Most Cal fans agree that Steve Marshall should go, but who should replace him?

I’m leary of non-BCS coaches b/c I’m not sold their resumes say “our MO works week in and week out against tough competition.” Still, hard to think that guys coming from great coaches/programs like Boise St, TCU, and Nevada.

However, Nevada and Oregon run schemes that result in the QB not being sacked and are run-oriented. Perhaps that’s the beauty of run-oriented offenses: as long as you don’t get penalized, you’re frequently getting positive yardage.

So I say adopt a run-oriented offense or hire a pro-style O-line coach with good success at the AQ-BCS level.

Bear in mind that offering a “competitive” salary may not be enough to lure coaches from areas that have significantly lower cost of living. The idea of Tedford giving up some of his salary would be really awesome, but I honestly don’t know how realistic that is. Also, looking at the list you’ve compiled (thanks for that btw — very interesting), I don’t how many people would view a move to Cal as a big enough step up to justify packing up and moving their families.Most of those programs are pretty glamorous, well-known programs, with the exception of Nevada, OSU, and maybe Utah (though they’re definitely a step above us right now).

I honestly think hiring an NFL coach isn’t as bad for the OL as for other positions, since Tedford seems to prefer a pro-style offense anyway. I do, however, think going down the “experienced/veteran coach retread” path is not the best way at this point. We seem to have struck out with most of our recent hires of this type.

I’m really going to put myself down for “not having a God damned idea” for knowing how to hire an offensive line coach.

Do his schemes fit with Tedford’s offense?
Do the type of players he likes to coach and recruit fit at Cal?
Do I want someone who teaches technique or scheme?
Do I want small, mobile offensive linemen or giant road paving hogs?
Do I want raw talent to be coached up – or am I looking for guys who already have skills that can be implemented into the o-line right away?

I don’t have a clue as to how Tedford would answer those questions – and I don’t think look at results of how people perform at different schools with different circumstances would give you a clear picture as to how they would perform those duties in Tedford’s offense at Cal.

Give Ed White a call first and see if he’s interested since he might be retired at his age. He was Holmoe’s line coach (blasphemous I know) and was an excellent recruiter, bringing in guys like Marvin Philip and Ryan O’Callaghan. 4 time Pro Bowler and All-American at Cal in 1968. Can’t beat these credentials.

i remember he left because of the OC offer and (probably) the chance to go back home to WA, so i dont think there was any bad blood between him and Tedford.

the Raiders o-line looked pretty bad to begin the season. couldn’t pass block, undisciplined, etc. I was also hoping that Cable giving play calling to Jackson would bring him back to being more hands on with the o-line and more personally responsible for it. all signs maybe pointed to Coach M being available…. then the domination of the last 2 games came. =(

By the way I want to make it clear that this was just a set of random thoughts (it was a comment in the DBD!) and not my 100% belief on this matter. There is so much that we don’t know since we are not Tedford or Ludwig. Carry on.

Keep in mind that $200k in Corvallis is not the same as $200k in the East Bay.

I’m not convinced that throwing Marshall out with the bath water is the right approach. Instead of simply blaming the coach, here are what I see as the bigger issues:

For one, from spring training through this past Saturday, our offensive line has been a merry-go-round of guys rotating positions, just like they did last year. This has to stop, but can only stop when either Marshall decides to do so, or guys clearly cement themselves as fixtures at a given position, or both.

Second, the scheme may be too complicated. Yes, this is on the coach, but that doesn’t mean the coach can’t throw the scheme out and make things more simplified. If the strategy doesn’t work, change the strategy. You don’t necessarily need to replace the personnel to do so.