SF Chronicle: Cal's Longshore focuses on improving, not depth chart

Nate Longshore leads a four-man race for Cal's starting quarterback spot, and Monday, the first day of training camp, was another day for questions about who will get the nod.  The 6-foot-5 sophomore isn't playing along, refusing to look over his shoulder.  "I'm not going to worry about that," he said. "I'm not going to compare myself to the other guys. I'm not concerned with the competition as much as improving myself."

The first thing Longshore had to improve was his left ankle, which was broken in last season's opener. He already is playing basketball and dunking off his left leg.  Longshore's mobility has been questioned, and a quarterback with play-making skills could become pertinent depending on how many spread sets the offense uses.  Mobility is an attribute the other three quarterbacks possess. Seniors Joe Ayoob and Steve Levy, who share the No. 2 spot on the depth chart, have a leg up in this area.  Ayoob ran quite a bit of the spread in at City College of San Francisco, and he scored five rushing touchdowns last year. Levy spent the 2004 season as a fullback.

"I get more comfortable as the game goes on if I run," Levy said. "(The spread) just gives you and chance to run around a little more and do some things. I feel real comfortable in it."  Redshirt freshman Kyle Reed might be the most physically gifted of the four. Reed grew to 6-3 and slimmed down to 215 pounds during the offseason, but says he's not yet comfortable in the offense.  Still, all of the skills are there. He has the strongest arm of the foursome, and he might have the fanciest feet.  "I see myself still in the process of becoming a great quarterback," he said. "I still see my future as being bright here at Cal. My time is coming up in the near future."  Longshore isn't hearing the footsteps just yet.

Closed practices: Cal fans champing at the bit to get a glimpse of the Bears will have to wait until Fan Appreciation Day, which is scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Aug. 26.  In Sunday's editions of The Sporting Green, it was incorrectly reported that practices were open to the public.

Bud "Dog" Turner, who is in charge of security, said that because of advances in technology (Webcams, camera phones), Cal has been trying to keep practices closed for three years. Some stragglers still find their way in, and two years ago, two men in Oregon sweatshirts were shooting a practice.

Lesson learned: Instead of shying away from questions about his June fracas in a North Beach bar, Levy addressed the situation head-on.

"I've never done anything before in my life to jeopardize my football career, and to have that taken away is pretty difficult mentally and physically," he said. "It was very important, in my last year, to be here with the guys and get better."  While he was away from the team for 30 days, Levy worked out with his brother, Eric, who is playing center at CCSF. Levy, who is suspended from the team's Sept. 2 opener at Tennessee, said he was most bothered by seeing reports of the incident on ESPN and not getting a chance to meet the team's newcomers.

"It's even a bigger lesson to learn when you get suspended for the first game of your senior season when you have an opportunity to start for a top-10 team," he said. "I'm so ashamed for my parents and my family and how I let them down."  He didn't parse words about rumors indicating the episode would end his career.  "Hell, no," he said. "This will just make me stronger as a person and as a ballplayer."