I just read this article over at the Daily Furd and was struck by this quote:

In three seasons, he took one of the worst teams in the nation, churned out eight wins and booked the Cardinal a bowl game for the first time since 2001. This season, at 7-1, Stanford now ranks among the nation’s elite and is a popular pick as the best one-loss team in the country.

Simply put, in a profession devoid of job security, Harbaugh is set for life. We could churn out four consecutive five-win seasons and Jim could replace practice with Pilates, and he would still have a job.

This young man needs to take a look across the Bay before making such a stupid statement. In 3 years Cal churned out TEN wins and already had a bowl game, and a WIN under his belt. From mid-season 2007 to mid-season 2009, a stretch where Cal never missed a bowl game, is all it took for Tedford to go from “beloved coach who could ‘churn out four consecutive five-win seasons and could replace practice with Pilates, and he would still have a job.'” to “why can’t we fire this guy yet?”

Note to people like Zack Zimmerman: Football fans have surprisingly short memories. The best thing Stanford could do right now to keep Harbaugh long term is to do a face plant for the rest of the season (minus the Big Game) and then return to consistent 7-5 to 8-4 seasons. Any sustained flirting with the top-10 is bound to lead to disappointment sooner or later, particularly with the return of 5 win seasons.

Word came out last night that the two MRIs, while still compromised because of the swelling, show that Kevin Riley’s career is over. Update 11/2 @ 11:30 AM: Got word from the free board on bearterritory.net:

He suffered a 60% tear in his gastrocnmius muscle in his calf, grade 2 strains to his LCL and MCL, and ruptured capsules in the back of his left knee. healing time is five weeks, full rehab is three months.

end update

Obviously the news is no surprise, but I didn’t want to post on the subject until it was official. Now that it is, I have a few words to say to him:

Hold your head high.

You gave it your all. You were a dedicated Golden Bear. “The Bear will not quit. The Bear will not die.” You lived up to that mantra. You were given more than your share of adversity and every week you came ready to play and never once gave into despair. You poured your heart and soul into the team. That is all one can ask and you will long stay in my memory as a Golden Bear worth honoring.

Good luck in your future endeavors and God Bless.