Cal could be Golden
Okay, let's be truthful. Did any of you really think a few years ago that Jeff Tedford would still be in Berkeley for what will be his eighth season in charge of Cal football? Considering the high-profile college and pro jobs supposedly offered Tedford's way the past several years, it's indeed a bit of a surprise that he remains in charge of the Bears, especially since school administrators have been slow to implement the facility upgrades Tedford sought in order to keep him entrenched in the East Bay. Tedford thus becomes the longest-serving Cal mentor since Ray Willsey spent eight seasons between1964-71...when things were really fun in Berkeley.
Another group of potential Tedford suitors is likely to emerge after the upcoming campaign, with the Golden Bears again pegged to finish in the top half of the Pac-10 and expected to be "bowling" for the seventh straight season. Like most recent campaigns, however, the Bears figure to be chasing Pete Carroll and USC, and unless Tedford can beat the Trojans for the first time since 2003 when the teams meet October 3 in Strawberry Canyon, Cal's Rose Bowl drought is likely to grow to an exasperating 51 years.
The bigger question in Berkeley is whether Cal has hit something of a ceiling under Tedford, under whom a succession of minor bowl appearances (such as the Armed Forces and Emerald the past two seasons)has begun to mildly irritate excitable vet play-by-play man Joe Starkey and Golden Bear backers that once would have killed for any bowl appearance at all. And for this to be the first serious Cal push in the national rankings since 2004 largely depends upon whether Tedford can groom one of three available QBs (junior Kevin Riley, who started most of '08, along with jumbo sized 6-5 soph Brock Mansion & RS frosh Beau Sweeney) to resemble Kyle Boller and Aaron Rodgers, Tedford's first two QBs at Cal but whom none of the successive signal-callers has come close to replicating, somewhat tarnishing Tedford's once-unquestioned rep as a QB guru. Most Pac-10 sources believe the job is Riley's to lose, which hardly comforts Bear supporters now accustomed to his inconsistencies.
In the meantime, whoever is at QB will likely be spending considerable time handing off to electric RBs Jahvid Best (the nation's leading returning rusher after gaining 1580 YR in '08) and Shane Vereen, who added another 715 YR. Tedford will also be looking for a go-to threat to emerge from a big and fast corps of wideouts; it could be athletic former Florida transfer Nyan Boateng, who caught 29 balls LY, or perhaps sophs Alex Lagemann (a possession WR who missed '08 due to injury) or Marvin Jones, each of whom flashed considerable upside in spring. Experience returns along an OL that opened up enough holes for Best, Vereen, and other Cal backs to gain a hefty 5.6 ypc in '08, but must replace stud C Alex Mack (a first-round choice of the Browns) and respected OL coach Jim Michalczik (now with the NFL Raiders after briefly joining Steve Sarkisian's new staff at Washington). The return of injury-prone LT Mike Tepper (granted a 6th year of eligibility) to team with mammoth RT Mitchell Schwartz does provide a potentially-nasty pair of bookends for the OL, however.
Meanwhile, underrated d.c. Bob Gregory (on the radar for HC jobs) authored a seamless transition to 3-4 looks for his stop unit in '08, and few teams will have a better pair of DEs than sr. Tyson Alualu and jr. Cameron Jordan. The play of backups in spring suggested Gregory could go 6 or 7-deep up front. And the 2ndary might be one of the nation's best, returning all four starters from a unit that ranked 6th nationally in pass "D" and snagged 24 picks, third best in the land. The questions on the stop unit are at the LB spots, where Gregory must replace the anchors (all-Pac-10 honorees Zack Follett, Anthony Felder, and Worrell Williams) from LY's 3-4. Senior OLBs Devin Bishop & Eddie Young, however, are the sort of speed rushers off the edge that can generate necessary pressure.
Summary...It's a bit odd that we're talking about a Jeff Tedford-coached team that seems to have the pieces in place for a run at a BCS berth...except for a reliable passing game. That, however, is a scenario that's been repeated like a broken record in Berkeley the past four years. So unless Riley or one of the other QBs finally emerge as a consistent leader, Cal could be stuck in minor bowl territory once more. Note, however, that the Bears did rediscover their pointspread magic at home LY, covering all 7 of their games at Strawberry Canyon.
Okay, let's be truthful. Did any of you really think a few years ago that Jeff Tedford would still be in Berkeley for what will be his eighth season in charge of Cal football? Considering the high-profile college and pro jobs supposedly offered Tedford's way the past several years, it's indeed a bit of a surprise that he remains in charge of the Bears, especially since school administrators have been slow to implement the facility upgrades Tedford sought in order to keep him entrenched in the East Bay. Tedford thus becomes the longest-serving Cal mentor since Ray Willsey spent eight seasons between1964-71...when things were really fun in Berkeley.
Another group of potential Tedford suitors is likely to emerge after the upcoming campaign, with the Golden Bears again pegged to finish in the top half of the Pac-10 and expected to be "bowling" for the seventh straight season. Like most recent campaigns, however, the Bears figure to be chasing Pete Carroll and USC, and unless Tedford can beat the Trojans for the first time since 2003 when the teams meet October 3 in Strawberry Canyon, Cal's Rose Bowl drought is likely to grow to an exasperating 51 years.
The bigger question in Berkeley is whether Cal has hit something of a ceiling under Tedford, under whom a succession of minor bowl appearances (such as the Armed Forces and Emerald the past two seasons)has begun to mildly irritate excitable vet play-by-play man Joe Starkey and Golden Bear backers that once would have killed for any bowl appearance at all. And for this to be the first serious Cal push in the national rankings since 2004 largely depends upon whether Tedford can groom one of three available QBs (junior Kevin Riley, who started most of '08, along with jumbo sized 6-5 soph Brock Mansion & RS frosh Beau Sweeney) to resemble Kyle Boller and Aaron Rodgers, Tedford's first two QBs at Cal but whom none of the successive signal-callers has come close to replicating, somewhat tarnishing Tedford's once-unquestioned rep as a QB guru. Most Pac-10 sources believe the job is Riley's to lose, which hardly comforts Bear supporters now accustomed to his inconsistencies.
In the meantime, whoever is at QB will likely be spending considerable time handing off to electric RBs Jahvid Best (the nation's leading returning rusher after gaining 1580 YR in '08) and Shane Vereen, who added another 715 YR. Tedford will also be looking for a go-to threat to emerge from a big and fast corps of wideouts; it could be athletic former Florida transfer Nyan Boateng, who caught 29 balls LY, or perhaps sophs Alex Lagemann (a possession WR who missed '08 due to injury) or Marvin Jones, each of whom flashed considerable upside in spring. Experience returns along an OL that opened up enough holes for Best, Vereen, and other Cal backs to gain a hefty 5.6 ypc in '08, but must replace stud C Alex Mack (a first-round choice of the Browns) and respected OL coach Jim Michalczik (now with the NFL Raiders after briefly joining Steve Sarkisian's new staff at Washington). The return of injury-prone LT Mike Tepper (granted a 6th year of eligibility) to team with mammoth RT Mitchell Schwartz does provide a potentially-nasty pair of bookends for the OL, however.
Meanwhile, underrated d.c. Bob Gregory (on the radar for HC jobs) authored a seamless transition to 3-4 looks for his stop unit in '08, and few teams will have a better pair of DEs than sr. Tyson Alualu and jr. Cameron Jordan. The play of backups in spring suggested Gregory could go 6 or 7-deep up front. And the 2ndary might be one of the nation's best, returning all four starters from a unit that ranked 6th nationally in pass "D" and snagged 24 picks, third best in the land. The questions on the stop unit are at the LB spots, where Gregory must replace the anchors (all-Pac-10 honorees Zack Follett, Anthony Felder, and Worrell Williams) from LY's 3-4. Senior OLBs Devin Bishop & Eddie Young, however, are the sort of speed rushers off the edge that can generate necessary pressure.
Summary...It's a bit odd that we're talking about a Jeff Tedford-coached team that seems to have the pieces in place for a run at a BCS berth...except for a reliable passing game. That, however, is a scenario that's been repeated like a broken record in Berkeley the past four years. So unless Riley or one of the other QBs finally emerge as a consistent leader, Cal could be stuck in minor bowl territory once more. Note, however, that the Bears did rediscover their pointspread magic at home LY, covering all 7 of their games at Strawberry Canyon.
