LOS ANGELES – Jeff Tedford's playbook keeps growing. Some coaches live by the adage that if you add a play to the playbook, you throw one away. Not Tedford. He's a packrat – as if he needs more ways to beat opposing defenses. "We never throw any plays out," Tedford said. "That's my fault." Tedford is one of the brightest offensive minds in the game. He has sent a long list of quarterbacks to the NFL. More recently, he has helped produce some outstanding running backs as well. Tedford has led Cal to final rankings in the AP poll for three consecutive seasons, the first such streak for the Bears since 1947-51. At Pac-10 Media Day, Cal was picked to finish second in the conference for the fourth consecutive year. Twice, Cal has lived up to that or better. Last year, The Bears finished with a share of the Pac-10 title with USC. Tedford has turned around a program that was 1-10 before his arrival in 2002, but he's not entirely satisfied. His goal is to shed that "shared" label on the Pac-10 title and reach Cal's first Rose Bowl since the 1958 season. "We've accomplished that we're going to be competitive on a yearly basis for a conference title," Tedford said. "Our goal when we got here was to compete for a conference title and at a national level. We've done that to a certain extent, but we need to break through and win it outright." Cal enters 2007 in the same position it has occupied since Tedford arrived, chasing USC for the conference title. The Bears return 14 starters, including perhaps the best offensive playmaker in the Pac-10 - DeSean Jackson. Cal also as the luxury of a veteran quarterback and offensive line.
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