Pros & Cons

The good news: It looks like Aaron Rodgers is going to stay in the Bay Area.
The bad news: It doesn't look like he is going to stay in the East Bay.

Players from within the Cal Football Team revealed before the Holiday Bowl massacre that Rodgers was planning to declare himself eligible for the draft. Early indications are that he is trying to get with the San Francisco 49ers, a team that is both close to his home (Chico, CA) and his heart (the prior team of idol Joe Montana).

Now that he's lost the Holiday Bowl, however, there may be a chance that Rodgers feels the need to prove himself. The Holiday Bowl performance was mediocre, at best, and there could be concerns over how streaky he is. This may be a base enough for him to return for that one last year.

Rodgers' replacement will likely be Joe Ayoob, San Francisco City College's award-winning QB. He is the #2 QB prospect in the state right now, and his team sits atop the state city college rankings. They call this guy the "white Michael Vick." From the article:

"CCSF has had a host of fine quarterbacks during the 28-year run of coach George Rush. In the last 13 years, nine of his QBs have gone on to play Division I-A. Yet, Rush said, "Joe is clearly the premier quarterback we've had since I've been here, and I've been here 35 years (as a player, assistant and head coach).""
Hopefully, the Bears don't miss a step in the backfield, especially with Marshawn Lynch coming back as only a sophomore.

On a similar note, it will be also interesting to see how both the loss of Rodgers and the Holiday Bowl will affect Cal's recruitment in the off-season. The team is in desperate need of a kicker and a larger secondary.Email This Post!