Players Show Some Fire During Morning Session
By Matt Kawahara
Maybe it was an isolated occurrence of training camp frustration. Maybe it was a sign that the Cal football team is sick of lining up across from blue or white and, after months of nothing but practice, ready for a break in the monotony and a chance to hit somebody else. Or maybe tight end Tad Smith cut linebacker Eddie Young in line during the team's water park excursion yesterday afternoon. Whatever the cause, a brief scuffle between Smith and Young during the Cal football team's morning session on Saturday set the tone for a particularly scrappy morning in fall camp. Young took Smith--his blocker--to the ground during team drills and continued to wrestle with him on the turf long after the whistle. Center Alex Mack had to sprint over to break up the pair. "It's just a lot of grinding and hard work," Young said. "Every day, just a lot of testosterone and emotions flying on the field. That's all it is. "We're just getting ready, trying to get up here, trying to take somebody out in green and white." No ill sentiment carried over from the physical plea for live competition and if this sign of fire got the juices flowing inside head coach Jeff Tedford, he didn't show it.
"It happens, but you still need to keep your poise," Tedford said. "They hit each other every single day, so it happens, but it should never get to a point of fighting." Still, Tedford acknowledged that the months of camp and anticipation of the season opener against Michigan State can make players a little stir-crazy. "I think they're ready to hit somebody else," Tedford said. "They've been practicing with each other all summer long. It's not just the last few weeks, it's all summer long." Quarterbacks aside, another tight position battle is the one at kicker between incumbent Jordan Kay and true freshman David Seawright. Tedford said after Friday's practice that the team would probably know within the next couple of days who will occupy the starting role. Kay, meanwhile, believes that his hold on the spot is not in doubt. "Right now I feel like I'm doing a lot better," he said. "I did a lot of work in the offseason, physically and mentally. I'm hitting the ball a lot stronger and more accurate, so right now I have total confidence in myself. He's pushing me both ways, don't get me wrong, and definitely in the kickoff. So we'll see how it is. He's a great kid and he's got a lot of potential."
Kay took over the starting role last season when Tom Schneider went down with an injury before the Tennessee game. Thrust into being the Bears' No. 1--a title that he ended up carrying for the whole season--Kay got off to a promising start by nailing his first-ever attempt from 27 yards against the Volunteers and staying true from 41 and 47 yards the next weekend at Colorado State. He went on to convert all 48 of his PATs, and was perfect from 20-29 yards, but he finished a disappointing 7-for-14 from distances of 30 yards and higher. "Last year I wasn't satisfied with my percentage for field goals, but it was my first year," Kay said. "I was thrown in the mix. I was prepared being the backup but I wasn't prepared for being the first guy." Kay worked with a kicking coach over the summer, ran through workouts for core strength and flexibility, did pilates for flexibility, and read a number of sports psychology books and articles in order to strengthen himself mentally. "My steps are more in tune, angles line up and everything, point-to-target ratio, and I'm just getting a lot more pop in my ball," Kay said. "I've been doing a lot of thinking, and now I know what I need to do. Mentally I feel stronger than ever." Injuries continue to affect the Bears as several more potential starters traded in their normal practice jerseys for red ones.
Wideout Michael Calvin and tailback Tracy Slocum wore protective boots at both practices on Saturday. Calvin has a sprained toe while Slocum has a case of turf toe. Safety Marcus Ezeff sat out with a bruised thigh--the same thigh, according to Tedford, that kept him out of several games last season. Cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson and linebackers Worrell Williams and Zack Follett also sat out Saturday. Williams is recovering from an abdominal strain, while Follett is out with a groin pull. Tedford said that Follett might be practicing if this were the regular season, but that taking the senior away from contact completely is the only way to allow him to recover. "You've got to rest Zack because every time he practices he's physical," Tedford said. "You've got to save him." Thompson, on the other hand, appears to be very uncomfortable on the sidelines, and Tedford wasn't optimistic about a speedy recovery. "He's pretty sore," Tedford said. "I wouldn't say that he's going to play next week on Tuesday during the scrimmage. He's very uncomfortable."
The Bears spent a team segment during the morning session at the goal line, where the offense looked very efficient, scoring on play action passes to tight ends Cameron Morrah and Garry Graffort as well as on rushes by Shane Vereen and Covaughn DeBoskie. Tedford said that, through two days of working on goal line play, he "would have to give the advantage to the offense."
Kevin Riley took a majority of the reps with the first-team offense on Saturday afternoon, while Nate Longshore worked mainly with the 2's. The afternoon session was much more relaxed than the morning, with the players out of full pads and engaging in minimal contact. There were still opportunities for highlights. Tailback Jahvid Best had a few nice scampers on his second day back from a three-day resting period. Best seemed to break into the second line of defense on every other carry. Riley connected with wideout Marvin Jones on a deep ball during team drills, throwing from his own 30 and hitting Jones at the opposing 20. Jones then dragged cornerback Darian Hagan another 10 yards for what amounted to a 60-yard pass play. On the very next play, Riley muffed an exchange with tailback Shane Vereen. The defense recovered.
The Cal defense might be just as happy as their counterparts over Best's return to practice. Vereen, Slocum and DeBoskie did an admirable job of carrying the load during Best's hiatus--particularly in Thursday's scrimmage, when the Bears were very effective on the ground--but with Best on the field, the offense has arguably its most dangerous weapon and the defense has its most valuable sparring partner. "He's fast and elusive," Young said. "It's great having a top running back on your team because you get to practice against him every day." Particularly in a year where the Pac-10--minus USC--isn't returning a stable of experienced star tailbacks, facing Best in practice allows Cal's defense to work out its new 3-4 scheme against one of the best runners that they--or anyone else, for that matter--will see. "He's one of the best in the country, so you're not surprised by any other person that you face," Young said. "It's great, especially for me. I had a little game action, but not a lot. I'm like, if I can do it against him and our offense then I'm gonna be all right come game time."
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