By Jack Ross
Much was made of Cal's first bye week. Following their first loss of the season at Maryland, the Bears came back to Berkeley with two weeks to think about the blemish, resulting in an aggressive and productive extra week of practice. The team's second bye week--coming less than a month after their first--shouldn't be much different, according to coach Jeff Tedford. Though some coaches may prefer to keep playing with their team gaining momentum, Tedford seemed quite content to have some extra time off. "Actually I don't mind it," Tedford said of having the second bye week so close to the first. "I think we're getting work out of the bye weeks. I've been really pleased with the production out of the first bye week and if the same production happens this week I'll be happy. "The work in practice has carried through, so I'm not all that concerned about (losing momentum). If we weren't practicing well or we were lethargic, then maybe. But I haven't seen that."
Tedford did acknowledge, however, that the team is a bit more "banged up" than it was four weeks ago.
Whether it be notable injuries (like Jahvid Best's elbow) or nagging ones (cornerback Darian Hagan's knee tendinitis), the additional rest should serve the purpose of helping the Bears heal some of their wounds.
Best's Return Date Still Up in the Air
Cal fans could potentially breathe a collective sigh of relief next week at Arizona. After the immense scare of Best dislocating his elbow two weeks ago in the 42-7 win over Colorado State, it sounds as though the tailback still could fulfill his best-case scenario and return on October 18. "I'm optimistic," Tedford said of the possibility. "Is that a guarantee? No. Not by any means." Best has done some running and conditioning with the team of late, but did not partake in any other activities. Over the next week, he will gradually start lifting weights, then catching balls as the team continues to evaluate his progress. "It's important to see how he responds to things," Tedford continued. "He's got to get his strength back, he's got to be able to lift some weights, he's got to be able to protect himself, he's got to be able to fall on the ground. A lot of those things you just don't know until you do it."
Best, then, will not see the field next week unless he is 100 percent. "If he's not (completely) ready to go, we're not going to risk him having a setback. That's not a sprained ankle, that's a dislocated elbow."
Calvin Could See Increased Role as Toe Continues to Heal
It is becoming increasingly apparent that filling the void left by DeSean Jackson, Robert Jordan and Lavelle Hawkins will be a collective effort, filled by the entire receiving corps, as well as the rest of Cal's offensive skill players. After only five games, eight different Bears have caught touchdown passes--Sean Young, Jeremy Ross, LaReyelle Cunningham, Nyan Boateng, Tad Smith, Verran Tucker, Will Ta'ufo'ou and Cameron Morrah. Morrah and Boateng, with four and two, respectively, are the only ones with multiple receiving scores. But don't be shocked if another receiver gets into the touchdown mix before the season closes--Michael Calvin. Calvin came into fall camp as one of the starting wideouts, with the team anticipating that he would be one of the pillars of the receiving game after being named last season's Scout Team Offensive Player of the Year. Though Calvin has broken the 100-yard threshold already this year, Tedford noted that much of that work was done with an injured foot, with the redshirt freshman not being able to get in and out of breaks properly. Now, he's healed and an increased role could soon follow.
"The toe held him back from being able to run full-speed," Tedford said of the 6-foot-2 wideout. "He didn't really play all that much. I think he's getting experience and working himself into the lineup as of now."
When asked if he expected Calvin to be a big factor in the passing game the rest of the season, Tedford replied succinctly. "Absolutely."
No comments:
Post a Comment