Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Daily Cal: Bye Week Gives Banged-Up Bears Chance to Recuperate

Five Interception Game Gives Bears Nation-Best 18 Picks

BY Brian Bainum and Steven Dunst

Daily Cal Staff Writers

• The bye week is coming at the right time for the No. 12 Cal football team. Many players will spend a lot of time in the training room, taking advantage of the two weeks between games. Tailback Marshawn Lynch will continue to rest his ankle. He should be at full strength when the Bears take on UCLA on Nov. 4.  “We’ll try to settle his ankles down, get him up to speed for the stretch run,” Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. Lynch is far from the only Bears starter who needs some rest. Tedford said Erik Robertson has been dealing with various ailments, and tight end Craig Stevens is nursing a sore back. In particular, Cal’s defensive front needs time to recover. “A lot of the defensive line is banged up,” Tedford said. “There are a lot of guys in the same boat.” Among the walking wounded are defensive end Nu’u Tafisi (leg), defensive tackle Matthew Malele (neck) and defensive tackle Brandon Mebane. Tedford also seems to be looking forward to the bye week. Known for spending time in his “cave” at Memorial Stadium to game-plan throughout the week, he had the chance to go home Sunday and Monday to be with his family. This Friday and Saturday, he will be on the road keying his attention on recruiting.

Read the entire article here.

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