Ten years usually means it's time

When examining Jeff Tedford's situation at Cal, I frequently go back to a well-known Bill Walsh belief: After 10 years in any position that’s stressful--whether it's going good or bad--it is best for the person and the organization to seek a change of scenery. If you look at some of the greatest sports dynasties of our time, there are some common trends: Joe Torre managed the Yankees for exactly 10 seasons; Phil Jackson coached 10 with the Bulls, then 11 with the Lakers; Walsh's 10 with the Niners.

Few athletes and coaches ever hang it up at the pinnacles of their careers. For every Barry Sanders, you have five examples of Willie Mays, who probably played a half decade too long. It takes tremendous self-awareness and foresight to walk away, especially when things are going so well. Sometimes you need to put aside the competitive spirit that got you to the top. I think it's no coincidence that the great minds of Torre, Jackson and Walsh left right around the 10-year mark. At some point you lose the same drive and innovative-spirit--it's human nature.

When Theo Epstein left the Boston Red Sox as general manager after arguably the best nine-season stretch in Sox history, he cited Walsh when explaining his departure.

"The theory is that both the individual and the organization benefit from a change after so much time together. The executive gets rebirth and the energy that comes with a new challenge; the organization gets a fresh perspective, and the chance for true change that comes with new leadership. This idea resonated with me. Although I tried my best to fight it, I couldn’t escape the conclusion that both the Red Sox and I would benefit from a change sometime soon."

When we watch Cal struggle the past few years, it's so easy to wonder what happened to the brilliant offensive mind and quarterback guru that was the Tedford of years past. But it's not too difficult to decipher. Tedford inherited a broken program in 2002 with a logical progression of goals: finish with a winning record, make a bowl game, beat Stanford, win a conference title, compete for a national championship. His last goal was renovating Memorial Stadium. Obviously the biggest prize for all Cal fans was never accomplished, but I can only imagine how discouraging it is to be so close and have to start over again.

I turn to a poker analogy. It's as if you've built up a huge chip stack, only to lose it all on a couple bad beats. At this point you're on tilt, and you're trying as hard as hell to make it all back. But if you've ever played poker, you know this is actually the time to walk away or take a break. This is where Tedford is at. And how long as he coached here? Eleven seasons.

As Brian wrote below, just for his own sake, I hope Tedford takes a couple years off and just relaxes. Get that fire back. I believe he still is a great coach. I believe he'll one day turn another program around and perhaps win a major bowl game. And even if Cal's next coaching hire doesn't work out, I don't think we should look back and feel like Cal made the wrong decision. Because at this point, it's simply time for Cal and time for Tedford to move on. It's the best for both parties--whether Tedford realizes it now or not.