Lupoi was to join Dykes he would have everything to lose and nothing to gain.

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Yes, while I can believe he still has warm feelings about Cal, I do not believe he sincerely considered taking a DC position with Cal this year. He feigned interest, possibly as leverage.

AEM80;842778946 said:

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I think the problems at Cal are much more complex. It's real easy to blame everything on Dykes. He's part of the problem but the administration is just as much to blame. He doesn't get much support. He wanted to hire Aranda, Akina and more recently Lupoi. But for one reason or another, most notably money, he didn't get any of the guys he wanted. Oregon hires Taggert and gives him pretty much unlimited resources to hire the coaches he wants. They're always a step ahead of us. Competing in one of the two or three best conferences in the country is serious business. Until the administration make a real commitment, we'll remain a mostly struggling program. We'll be hiring new coaches every three or four years. They'll be unsuccessful, or they'll have some success and move on to a real football school. Is it any wonder Dykes is interviewing for other jobs. This is not a desirable coaching job. Very little support from the administration. Very little support from Cal community. Heck, a lot of people would just as soon drop the football program. Fairly strict academic requirements. Low assistant salaries pretty much guarantees we'll be a step behind in that department too. Dykes is not the worst coach I've seen at Cal. Far from it. He's really somewhere in the middle and probably the best we can expect. He can be more successful with a better defensive coordinator. That's his downfall. He'll get one more chance. Let's hope his plan B guy is much better than the last two. The biggest problem on defense is lack of talent. They haven't produced an NFL caliber player in years. Lots of teams run up tempo offenses and play much better defense. They can't recruit defense, particularly front seven. The new coordinator and position coaches have to be able to recruit. I continue to dream. That's why we frequent these sites. But I can't believe the number of posters who think it's as simple as getting rid of Dykes. For Cal to be successful they need a completely different approach and mindset.

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Dykes has no excuse but himself for such horrible defenses. There are plenty of DCs paid less than Kauffman all around the country who would have done a better job. Dykes doesn't dedicate adequate resources that he has at his disposal to defense, starting with woeful recruiting.

And on an adjusted for inflation basis, Dykes is easily the worst coach in Cal history.

CaliforniaEternal;842779057 said:

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And on an adjusted for inflation basis, Dykes is easily the worst coach in Cal history.

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wat

cal admin sucks but it doesnt mean sonny doesnt also suck

going4roses;842778883 said:

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Hack job

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Keep swimming in the Kool-Aid. This was one of the best articles I've read about Cal this season.

btsktr;842778971 said:

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Why would Lupoi want to come here? He is a hot position coach on team that is perennially one of the best teams in the country. If he stays there another year he will have his pick of potential DC jobs (and maybe Cal would be included).

Everybody in the entire country know that Dykes does not want to be at Cal and will likely get fired if he has another poor season. And if Lupoi was to come back to Cal it would be because he wants to be at his alma mater, not because he wants to be on Dykes' staff. So, if Lupoi was to join Dykes he would have everything to lose and nothing to gain.

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Tosh's number one dream is to come back here and lead Cal to glory, thereby convincing some folks that he is actually a good guy and also giving him the right to tell others that could never be convinced that they can shove it. He also -- and this is the main reason -- wants to do it to atone for his past mistakes and because he does have love in his heart for Cal.

Sonny and his family are totally cool with spending the next several years here, leading Cal to success and being rewarded commensurately.

I know the above to be true.

They are also both realists who are going to look at and follow other opportunities, as they arise.