Cal basketball is starting Pac 10 play with the highest position in terms of RPI since I have been watching the Bears. We currently are at 27 (down from 13 last week after playing home games against three lowly ranked teams). But still - 27 going into the conference and at 11-2. We could lose 11 pac 10 games and still get into the tournament, depending on the home and away split. We are also liked by Sagarin, which currently has us at number 33 in his most accurate rating system. So we are solidly in the hunt as a decent team.
Other news - the Bears lead THE NATION in three point shooting. We have become a great shooting team. Wow - when did this all happen. Oregon won a few years ago with fantastic guard play and terrible inside game. i think we could be like they were this year. They have to come out to guard us, and it opens up a bit more inside.
So, this is exciting for the Bears hoops team after half a decade of progressively getting worse, and hoping that the turn-around is right around the corner. I still feel that there is quite a bit of work to be done on our hoops program - we need five years of tournament play to move up to the level where we are getting guys consistently wanting to play for us, staying home in the Bay Area, and getting some international guys. We can not afford to continue to hope we get some diamonds in the rough. Our recruiting needs to be more consistently good. We have a great story to tell academically, with our facilities, as well as with our culture as a university. We need to continue to win to make it all hang together, and become a powerhouse. I believe that it is going to come in football, and I think it can come in basketball as well. If we can get five good years from Monty, then I think we are good.
GO BEARS!!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
Style Points
A lot of folks on the message boards are hyped up about how the game against the Hurricanes was not pretty - the passing stunk, the Bears should have run Miami into the ground, etc... I think the point is, the last game of the season style points do not matter. 9-4 is 9-4 - we won the bowl game. There is no other game after the Bowl. If we lost, I could be pissed, since we should have won. But winning dominantly in a crappy mid-tier bowl game is not going to do anything for anyone.
At the end of the bowl season, folks are going to look at Cal and say - hey they beat Miami by 7 - just like the spread said. Good for them - they are a top 25 - 30 team at 9-4. Which is what we are.
Was anyone really surprised that our passing game was not our strength? Is there really outrage about that? Can anyone really come up with more vitrol about Nate Longshore? We had an inadequate passing game all season long, with either Nate or Kevin at the helm. What was two weeks of extra practice going to change? We still had the same QBs - one apparently injured - who were throwing the passes. I was excited as heck that Best was kicking butt and taking the game onto his shoulders, and the defense did another great job. I was worried about that before the game, as I knew that was the only way we were going to win. So what if our passing game sucked again. I expected it. To expect otherwise is simply silly, and to complain again about what is the same, week in and week out is kind of boring.
The amazing thing is that we are 9-4 with the worst passing season since 2000, and injuries to both our first and second string QB at some point during the season. rushed for 188 yards per game and passed for 189 yards per game. Remarkably balanced and decent stats at the end of the year. But, unfortunately, some do not like to see the sausage being made.
Our offense this year was not pretty most of the time. But we got the job done enough in this rebuilding year to make a strong showing, and to get guys experience who needed it. We developed a tremendous defensive philosophy which I think will make the Bears a place to play for skilled defensive players. We also developed experience where we desperately needed it this season - throughout the entire offense. We needed players on the line, at wide-receiver, as well as a more experience for our running backs as well as our QBs. And we got it. We are going to be a much better team next year, even with 5 starters lost to graduation.
The nice thing is, many of those starters will earn a spot on an NFL team. As have most of the Bears recently who have gone through the system, and who have started for us on a consistent basis. We are now a feeder team for the NFL. Last year, we had 7 guys drafted. This year, probably 4 or 5. Next year, the same, I could see the same, depending on who comes out early, if anyone. If you average 5 per year, that means that 20 to 25% of your players will be playing in the pros. And that generates interest. And that generates excitement, which generates talent.
The last 4 years, since Aaron Rogers left, Nate Longshore has been the starter (except when he has been injured, or this year on again / off again). This is the Nate Longshore era. And, you live and die by your QB. During that time, Cal won 34 games, and lost 17. During that time, we won our first Pac 10 Championship - shared with USC - since 1975. During that time, Cal won 4 bowl games. During that time, Nate Longshore started 30 games and won 20 of them for the Bears. The rest of the victories have been by backup QB Riley, Ayoob and Levy, who went a combined 14-7. In other words, no real difference.
As a comparison to Aaron Rogers - he was 17 -5 in his Cal career as a starter.
In other words, if we had Aaron Rogers, we would have won exactly 1.3 more games. I can see that.
Let's face it - Cal has had a great run over the last 7 years with Jeff Tedford at coach.
1) We have been to bowl games 6 years running, and have won 5 of them.
2) Of course - no losing seasons
3) More weeks ranked in the top 25 than in the previous 50 years combined.
4) More players drafted into the NFL than 95% of all other division 1A teams.
5) New football facilities being built
6) New Stadium Retrofit / remodel, to make football and athletics sustainable for the next 50 years at Cal.
7) Consistently top 25 recruiting classes
8) No shenanigans with NCAA violations
9) Improved academic standing for the entire team
10) Improved expectations, to where 9-4 is a disappointing year.
Let's face it - I think we could have easily beaten Maryland this year. I think we should have beaten them, as well as Arizona, and possibly Oregon State. But certainly Maryland. And that would get us to 10 wins. Last year, of course, we should have had 10 wins as well, except for the fateful injury. In fact, we should be coming off 4 years of 10 wins per season. And I do believe that we are going to make that a habit in the future. And if that is the case, then eventually we will be in BCS games, and we will be in the Rose Bowl. We got screwed in 2004 - but that will not happen again - they made an extra spot for us. So the Bears are doing fine.
GO BEARS!!
At the end of the bowl season, folks are going to look at Cal and say - hey they beat Miami by 7 - just like the spread said. Good for them - they are a top 25 - 30 team at 9-4. Which is what we are.
Was anyone really surprised that our passing game was not our strength? Is there really outrage about that? Can anyone really come up with more vitrol about Nate Longshore? We had an inadequate passing game all season long, with either Nate or Kevin at the helm. What was two weeks of extra practice going to change? We still had the same QBs - one apparently injured - who were throwing the passes. I was excited as heck that Best was kicking butt and taking the game onto his shoulders, and the defense did another great job. I was worried about that before the game, as I knew that was the only way we were going to win. So what if our passing game sucked again. I expected it. To expect otherwise is simply silly, and to complain again about what is the same, week in and week out is kind of boring.
The amazing thing is that we are 9-4 with the worst passing season since 2000, and injuries to both our first and second string QB at some point during the season. rushed for 188 yards per game and passed for 189 yards per game. Remarkably balanced and decent stats at the end of the year. But, unfortunately, some do not like to see the sausage being made.
Our offense this year was not pretty most of the time. But we got the job done enough in this rebuilding year to make a strong showing, and to get guys experience who needed it. We developed a tremendous defensive philosophy which I think will make the Bears a place to play for skilled defensive players. We also developed experience where we desperately needed it this season - throughout the entire offense. We needed players on the line, at wide-receiver, as well as a more experience for our running backs as well as our QBs. And we got it. We are going to be a much better team next year, even with 5 starters lost to graduation.
The nice thing is, many of those starters will earn a spot on an NFL team. As have most of the Bears recently who have gone through the system, and who have started for us on a consistent basis. We are now a feeder team for the NFL. Last year, we had 7 guys drafted. This year, probably 4 or 5. Next year, the same, I could see the same, depending on who comes out early, if anyone. If you average 5 per year, that means that 20 to 25% of your players will be playing in the pros. And that generates interest. And that generates excitement, which generates talent.
The last 4 years, since Aaron Rogers left, Nate Longshore has been the starter (except when he has been injured, or this year on again / off again). This is the Nate Longshore era. And, you live and die by your QB. During that time, Cal won 34 games, and lost 17. During that time, we won our first Pac 10 Championship - shared with USC - since 1975. During that time, Cal won 4 bowl games. During that time, Nate Longshore started 30 games and won 20 of them for the Bears. The rest of the victories have been by backup QB Riley, Ayoob and Levy, who went a combined 14-7. In other words, no real difference.
As a comparison to Aaron Rogers - he was 17 -5 in his Cal career as a starter.
In other words, if we had Aaron Rogers, we would have won exactly 1.3 more games. I can see that.
Let's face it - Cal has had a great run over the last 7 years with Jeff Tedford at coach.
1) We have been to bowl games 6 years running, and have won 5 of them.
2) Of course - no losing seasons
3) More weeks ranked in the top 25 than in the previous 50 years combined.
4) More players drafted into the NFL than 95% of all other division 1A teams.
5) New football facilities being built
6) New Stadium Retrofit / remodel, to make football and athletics sustainable for the next 50 years at Cal.
7) Consistently top 25 recruiting classes
8) No shenanigans with NCAA violations
9) Improved academic standing for the entire team
10) Improved expectations, to where 9-4 is a disappointing year.
Let's face it - I think we could have easily beaten Maryland this year. I think we should have beaten them, as well as Arizona, and possibly Oregon State. But certainly Maryland. And that would get us to 10 wins. Last year, of course, we should have had 10 wins as well, except for the fateful injury. In fact, we should be coming off 4 years of 10 wins per season. And I do believe that we are going to make that a habit in the future. And if that is the case, then eventually we will be in BCS games, and we will be in the Rose Bowl. We got screwed in 2004 - but that will not happen again - they made an extra spot for us. So the Bears are doing fine.
GO BEARS!!
Emerald Bowl Win
Well, the Bears defeated the Hurricanes in a dominant display of running and defense, and a truly terrible display of our passing game. Apparently, Kevin Riley was injured and Nate Longshore needed to play the entire game. Normally, I think that it would be fine for Nate to play the whole game. I remember watching Nate and DeSean Jackson after the Holiday Bowl when we defeated Texas A&M in 2006 - Nate was the MVP, and he played great. They were predicting a national championship the next year. And we almost made it - except for those last 6 games.
it is a strange end to a pretty good Cal career. He ends up as 5th on the all time Cal passing list. There are some pretty good players on that list. He has started and won more Cal games than any other QB for the Bears in the last half century. He has been the starting QB for half of Jeff Tedford's tenure at Cal. And that has been a pretty impressive tenure. Tedford and Pete Carroll are the only Pac 10 coaches to not have a losing season at their current schools. Nate - for all the hatred that is thrown his way, is a big part of that.
That being said, he played dreadfully on Friday Night. It was really surprising. I mean, there were plenty of people open who would have made big plays and gotten plenty of receiving yards after catch if Nate could have hit them in stride. In the first quarter, there were three passes that were just horrible.
I understand the desire of JT to have a balanced attack. Generally that works, and it would have worked very well if Nate could hit anyone. But at the end of the day, it was clear that Jahvid Best was the best option, and he should have had at least 35 carries on the night. The Bears would have had at least 400 yards rushing. Anything that the Bears ran outside was at least a 15 yard gain. It was like watching a man amongst kids.
The defense also was dominating. It was fun watching the three and outs, the negative yards for almost the entire first half, the interception, fumble, etc.
But this game did not give us the bounce that I think we needed. The Bears will certainly be taken more seriously next year that this year - Jahvid Best is going to be on everyones radar screen as a Heisman hopeful, and certainly as one of best running backs in the country. Averaging more than 8 yards per carry is pretty good in a single game. Over a season, it is crazy.
At the end of the year, Jahvid Best had 1580 rushing yards - number 5 in the country right now. That was averaging less than 15 carries per game this year. All of the guys currently in front of him in total yardage have at least 80 more carries than he has this year - in other words - about 30% more.
In any event, he is going to be a devastating weapon for the Bears next year. And I am excited about that.
But our offense needs balance, and to that end, the Kevin Riley era needed to begin well in this bowl game. It would have been nice to bring positive momentum into the offseason for Kevin, and it would have been nice for him to have gotten in synch with the receivers a little bit. I think it will happen, but it would have been a bigger media splash if he came out, had a huge game, and we destroyed the U. Instead, we barely win on a defensive play (not that it ever seemed to me that the game was in doubt) and the Bears go into the offseason worrying about the QB position again.
Oh well. At least we know one QB who has been eliminated.
GO BEARS!!
it is a strange end to a pretty good Cal career. He ends up as 5th on the all time Cal passing list. There are some pretty good players on that list. He has started and won more Cal games than any other QB for the Bears in the last half century. He has been the starting QB for half of Jeff Tedford's tenure at Cal. And that has been a pretty impressive tenure. Tedford and Pete Carroll are the only Pac 10 coaches to not have a losing season at their current schools. Nate - for all the hatred that is thrown his way, is a big part of that.
That being said, he played dreadfully on Friday Night. It was really surprising. I mean, there were plenty of people open who would have made big plays and gotten plenty of receiving yards after catch if Nate could have hit them in stride. In the first quarter, there were three passes that were just horrible.
I understand the desire of JT to have a balanced attack. Generally that works, and it would have worked very well if Nate could hit anyone. But at the end of the day, it was clear that Jahvid Best was the best option, and he should have had at least 35 carries on the night. The Bears would have had at least 400 yards rushing. Anything that the Bears ran outside was at least a 15 yard gain. It was like watching a man amongst kids.
The defense also was dominating. It was fun watching the three and outs, the negative yards for almost the entire first half, the interception, fumble, etc.
But this game did not give us the bounce that I think we needed. The Bears will certainly be taken more seriously next year that this year - Jahvid Best is going to be on everyones radar screen as a Heisman hopeful, and certainly as one of best running backs in the country. Averaging more than 8 yards per carry is pretty good in a single game. Over a season, it is crazy.
At the end of the year, Jahvid Best had 1580 rushing yards - number 5 in the country right now. That was averaging less than 15 carries per game this year. All of the guys currently in front of him in total yardage have at least 80 more carries than he has this year - in other words - about 30% more.
In any event, he is going to be a devastating weapon for the Bears next year. And I am excited about that.
But our offense needs balance, and to that end, the Kevin Riley era needed to begin well in this bowl game. It would have been nice to bring positive momentum into the offseason for Kevin, and it would have been nice for him to have gotten in synch with the receivers a little bit. I think it will happen, but it would have been a bigger media splash if he came out, had a huge game, and we destroyed the U. Instead, we barely win on a defensive play (not that it ever seemed to me that the game was in doubt) and the Bears go into the offseason worrying about the QB position again.
Oh well. At least we know one QB who has been eliminated.
GO BEARS!!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Bears Hoops wins a big one
Cal wins a big one last night against Nevada, and so goes to number 10 in the RPI rankings. This is huge. While we all talk about the bears weak out of conference schedules over the last few years, and event today, it does not seem like we are going up against the big guys. But the Bears currently have played the 9th toughest schedule, and are 8-2 against it.
Granted, we lost the two toughest games that we scheduled - Florida State and Missouri. But both of those guys are in the top of the RPI rankings. And we beat Utah, which is number 32, and 10-2 UNLV, which is highly ranked.
When it comes to the Pac 10 tournament season, it looks more and more likely that the league is not up to what it was last year, and the Bears have a decent shot at getting through it in pretty good shape. We clearly have holes in our game, but when your guys can shoot, it make a big difference. Opponents have to change their defense, and come out of their comfort zones. This is the first year in a while when Cal seems to have shooters and a point guard who can also shoot. If we had a dominating big man or two this would be a great team.
The nicest part of the schedule so far, which has really helped us in the RPI rankings, is that many of our games have been on the road or at least in neutral territory. The Global Sports Classic was a great Tournament for the Bears since 1) it gave a huge PRI boost getting to the finals, and 2) it gave the team the idea that it could play in a tournament scenario and do well. Also, going on the road to play Missouri (a loss - so only count's a little against us) and Utah - a win, so it counts as 1.4 wins) is great. If you are going to play decent teams - do it at their house. That way, if you lose the loss is not that bad, and if you win it is a huge boost. And the tournament committee looks at your OOC record in a HUGE way. These games are going to help the Bears later on.
Anyway, I think that this is the best that the Bears could have hoped for going into the season. Our next few games at home - the Golden Bear Classic and the game against Colgate - need to be wins since they are all teams that the Bears should win. If Monty can get us through the OOC schedule without the traditional loss to the crappy team that kills our post-season hopes, then he will have earned a major portion of his salary and reputation. This is why we got him and got rid of Braun. Losses to DePaul (2 times) and Eastern Michigan, and San Diego and San Diego State kept us out the the tournament three times over the last five years.
IF the Bears go into the season with 11 wins already, they need to win 9 in season for a decent tournament seed (7 or higher) and 8 to get in. But this year, I think the Bears could surprise some folks, and make it a 12 win Pac 10 season. And that would give us a 5 seed or better.
Anyway, lots still left to play with this team. Let's hope we can keep it together.
GO BEARS!!
Granted, we lost the two toughest games that we scheduled - Florida State and Missouri. But both of those guys are in the top of the RPI rankings. And we beat Utah, which is number 32, and 10-2 UNLV, which is highly ranked.
When it comes to the Pac 10 tournament season, it looks more and more likely that the league is not up to what it was last year, and the Bears have a decent shot at getting through it in pretty good shape. We clearly have holes in our game, but when your guys can shoot, it make a big difference. Opponents have to change their defense, and come out of their comfort zones. This is the first year in a while when Cal seems to have shooters and a point guard who can also shoot. If we had a dominating big man or two this would be a great team.
The nicest part of the schedule so far, which has really helped us in the RPI rankings, is that many of our games have been on the road or at least in neutral territory. The Global Sports Classic was a great Tournament for the Bears since 1) it gave a huge PRI boost getting to the finals, and 2) it gave the team the idea that it could play in a tournament scenario and do well. Also, going on the road to play Missouri (a loss - so only count's a little against us) and Utah - a win, so it counts as 1.4 wins) is great. If you are going to play decent teams - do it at their house. That way, if you lose the loss is not that bad, and if you win it is a huge boost. And the tournament committee looks at your OOC record in a HUGE way. These games are going to help the Bears later on.
Anyway, I think that this is the best that the Bears could have hoped for going into the season. Our next few games at home - the Golden Bear Classic and the game against Colgate - need to be wins since they are all teams that the Bears should win. If Monty can get us through the OOC schedule without the traditional loss to the crappy team that kills our post-season hopes, then he will have earned a major portion of his salary and reputation. This is why we got him and got rid of Braun. Losses to DePaul (2 times) and Eastern Michigan, and San Diego and San Diego State kept us out the the tournament three times over the last five years.
IF the Bears go into the season with 11 wins already, they need to win 9 in season for a decent tournament seed (7 or higher) and 8 to get in. But this year, I think the Bears could surprise some folks, and make it a 12 win Pac 10 season. And that would give us a 5 seed or better.
Anyway, lots still left to play with this team. Let's hope we can keep it together.
GO BEARS!!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Updates
The Bears got some bad news, I think, when offensive line coach Jim Michalczik decided to go to Washington and be the offensive coordinator for the Huskies. Coach M is a great offensive line coach, and is a tremendous developer of line talent.
On the one hand, he has been with the Bears for 7 years, and sometimes that gets stale. But I think the bigger reason is that he was the offensive coordinator last year, and essentially was demoted this year to co-offensive coordinator, after the implosion last year.
If you remember, last year was the year when Coach Tedford decided to call plays. It did not work out so well. But the Bears did have a pretty good offense last year (certainly better than this year under new offensive coordinator Cignetti).
Now, when I say demoted, I am sure that it was not a real demotion - because in fact, initially, it was not a real promotion. He was not making, for example, the type of coin that Defensive Coordinator Gregory is making - about 30% more than Coach M. He did not have total responsibility for that side of the ball, as that was mostly Tedford's side of things. And, Tedford did spend a good deal of time there, considering that he decided after the season that he was not doing enough of a good job managing the team. And so when he went to get an offensive coordinator, he did not hire the guy already in the job in name - he went out and got someone who could actually be an offensive coordinator - at least in JT's mind. And Michalczik went back to the line coach and co-offensive coordinator.
Prior to last year, Michalczik was also Assistant Head Coach - which means that you get to do a lot of the crappy administrative things that head coaches have to do - and so he probably learned quite a bit about dealing with the administration, the athletic department, etc.
All of this means is that he though he had some upward mobility as a Bear coach, and he found out he did not - they brought in the other guy. But he is so well respected that he deserves a shot at an offensive coordinator spot - you are never going to be a head coach until you are a coordinator. And so, when a slot opened up in Washington (his home state) he grabbed it.
Looking ahead, this is a two step process for Michalczik. First, he is going to learn from Sarkisian the USC method, as well as the BYU method. He already has the Tedford method. And the Tedford method and the USC method are probably not too dissimilar. But the next step for Michalczik is to wait for the coaching opportunity to open up at his alma mater in another year when Paul Wulf gets canned at Washington State.
Unless Sarkisian is a complete idiot (and he did not take the Raider job, so me might not be a complete idiot), then the huskies will do better. And with Locker back, they may do significantly better, and maybe even get to a bowl game. They are not playing Oklahoma and BYU - they will get Idaho, some second tier school, and then maybe even beat a reeling Notre Dame. In any event, the Huskies will win at least 4 games next year. So when Washington State is looking for a alumni connection with some good experience, he will be the guy.
Of course, there is tremendous downside to this move for him as well. He will not be calling the plays, so he still will not get the experience that he needs to be a true offensive coordinator. Also, it is possible that Sarkisian will be a total disaster, and the Huskies go through a second year of crap.
As far as the Bears go, we need to get someone who is really, really good. We have had a huge run of great lines thanks to Michalczik, and we need to have that continue. I am sure there are guys out there. But we need to get someone in who is top-notch in what I consider one of the most critical position coach jobs on a football team. Let's face it - skill guys have it or not. Linemen do not have it - they need to be coached. And a good coach can make all the difference. Maybe that is a little simplistic, but there is a good bit of truth to that.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The good news is the exciting world of defensive recruiting. The Bears are lighting it up on that side of the ball recruit wise, with more to come. And that is based solely on our switch to the 3-4 defense, in my opinion. We are getting guys in the mold of Zack Follett, who can come off the edge and get the QB, or are fast enough to drop back and play pass. It is very exciting, and I think the defensive recruiters have done a wonderful job.
This is shaping up to be a tremendous recruiting class for the Bears - filling the spots that we needed on the defense to maintain our momentum, while at the same time watching our offense get a year older and better. We should be much improved next year, and, frankly, I think a top 10 team.
GO BEARS!!
All this
On the one hand, he has been with the Bears for 7 years, and sometimes that gets stale. But I think the bigger reason is that he was the offensive coordinator last year, and essentially was demoted this year to co-offensive coordinator, after the implosion last year.
If you remember, last year was the year when Coach Tedford decided to call plays. It did not work out so well. But the Bears did have a pretty good offense last year (certainly better than this year under new offensive coordinator Cignetti).
Now, when I say demoted, I am sure that it was not a real demotion - because in fact, initially, it was not a real promotion. He was not making, for example, the type of coin that Defensive Coordinator Gregory is making - about 30% more than Coach M. He did not have total responsibility for that side of the ball, as that was mostly Tedford's side of things. And, Tedford did spend a good deal of time there, considering that he decided after the season that he was not doing enough of a good job managing the team. And so when he went to get an offensive coordinator, he did not hire the guy already in the job in name - he went out and got someone who could actually be an offensive coordinator - at least in JT's mind. And Michalczik went back to the line coach and co-offensive coordinator.
Prior to last year, Michalczik was also Assistant Head Coach - which means that you get to do a lot of the crappy administrative things that head coaches have to do - and so he probably learned quite a bit about dealing with the administration, the athletic department, etc.
All of this means is that he though he had some upward mobility as a Bear coach, and he found out he did not - they brought in the other guy. But he is so well respected that he deserves a shot at an offensive coordinator spot - you are never going to be a head coach until you are a coordinator. And so, when a slot opened up in Washington (his home state) he grabbed it.
Looking ahead, this is a two step process for Michalczik. First, he is going to learn from Sarkisian the USC method, as well as the BYU method. He already has the Tedford method. And the Tedford method and the USC method are probably not too dissimilar. But the next step for Michalczik is to wait for the coaching opportunity to open up at his alma mater in another year when Paul Wulf gets canned at Washington State.
Unless Sarkisian is a complete idiot (and he did not take the Raider job, so me might not be a complete idiot), then the huskies will do better. And with Locker back, they may do significantly better, and maybe even get to a bowl game. They are not playing Oklahoma and BYU - they will get Idaho, some second tier school, and then maybe even beat a reeling Notre Dame. In any event, the Huskies will win at least 4 games next year. So when Washington State is looking for a alumni connection with some good experience, he will be the guy.
Of course, there is tremendous downside to this move for him as well. He will not be calling the plays, so he still will not get the experience that he needs to be a true offensive coordinator. Also, it is possible that Sarkisian will be a total disaster, and the Huskies go through a second year of crap.
As far as the Bears go, we need to get someone who is really, really good. We have had a huge run of great lines thanks to Michalczik, and we need to have that continue. I am sure there are guys out there. But we need to get someone in who is top-notch in what I consider one of the most critical position coach jobs on a football team. Let's face it - skill guys have it or not. Linemen do not have it - they need to be coached. And a good coach can make all the difference. Maybe that is a little simplistic, but there is a good bit of truth to that.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The good news is the exciting world of defensive recruiting. The Bears are lighting it up on that side of the ball recruit wise, with more to come. And that is based solely on our switch to the 3-4 defense, in my opinion. We are getting guys in the mold of Zack Follett, who can come off the edge and get the QB, or are fast enough to drop back and play pass. It is very exciting, and I think the defensive recruiters have done a wonderful job.
This is shaping up to be a tremendous recruiting class for the Bears - filling the spots that we needed on the defense to maintain our momentum, while at the same time watching our offense get a year older and better. We should be much improved next year, and, frankly, I think a top 10 team.
GO BEARS!!
All this
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Huge win over Utah for Men's Hoops
The Cal men's hoops team beat Utah on the road in a huge win for the program. This is going to be a signature win in the preseason for the Bears. Utah is in the tough Mountain West conference, which currently has an RPI level above the Pac 10.
Cal currently lead the Pac 10 in RP!, at 14, while Stanfurd is number 2 at 34. The Bears at 7-2 (both losses on the road) are strong contenders to come into the Pac 10 leading in the RPI standing. We have some RPI poison to eat with Dartmouth, Colgate and surprisingly Nevada coming to town, all of whom are rated at 200 or higher (Nevada is 200). At the end of the day, however, the Bears will come into the season, assuming they win out the OOC race, below 50 RP!. Which is a very good place to start Pac 10 play.
The only team in the Pac 10 who is truly horrible is Oregon State, where our future president's brother in law is (they are 1-5). I wonder how hard it will be to fire him. Our new assistant, John Jay, must feel at least a little vindicated.
GO BEARS!!
Cal currently lead the Pac 10 in RP!, at 14, while Stanfurd is number 2 at 34. The Bears at 7-2 (both losses on the road) are strong contenders to come into the Pac 10 leading in the RPI standing. We have some RPI poison to eat with Dartmouth, Colgate and surprisingly Nevada coming to town, all of whom are rated at 200 or higher (Nevada is 200). At the end of the day, however, the Bears will come into the season, assuming they win out the OOC race, below 50 RP!. Which is a very good place to start Pac 10 play.
The only team in the Pac 10 who is truly horrible is Oregon State, where our future president's brother in law is (they are 1-5). I wonder how hard it will be to fire him. Our new assistant, John Jay, must feel at least a little vindicated.
GO BEARS!!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Best is the Best
Jahvid Best put the nation on alert for 2009. He is going to have a special year. The difference was, in the last two games he was healthy. And so he rushed for over 500 yards.
At the beginning of the year, he was amazing, but still was getting taken down by less than a full frontal tackle. In other words, he was not breaking tackles, he was simply outrunning folks. The last two games, albeit against lesser opponents, he was breaking tackles, making moves, and dominating the game. Which is nice, since we do not have a passing game at this point.
In other words, we have morphed into Nebraska, era 1993. Great defense, great running game, no passing. I can no remember a season where we have had so many under 150 yard passing efforts.
That being said, we are 8-4, going to play a pretty good Miami team in the Emerald bowl. It should be mostly Bear fans, and the Hurricanes think they are going to sunny California. My, won't they be surprised.
I think the Bears are really doing a good job defensively this year, both from a recruiting standpoint as well as on the field. Our recruiting thus far seems to be targeting the type of linebackers who can really rush - speed guys who hit, a la Zack Follet. It looks like the 3-4 is here to stay, based on the guys we are currently getting in the door. With that being said, and the defensive line and backfield sticking together for another year, we have a great shot at having another great year on that side of the ball.
Offensively, we need to work on our passing game. Our running game will be fine - our line will develop, hopefully with 5 or 6 fewer injuries. But we got a lot of guys time this year. Next year, we should be much better on the line, with Guarrano at center, MSG, Schwartz, maybe Tepper, and Cheadle, Teofilo or someone else slotted in there. All of these guys got some time this year, and will be in the rotation. I am excited about them and I think that it will be a strength of our team over the next two years.
The biggest issue that we may have next year is receivers, although with Calvin back, and more time for the others, I think we will be fine. Langeman will also be back from injury, and I think he will be a revelation. So we have three current starters all back, and two or three others who will go into the rotation. If we can pick up someone else to make an immediate impact, we should be fine. Boateng and Tucker can be all pac 10 if they get it together. Both have the skills, they just need the consistency. And to get the ball on target.
Riley I believe will also be much improved. Next year, he will not be looking over his shoulder, and he will be maturing in other ways. He certainly has the skills to be a great QB. He just needs to get his head together.
I am pretty pumped up about next season. Although we have a tough schedule, I think it will work out. SC is going to be way down next year. This was their year to go. Sarkisian is leaving, so offense is going to be a big deal to them. Someone is going to have to come in and do it Pete Carroll's way, and that is going to leave some bumps in the road. I think as Bear fans, we know how it goes when the offensive coordinator is changed, even with a strong head coach.
Their defense is going to be decimated. And, frankly, their offense is not that good. So we have a great chance next year of taking those guys. Plus, we have them early in the season, so we have the shot at their typical early season screw-up.
Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA will be decent, but we should be able to take them all. And we should never lose to the furd again.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
As far as the game on Saturday, it was a little disappointing to see how few actually showed up to give the seniors a send-off. It was nice to see Nate get a big hand. But at the beginning of the game, when they came out, it seemed like there were only about 20K fans there. Pretty sad.
As far as it goes, I think they Bears get a few of the guys playing on Sunday. Mack, Follett are first day picks, and I think Nate actually gets picked in the 6th or 7th round - there are not a lot of great QBs coming out this year. I think Nate is in the top 15 of QBs, and there will be 20 taken. He has the arm strength and size that the NL likes, and he can just say Tedford screwed him over - all the NFL guys will accept that.
The other guys that have a decent shot at getting drafted are Worrell Williams, and Rulon Davis. WIll Ta'ufo'ou, Hicks and maybe Malele and Kane get a shot at a free agent slot.
Nick Sundberg could end up being one of the longest tenured NFL players of the group, going possibly as a long snapper. He is near perfect.
GO BEARS!!
At the beginning of the year, he was amazing, but still was getting taken down by less than a full frontal tackle. In other words, he was not breaking tackles, he was simply outrunning folks. The last two games, albeit against lesser opponents, he was breaking tackles, making moves, and dominating the game. Which is nice, since we do not have a passing game at this point.
In other words, we have morphed into Nebraska, era 1993. Great defense, great running game, no passing. I can no remember a season where we have had so many under 150 yard passing efforts.
That being said, we are 8-4, going to play a pretty good Miami team in the Emerald bowl. It should be mostly Bear fans, and the Hurricanes think they are going to sunny California. My, won't they be surprised.
I think the Bears are really doing a good job defensively this year, both from a recruiting standpoint as well as on the field. Our recruiting thus far seems to be targeting the type of linebackers who can really rush - speed guys who hit, a la Zack Follet. It looks like the 3-4 is here to stay, based on the guys we are currently getting in the door. With that being said, and the defensive line and backfield sticking together for another year, we have a great shot at having another great year on that side of the ball.
Offensively, we need to work on our passing game. Our running game will be fine - our line will develop, hopefully with 5 or 6 fewer injuries. But we got a lot of guys time this year. Next year, we should be much better on the line, with Guarrano at center, MSG, Schwartz, maybe Tepper, and Cheadle, Teofilo or someone else slotted in there. All of these guys got some time this year, and will be in the rotation. I am excited about them and I think that it will be a strength of our team over the next two years.
The biggest issue that we may have next year is receivers, although with Calvin back, and more time for the others, I think we will be fine. Langeman will also be back from injury, and I think he will be a revelation. So we have three current starters all back, and two or three others who will go into the rotation. If we can pick up someone else to make an immediate impact, we should be fine. Boateng and Tucker can be all pac 10 if they get it together. Both have the skills, they just need the consistency. And to get the ball on target.
Riley I believe will also be much improved. Next year, he will not be looking over his shoulder, and he will be maturing in other ways. He certainly has the skills to be a great QB. He just needs to get his head together.
I am pretty pumped up about next season. Although we have a tough schedule, I think it will work out. SC is going to be way down next year. This was their year to go. Sarkisian is leaving, so offense is going to be a big deal to them. Someone is going to have to come in and do it Pete Carroll's way, and that is going to leave some bumps in the road. I think as Bear fans, we know how it goes when the offensive coordinator is changed, even with a strong head coach.
Their defense is going to be decimated. And, frankly, their offense is not that good. So we have a great chance next year of taking those guys. Plus, we have them early in the season, so we have the shot at their typical early season screw-up.
Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA will be decent, but we should be able to take them all. And we should never lose to the furd again.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
As far as the game on Saturday, it was a little disappointing to see how few actually showed up to give the seniors a send-off. It was nice to see Nate get a big hand. But at the beginning of the game, when they came out, it seemed like there were only about 20K fans there. Pretty sad.
As far as it goes, I think they Bears get a few of the guys playing on Sunday. Mack, Follett are first day picks, and I think Nate actually gets picked in the 6th or 7th round - there are not a lot of great QBs coming out this year. I think Nate is in the top 15 of QBs, and there will be 20 taken. He has the arm strength and size that the NL likes, and he can just say Tedford screwed him over - all the NFL guys will accept that.
The other guys that have a decent shot at getting drafted are Worrell Williams, and Rulon Davis. WIll Ta'ufo'ou, Hicks and maybe Malele and Kane get a shot at a free agent slot.
Nick Sundberg could end up being one of the longest tenured NFL players of the group, going possibly as a long snapper. He is near perfect.
GO BEARS!!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Hoops RPI
I did not want to post too early in the season, for the very reason that I now sadly have to report. Until the game last week against Florida State, Cal was ranked #8 in the RPI, riding a 5-0 record to the finals of the Global Sports Classic championship game. Then, the played Florida State, who was ranked 35 in the RPI, and lost. So the Bears are now down to 33 in the RPI.
Not that this terribly matters this early in the season. However, the next three games for the Bears are critical and will go a long way toward telling us if we have any hope this season, or if it is all a rebuilding year.
The Bears face DePaul (RPI 27) at home, Missouri (RPI 109) and Utah (RPI 4) on the road in the next three games. Then, they come back and play Nevada. It is a tough pre-season schedule - probably one of the toughest since I remember. These are all decent teams who will either make or break our OOC RPI measurement. The good news is losing on the road to Utah or Missouri is not so bad. You only get .6 of a loss on the road. That is why it is critical that the Bears win at home. This game against DePaul is critical, as is the Nevada game and the rest of the home OOC schedule.
If the Bears can come into the season with a top 75 RPI, they should be in good shape to get into the tournament. The Pac 10 is a tough league once again this year, but we should be able to eek out a 500 season, the minimum threshold to get into the tourney. i think Montgomery is showing some coaching skills so far, and it seems like it is translating into winning. If we can shoot like we are, and play tough defense against the speed teams, and hope for the best against the big teams, we may be able to do something.
Anyway, an encouraging beginning of the hoops season. Let's hope it continues on.
GO BEARS!!
Not that this terribly matters this early in the season. However, the next three games for the Bears are critical and will go a long way toward telling us if we have any hope this season, or if it is all a rebuilding year.
The Bears face DePaul (RPI 27) at home, Missouri (RPI 109) and Utah (RPI 4) on the road in the next three games. Then, they come back and play Nevada. It is a tough pre-season schedule - probably one of the toughest since I remember. These are all decent teams who will either make or break our OOC RPI measurement. The good news is losing on the road to Utah or Missouri is not so bad. You only get .6 of a loss on the road. That is why it is critical that the Bears win at home. This game against DePaul is critical, as is the Nevada game and the rest of the home OOC schedule.
If the Bears can come into the season with a top 75 RPI, they should be in good shape to get into the tournament. The Pac 10 is a tough league once again this year, but we should be able to eek out a 500 season, the minimum threshold to get into the tourney. i think Montgomery is showing some coaching skills so far, and it seems like it is translating into winning. If we can shoot like we are, and play tough defense against the speed teams, and hope for the best against the big teams, we may be able to do something.
Anyway, an encouraging beginning of the hoops season. Let's hope it continues on.
GO BEARS!!
Odds and Ends
First - The bears are likely going to the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco, to the dismay of the team members and to the excitement of many local fans who can not travel this year due to untold financial hardship. I think it will be good to have a home game - it would be better if the visiting team was someone better than an ACC also-ran. However, Cal already lost to an ACC also-ran this year, so it will be good for redemption in a sense. That is why I am rooting for Boston College, Florida State or Virginia Tech, as opposed to Wake Forest. Maryland lost to all those first teams, and the game would be much higher profile. Beating Wake Forest would be nice but not that much of a boost.
It would also have been nice to go to the Holiday Bowl and play someone like Okie State or Missouri, and see how we measure up.
As far as the team goes, I think it is better that the game is later in the year - more practice time and less need interrupt finals for the practice sessions. At the end of the day, I think the Bears are going to have a good time and kick some butt. All the stuff about staying home is BS - you do not hear USC folks complaining about the Rose Bowl being in their back yard, do you? OK - maybe a bad example.
On the other hand, it would be nice to have some better bowls for the top three or four Pac 10 teams to get sent to. The Emerald is for the 7th place ACC team. We are 4th in the Pac 10. Kinda sucks. The good news is that this year, the entire ACC is tied so it is difficult for them to decide who goes where.
As far as it goes, i was really disappointed that Oregon State lost to Oregon over the weekend. It would have been nice to see one of the 9 dwarfs kick the Toejams out of the Rose. It also would have been nice to split an additional $4.5 million for the conference. The Pac 10 refs should have known this. Oh well. I think this makes the Pac 10 much more likely to win most of the bowl games than if the Beavers went to the Rose. Here is my bowl line up right now for the Pac 10:
Rose - SC vs Penn State (USC wins)
Holiday - Missouri vs Oregon (Missouri)
Sun - West Virginia vs Oregon State (Oregon State)
Vegas - BYU vs Arizona St (BYU)
Emerald - Wake Forest vs Cal (Cal)
Hawaii - Hawaii vs Arizona (Arizona)
I am predicting that AZ state beats Arizona and gets into Bowl contention. If that is the case, both would be 6-6, and eligible for bowls based on the Pac 10 schedule. The Vegas would take whichever one they thought would do better. The Bears would still be sent to the Emerald. Overall, I think the Pac 10 loses two and wins the rest. Although whichever Mountain West team they send to the Vegas Bowl (BYU or TCU) will probably beat whichever Arizona team they send to match up with them. I think the Bears would beat either TCU or BYU, but that will not be the matchup, and the Mountain West will move to 7-1 on the year against the Pac 10. Totally embarrassing - even though they feasted on our weaklings for the most part. Thankfully the Bears kicked the crap out of Colorado State to eliminate the shutout.
As far as it goes, the whole National Championship thing is a debacle. Texas got screwed, which is fine. But the way they did it was stupid. The BCS is an end of the year ranking system, not designed to be used as a tiebreaker in a conference matchup. If a conference wanted to use a computer based system to pick the matchup, they should have developed one, and not been lazy and relied on the BCS. There are lots of tiebreaker formulas floating around out there. The NFL uses a ton of them to get to their playoff picture. So a conference out do the same. but relying on voters who are focused on Ohio State vs Ohio University to vote for who is playing in the Big 12 south championship slot is stupid.
Bottom line - Texas beat both of the teams playing in the championship game (Missouri and Oklahoma). But they were hosed. Tough luck Mack Brown, which is not a bad thing. But this was a terrible process.
As far as it goes, it is also incredible that no one is calling out the SEC this year. They are terrible. Alabama is not a good team. Yet, there they are, playing for the National Championship. i think they beat Florida, who is not that good either. Not that they suck, but they would certainly not be with only one loss playing in the Big 12 south.
I think USC is getting screwed this year, but they could have done something about it. Same with Florida. If Alabama wins, I would think they deserve a shot at the title. But if they lose, I would have Oklahoma and Texas go at it again. That would be a fun game to watch.
Too bad it is not going to happen.
Here are the bowl matchups that I want to see:
Poinsettia - Boise State and TCU - great matchup in a crappy venue. Huge game overshadowing the Oregon / Missouri game a week later in San Diego.
Rose - Good traditional matchup - I think SC gets a decent test but not a real threat. Another slow Big 10 team loses in the Rose.
Sugar - Alabama at Utah - Alabama loses and goes to the Sugar. Florida to the NCG and Utah kicks Alabama's ass. Plus, all the Mormons getting sloshed in New Orleans is fun.
Cotton Bowl - Texas Tech at Mississippi - probably the second best SEC team this year playing a great Texas Tech team. Huston Nutt and Mike Leach can both coach. Great matchup.
Capital One - Michigan State against Georgia. It would be nice to see State beat Georgia since we beat them handily. Georgia is not that good.
Chick-fil-A - Georgia Tech against LSU - nice to see LSU lose another one.
Anyway, some nice matchups coming up in the next month. Should be fun.
GO BEARS!!
It would also have been nice to go to the Holiday Bowl and play someone like Okie State or Missouri, and see how we measure up.
As far as the team goes, I think it is better that the game is later in the year - more practice time and less need interrupt finals for the practice sessions. At the end of the day, I think the Bears are going to have a good time and kick some butt. All the stuff about staying home is BS - you do not hear USC folks complaining about the Rose Bowl being in their back yard, do you? OK - maybe a bad example.
On the other hand, it would be nice to have some better bowls for the top three or four Pac 10 teams to get sent to. The Emerald is for the 7th place ACC team. We are 4th in the Pac 10. Kinda sucks. The good news is that this year, the entire ACC is tied so it is difficult for them to decide who goes where.
As far as it goes, i was really disappointed that Oregon State lost to Oregon over the weekend. It would have been nice to see one of the 9 dwarfs kick the Toejams out of the Rose. It also would have been nice to split an additional $4.5 million for the conference. The Pac 10 refs should have known this. Oh well. I think this makes the Pac 10 much more likely to win most of the bowl games than if the Beavers went to the Rose. Here is my bowl line up right now for the Pac 10:
Rose - SC vs Penn State (USC wins)
Holiday - Missouri vs Oregon (Missouri)
Sun - West Virginia vs Oregon State (Oregon State)
Vegas - BYU vs Arizona St (BYU)
Emerald - Wake Forest vs Cal (Cal)
Hawaii - Hawaii vs Arizona (Arizona)
I am predicting that AZ state beats Arizona and gets into Bowl contention. If that is the case, both would be 6-6, and eligible for bowls based on the Pac 10 schedule. The Vegas would take whichever one they thought would do better. The Bears would still be sent to the Emerald. Overall, I think the Pac 10 loses two and wins the rest. Although whichever Mountain West team they send to the Vegas Bowl (BYU or TCU) will probably beat whichever Arizona team they send to match up with them. I think the Bears would beat either TCU or BYU, but that will not be the matchup, and the Mountain West will move to 7-1 on the year against the Pac 10. Totally embarrassing - even though they feasted on our weaklings for the most part. Thankfully the Bears kicked the crap out of Colorado State to eliminate the shutout.
As far as it goes, the whole National Championship thing is a debacle. Texas got screwed, which is fine. But the way they did it was stupid. The BCS is an end of the year ranking system, not designed to be used as a tiebreaker in a conference matchup. If a conference wanted to use a computer based system to pick the matchup, they should have developed one, and not been lazy and relied on the BCS. There are lots of tiebreaker formulas floating around out there. The NFL uses a ton of them to get to their playoff picture. So a conference out do the same. but relying on voters who are focused on Ohio State vs Ohio University to vote for who is playing in the Big 12 south championship slot is stupid.
Bottom line - Texas beat both of the teams playing in the championship game (Missouri and Oklahoma). But they were hosed. Tough luck Mack Brown, which is not a bad thing. But this was a terrible process.
As far as it goes, it is also incredible that no one is calling out the SEC this year. They are terrible. Alabama is not a good team. Yet, there they are, playing for the National Championship. i think they beat Florida, who is not that good either. Not that they suck, but they would certainly not be with only one loss playing in the Big 12 south.
I think USC is getting screwed this year, but they could have done something about it. Same with Florida. If Alabama wins, I would think they deserve a shot at the title. But if they lose, I would have Oklahoma and Texas go at it again. That would be a fun game to watch.
Too bad it is not going to happen.
Here are the bowl matchups that I want to see:
Poinsettia - Boise State and TCU - great matchup in a crappy venue. Huge game overshadowing the Oregon / Missouri game a week later in San Diego.
Rose - Good traditional matchup - I think SC gets a decent test but not a real threat. Another slow Big 10 team loses in the Rose.
Sugar - Alabama at Utah - Alabama loses and goes to the Sugar. Florida to the NCG and Utah kicks Alabama's ass. Plus, all the Mormons getting sloshed in New Orleans is fun.
Cotton Bowl - Texas Tech at Mississippi - probably the second best SEC team this year playing a great Texas Tech team. Huston Nutt and Mike Leach can both coach. Great matchup.
Capital One - Michigan State against Georgia. It would be nice to see State beat Georgia since we beat them handily. Georgia is not that good.
Chick-fil-A - Georgia Tech against LSU - nice to see LSU lose another one.
Anyway, some nice matchups coming up in the next month. Should be fun.
GO BEARS!!
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