California Golden Bear Football News

Excerpt:

With only a few days to go before the Golden Bears suit up and take it to the practice field for fall camp, anticipation of another great year at Cal mounts.

According to head coach Jeff Tedford, it won't be easy. At last week's Pac-10 media day, he was quick to point out, "We play a very tough schedule - our non-conference is going to be tough playing Maryland, Eastern Washington and then Minnesota on the road. Then we play Oregon on the road and USC as our opening five games. I feel like it's a challenging season for us."

A quick look at the schedule and you realize that 'tough' is relevant. Their opening night against Maryland will end up being a payback of sorts when it comes to the scheduling drama of last year. As you may recall, the Bears played the Terps at 9am California time, and looked as though they didn't wake up for the game. This year, the rematch is scheduled for 10pm -- Maryland time.

Friday, July 31, 2009

SF Chronicle: Pac-10 Media Day Summary

Excerpts:

Even in down years, the Pac-10 at least had some established quarterbacks, guys who had started for a few years and were well known to NFL scouts. Not anymore. The Pac-10 is a running backs league now. There are stellar backs all over the conference, while the list of returning quarterback starters who figure to keep their jobs this year goes like this: Jeremiah Masoli (Oregon), Lyle Moevao (Oregon State) and Jake Locker (Washington). Masoli, who went to junior college at City College of San Francisco, is more of a running threat than he is a conventional passer. The latter two are coming off surgery.

Yes, other quarterbacks have returned, but Cal's Kevin Riley split time with Nate Longshore last year, while Stanford's Tavita Pritchard, UCLA's Kevin Craft and Washington State's Kevin Lopina are long shots to fight off younger challengers (namely, Andrew Luck, Kevin Prince and Marshall Lobbestael) for the No. 1 spot. Mark Sanchez (USC), Willie Tuitama (Arizona) and Rudy Carpenter (Arizona State) are gone, so the Pac-10 - celebrated as a great passers' conference - will rely more than ever on great running backs. The talk at Thursday's Pac-10 media day was mainly about the backs and the defenders who will have to stop them. There's Joe McKnight, one of a herd of backs at USC - which, what a surprise, was picked by the media to win its eighth straight title.

McKnight averaged 7.4 yards a carry last year, a figure that would be captivating except that Cal's Jahvid Best averaged 8.1 on his way to a conference-leading 1,580 yards. The Heisman candidate, faster than a coffee stain, is a big reason Cal was picked to finish second, ahead of loaded Oregon. Stanford, picked sixth, has its 237-pound wrecking ball, Toby Gerhart; Arizona has Nic Grigsby and Oregon has LeGarrette Blount, all of whom rushed for 1,000 yards. And then there's Jacquizz Rodgers of Oregon State, who was Pac-10 offensive player of the year as a freshman. "Now you see the running game being more efficient than it's been in a long time," Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson said. How good is the Pac-10? "Our most difficult games come from our own conference," USC's Pete Carroll said. "I can't imagine anybody better than this conference." Thorny Rose Bowl: Cal's Jeff Tedford said he would be "disappointed" if the Bowl Championship Series' new deal, which starts next year, deprived an otherwise deserving Bears team of a Rose Bowl berth.

Under the new deal, any team from a non-BCS conference that qualifies for a BCS game would fill the vacancy left by a Pac-10 (read: USC) or Big Ten team that qualified for the national title game. In other words, for one time only, a Cal team that, say, went 11-1 could be aced out for its first Rose berth since 1958 by an undefeated non-BCS team. "Our fans would prefer to go to the Rose Bowl than the national championship," Tedford said. "That's the mind-set at Cal. There's such a drought there. They're so starved for the Rose Bowl." He said if the Bears wind up in that predicament, "it would be disappointing."

Orlando Sentinel: Q&A with Cal's Jahvid Best

Cal running back Jahvid Best is coming off a fantastic sophomore season and is perhaps the top running back Heisman candidate for 2009. He is the nation’s leading returning rusher after blazing his way to 1,580 yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging a phenomenal 8.14 yards per carry (he missed a game or two due to injury). He was an amazing track athlete in high school with career bests of 10.31 in the 100 meters and 20.65 in the 200 meters and he has been able to carry over his speed onto the gridiron. He’s a humble, low-key guy who is very team-oriented, a rare thing nowadays. I sat down with him at Pac-10 media day and conducted the following Q&A session:

Q: First off, you had some injuries last year that caused you to miss a couple games. What are you doing now to get more durable and are you worried that it could affect your speed and explosiveness?

A: I’ve been trying to get bigger. But I’ve been really cautious about putting on weight. I’ve been very careful about it. I feel like I’ve put on the right weight. I was 180 pounds when I ran a 10.31 in high school. I’m 200 pounds now and I feel faster, definitely more explosive.

Q: What do you think you have to do to win the Heisman?

A: As far as I’m concerned, the people that win the Heisman are on a winning team, so I figure my role is to do the best I can to help my team win. The more we win, the more Heisman attention I’ll get.

Q: What about stats? What kind of season do you have to have?

A: I just need to have a season similar to last season. I feel that would be good enough, but to add a Pac-10 championship would help more. I never really have a yardage goal. The last seven or eight years we’ve had a 1,000-yard rusher at Cal, so I do want to keep that tradition going.

Q: Your backup, Shane Vereen, is a pretty capable runner, too. How does his presence help you?

A: I’m blessed to have a back like Shane Vereen behind me. I do something and that gets him going and then he comes in and does something special and that gets me going. I feed off of him and he feeds off of me. When we’re in there together, it’s just great. We’re great friends after practice, too.

Q: Whose style do you try to emulate as a running back?

A: I try to emulate Reggie (Bush) a lot, but that was mostly when I was in high school. I used to watch film of him in high school and tried to do what he does. I think my game is pretty similar to his. He was an idol of mine when I was growing up.

Q: Given that, was there any thought of following in his footsteps at USC?

A: I’m from the Bay Area and didn’t really want to leave. That’s why I chose Cal, because it was so close to home. I’m a family oriented person, so this way my family can see all the home games.

Q: You had a huge high school career and were one of the fastest players in the country coming out. Yet, your recruitment process was mostly a mystery to those who following recruiting. Why was that?

A: I kind of liked to keep a low profile. I only took two official visits, Cal and Oregon. I took some unofficials to USC a couple times. But I didn’t do the whole big recruiting thing, I kept it simple. And I was so busy running track anyway in the spring, so that was my main focus.

Q: What other current college backs do you enjoy watching?

A: DeMarco Murray of Oklahoma. I like that kid. Joe McKnight, when we’re watching games at the hotel, I look at him. Noel Devine of West Virginia.

Q: I put out an annual list of the fastest players in college football. I have you sixth heading into the season. How would you match up speed-wise with guys like Jeff Demps, Trindon Holliday and C.J. Spiller?

A: I feel like my quickness is up to par with the best of them. I think I could still run a 10.3 if I were running right now. If I had concentrated on track, I’m sure I would’ve gotten a lot faster.

Q: How do you feel about all the media attention you are getting? If Cal has a big year, how is the team prepared to handle it?

A: I’ll be able to handle it. The better we do, the more attention we get. The attention is good for the Pac-10 conference and Cal. It depends on how we take it. If we think we’ve ‘arrived’ as a team, that could be bad for us, but if we take it as a grain of salt, that’ll be good for us.

Q: Do any other running backs give you advice? What do they tell you to work on?

A: Marshawn (Lynch) is always up there and he’s always telling me to keep doing what I’m doing and to keep working hard. Justin Forsett came back into town and he gave me some words of wisdom. The biggest thing I need to work on is pass blocking and running more physical. There are times where I try to make a big play out of something. That’s my style, but there was really nothing there. That’s when I need to use a physical style of running just to get those extra couple yards instead of forcing it.

Q: Being a home run hitter, defenses key on you a lot. What defenses posed the biggest challenges for you last season?

A: Oregon, Maryland and USC probably were the toughest. As far as the level of talent and speed, USC’s guys were slightly more talented, but they were just so good at executing and controlling their gaps. That was what set them apart. It was frustrating, but I have to give them credit for keeping me in check. They controlled the line of scrimmage.

Q: Say it’s game 12 and you are one of the main Heisman candidates with a chance to win it. And then you break a big touchdown run to break the game open. Think you might pull a Desmond Howard and make a Heisman statememt?

A: You’ll never see me strike a Heisman pose.

ESPN: Cal to Travel Early to Minnesota

California coach Jeff Tedford said the Bears may travel to Minnesota for their Sept. 19 game a day early to get acclimated to the time change, but he also said he doesn't believe the a.m. kickoff last year at Maryland was as much of an issue as the humidity.

Seattle Times: Pac-10 football has a different look - except for that team on top

Not to imply that the league is totally inverted. USC was picked by media for the 37th straight year — no, make that the seventh straight — to win the conference, with California second. So maybe it's merely all about finding new ways to try to beat the Trojans. Under Jeff Tedford, Cal has had USC in its crosshairs for years. In 2004, with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, it came within a last-minute, inside-the-10 misfire of setting the Trojans dynasty ablaze, but nobody has one-upped USC since.

If the Bears do it this year, no doubt they'll have Jahvid Best to thank. He rushed for 1,580 yards in 2008, about nine-tenths of it against the Huskies and Cougars, and an 8.1-yard average. He's the most notable offensive returnee in a conference that has eight of its top 10 rushers back. "He's worth the price of admission," said Tedford.

Los Angeles Times: USC and UCLA - Here's How Your Rivals Stack Up

California

Talk all you want about two-deep zones. California Coach Jeff Tedford found himself discussing time zones. Last season, when his team fell behind quickly and lost at Maryland, fans wondered about the 9 a.m. Pacific kickoff and whether Tedford erred by bringing his team east only a day earlier. Though Tedford still insists his players had time to acclimate, he will add an extra day to the travel schedule when Cal visits Minnesota for another morning game. "I know there was a lot made of the Maryland trip," he said. "I don't want to stick my head in the sand and be stubborn."

Arizona Daily Star: Cal Excerpts

Link

A recent tweak to the Bowl Championship Series could put an unlikely team in the Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl will be obligated to take a team from a non-BCS conference school that has qualified for the BCS — provided either the Pac-10 or Big Ten team is playing in the national championship game instead. So if USC plays in the national title game, Utah or Boise State or Ball State, for example, could replace the Pac-10 runner-up in Pasadena. The tweak starts in 2010 and runs through 2013. The Rose Bowl is obligated to insert the non-BCS conference team only once.

"I think it would be unfortunate if we weren't able to have a chance to go to the Rose Bowl," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. "Our fans, I think, would prefer to go to the Rose Bowl than the national championship. That's the mindset at Cal. There's such a drought there and they're so starved for a Rose Bowl."

***

Another sign of the economic times: Cal will take a charter bus instead of a plane to face UCLA on Oct. 17 in Pasadena, Calif. "I don't think that's going to hinder us whatsoever, either on the football field or what we're doing academically," Tedford said. The trip is about six hours. Tedford said he figured that "it's maybe going to be one more hour" than the Golden Bears would put in to travel to an airport and fly.

Oregonian: Can Cal Contend? Jeff Tedford says, sure

Cal coach Jeff Tedford says high expectations don't bother him or his team. "We welcome it and embrace it," Tedford said. The Golden Bears have one of the best running backs in the country in Jahvid Best, who led the Pac-10 in rushing last season. Best is gritty enough to get the tough years, and explosive enough to strike from anywhere. Best is a known commodity -- assuming he stays healthy.

A bigger key to Cal's ability to challenge USC for the conference title probably will be Kevin Riley, the former Beaverton star high who figures to be the starting quarterback when the Bears open the season at home against Maryland. Riley has all the tools. Tedford says what he wants is "consistency." "We have to be more consistent in the passing game," Tedford said. The Cal coach said Riley -- who completed barely 50 percent of his passes last season -- has been working hard to improve himself.

The Bears could be good on defense, assuming the can fill the holes at linebacker. Their three starters completed their eligibility last season. The secondary returns intact. The Bears have a relatively easy nonconference schedule, with Maryland and Eastern Washington at home, and Minnesota on the road. Then things get serious with a road game at Oregon and a home date with the Trojans.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

SF Chronicle: Cal's path to Rose Bowl more crowded

By Ray Ratto

It is a measure of the diminishing importance of college football on this coast that the big Rose Bowl news was broken in late May in Atlanta and only became a point of contention Monday in Chicago. The big Rose Bowl news being, of course, that as part of the new Bowl Championship Series deal, the Rose Bowl no longer gets the right to reserve its vacancies for the Big Ten and Pac-10. Among the larger consideration, it also means that Cal's already-narrow path to the one bowl its fans crave most is now blocked by the rest of the country. You know, like Utah. Or Boise State. Any team from a non-BCS conference that qualifies for a BCS game would fill the vacancy left by a Pac-10 or Big Ten team that qualified for the national championship game.

In short, Cal's flirtations with second place behind the planet-eaters at USC don't necessarily mean the Rose Bowl as the fallback position. And Cal fans must now cheer as ardently against the Utes, Broncos or whatever other top 12 team from outside the heart of the BCS can run its own table. True, the old runner-up method never helped Cal, and the even older method of winning the conference outright has evaded the Golden Bears since 1958. In that time, every school in the Pac-10 and Big Ten have reached at least one Rose Bowl - except Arizona and Indiana - and each school has reached at least twice except the aforementioned two, plus Oregon and Northwestern. But there was always hope that with a good enough team and a great USC team, the Golden Bears would finally answer the Cal fan's bedtime prayer: One Rose Bowl Before I Die.

Now the smart money is on, well, death - if it hasn't been there already. There is, of course, another caveat here, as there usually is in the backroom-deal world of college sports: The scenario can happen only once in the life of the current BCS contract, which goes through 2014. If, say, Boise State ends up in the top 12 and the conference champion (read: USC) goes to the national title game, the Broncos could go to the Rose Bowl. But that can only happen one time before the game reverts to the old rules.

But knowing Cal's traditional buzzard's luck on this, it will happen at least once. And then the window will close again, because that, too, is the way being a Cal fan works. We'd make more of a point of Stanford's potential risk here, but the Cardinal hasn't the same grand football aspirations, and its fan base recognizes the Rose Bowl as a happy accident, as it was in 1999. With Cal fans, the agony lingers to the point of being a near-addiction, and even if the new roadblock never happens at all, the symbolism is intriguing enough.

In other words, when it's been UCLA or Washington or Arizona State, that's been annoying enough for Cal fans. When it became Miami and Nebraska and Texas and Oklahoma, it was worse, but still understandable. But to think that it could be Hawaii or TCU or Fresno State ... even as a hypothetical, it has a bilious taste to the average Cal fan.

Of course, the BCS system you all know and love needed to play with the Rose Bowl to quiet the complaints of the Utah folks who thought their boys got hosed in January. This is the minimal chicken bone it took to buy off Orrin Hatch, and it tells you how much money actually talks. The Rose Bowl opened its doors so as not to lose its turn in the national championship rotation, and the Mountain West Conference that tilted at the big windmill to get Utah its belated due got a potential slice of the Rose Bowl.

Did Cal get wronged? Not really. Big-city politics works that way, and the BCS eats when it needs to eat.

But just for laughs, consider what the Cal fan might do if in 2014 the bizarre specter of a Wisconsin-San Jose State Rose Bowl rears its head. And then call the street cleaners. It will be a very busy Sunday morning indeed.

SF Examiner: Tedford to attend Pac-10 media day

By Rob Calonge

Thursday morning, the Pac-10 will be holding their annual media day featuring all of the head coaches and each teams' top returning player. It will be held at the Sheraton in Los Angeles. Sorry, I won't be there. It's not that I didn't want to partake in the event, it's just that I have other responsibilities that will have me covering the Oakland Raiders at training camp for the day. Unlike last time, I'll try and not 'suck'. I'll work on getting a moment with Nnamdi Asomugha if it's possible, but those 'moment's' aren't as easy as they might sound.

Pac-10 Media Day Live on the Bear Insider

From the Bear Insider:

All ten Pac-10 head football coaches will be featured at a Media Day event tomorrow (Thursday) morning - along with a top returning player from each team. New Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott will also speak. The event will take place at the Sheraton Gateway LAX Hotel - and according to the official Pac-10 press release - it will begin at 9:30 AM. A Flash video widget has been placed on the Bear Insider front page so that you can see the event live. To do that, visit our website

http://www.bearinsider.com and click on the widget.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Sports Illustrated College Football Mailbag: Even in down year, USC still looks like team to beat in Pac-10

Letter from Travis Pederson: Last year, USC needed help from Oregon in the final week of the season to reach the Rose Bowl and, after losing so much talent to the NFL, seems to be ever-so-slightly down from its lofty standards. Meanwhile, Oregon, Cal and Oregon State all look improved from last season. So is this finally the year USC's streak of Pac-10 titles comes to an end?

Stewart Mandel’s reply: It's highly unlikely the Trojans will be as dominant as last year, when they boasted a top five NFL quarterback (Mark Sanchez) and a world-class defense. Nevertheless, I still have more faith in a USC team featuring an untested QB and eight new defensive starters than in any of the teams you mentioned.

Of the three, Cal is the only one I feel reasonably certain will be improved. The Bears return the entire starting front four and secondary from the nation's 26th-ranked defense, a third-year QB (Kevin Riley) and a Heisman-caliber tailback (Jahvid Best). But not since Aaron Rodgers' 2003-04 tenure has Cal put any sort of scare into the Trojans, and we have to wonder at this point whether Jeff Tedford's otherwise successful program will ever get over that hump.

Monday, July 20, 2009

2009 Cal Football Schedule

Here’s the current 2009 Cal Football schedule:

09/05/09 vs. Maryland @ Berkeley - 7:00 p.m. PT

09/12/09 vs. Eastern Washington @ Berkeley - 2:30 p.m. PT

09/19/09 at Minnesota - 9:00 a.m. PT

09/26/09 at Oregon - 12:30 p.m. PT

10/03/09 vs. USC (Homecoming) @ Berkeley - 5:00 p.m. PT

10/17/09 at UCLA - TBA

10/24/09 vs. Washington State @ Berkeley, Calif. - TBA

10/31/09 at Arizona State @ Tempe - TBA

11/07/09 vs. Oregon State @ Berkeley - TBA

11/14/09 vs. Arizona @ Berkeley - TBA

11/21/09 at Stanford’s Tiny Stadium - TBA

12/05/09 at Washington - 3:30 p.m. PT

If you want to buy single season tickets, here’s the link.

Memorial Stadium Seating Rights Available to Highest Bidders

From this article in today’s Daily Cal:

“The Cal athletic department kicked off the Endowment Seating Program-a massive fundraising campaign-on January 1. The program aims to collect between $300 and 325 million dollars by selling the rights to between 40 and 50 years of priority seating at Cal football games. That money will go toward funding athletics across campus, including field hockey. Ranging in cost from $40,000 to $225,000 per seat, each newly constructed section will include benefits from private restrooms to catered food, drinks and pregame field access. If the UC Board of Regents votes to pass the project in September, the sale of these 3,000 seats will fund seismic upgrades for Memorial Stadium.”

SF Examiner: Bear Tracks - July 20

Soon, football camp will be in full-swing and the speculation will begin on who Tedford will select to be his starters at nearly every position on the roster. Unfortunately, we can't just fast forward to that time. Instead, we'll have to wait until things get busy again with football, and the other sports, in order to help make those Monday mornings go by just a little faster and give us something to look forward to during the long work week. Due to technical difficulties, I'm holding on to a few articles that may be of interest. Instead of giving you something to chew on, I did a little work for you so you don't have to go searching all on your own for something to talk about around the water cooler (do they still have those anywhere?). Well, if it's not the water cooler, I'm sure it will be the line at Starbucks or the office coffee machine. Either way, maybe this will help.

Read the entire article here.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Former Cal Player Pleads Guilty to Ponzi Scheme, another Gets Four Years for Rape

A bad day for Cal Football alumni. The San Francisco Chronicle reported today that former Cal lineman Reed Diehl pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. He was indicted on charges that he bilked a developer out of $2.5 million. He faces 70 years in prison. The FBI press release states:

According to a plea agreement in the case, Diehl falsely represented himself to potential clients as a banker who made "hard money loans" to businesses or individuals. Diehl also admitted that he fraudulently collected deposits for lines of credit for people who desired financing for construction and development projects in Mexico. In relation to the "hard money loans," Diehl told investors that he would pool their funds and make secured loans to individuals or businesses that had shortterm cash needs. Instead of using investor funds to make loans, he used investors' money to repay earlier investors and to fund his lifestyle. In relation to the second part of his scheme, Diehl told victims involved in construction projects in Mexico that he could secure multimillion dollar lines of credit. Diehl told one victim that it would cost $1.175 million to secure a $24 million loan and that the deposit would be used as collateral for the line of credit. The victim eventually paid Diehl $2.5 million, money that Diehl used to pay, among others things, other people who had made investments with Diehl. None of the victims ever obtained a line of credit through Diehl.

According to this blog,

“While attending Cal, Diehl married his wife, Rachel, and they had two children. The player's ability to juggle football, family and academic duties impressed the San Francisco Chronicle, which wrote “At 6-4, 300 pounds, he is Cal's best offensive lineman and has started college games at tight end, tackle, center and guard. He has a chance to play in the NFL. He is a husband to Rachel, the person he knew he would marry the first time he saw her, when he was 16. He is a father to Preston, a football-crazed 4-year-old boy who wants to wear football jerseys everywhere, who loves hanging out with his father in the locker room to soak in the discussions and the atmosphere, and who has collected hundreds of the smelly wristbands and gloves discarded by players after games. He is a father to Madison, a delightfully cute girl who has suffered through four scary bouts of pneumonia and who kisses the television screen when daddy's games are on TV.”

A very sad story all around, especially for his wife and two children.

Also making the news today was Noah Smith. The Oakland Tribune reports that Noah Smith was convicted of rape and sentenced to four years in prison:

A former Cal football player found guilty this year of raping one student and trying to rape another was sentenced Tuesday to four years in state prison. Ending a case that included unsubstantiated admissions of football player drug cover-ups and accusations by three other women of sexual assault by the former top high school prospect, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Thomas Reardon sentenced Noah Smith to four years in prison instead of the 17 years sought by the county's district attorney. Smith, 23, who must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, was arrested in May 2007 after a fellow student told police the football player had forced her to give him oral sex and then raped her in her apartment during what was to be a meeting about a class. Investigations by the UC Berkeley Police Department found another woman who said Smith tried to rape her but she escaped. Smith was arrested and charged with one count of rape, one count of forced oral copulation and one count of attempted rape. During the trial, two other women stepped forward and said Smith raped them. Although they testified in the case, no separate charges were filed because they had not reported the rapes to police when they occurred and did not want to pursue criminal charges afterward. Both women told similar stories about how Smith feigned an illness that he said required him to collect and store his own sperm.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Daily Cal: Q&A with Aaron Rodgers

(Sorry for the delay in posting this)

By Katie Dowd

As the quarterback for the Cal football team in 2003-2004, Aaron Rodgers guided the Bears to two bowl games while passing for 51 touchdowns and 5,469 yards. Rodgers was drafted in the first round by Green Bay in 2005 and is now the starting quarterback for the Packers. After an off-season practice in Green Bay, Rodgers gave the Daily Cal a call and reminisced about his days in Berkeley and shared some of his new experiences as the Packers' quarterback.

Katie Dowd: You might have gotten a little bit of this at Cal, but obviously you're a bigger celebrity now, especially being in such a devoted fan base. Do you get any weird requests?

Aaron Rodgers: Oh, I got a ton. I don't know how many stories you want me to give you. I've had everything from people showing up on my doorstep last season. Multiple people. I averaged about two (door) knocks per week for a while there. Just random people.

I've had parents send photo albums of their daughters out to me. Also to my parents out in California. With letters attached telling either myself or them why I should be dating their daughter. A lot of parents just trying to pawn their daughters off on me. Also, crazy requests like one woman asked me if I would be the best man in her and her fiance's wedding. I didn't know them either. Those are some of the highlights. Or lowlights.

KD: Do you come back to Berkeley at all?

AR: I was back this spring actually for a charity event in San Francisco ... I stopped by Cal the next day and saw some of the guys. I'm buddies with Kevin Riley so I saw Kevin.

(Link, where there are lots of comments)

ESPN: Hope and Concern: California

By Ted Miller

Biggest reason for hope -- A good defense and Jahvid Best.

California welcomes back eight starters from a defense that ranked second in the Pac-10 in scoring (19.9 ppg), and that doesn't include Mike Mohamed, the Bears most versatile linebacker. Particularly of note: The secondary, led by All-American cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson, returns intact, and it led a pass defense that intercepted 24 passes a year ago. As for Best, he rushed for 1,580 yards last year -- averaging an eye-popping 8.1 yards per carry -- and is the West Coast's top Heisman Trophy candidate.

Biggest reason for concern -- Will the passing game improve?

California's quarterback play wasn't terrible in 2008: See 25 touchdown passes vs. 10 interceptions. But it was mediocre: See just 190 yards per game and a pass efficiency rating that ranked sixth in the Pac-10. Junior Kevin Riley won't have to share the quarterback job with Nate Longshore again this year because Longshore graduated, but coach Jeff Tedford hasn't yet anointed Riley as his starter over Brock Mansion. That's curious, and obviously a sore spot for Riley. The Bears really don't have any obvious holes, and if they are even just solid passing the ball, this could be a special season.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Seattle Times: So how have first-year head coaches fared?

By Bob Condotta

The last few times I've thrown the blog open for Q-and-A's, I've gotten varying versions of questions wondering how first-year coaches have fared through the years in the Pac-10. So in an attempt to answer all of your queries on that topic, I decided I'd first list every new coach in Pac-10 history (dating to 1978, when the conference expanded to 10 teams) followed by some analysis. So here we go, with each school's coaches listed by the year they took over, their record that first season, and in parantheses, the coach and record of the previous season:

(edit)

CAL

1979 Roger Theder 6-5 (Mike White 7-4)

1982 Joe Kapp 7-4 (Theder 2-9)

1987 Bruce Snyder 3-6-2 (Kapp 2-9)

1992 Keith Gilbertson 4-7 (Snyder 10-2)

1996 Steve Mariucci 6-6 (Gilbertson 3-8)

1997 Tom Holmoe 3-8 (Mariucci 6-6)

2002 Jeff Tedford 7-5 (Holmoe 1-10)

Tedford's 2002 season at Cal is obviously the greatest turnaround, and the one UW fans can cling to for hope of a massive rebound this season. Unfortunately, the reality is that there are probably as many similarities in UW's current state to Cal's in 2002 as there are to all kinds of other teams on this list that needed a few years to finally get turned around. I've pointed out before that two big differences are that the Cal team in 2002 played an easier schedule and had a more experienced team (including a senior QB in Kyle Boller) than UW will have this season. That's not trying to pour cold water on optimism, just trying to be realistic.

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

An Oddsmaker's Analysis of Cal Football 2009

The following is from Jimmy Boyd’s website (link):

2009 California Football Predictions

By Jimmy Boyd

The Cal Golden Bears rode star running back Jahvid Best and a strong defense to a nine-win season in 2008. If the offense can achieve a little more balance to keep defenses guessing, USC’s may have finally met its match. Get my take in this 2009 college football betting preview. Cal is listed at +5,000 to win the 2009 BCS championship.

Offense - Junior running back Jahvid Best led the Pac-10 in rushing despite battling nagging foot and elbow injuries. He rushed for 1,580 yards and 15 touchdowns on the season. His 131.7 yards per game were good for third nationally. He underwent surgery on both his foot and elbow in the offseason and is expected to be 100 percent this fall. Who knows what Best can do completely healthy? A 2,000-yard campaign may not be out of the question. And who knows what he’ll be able to do if the Bears can present a passing attack for the opposition to respect. Cal’s passing attack averaged just 189.8 yards per game through the air last season (83rd nationally). Improvement is expected from Kevin Riley after gaining valuable experience last season. He threw for 1,360 yards and had a decent 14 touchdown to six interception ratio. The wide receiver corps was unproven and inexperienced last season. While they are still largely unproven, experience was gained and that usually breeds improvement. Look for breakout seasons from Nyan Boateng and Verran Tucker. The offensive line was banged up much of last season and it loses All-American center Alex Mack, but plenty of talent remains for the Bears to boast of the best offenses in the league.

Defense – The Bears return eight starters from a unit that ranked 23rd nationally in scoring defense (19.9 points per game) and 26th in total defense (315.2 points per game). It all starts up front with bookend defensive ends Tyson Alualu and Cameron Jordan. This duo is considered among the best in the country and they get great help from returning nose tackle Derrick Hill on the inside. The secondary returns all four starters and is led by one of the league’s best cornerback duos in Syd’Quan Thompson and Darian Hagan. Thompson made the Pac-10 first-team following a four interception campaign. The Bears do lose three of their four starting linebackers from 2008, but I’m not expecting much of a drop off, if any. Junior Michael Mohamed is the team’s top returning tackler, making 87 stops while starting five games and backing up all four linebacker spots last season. The program is also big on sophomore Mychal Kendricks.

Prediction: 2nd Pac-10 Conference – Cal won nine games with teams stacked to stop their running attack. With an improved passing attack to keep the opposition honest, I expect Cal to be even better. We’ll find out what the Bears are made of early as they open Pac-10 play at Oregon and then return home to play USC. If they can get one of those two and then win out, Cal could find itself in the Rose Bowl for the first time in fifty years. Cal is listed at +400 to win the Pac-10.

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Fan Appreciation Day

Fan Appreciation Day will be held on August 29^th this year.

Updates

Sorry for the delay in updating the blog over the last two weeks. We relocated and I’m just now back online.

SF Examiner: 4th of July Bear Tracks

By Rob Calonge

Call it a case of the summer flu, or maybe it's the summer session, but as the fourth of July nears, I find it more and more difficult to come up with anything mildly entertaining.

Normally, this feeling comes upon me much earlier in the spring, but not this year. Now that it's finally hit me, I'm that eight-year-old boy, daydreaming in class after lunch recess, staring out the window, and hoping that the day would end soon so I could meet up with my buddies to play a heated street football game, bike tag, baseball, a pickup hoops contest, or some other game that kids used to play.

Gainsville Sun: Cal Ranked 19th

19. CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS

2008 record: 9-4

Returning starters offense/defense: 7/9

Strength: As is often the case in Berkeley, the Bears should have no problem running the ball. Cal has had seven straight seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher. Expect the tradition to continue for coach Jeff Tedford with dynamic running back Jahvid Best, who averaged 8.1 yards per carry last year as a sophomore. Senior cornerback Syd’Quan Thompson leads an experienced secondary that should give opposing offenses headaches.

Weakness: Most of the defense remains intact, but Cal may not have enough quality linebackers to run a 3-4 defense after losing three to graduation (Zack Follett, Worrell Williams and Anthony Felder). With Nate Longshore gone, quarterback Kevin Riley will need to improve to keep the Bears from becoming too predictable on offense. Riley completed just over half of his passes last season and will need consistency from his wide receivers to turn around Cal’s passing game. Nyan Boateng, a Florida transfer, is the top returning receiver with 439 receiving yards and five touchdowns last year. The Bears’ offensive line lost some leadership with the graduation of center Alex Mack. Junior Chris Guarnero will have big shoes to fill.

Biggest star: Junior Jahvid Best is already receiving some Heisman hype after his lofty numbers last season (1,580 yards, 15 TDs).

Rising star: Sophomore right tackle Mitchell Schwartz has the size (6-foot-6, 335 pounds) and skills to be the Golden Bears’ star on the offensive line.

Toughest game: Cal’s toughest game comes on Homecoming (Oct. 3) as perennial Pac-10 favorite Southern Cal visits Berkeley.

Tedford's Twitter Page

Tedford has 892 followers, but hasn’t updated it since June 10^th. Here’s the link.

SF Examiner: Golden Bears Steal Another Recruit From Washington

By Rob Calonge

Maybe 'theft' is a harsh term for what is obviously just a better job of selling. When kids get into trouble for the tussle they've gotten into, it's common to hear the phrase, "Well, they/he/she started it." In the case of the recruiting war going on between Cal and the University of Washington, Jeff Tedford could also make that same statement. So could Steve Sarkisian of Washington. It was bound to happen. Two schools within the same conference, both having a similar amount of prestige, and in close enough proximity to each other, is going to cause these sorts of rivalries off the field as well as on it.

While the Bears and the Huskies have been Pac-10 rivals for quite some time, it seems that the rivalry has heated up since former line coach Jim Michalczik accepted an offer to be the offensive coordinator of Sarkisian's "best coaching staff in the country." Soon after, the Bears took the top defensive lineman recruit from the state of Washington, after he had verbally committed to the Huskies. Rumors of recruits having both teams on their top lists have surfaced since, with each school getting wins over the other.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Seattle Times: Tevin Carter to Cal?

By Bob Condotta (Here’s the link to the article…the comments are kind of funny)

Sounds as if the Huskies might have lost one of their marquee commits for the class of 2010 as ESPN as there are reports today that Los Angeles-area receiver Tevin Carter has switched commitment to Cal. You can see the headline here on ESPN.com (the story is part of the premium Insider package). And it's also being reported here by Rivals.com (also a pay story but you can see the headline and lead paragraphs). Carter announced a commitment to UW in May but then said earlier this month he was softening his commitment and would explore his options further. That came in the wake of some sterling performances in California regional and state track meets that raised his stock. Carter was part of an impressive early haul of recruits that has UW ranked No. 11 in the country right now for the Class of 2010 by Scout.com. But Carter's apparent switcheroo also gives further evidence to the vagaries of recruiting and truth to the coach's maxim that it's never really over until the letters are signed.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Frederick News-Post Online: Thomas Johnson's Forbes Commits to California

By Greg Swatek

Here’s the link to the rest of the story.

When Nick Forbes stepped off a plane at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport on Monday morning, the bright future suddenly laid out before him was not one he could have even imagined four months ago.

Forbes, a soon-to-be senior at Thomas Johnson High School, had just returned from a three-day West Coast trip, on which he verbally accepted a full scholarship to play football for the University of California.

After being pursued by hundreds of schools on all levels of college football and receiving scholarship offers from roughly 15 high-profile Division I programs, the 17-year-old Forbes disclosed one of the biggest decisions of his life to the Cal coaching staff at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Friday. By that time, he was six hours into his second visit of the campus. "I was holding back. There was a smile on my face all day," said Forbes, a muscular 6-foot-1, 225-pound inside linebacker and running back for the TJ football team. "Two hours into the trip, I knew this was where I wanted to be."

News traveled across the country quickly that another domino had fallen in Frederick County's highly touted recruiting Class of 2010. Jeremy Grove, who recently committed to East Carolina and plays beside Forbes in TJ's linebacking corps, received a text message from his workout partner and close friend around 11:30 p.m. Friday. "I couldn't fall asleep for about an hour," Grove said. "I was excited."

At Monday evening's workout session in the TJ weight room, coach Ben Wright was already wearing his souvenir from Forbes' trip, a navy blue T-shirt with a large Golden Bear print on the front. "Nick's one of the hardest workers on this team. I am happy for him," Wright said. "I couldn't think of a better place for him to go to school." Forbes was a coveted football recruit for two years. The website Rivals.com ranked him as the seventh-best high school linebacker in the country following the most recent season, in which Forbes led the Patriots with 106 tackles and was named The Frederick News-Post's All-Area Defensive Player of the Year. But, as recently as late February, Cal was not among Forbes' top choices.

When the Golden Bears' offer arrived in what Forbes described as a nice, shiny envelope, he was flattered by the attention, but immediately dismissive of the idea he would go to school there. "I was like, 'There is no way I am going out there,'" he said. Distance from home was the primary concern. Plus, there were attractive offers from Duke, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and West Virginia. Forbes viewed all those schools as finalists for his decision. On the final weekend of February, Forbes headed west with the purpose of visiting Stanford. Since Cal had expressed such a strong interest and even sent one of its recruiting coordinators to TJ to make a face-to-face offer in the middle of a school day, Forbes thought it wouldn't hurt to make the 43-mile trip north from Palo Alto to Berkeley to take a look at the Cal campus.

Upon arriving, Forbes, prominently wearing TJ colors, was scolded by Cal head coach Jeff Tedford. "Man, you are lucky anybody let you through the door wearing all that red," Tedford told Forbes, referring to the red and white of the Stanford Cardinal, the Golden Bears' arch rival in the Pacific-10 Conference. It wasn't Forbes' intent to wear Stanford colors, even though he was on his way there for a visit. But Tedford's friendly jab sent Forbes a strong and direct message: Even wearing enemy colors, the Golden Bears wanted him pretty badly. And, in the span of a few hours, Forbes started to fall in love with all of the opportunities that were being presented to him in Berkeley.

Not just on the football field, but in the classroom, too. Forbes carries a 3.6 grade-point average at TJ and wants to study mechanical engineering. "I had the opportunity to go to the No. 1 public school in the country and compete on a top-10 caliber team. This year, they are rated No. 11 in the country," Forbes said.

Suddenly, Cal had shoved its way into Forbes group of finalists and all those cross-country flights didn't seem so bad. "One of the stats I heard was that 44,000 kids apply to pay close to $50,000 a year to go there," he said. "It's truly a blessing to be able to go there and play football on top of that."

By the time Forbes touched down for his second visit on Friday afternoon, accompanied by his mother, Carol, his decision was basically a formality. "I wanted my mom to see the school because I wanted her to be comfortable with my decision," he said. Forbes understands his choice will require some major adjusting within his family, but, by Monday evening, he was convinced, "It was the best decision I ever made. I am really confident about it. It just feels really great to get it over with so I can focus on my senior year (at TJ)." Forbes has yet to make his official, school-sponsored visit to Cal, which he is planning to take the first week of September when the Golden Bears play host to Maryland on Sept. 5.

Despite the thousands of miles of separation, Forbes anticipates his family will come out to see most of his games. He said, "My mom is going to be racking up some frequent-flier miles."

ESPN: Cal adds top LB Forbes and OL Croswaithe

By Greg Biggins

Cal could be on the verge of putting together one of its best recruiting classes in years after picking up two more elite prospects over the weekend. The headliner was Nick Forbes (Frederick, Md./Thomas Jefferson), one of the elite linebacker prospects in the country. Forbes earned LB MVP honors at the Penn State NFTC and has the size and talent to play early for the Bears.

Ironically, at the time of the Nike Camp, if there was a school out West that looked to have a good shot at Forbes, it was the Bears in-state rival Stanford. That all changed after the linebacker camped with Cal over the weekend and decided to pull the trigger.

Forbes actually committed before the camp even took place on Saturday. He spent Friday touring the campus and decided he had seen enough. Along with earlier commitments from Cecil Whiteside (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) and David Wilkerson (Danville, Calif./Monte Vista), the Bears may have the top linebacker class in the nation.

Whiteside is underrated nationally, but earned LB MVP honors at the loaded USC NFTC. Wilkerson earned first team, all-state underclass honors last season and like Forbes, has the ability to swing between any of the linebacker positions in Cal's 3-4 scheme. Whiteside is probably the best athlete of the group and is a natural weakside linebacker with superior cover skills. The three complement each other very well and all could see the field at the same time down the line.

The Bears also landed one of the state's true road graders in offensive lineman Alex Crosthwaite (San Diego, Calif./Cathedral). He was the top lineman on arguably the state's best offensive line a year ago. He's a true guard prospect with natural strength, toughness and a mean streak.

Crosthwaite is the third offensive lineman the Bears have secured and probably the best of the group. He turned down offers from schools like Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Nebraska, Fresno State, Minnesota, Duke, UNLV and San Diego State. He was also beginning to draw heavy interest from USC and UCLA.

In other positive news for the Bears, quarterback-commit Austin Hinder (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) had by far his best workout of the spring at the Nike Camp in Colorado. Hinder struggled a bit at the Elite 11 regional camp at Cal and the Nike Camp at Stanford back in May, but was spinning it very well with a lot of zip in Boulder over the weekend.

Hinder already has all the intangibles you could want in a quarterback. He's a great kid, a natural leader and his teammates will love playing with him. He works hard and has a strong desire to be coached and get better. When you combine all that with his physical tools on a frame that will easily be able to pack on a lot of weight, it's easy to see why quarterback guru Jeff Tedford made Hinder such a huge priority.

Link to entire article.

Monday, June 22, 2009

SF Examiner: Cal's Most Valuable Player

By Rob Calonge

Two weeks ago, after reading yet another preseason ranking, I started wondering why these rankings were already being published. For the magazines, I guess I understand - they have to publish them earlier for the masses to digest in order to make a profit. It was after reading another web-ranking that I wondered how they could be so confident in their predictions. It's not lost on me how difficult it is to find new content on your favorite football team this time of year. I too was once a fan. So while I'm not disgusted by the number of pre-preseason rankings floating around the web, I felt it incumbent on me to try and bring a little levity concerning the Bears for 2009.

While a team is only as good as the sum of its whole, there are players, and in some cases positions, that carry most of the load when it comes to just how successful they'll be. Being ranked in the top 10 right now, isn't going to bring Bear Backers a Rose Bowl trip. So, after listing nine of my top 10, the moment has arrived to announce the most valuable Bear in 2009. Drumroll please... The No. 1 MVB of 2009 is...Jahvid Best. Is there anyone really surprised?

SF Examiner: Bears Get Two More to Commit

By Rob Calonge

Cal's 2010 football class is turning into one of the better Jeff Tedford compilations. The Golden Bears received commitments from two players that are in some recruiting publications' top 100 players lists.

Offensive tackle Alex Crosthwaite and inside linebacker Nick Forbes both chose Cal after attending the California Elite Camp on Saturday. Each player is rated a Rivals.com Top 250 player, and they've both garnered high praise from other scouting sources. Academics, once again, played a major role in these commits. Forbes carries a core GPA of 3.60 while Crosthwaite has a 2.80.

“I'd have to say everything was right about Cal. The campus, the program, the education... it was all the right situation for me, especially the education. I wanted to go a place with great academics and they've got one of the top business programs in the nation so that was definitely a big plus.”

- Crosthwaite on his commit to Cal

Forbes is a gifted athlete that played on offense as a running back and on defense as an inside linebacker. Scouting services say he could play outside as well due to his great speed, listed at 4.60. He is also a track and field star in the discus throw, but he has stated that he only intends to play football at the next level.

Click here to read rest of story.

SF Examiner: Top 10 most valuable Bears in 2009 - No. 2

By Rob Calonge

As we near the end of our top 10 list of most valuable Bears in 2009, we get to what I think may be my very favorite of the group. For those of you just joining the conversation, this list is not about which Bear is the most talented, or who will have the best season. No, this list is about who the Golden Bears need playing well in order for their preseason rankings to end up being justified.

My disdain for the pre-preseason rankings is what inspired me to create this list, because without these guys, and without them playing well, those rankings that you've been reading about lately are nothing but letters on a page computer screen. Some of my selections are based on the player winning the starting job in camp, but in those situations the position merits the importance just as much as the player. All the players play a part in the winning tradition of a program like Cal's, but not everyone plays a role as important as some.

Friday, June 19, 2009

SF Examiner: Top 10 most valuable Bears in 2009 - No. 3

After naming two special teams players and two offensive players to the top 10 most valuable Bears list, we are at No. 3 - which ends up being the fourth defensive player named. Rest assured that the offense isn't being neglected on this list. All players on the team are important for the role that they have, but these players will need to either step up and excel at their roles, or the Bears, and especially their fans, could be looking at another letdown.

Zack Follett leaves big shoes to fill as he saunters off to the Detroit Lions to continue his career as a pro. Bear Backers know how important Follett was to the team. The transition to the 3-4 defense only allowed Follett to better showcase the tenacity that those who had watched him in the 4-3, already knew he had. He'll be sorely missed, and that's not an indictment on his replacement. That's why his replacement lands on the list of MVB's at the No. 3 spot. Right now, that replacement is Devin Bishop, but he'll have to beat out JUCO transfer Ryan Davis this summer if he is to be the heir apparent to last year's Bears defensive captain.

Read the rest here.

SF Examiner: NACDA acknowledges what Bear Backers already knew

I'm sure that by now, this doesn't come as news to most of you. The news that I'm talking about is the naming of Sandy Barbour as one of four regional Under Armour Athletic Directors of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). It wasn't long ago that Bear Backers were a special, tight-knit group of diehard Cal fans who had become accustomed to losing. Very few of the programs were actually successful prior to Barbour being named as the university’s athletic director. Since becoming the head honcho of the athletics program, there have been 53 individual and team national championships won, been in the top 10 for the NACDA director's cup five times, and has been instrumental in structuring a program that nearly half of the student-athletes maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

She may not have been the one to hire some of the great coaches that she has on staff, but it's to her credit that she's added more talent to her coaching arsenal while keeping the talent that she inherited. Many have credited Jeff Tedford for the push to improve the athletic facilities, since it was he that stipulated that as a show-stopper in a previous contract. Somebody had to get the money for it, and keep Tedford around while tree huggers hijacked the construction.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

SF Examiner: Top 10 most valuable Bears in 2009 - No. 4

First, let me apologize for the other day. I hate it when I make a promise that I don't keep, and especially when I do that here in this space. Wednesday, I was at the Oakland Raiders' final OTA before training camp starts at the end of July. Unfortunately, Nnamdi Asomugha wasn't at the voluntary team workout - one of the perks of signing a lucrative contract. I didn't get an opportunity to speak with former Cal line coach Jim Michalczik or lineman Mark Wilson, as many of the players and coaches were unavailable for comment.

That's code for: I didn't see Wilson come off the practice field, and by the time that I saw Michalczik, he was already at the door to the facility. In other words, I sucked big-time. I'll do my best to make it up to you by getting to No. 4 of our Top 10 MVB's of 2009. I'll even throw in a bonus; Instead of recapping all of the unveiled players, I've listed them to the left, with all of the links, just for those who may have missed it.

Hey, that's gotta' count for something. Moving on, bowlbasaur called it the other day when he brought up Kevin Riley as one of the top four. I realize that had I put Riley a little lower on the list, the final few may have been harder to guess.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

SF Examiner: Top 10 most valuable Bears in 2009 - No. 5

By Rob Calonge

As we roll along on our list of top-10 MVB's (most valuable Bears), you may have noticed that talent isn't always going to help a player's ranking. As I've said before, this list is about the irreplaceable players at critical positions for the Bears.

Also, let me reiterate that I believe everyone on the team plays an important part, and is valuable in what they contribute to the team - in many cases, you're only as good as your depth. With that said, I'll go ahead and catch those up who have missed the last five on the list.

At No. 10, Bryan Anger and his ability to change field position started the list. Cal's passing game was a problem last year, so the speed receiver needs to come up big in 2009 - which is why I selected Marvin Jones, (or whoever wins the job), at No. 9.

With special teams and offense represented early, No. 8 put the defense on the board with Tyson Alualu. With all three teams represented, I went back to special teams. The placekicker, (Giorgio Tavecchio or David Seawright), came in at No. 7 - because you need to score points every chance you get.

Monday, June 15, 2009

SF Examiner: Top 10 most valuable Bears in 2009 - No. 6

By Rob Calonge

It's Monday again, and that means it's time to get back to the grind. I hope everyone had a great weekend. It's time for me to put down my XBOX 360 controller and get back to the task at hand - No. 6 on my list of MVB's, (Most Valuable Bears), for 2009.

Let's begin with a recap of the last four in. At No. 10, Bryan Anger started the list off. Our next candidate, coming in at No. 9, is Marvin Jones (or whoever lines up as the speed receiver). After a special teams player and an offensive player, Tyson Alualu became the first defensive player named at No. 8. On Friday, we went back to special teams and named the kicker, Giorgio Tavecchio or David Seawright, at No. 7.

While every player that has been listed is a good player, this list doesn't necessarily rate how good players are. These players are either irreplaceable or need to have good seasons in order for the Bears to be amongst the best at the end of the year. I think that it should be obvious that every player on the team is important when they are on the field, whether it be in practice or on game day. So with that said, let's move on to No. 6 - Syd'Quan Thompson.

Friday, June 12, 2009

SF Examiner: Top 10 most valuable Bears in 2009 - No. 7

By Rob Calonge

As we continue our list, we have already selected one special teams player, one offensive player, and one defensive player. Since nearly every coach talks about 'all three phases' of the game, I think that this top-10 list is going pretty well...at least, so far. As I've been doing every step of the way, I'll recap for those who may have missed it. Bryan Anger and his big leg started the list off at No. 10. After that, I cheated a little and chose Marvin Jones or the receiver that lines up opposite the possession receiver - Nyan Boateng or Jeremy Ross - as the No. 9 MVB (Most Valuable Bear). My latest selection was defensive star Tyson Alualu at No. 8.

So who, or more importantly, what position should be the focus of MVB No. 7? Do I take a step towards the offense and place the focus on scoring touchdowns, or should I think more defensively, and about the players who's job it is to prevent those touchdowns? I'm sure that either of those solutions would be more popular than the one I came up with, but daggone it, I just can't see how my following pick shouldn't be in the discussion. That's right, four picks in and I'm selecting my second special teams player.

I selected No. 7 as a toss-up between either Giorgio Tavecchio or David Seawright; yes, kickers. I'm also cheating again. Like with Cal's speed receiver, I'm uncertain about who will be starting when the season begins, but I'd be surprised if it wasn't either of these two guys.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Video Interview with Jahvid Best

Here’s the link.

SF Chronicle: Best news is . . . he's running again

By Ron Kroichick

In the quiet days of June, nearly three months before its season opener, Cal still reached a significant milepost this week: Jahvid Best ran pain-free pass routes in Memorial Stadium, happily mingling with his teammates. Best, recovering from January surgeries on his foot and elbow, joined other Golden Bears players as they launched their summer workout program. That mostly involves running and lifting weights, but it also meant spending about 45 minutes on the field Monday, running routes and informally throwing the ball around.

"I'm feeling great," Best said Tuesday. "It's a relief. That was a big step, to be out there with the guys. It was really satisfying." Best is running full speed and changing directions, with no limitations in the wake of his rehabilitation. That's welcome news to coach Jeff Tedford, who knows Best gives the Bears an explosive option at running back. Despite his lingering injuries, Best ran for 1,580 yards as a sophomore last season, making him the nation's leading rusher among players returning in 2009. Best is receiving prominent mention in early Heisman Trophy watch lists. Tedford cannot supervise the summer workouts, but Cal's trainers told him Best is moving "full bore," with no problems.

SF Examiner: Asomugha finally getting pub - for K.J. it's just "A day in the life"

By Rob Calonge

It took about five years before anybody not following the Cal Bears or the Oakland Raiders realized the gem that is Nnamdi Asomugha. It also took about that long before Al Davis gave him a contract that is more in line with the type of performance that Raider Nation has become accustomed to ($45.375 million over three years - highest in NFL history). As with everything in American society nowadays, you're only as good as your last contract. Thanks to Mr. Davis, Asomugha is now considered the best or one of the top two or three at his position. So if you haven't followed Asomugha since he donned the silver and black of the Raiders, you may find a story by Jim Trotter of Sports Illustrated to be a very interesting tale. Actually, you may find it interesting even if you have been following the former Golden Bear.

SF Examiner: Top 10 most valuable Bears in 2009 - No. 9

By Rob Calonge

In case you missed it, yesterday I began my list of top 10 most valuable Cal Bears for the 2009 football season. For those of you with a short attention span, number 10 is Bryan Anger. My next selection is an odd one, even by my very obtuse standards of judgement. I had a difficult time deciding this spot, which goes to show that I am uncertain of my final choice. Here's some of the criteria that brought me to the decision that I will reveal momentarily. First, which position is critical enough, but not that necessary to select for the ninth most important player? Do I select someone from the well-stocked Cal secondary? What about picking a guy from the offensive or defensive lines? in this fairly new 3-4 alignment, it's well known how important linebackers are - do I select one of them?

The answer to that question, at least for me, is the position of wide receiver. I chose that spot because of what the Bears were able to accomplish last year without a standout catching balls - one who lined up closer to the sidelines than the quarterback.

Monday, June 08, 2009

SF Examiner: Cal Football: Top 10 most valuable Bears in 2009 - No. 10

By Rob Calonge

While many media publications have begun rattling off their top-20 lists, preseason All-Americans, and conference rankings, you may have noticed that you haven't seen any of those things pointed out here in this space. I could easily be like everyone else and pretend that these rankings mean anything. Actually, if I had any credibility in predicting sports winners and losers, I'd be living in Vegas with little interest in telling you my picks. Let's face it, nobody has a clue what the 2009 season has in store for now. So instead of ranking the teams of the Pac-10, let's localize our focus to the Cal Bears for now. Prior to the start of the season, just prior, I'll give you my prediction of the Pac-10 and possibly a top 20.

Monday, June 01, 2009

SF Examiner: Keeping up with the rookies

By Rob Calonge

Being away from this space for the last few days has given me an appreciation for all things Cal. While I've been gone, there hasn't been a whole lot going on in the world of Cal football. The Solano County Library is doing something to preserve a little bit of Solano County / California history. It's all part of their California of the Past program where they've set up a 'digital storytelling' station for locals to record a piece of their history.

Vacaville's The Reporter has a transcript of Cal's Bill Powell discussing his 1951 record-setting touchdown run from scrimmage - a 98-yard romp. Here's part of it:

“As the quarterback handed the ball to me, the Cal guard crossed over to block Oregon's tackle and Cal's tackle blocked Oregon's guard -- that's the cross block -- one player right, one left. I went in between the two Cal blockers and started up the field angling out toward the right sideline. My teammates gave me great blocking. I had nothing to do but hold on to that ball and run.” - Bill Powell

Getting up to date with more current former players is a little easier, albiet maybe not as interesting as Bill Powell telling his tale.