08-22-2017, 09:30 AM
Interesting discussion. For me, based perhaps on my limited knowledge as a football fan but never a player or coach, my preseason optimism or pessimism has always been tied to my confidence in the QB. My first year at Stanford was 1980, and because of John Elway my preseason expectations were sky-high for the next three years. Ditto with Steve Stenstrom (having Bill Walsh as head coach didn't hurt), Andrew Luck and a few others.
If there's one thing people have learned in Berkeley, it's that you can't put "Cal football" and "Rose Bowl" in the same sentence. The words just don't fit. You'd be better off linking "covered wagons" with "Mars travel." (Bruce Jenkins, Cal '70, SF Chronicle, Nov. 11, 2017)