Because Jeff Tedford learned from his mistakes, Cal is on the road to a possible 10-win season. Tedford has always been a coach who cares about his players, academically and athletically. I’ve often seen him talking to individual players after practice about their academics and lives on campus. He’s made certain there won’t be a repeat of academically ineligible players in games, which had Cal on NCAA probation in his first year. Read More

Though he’s just a redshirt freshman, Andrew Luck already merits comparison to the best in Stanford’s quarterback-rich history. “I’d put him with John Elway and Jim Plunkett,” said Gary Cavalli, executive director of the Emerald Bowl, who was sports information director for Stanford in the 1970s and has been watching Stanford football closely for 40 years. “I mean, I loved Guy Benjamin, Turk Schonert and Steve Dils [all national passing champions], but Luck is better.” Read More

Is the World Series finally over? I didn’t watch an inning. I don’t even care that the New York Yankees won, and this is a team I’ve hated since I first started following baseball. This is football season, college and pro, not baseball. The World Series should be played in early October, as it was before Bud Selig became commissioner. At this point, the NFL is in midseason. College football teams are pointing to bowl games. It’s no time for baseball. Read More

The 49ers lost the game in Houston but they found the quarterback they need to fuel a playoff run. Alex Smith came on in the second half on Sunday to throw three touchdown passes and nearly bring the 49ers back from a 21-0 deficit. Smith’s superior athletic ability, both passing and running, gives the 49ers a much better chance than Shaun Hill can with his limited physical skills. Read More

The situation is beyond desperate for the Raiders, but it could be salvaged with one move: Bring in John Madden as a supervisor to hire competent NFL people for the front office and a coach who uses systems that work now instead of the 1969 systems Al Davis prefers. The Raiders are plumbing depths they haven’t known since the pre-Davis era of 1961, when they opened with consecutive losses of 55-0 and 44-0. Measuring them in average points, first downs and total offense, they rank fourth among the worst offenses since the 1970 merger. Read More

If you want a really good laugh, try the Jim Harbaugh-to-the-Raiders rumor. Harbaugh was the Raiders’ quarterbacks coach for two years, so he knows firsthand how dysfunctional the organization has become. He won’t be a lifer at Stanford, but he won’t be on the Raiders’ sidelines, either. The truth is, the Raiders coaching job is attractive only for leverage purposes for young coaches. Read More

It’s bad to make a mistake on a No. 1 draft pick. It’s worse to pretend it isn’t a mistake and try to justify it. That’s where the Raiders are now with JaMarcus Russell. In 2007, when the Raiders had that top pick, they drafted Russell, who had a great college career. He was not a polished quarterback, but he had the strong arm Al Davis loves, and it seemed he could be developed. Read More