Sunday, August 06, 2006

Oakland Tribune: Short odds on Longshore in battle for Cal's QB job

Column by Carl Steward

WE HAVE BEEN led to believe, based on last year's evidence and Jeff Tedford's current public stance, that the University of California has a major quarterback quandary to sort out this week.  At least on paper, four young men enter Cal's 2006 fall training camp, which begins today, as the possible main man at the controls of a potentially incredible Golden Bears offense — seniors Steve Levy and Joe Ayoob, sophomore Nate Longshore and redshirt freshman Kyle Reed.   Tedford said at the Bay Area college football luncheon Thursday that he wants to pick his No.1 guy in the opening week of practice for the purposes of prioritizing rep distribution over the next three, which would appear to add to the high drama of a four-way competition.  Don't be surprised, though, if it isn't much of a battle at all. Quite frankly, it's hard to see how Longshore won't get the nod unless one of the other three guys yanks Tedford's eyeballs out of their sockets. It's possible, considering the myriad of strengths each player possesses, but there's too much at stake in this much-anticipated season to make a decision on a flier.

Much of the logic in drawing a Longshore conclusion is fundamental. He won the competition last year against the same three guys, only to suffer an ankle fracture in the opening game. While the other three closed the gap with a year in the system, Longshore nonetheless emerged from spring ball as the top QB on the depth chart.  Levy has many fans among Cal alums for his gritty competitiveness while directing Cal to victories over Stanford and BYU to close last year. But an off-season off-field incident that will result in him sitting out the opener at Tennessee would seem to preclude him from winning the job.  Ayoob is probably 1-A at this point behind Longshore. As Tedford noted, he is Cal's most experienced quarterback, but much of that experience came under frustrating duress. The coach expects Ayoob to be significantly improved this year after his tough, inconsistent transition from JC ball last fall, but his troubles connecting on medium-range passes, let alone long throws, will have to be dramatically better for him to make a serious run.  Reed, the McClymonds High product, may have the best athletic package to run an attack that will be adding elements of the spread offense to an already complex pro-style foundation under new offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar. But Reed not only has no collegiate game experience but also hasn't had nearly as many practice reps as the other three. He'd definitely have to overwhelm.

All of which brings it back to Longshore. Much has been bantered about his lack of mobility, probably too much at the expense of his assets. Asked to outline the strong suits of all four of his quarterbacks, Tedford's assessment of Longshore was an appraisal that probably best fits his preferred prototype for this particular team.  "Nate has the mental experience in terms of knowing the system and how we game plan," the coach said. "Plus, he has excellent size — 6-5, 235 — and a great arm. He can throw the ball anywhere on the field. And while he isn't noted for his running, he can run a little."  If we've learned anything about Tedford in his four seasons in Berkeley, it's that he holds game management as paramount in his main quarterback. Longshore, in his brief time on the field, has demonstrated he has a significant edge in that department. Even in last year's opener, he was 8-for-11 with a touchdown before getting hurt. He was just as efficient in Cal's spring game, going 5-for-6 for 102 yards and three TDs.  That efficiency in itself might be enough to win him the job, but the arm will likely make it a slam dunk.

Tedford clearly wants to take better advantage of his fleet receiving corps, specifically DeSean Jackson, Lavelle Hawkins and Robert Jordan, who caught a mere 90 balls for 1,227 combined yards as a trio last year. Not horrible, but as a frame of reference, Geoff McArthur caught 85 passes by himself in 2003 for more than 1,500 yards.  "Just looking at our top three, there's a lot of speed at our receiver position," Tedford said. "All three of those guys run 4.4 or better, and we need to take better advantage."  In the spread, that threesome could be electric with a quarterback who can get them the ball. Longshore should. And if the receivers can become a legitimate dangerous threat, it's going to open up running lanes for Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett, already the most prolific rushing tandem in college football last season.

In short, Cal has so many dynamic weapons that the quarterback needs only to be in control and accurate to be successful. And while some may surmise the spread may not be ideal for Longshore because the QB often becomes a running option, he should benefit from operating it out of the shotgun with his size and ability to see the field.  Give Tedford credit for setting up a fair competition for his four top QBs this week. But it's a good bet he already knows who's going to win.

 

 

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