Wednesday, February 09, 2011

SJ Mercury: Cal Offensive Staff is Stanford-esque

Jon Wilner
So here’s how the offensive staff looks, in case you read or heard about it over the weekend and have already gotten confused (because it’s confusing):
Jeff Tedford: quarterbacks coach (unofficially)
Marcus Arroyo: quarterbacks coach (officially)
Jim Michalczik: offensive coordinator and offensive line coach
Ron Gould: run-game coordinator and running backs coach
Eric Kiesau: passing-game coordinator and receivers coach
Playcaller: to be announced
A few thoughts:
Tedford wanted to get the old gang back together, and Kiesau and Michalczik certainly were successful in their previous stints in Berkeley. (The reason for doing so, it should be noted, was so he could leave the offense to a staff he trusted while out performing his head coaching duties … or teaching Brock Mansion how to read a defense.)
Cal fans should be encouraged by the changes but disappointed that Tedford repeatedly failed to find the right fit for offensive coordinator/playcaller/QBs coach over the past 3-4 years.
There are so many cooks in the Bears’ offensive kitchen, it’s like an episode of “Top Chef.”
The onus will be on Tedford to make sure roles are well defined, responsibilities don’t overlap, egos are checked at the door and the playcalling process functions properly in the limited time between plays.
It doesn’t matter who’s on the staff if the quarterback stinks.
The new setup reminds me of the manner in which Jim Harbaugh organized the Stanford offensive staff the past few years, and I can’t help but wonder if Tedford looked across the Bay for his model. Harbaugh had run-game and passing-game coordinators during his four years (although nobody held those specific titles last season). Harbaugh was a head coach who also coached the quarterbacks — just as Tedford will do, although he won’t hold that title. Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator, David Shaw, was neither the QBs coach nor the primary playcaller — just as Michalczik is Cal’s offensive coordinator but neither the QBs coach nor (educated guess) primary playcaller.
Link to rest of article.

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