Cal fans, your thoughts on the Sonny Dykes December soap opera?

Vincent S: Does he want to stay, or doesn't he? Do we want to keep him, or don't we? By now, this discussion has played out at least 3 times in various threads. In the end, regardless of what you, I, or anyone else here feels, it looks like we're extending him. All I hope for now is that we do so judiciously—with enough support that we are able to court and keep assistant talent when needed, but not so much that we hamstring ourselves if this era of Cal football flames out. My ideal scenario looks like a 2-3 year extension with a small bump in guaranteed pay (no more than 2-2.3 million), a discretionary boost to assistant salaries, reasonable buyout provisions, and large incentives.

Quite honestly, I've always believed that incentives in the $50,000-$100,000 range for Rose Bowls were ridiculous and inconsequential. if you were a coach making $2,000,000 a year, would you really notice an incentive like that? No; the prestige, bump in recruiting potential, and meteoric rise in your own stock nationally would far outweigh the $100,000! On the other hand, I'm sure that if Cal made a Rose Bowl, we'd be happy to pay an extra million or two to the coaches that got us there (heck, we'd probably throw up some statues on January 2). The fruits of that season (increased exposure, attendance, donations, and goodwill) would more-than-make-up for the money. Stick that kind of incentive into Sonny's extension and see what happens!

boomtho: I think the way this has played out reflects very poorly on Sonny, frankly. I get the intent of what he's trying to do - in the absence of what he feels is a fair/lucrative offer from Cal he is trying to bring back a concrete offer/sign of interest to make Cal act - but he ends up looking like the drunk guy that at last call puts in a last ditch effort to go home with anybody.

That being said, I'm still in the camp that believes we should extend him for 2 years, with some kind of buyout provision and incentives on beating CA schools, winning 9+ games, etc. I'm guessing that's where Cal is coming from too which may be the sticking point, but I don't believe he's accomplished enough to secure an extension without some provisions in place to protect Cal is it goes sour.

KWBears: I don't think Sonny Dykes (and his handlers) was thinking about his future self before going into all his tactics to either get out of Cal or get a pay bump. You can't set yourself up to look this bad should all of your exit options not materialize - but his camp did just that. How can the Cal fan base have faith in him now that it's so clear he doesn't want to be here? Why would you alienate your Plan B (staying with Cal) support so bad? It just screams amateur-ish. Look at how RichRod just did it at Arizona - he flirted with South Carolina but still looks like a savior coming back to Tucson. Dykes looks nothing like that right now.

While Dykes has certainly improved our squad from year to year, he has to understand that he still didn't meet expectations and did it largely with Tedford's recruits (Goff anyone?). Dykes knows that without Goff and this whole receiving corps next year, his Bear Raid attack is in jeopardy to never take flight again. Dykes wants out - for his own sake. Sure, coaching at Cal is hard (with all these academic requirements), but you either take the challenge or you don't. If Dykes can't run our program like other powerhouse academic institutions (Furd, Northwestern, Duke, etc.) do, then he should say so and leave - don't blame Cal for not giving him enough love. Respect is earned, not given.

Ruey Yen: As someone who is hiding from the "real world" by staying in Academia, I don't think I can say that I understand how contract negotiation works. Nevertheless, I have to agree with everyone else that how this Sonny Dykes situation has played out does not reflect that well on him. Yes, Sonny never publicly said anything other than that he is the Head Coach at Cal, but you have got to believe that his people (or person...because Cal doesn't pay him enough) are the one controlling the leaking of information. Call me naive, however, I do think that once Sonny signs that extension and maintain success on and off the field (as in some mediocre bowl next year in a "rebuilding year"), then all these none-sense will be forgiven. I am sure the Cal Band (who receive all the CGB money) is appreciative of all the extra traffic (and money) that has been generated due to this Sonny Dykes contract saga.

Leland Wong: I think the question's phrasing sets up how I feel. Like boomtho, I wouldn't be surprised if this is just a negotiating tactic to try to get Cal to sweeten the deal--and I don't blame him for trying to make a little more for himself or his assistants. However, by having it be such a prolonged and public affair, all parties involved are suffering. Cal looks like an undesirable location for coaches if Dykes is so desperate to get out. By looking so desperate to leave, this will make it tougher for administrators to trust that Dykes truly wants to be here and will undermine his ability to tell the players and recruits that Cal is a great place and that he'll be here in the long run. And this is another distraction for the players who simply don't need this. Just swipe right on some school--any school--Dykes, and do it soon.