Good News!

Alex Mack will be back!

That gives us some line stability - with three returners, and some experience on the back-ups, we should be fine with the offensive line next year. The discussion about moving Mack to left tackle to make room for Guarnero at center. Bringing in other guys like Schwartz can only be helpful. We will have a good line (as well as a coach who is focused on coaching it...).

I always assume that we have skill players both offensively and defensively that can make plays. I am not always right, but Cal often has had quality skill players, even in the down years of the Holmoecaust and Gilby. But the offensive and defensive line play is critical for the Bears to do what they want to do. Which is why the I am most concerned about our defensive line, once again. And in particular, our new defensive line coach.

I do not know anything about the coach, from a coaching perspective. I think it is great that Tedford gives his GAs an opportunity to move up in the organization, like Justin WIlcox did, if he thinks they are quality performers. From what I have heard about Tosh Lupoi from the boards and the chat rooms, he seems to be a decent guy, motivated, over-achiever. That is what you want from a football coach. He certainly was a great Golden Bear player.

The one thing that I have a concern about is that the defensive line is our weakest spot on the field. And to put our young, over-achiever in that slot next year is my concern. I hope I am wrong. But it is our weakest link, I believe, and we need our strongest effort there.

Thinking about it, Tedford had a problem. First of all, he clearly likes the guy. If he did not, then he would have had no problem looking outside the team for a replacement of Coach Delgado (why did he leave, anyway? Anyone? Anyone?). I assume that he would have liked to have given Lupoi more experience, but since Delgado left, and you can only be a GA for two years, Tedford had to do something. So he gave him a shot.

Based on JT's comments, he is going to be spending more time with the defense next year, as well as special teams (don't you love it when your boss says he is going to be spending more time with you...time to get the resume out). So he is probably thinking that he has a young employee who needs assistance his first year in the trenches. He will be helping him out quite a bit. From a certain perspective, I think it is great that JT finally understands that football is a three phase game and he is going to be spending extra time developing the other phases. He is moving into the executive role football coach, and letting his assistants do what he needs them to. Cignetti is a great pick-up for JT in that he runs the same offense that JT does, which gives JT some confidence in the game planning. It probably is a huge relief for him to get this guy. That being said, I wonder how much I want JT mucking around in the defense. As far as I know, the entire time, Gregory has pretty much had full reign on the defense. And it has been a moderately successful defense, when we have had the players on the defensive line to run it well.

I do not, frankly, think it is the d-line coach that has caused the lack of d-line production this last year or two. I think it has been the players. But I could be wrong. Watching the Air Force game, the announcer said "90 percent of playing defense is wanting to." I couldn't agree more. Maybe a younger coach, who played under Tedford, can inspire the players to give more. I hope so. But I worry that next year we will have the same players, with a rookie coach, who may not get it done. And that would be a disaster. We have recruited some defensive tackles this cycle, which may be better than the ones we have. I doubt that we would be playing freshmen on the d-line, but it has happened. Let's see what this guy can do.

As far as other players going for the draft, I am not sure what DeSean is going to do, but it is assumed he will go.

I also think, frankly, that Nate Longshore should go. This is going to be his best year to make it. I know I sound crazy when I say that, but look at the facts:

1) He probably will not play next year. Not good for your draft stock.
2) He started all season long, and brought the team to a number 2 ranking. Then, he got injured and the season slipped away. But he can blame it all on the injury.
3) He does have NFL size and arm strength. He needs to get there before they start using the spread as well.
4) He is probably done with his degree anyway. What's he gonna do - take ballroom dancing?

Now, don't get me wrong. I think Nate should stay. I even think that Nate, playing healthy, is a very good QB. Maybe better than Riley (I will explain in a bit). But there is no way that Nate starts next year, and therefore it makes sense that he comes out early.

I took a look at four games over the past couple of days. Tennessee, Oregon, Air Force, and Oregon State. In the Tennessee game and the Oregon Game, Nate looked great. He was smooth, passed well, didn't fold under pressure, brought the team back to win at Oregon, and overall looked like a QB who was playing for the number 2 team in the country.

Kevin Riley also looked pretty good in both the Oregon State game and the Air Force game. Now, maybe I am nit-picking here, but Kevin is much more of a risk taker than Nate is when he plays. I think frankly that that is the difference. It resolves itself in a couple of different ways. First, if you take risks, sometimes you get more rewards. Sometimes you get burned (like KR did at the end of the Oregon State game). But it seems like the players that you lead like the risk-taker attitude a bit more, and that person becomes a more charismatic leader. So the players like KR better.

There are numerous instances where Kevin Riley took risks that Nate never would have taken, and was rewarded for it. The throwing out of the end-zone to the tight end in triple coverage, when he was almost sacked at the Oregon State game. Nate would have immediately thrown that ball away and tried again. It was an exciting play, one that built the mystique of KR. Of course, if it had gone astray, we would not be taking about any of this stuff. He would still be sitting on the bench.

Jeff Tedford, on the other hand, is not so much a risk taker. I think he likes to win by ramming the ball down the other guys throat, and throwing it over their heads just to confuse them and make them look up so he can hit them again. I think that is good football, frankly. But there comes a time when you need to know when to go for it, and sometimes JT is too conservative. With Riley, he will not have that problem. He will have to reign him in. Nate, I think, was too much on the same page as JT. And when Nate had the confidence and the strength to play well, we won convincingly in a very conservative manner. But it was enough. That being said, the ship has sailed, and Nate needs to move on. Even if he plays and starts next season, he will be replaced by the middle at the first sign of collapse. And that is not what JT would want in a QB. He wants the QB to have confidence for the full season. Which is why he is going to most likely tell Nate that it is over, and let him decide what he wants to do. At least, he should, for Nate's sake.

Now, I am not saying that Nate will make a team. But I do think someone would draft him in some late round and give him a shot. He is a smart, big, impressive guy with a calm demeanor, which goes well for NFL type QBs. I could see him knocking around in the league for a few years before coming out and being a commercial real estate agent or a sportscaster.

GO Bears!!