SB Nation - Will Ta'ufo'ou

Is the Cal Offensive Line Failing Due to Talent or Coaching?

Avinash — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:00:41 -0000

by Ben Margot - AP

Missing: Cal Offensive linemen. If you find them, please call Jeff T. at...

Although the postgame article about our offensive line was meant in jest, some people like Cali49a took what I was saying seriously.

Let’s look across the line at what we have. LT Tepper is a good guy, but he’s not nearly as good as he’s been made out to be. LG was a RS Frosh starting who got injured and his replacements are a former walk-on in Fisher and a current walk-on in Boskovitch, who spends more time whiffing on blocks and losing his feet of any OL I’ve seen in the Tedford era. Our Center is an undersized RS-JR taking his first meaningful snaps at C but who has no business playing that position, especially against top notch DTs. The RG is a RS-So who has the size to play the position but has lapses. The RT is a RS-So who has been pretty reliable. The TEs cannot reliably block and are all young. Just looking at our starters, they are a recipe for inconsistency. As much as size of OL is important, mentally they need to know their assignments and how to adjust on the fly when blocking, which comes from repetition.

In a sense, the line is still young with 3 underclassmen starters. The interior of the OL is the biggest issue right now, and quite frankly, the reason why we absolutely stink running between the tackles.

While this post was funny to read because it pokes fun at a glaring weakness on our O, this post really does not look at the root of the problem: recruiting. There have been too many scholarship busts and/or misses on the OL front in 05-06 and we are really feeling it now. There is exactly ONE starter on the OL from those classes. Guys from those 2 classes are who should be starting right now unless there were some super sensational underclassmen who could beat them out. That is not the case.

To clarify, no, I don't think Steve Marshall should be fired. In general, with college coaches, I don't think you fire people who've been here one year unless they totally faceplant (and in any case with Marshall, given his previous track record, he'll probably leave of his own accord). However, I do feel that he and Andy Ludwig have missed some crucial elements in developing their guys, some controllable, some not. And those struggles have resulted in these offensive stinkbombs we've seen against good defenses.

How much of Cal's O-line struggles have been due to talent, and how much has been due to coaching?

After the jump, I look at both sides.

So one possibility is talent. It's been argued by many people, especially Hydro, that maybe these guys just aren't who we thought they were.

In the podcast, CBKWit makes the argument that this is one of our highest star rated offensive lines perhaps ever during the Tedford era. CBKWit made this comment in response to my remark suggesting that the OL's poor performance could be a talent issue. It seems that CBKWit might have been disagreeing with me. If that is so, CBKWit is clearly making the assumption that the higher the star rating of the player, the more talented they are. Such a notion is generally true, but not always. CBKWit seems to make it a forgone conclusion that is always true and thus this year's highly rated OL suckage cannot be due to lack of talent; hence obviously a coaching problem. I disagree. I think it's possible that there is a talent issue here, perhaps as well as a coaching issue. I have not discounted the talent issue, whereas CBKWit seems to have done so. CBKWit points to last year's OL which started Guarnero (prior to injury), Cheadle, and Boskovich (after Guarnero's injury) as evidence that this OL shouldn't be this bad due to the fact that so many of this year's starters saw playing time last year and were fairly productive. Last year, I personally thought Guarnero was doing fine at guard. However, I was not that impressed with Cheadle or Boskovich. Thus, I am not convinced that just because he have players from last year's OL, which performed decently well although not great, means that this year's OL cannot be suffering from lack of talent.

Here's been our starting depth chart the past few seasons, starting with 2006 as the first season our entire O-line was ranked by Rivals (some of these guys could be wrong from 2006, let me know). Thanks to AERose for gathering this data up.

2006

Mike Tepper (2 stars/2 stars)--2
Erik Robertson (2 stars/1 star)-1.5
Alex Mack (2 stars/2 stars)--2
Norris Malele (3 stars/3)--3
Scott Smith (2 stars)--2

Average rating: 2.11

2007

Mike Tepper (2 stars/2 stars)--2
MIke Gibson (4 stars/4 stars)--4
Brian De La Puente (???)
Noris Malele (3 stars/3 stars)-3
Alex Mack (2 stars/2 stars)-2

Average rating: 2.75

2008

Mark Boskovich (???)
Noris Malele (3 stars/3 stars)-3
Alex Mack (2 stars/2 stars)-2
Chet Teofilo (2 stars/2 stars)-2
Mitchell Schwartz (3 stars/3 stars)-3
Justin Cheadle (3 stars/4 stars)-3.5

Average rating: 2.75

2009

Mike Tepper (2 stars/2 stars)-2
Mitchell Schwartz (3 stars /3 stars)-3
Matt Summers-Gavin (4 stars/4 stars)-4
Justin Cheadle (3 stars/4 stars)-3.5
Chris Guarnero (4 stars/3 stars)-3.5
Mark Boskovich (???)

Average rating: 3.2

Of course the star rating only tells so much, but as you can see on average Cal's recruiting star ratings are better than the last few years, and there seems to be no correlation with star rating and rushing success (hell, you could say the relation's nearly INVERSE; the lower the star rating, the better Cal's O-line has done.) This could probably lead you to think that recruiting stars are bunk.

So while I agree with Cali49a, that yes, the offensive line has had depth problems and too many walk-ons coming in to fill crucial roles, I also feel that the Bears talent is still comparable to those of previous seasons. Although a lot of the guys we recruited haven't been up to snuff, they still shouldn't be struggling this much, especially with almost all of them except Summers-Gavin seeing action last season. This should be a line that dropped off a little, not a lot, even with Mack and Malele gone.

So let's assume these guys aren't terrible o-linemen. That leads us to coaching. If the problem isn't talent, What are the problems that could be going on here?

1) The offensive coordinator turnover. Hydro mentioned in the podcast how O-linemen were having difficulty adapting to Cignetti's new pass blocking schemes (explaining the struggles in protecting Longshore and Riley). You can only imagine how difficult the Bears O-linemen are doing with all the different looks they've run in the run blocking game with Ludwig's offense installed. Perhaps we'll see drastic improvement next season when these guys have had time to run through the system, but right now it just isn't there.

2) Fullback and tight end blocking dropoff. This is where I do agree with Cali49a. In terms of tight ends, the Bears really haven't had great tight end blocking since Craig Stevens was lining up. But Brian Holley? Nice enough guy, but big big downgrade from Ta'ufo'ou in terms of blocking awareness. Who exactly Cal's fullback will be next year (Kapp?) will need to show better than Holley has this year. And Anthony Miller will hopefully become as good a blocker as he is a receiver.

3) The complexity of the offense. This might be the biggest issue for me. We've talked over and over how the Bears offense has gotten more sophisticated as time has gone by (and that in turn has led to the quarterback struggles). While that might give us all sorts of delight as fans to watch, the fact is the players aren't getting older with them. So the learning curve has grown steeper for new players, like a sadistic professor who decides to add three hundred more pages of reading each year for the same class, with an occasional extra midterm thrown in there. You can only imagine how difficult it is for offensive linemen to struggle to do so much.

4) Failure to adapt. The fact is these players are not going to grow old with us. They're going to leave for other places and that means Cal's coaching staff have to adapt to the situation. We have to recognize that our offensive linemen might not be as experienced or as gifted as previous guys like Mack and Ta'ufo'ou. So instead of throwing so many different looks in our playcalling perhaps we should return to the more stodgy but effective type of play that defined early Tedford football, especially in the run game.

One of the beautiful things about Coach M's style of line coaching is that we ran the same two plays almost every time in the run game, and defenses were lost trying to stop them. As Hydro described it, "Defenses knew what was coming, and they could almost never stop it from going." (Now on the flip side, defenses WERE catching up to Cal's offense as the years went by (the Bears running game dipped in production every year since 2004), so there might be the need to evolve as time goes by. But hey, sometimes it's best not to fix things that aren't broken.)

5) Coaching development. This is where I attribute blame to the coaches directly. I don't think we need to bring Coach M back to recognize those issues, nor even make Marshall the scapegoat for our failings. But it's clear that Alex Mack, Mike Tepper and many others from our more successful squads were not highly sought-after talents, yet they evolved into O-line forces of nature in their collegiate primes. Although Michalziak might not have been the greatest recruiter, he did a great job making these guys execute on Saturdays. How much of this had to do with the simplicity of the offense might be difficult to say, but I've always found simple works best with young offensive lines. Just look at how Oregon has recovered from the Boise fiasco, when their line couldn't block stationary objects. Simple effective blocking techniques set loose their offensive players.

6) Recognizing the big picture. As the guy now overseeing the program, Tedford should try and recognize that players, based on their individual experience level and their collective experience as a unit, need to be treated differently on a year-by-year basis. He, like many fans, incorrectly assessed the losses of our top three blockers and assumed we'd get by with the experience the returning starters had managed. That's clearly not been the case. Now that he's no longer playcalling, his job in the games is to manage and see what's going on beyond the Xs and Os. I'd say he hasn't done a very good job of that this season, especially with regards to the offensive line (and of course there are other issues, but that's for another day). Running the same set of plays and schemes (inside zone run) over and over again seems like a peculiar type of madness.

Whatever's going on, coaching or talentwise, with only three games left, it's probably too late to fix these deficiencies until the bowl game, and we've got to ride the ship the end and hope somehow we can pull some wins out before we reach port. And then hope everything gets back together for next year's cruise.

Poll

Cal's O-line struggles are due to...

coaching issues more than talent issues.

53 votes

talent issues more than coaching issues.

16 votes

coaching and talent issues about the same.

57 votes

something else entirely.

7 votes

133 votes | Poll has closed

Trojans 30, Golden Bears 3: More Quarterback Blues

Avinash — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 12:06:32 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

Kevin Riley had a lot of awkward-looking throws like this in the Bears 30-3 loss against the Trojans.

Browse more photos »

For the fifth straight matchup in the series, a Golden Bear quarterback could not beat the Trojan defense.

Kevin Riley spread his first quarter inaccuracy woes (three TDs and a low completion percentage thrown careerwise in the first quarter) through the entire game. The result was a stagnant Cal offense that couldn't pass the ball for more than a few spurts, and by extension couldn't run the ball. You can blame it partly on the 20 mph wind gusts which might've put extra air on the balls, on receivers missing their cuts or stopping on routes, on the offensive line occasionally blowing their matchups and forcing the pressure (albeit they only allowed 2 outright sacks).

But most of the execution failures, for better or for worse, fall on Riley; there were too many throws that just weren't even close to the target. He held onto the ball for too long, his throwing motion just didn't look right, and he hesitated after making his drops in the pocket, whether due to good downfield coverage or...hell if I know, what else can make you hesitate in the pocket?

Neverthless, the opportunities were there; his accuracy wasn't. His completion percentage, one of the best in the country through three weeks, is now hovering at a horrifingly Ayoobian 50% on the season. I sincerely apologize to everyone for claiming Kevin Riley is no Joe Ayoob. He sure looked like it tonight.

It got so bad that Andy Ludwig ran the Wildcat with Best and Sofele in motion, down 23-0 for an entire drive. That's a damning indictment of our passing game--down three scores in the second half, our quarterback was set out wide to block for 30-40% of the offensive snaps.

The Oregon game was a much more complex failure. The USC game is a simpler one to figure out. The Trojans stacked the box on Best early on and dared Riley to beat them in the air. After the first drive, he couldn't. We can guess what the formula will be from here on out to beat the Bears.

Do I think Riley should be benched? Not in the slightest, and it's not just because Tedford's saying so. It's just too early in the season to mark this as a trend, and he did just face one of the best defenses in the country. Let's see if he can settle himself down and work his way into the system against the rest of the Pac-10. If the struggles persist deep into play and jeopardize Big Game or bowl hopes, then I might be persuaded to go the other way. But for now, I'm far from that jumping point.

Playcalling bad? I dunno. I know a lot of people are going to be mad at the run/pass disparity when we have #4 back there, but USC was selling out to stop him all day, and they have the talent and athletes to do so. And that first drive was going well there until the end. After that, it's hard to tell how much of that is on the players not running the plays right, or Ludwig calling in plays the defense can anticipate.

What does annoy me is that I'm beginning to predict what Cal will run on every play based on formation and snap motion, and I'm still fairly novice on the subject. Two tight end set to the left? Best running to the left. Riley in the shotgun is almost always an automatic pass downfield. Put Holley back there and it's almost always an inside run. Lord knows what other defensive coordinators are brewing together in the upcoming weeks.

We have a new tight end for the future. Anthony Miller was our offense for much of the game. The Trojans pretty much blanketed Verran Tucker and Marvin Jones, so that left the middle open, and Riley hooked up with Miller on some big catch-and-gains. At 6'3 258, we might've found someone who combines the blocking of Stevens and the pass-catching abilities of Morrah. In a game full of negatives, this is a pretty enticing development.

Bob Gregory's defense did their part. While the Cal defensive scheme bended plenty in this one, putting the Trojans in the red zone a lot, the final result was 16 offensive points going into the third quarter, with three impressive goal-line stands by an outmanned and outgunned defensive front. There were no big offensive plays other than the first McKnight touchdown. Add in the three points the defense helped cause from the turnover, and that's only a differential of 13 points. If you'd told me Cal's defense had held USC to 16 points going into the 4th, I'd have been strutting like Usain Bolt.

Yes, I'm frustrated by the zone coverage holes too, but give credit to the other team's quarterbacks. Masoli and Barkley made some huge completions that most college quarterbacks probably wouldn't have handled. That zone defense should do its job in future weeks in keeping Pac-10 quarterbacks from hitting their spots. For right now it looks bad, even though it was far from the reason for our loss.

Our linebackers are in serious learning mode. These guys are struggling. First they had to deal with the spread, than the best talent in the country in back-to-back weeks. Bad pursuit angles, dominated by blockers, no pass rush, nothing. I can't even talk in complete sentences about these guys, because it's frustrating to watch them struggle like that. They did hustle in there and help make some nice goal-line stops, so that's encouraging for upcoming road tests in Pasadena and Tempe.

You know how Mike Mohamed looked like the best linebacker last season? I'm starting to think that's because he was the fourth linebacker opposing offenses worried about. They should get better as the season goes along, but the growing pains hurt on our defense for now. The secondary and defensive line have been carrying too much of the weight. It's got to start evening out.

Two mistakes made a big difference in this game's outcome. The first mistake was the Riley interception (the worst of many bad throws), which turned a promising Cal start into a deflating Trojan bite-back touchdown drive. The second was the straight-on punt by Anger to Damian Williams right for the touchdown. Although I knew we'd get an Alamar special one of these days, these are the sort of things you throw out over the long run as anomalies rather than trends. Those two mistakes comprise a 15-21 point swing right there, which could've turned a 23 point margin into a field goal/touchdown margin going into the 4th.

Cal fans are being too critical of Jahvid Best's weak performances in big games. People need to get over how Jahvid is no longer a viable Heisman candidate. A Heisman Trophy almost always rewards the best QB/RB on one of the top two regular season teams; seven of the last ten seasons that's been the case. The odds were stacked against the Jet from the start, and it was impossible to live up to the hype in the long run without additional help from his offense.

Jahvid has his weaknesses, there's no doubt--his pass protection and blitz pickup abilities need plenty of work. However, in terms of running ability, he needs his blockers to open gaps for him and a stable passing game that plays in tandem with his abilities. He got neither in Oregon and only average run blocking against the Trojans. And even if he had Alex Mack and Will Ta'ufo'ou, they too would have had their difficulties against eight to nine Trojans in the box in that first quarter when it was a relatively close one.

Besides, how can Best step up if his counterpart in the backfield steps down?

USC brought their A-game. While it's always fun to blame the Bears for our woes, let's not forget the other team on the sideline is the six-time defending Pac-10 champs. I always worried in the back of my mind the Husky upset would awaken the sleeping giant, and...yeeeeap. They're back alright.

Matt Barkley only completed 57% of his passes, but converted several huge passes for crucial 1st downs. Joe McKnight stepped up big in the absence of Stafon. And God, those offensive linemen--I know it'll sicken you to hear me gush over USC linemen, but they dominated this game. Barkley had plenty of time to make his throws, and they were much of the difference between 3 and 4 yard runs and 6 to 8 yard runs. The most important part of this game that no one will notice was how well the Trojans blocked, from the tackles and guards and center to the fullback and the receivers and tight end.

Of course all that and we still held them to 16 points on offense going into the 4th quarter. I dream longingly of the day we'll hit 16 points on offense again.

We might have played the two best teams in the Pac-10 in back-to-back weeks. So let's keep that in perspective. Both our opponents came out with a specific strategy on offense and defense, executed it to a pinch, and watched while we bungled our opportunities. Yeah, it sucks to deal with the bad execution stuff, but it can happen with 19-23 year olds.

Yes, our expectations are smashed, but we have two weeks to refocus and retool for the rest of the season. I never really saw quit in our players, even late in the games, so you have to feel that the Bears will be ready to bring it the rest of the year. As much as we'd like to think it's the end of the world, there are other things our football players are willing to play for other than a Pac-10 title.

If our coaches are able to make the right adjustments in the upcoming weeks against formidable but equally flawed Pac-10 opponents, we should be able to right the ship and win five or six games in the conference. There are plenty of good but fairly winnable games coming up for the Bears in the upcoming weeks, we just need to focus on executing above all else.

And let's hope that Kevin Riley's arm can start throwing footballs like a regular quarterback again. Because I miss seeing regular quarterback play for the Golden Bears.

What Are the Greatest Golden Bear Running Back Performances?

Avinash — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:00:20 -0000

More photos » by Paul Battaglia - AP

2 months ago: California quarterback Kevin Riley (13) hands-off to tailback Jahvid Best during the first half of an NCAA football game against Minnesota, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009 in Minneapolis. Riley was 16-25 for 252 yards as California won 35-21. (AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)

Browse more photos »

VOTE FOR JAHVID BEST FOR AT&T ESPN ALL-AMERICAN PLAYER OF THE WEEK (click here for instructions)!

"Jahvid is a speed reader. He finished Atlas Shrugged in an afternoon." ~JahvidBestFacts

Rushing isn't all about yardage. Well, okay, it is all about yardage, but yards in some game mean more than they do in others. Jahvid Best's five touchdown performance on Minnesota might not have brought as many highlight reel passses the way the first two games this season have, but it's the biggest of his three because of the circumstances. Cal hasn't won a road game, Cal is a bad road team, Cal chokes when it matters, etc. etc. This time, Best played great when we needed him, getting the touchdowns to put us up early and late, at both the goal-line (pleasant surprise) and in the open field (not surprising at all).

So this afternoon, before we gear up for Oregon, let's pause and take a look at your Cal history banks. What Cal tailback performances have stirred up similar feelings of clutchness and productivity?

Share and debate your favorite Golden Bear running back performances. Rec your favorite posts/performances in the comments and we'll summarize the performances with the most recs at a later date!

Here's my personal top 5 (keep in mind my Cal fandom only extends to 2004; I'd love to see plenty of performances from before that time). If you like any of these ones a lot, feel free to copy the performances I share below in the comments, we'll probably see some overlap.

via graphics.fansonly.com

5) Justin Forsett, 31 carries, 164 yards, 2 receptions for 45 yards, 1 TD, USC 2007 (first 1:15).

Yeah, it was in a loss, but it was the first time I ever really thought, "Wow, Forsett could actually be a pro back." I'd always though he'd max out in college before that game, but his ability to elude and break what were essentially pro tacklers in USC's front was so impressive I . Not to mention he was able to block blitzes from those powerful Trojan linebackers for the ailing Nate Longshore. Niners fans got a taste of the havoc he will soon unleash yesterday.

I really didn't feel any hope we'd win this game after our performance the previous four weeks. But Forsett (and a little bit of Hawk) made me feel otherwise.

Here's the top 4 after the jump!

4) Marshawn Lynch: 25 carries for 189 yards, 3 catches for 13 yards, 2 touchdowns, Oregon 2005 (:45 to 1:06)

When you go 52 yards for a game tying touchdown in the 2nd half, when your quarterback is playing with his hands wrapped tightly around his throat, when you're trying to win for the first time in Autzen in nearly two decades, and you go for nearly 8 yards per carry, you're definitely worthy of the top 5.

3) Jahvid Best: 19 carries, 201 yards, 3 receptions, 35 yards, 3 touchdowns, Big Game 2008 (Best/Vereen highlight reel of the game; note: no audio)

This was about the time Jahvid Best took over our 2008 offense. Our season could've 2007ed if Jahvid didn't decide to make this game his. Big props to Alex Mack and Will Ta'ufo'ou for opening up big enough holes for Best, and Tedford finding creative ways to either misdirect the defense to focus on Best or get him the ball in ways that eviscerated the defenders who could not cut and jive their way with him.

via 2.bp.blogspot.com

2) Marshawn Lynch: 21 carries for 150 yards, 4 receptions for 53 yards, 2 touchdowns, Washington 2006 (2:06 to 3:11)

Twist references this game as The Passion of the Christ. He leaves out the part about Jesus rising to heaven on a tripped out injury cart.

via www.eteamz.com

1) JJ Arrington: 31 carries, 261 yards at Southern Miss 2004. (3:21 is the only clip I can find from that game, sorry for the terrible quality)

This was the biggest clutch performance I've seen from perhaps any Golden Bear the past five seasons. The Bears were about to get Longhorned out of the Rose Bowl, and Arrington made the case not only for Cal to get to Pasadena, but also for him to enter the Heisman discussion. He ripped apart Southern Mississippi when the passing game started to falter, Geoff Macarthur broke his leg, and Aaron Rodgers was having trouble completing half his passes.

You can tell a true Cal fan from a poser if you ask them who the most important player on that 2004 team was. Their answer should incorporate the number 2018 into it.

Honorable mention: Jahvid Best: 26 carries, 131 yards, 5 touchdowns, Minnesota 2009; Justin Forsett: 26 carries for 156 yards, 1 catch for 49 yards, 1 TD, Tennessee 2007; Jahvid Best 20 carries, 186 yards, 2 TDs, Emerald Bowl 2008; Marshawn Lynch 25 carries for 152 yards, 3 catches for 17 yards, 2 TDs, at Wazzu 2006; JJ Arrington 29 carries, 205 yards, 2 TDs versus UCLA, 2004.

My history of Cal football is exceptionally short. Old Blues, enlighten me and other youngins about the greats that preceded us!

Hall of Fame Round of 64: Brick Muller Bracket, Part II

Avinash — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:00:20 -0000

Check out the full bracket here.

To check out the original nomination thread, click here.

For those who love the Hall of Fame and want to track all these posts, click here or right next to the timestamp where it says "Hall of Fame".

This post's matchups: Sean Lampley vs Matt Biondi, Joe Igber vs Will Ta'ufo'ou.

We wrap up the top half of the Brick Muller bracket; top two matchups were posted this morning, so we move onto the bottom two. Polls for these matchups close next Thursday, June 18 at midnight. The athlete matchups are above, the athlete descriptions and polls are after the jump. Please read, vote, and debate in the comments!

#4 Joe Igber vs #13 Will Ta'ufo'ou

Joe Igber...well, I'll let BearStage talk about him.

Joe Igber. My all-time favorite Cal running back. Often overlooked, his name litters the pages of Cal’s record books.

- His 3,124 career rushing yards are the third most in Cal history. Only Russell White and Marshawn Lynch can claim more.

-His 2002 rushing total of 1,130 yards was the 3rd highest single-season total in Cal history (at that time)

His greatest performance: a 226-yard, one-touchdown performance in the 2002 Big Game, which Cal won 30-7. Not only did he set the record for most rushing yards in the history of the Big Game (which still stands), he helped bring the Axe back to its rightful home after a painful 7-year drought.

These accomplishments alone should be enough to garner him consideration. And while these are all great reasons to appreciate Joe Igber, I’m most impressed with him because his career typified what we strive for Cal to be. You see, Igber somehow managed to balance the workload of a star Pac-10 running back with the workload of becoming a civil engineer.

Now, most people can barely handle one of those challenges. We all know how time consuming and stress inducing engineering majors are – between physics/math/engineering courses, labs, projects, research (if you’re ambitious) – it’s more than enough for most of us. UC Berkeley is one of the best (and toughest) places in the world to study engineering. People come from all over the world to study engineering at Cal, and that reputation is well-deserved, and it was the main reason that Joe Igber decided to come to Cal in the first place.

Also, we’ve all heard about how much time, sacrifice, dedication it takes to play Pac-10 football, let alone be a starter – the practice, the training, and weight rooms, the film, the travel. Add to the that the pressure of being the star running back, and you’ve got yourself a full plate that very few have the patience and focus to handle.

On top of even that – to perform at the level that Joe Igber did, to set records and do things on the field no Golden Bear has ever done, while handling that academic workload – it’s just ridiculous.

Joe Igber is that rare combination, the very best of both of Cal’s worlds – an amazing athlete and an impressive scholar. As such, I nominate him for the CGB Hall of Fame.

(Bonus: follow this link for incredible pictures of Joe Igber from Life magazine)

via blogs.suntimes.com

Ta'ufo'ou has done great, gritty things that not many Cal fans will remember, but they're still worth noting. Here's one of Hydro's greatest memories of Will T, having to participate in running drills with the sturdy Golden back.

When Coach K gave the word, I did my best to "burst" off of the line. In my peripheral vision, I saw that Will didn't move when Coach K the word. He paused for perhaps half a second to give me a head start. How kind of Will.

With my head start, I could feel myself putting space between me and Will as I was approaching my top speed and Will was still getting up to his top speed. After passing the first 20 yards, I could hear Will laboring behind me and catching up. For a moment, I thought there was a good chance I might hold him off for the final stretch. But then slowly, I could see Will to my right peripheral right next to me... and then pass me up. It was then, that I was started laughing at myself and pulled up short. Will finished out the 40 and was also laughing at the comedy of the situation. Here we had me, someone who was easily outweighed by Will by a good 80 pounds or so, get beat handidly on a 40 yard dash with a half second head start or so. I mean, by the time I had run 30 yards, Will had already caught up to me and surpassed me. Embarassing? Some might say yes, but I wasn't embarassed or ashamed at all.

Will Ta'ufo'ou Career Highlights from danzig on Vimeo.

Of course, we also have a danzig highlight reel. Definitely one of our meatier matchups in terms of pure awesome content.

For those having trouble viewing the box above, click here to vote.

#5 Sean Lampley vs #12 Matt Biondi

via c2.api.ning.com

For Lampley, as Ohio Bear, said, 4 years at Cal and a Pac-10 POTY. He was balling in Melbourne, Australia, last I checked.

Twist: It was so many years ago, I struggle to remember, but I feel reasonably confident that I attended the game where Lampley broke the Cal scoring record. I remember nothing about it. I just have this feeling. Man, I'm probably making it all up. But if I was there (I was, dammit!) I saw Cal beat WSU and march towards the first NCAA bid in many years.

It was a move that Sean Lampley had made a zillion times in his four years at Cal.

Receiving the ball on the right block, the senior forward spun around his defender and banked a quick shot from the edge of the lane.

But this basket was far from ordinary. With 10:03 left in the game and the noise-level at Haas Pavilion approaching unbearable, Lampley's bucket pushed his career-point total to 1,689-one more than Lamond Murray's 1,688-and gave Lampley the prestigious honor of being Cal's all-time leading scorer.

Yes, Sean Lampley, who would have a rough career in the NBA before going to the Australian Basketball Association. But at Cal, he's still the best. Note this from his Wikipedia page: Lampley ended his career as the only player in school history to rank in the top 10 in points (1,776, 1st), rebounds (889, 4th) and assists (295, 10th).

via news.bbc.co.uk

Finally, let's examine the story on Matt Biondi. Twist has a little anecdote from his youth.

I grew up in Biondi's hometown of Moraga, CA. I swam as a kid at Moraga Valley Pool, his childhood swim team (M-O-R space A-G-A space V-A-L-L space E-Y!), where his brother held all the records. I went to his high school. I went to his college. I think I was even there when they dedicated a rock fountain to him after his Olympics.

Here are two of his most famous races available on YouTube from Seoul: The 50 m freestyle & the 100m butterfly. Biondi is Lane 4 from the bottom race here (and the dialogue is in Spanish). One of these is an epic win, and one of these is an epic loss (what is being a Cal athlete without some heartbreak)? Feel the pathos.

Ok, here is some information on Biondi from Wikipedia:

Early life and athletics

Biondi started his aquatics career as a swimmer and water polo player in his hometown of Moraga, California. As he moved into his teens, his incredible abilities as a sprint swimmer began to emerge. Though he did not start swimming year-round until he started at Campolindo High School, by his senior year Biondi was the top schoolboy sprinter in America with a National High School record of 20.40 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle. He accepted a scholarship to the University of California, Berkeley to swim and play water polo, and enrolled in 1983. In his freshman year, he played on Berkeley's NCAA Championship water polo team, and made the consolation finals at the 1984 NCAA Swimming Championships.

Olympic career

1984 Olympics

The summer of 1984, Biondi surprised the swimming community by qualifying for a spot on the U.S. 4x100 meter freestyle relay at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. The team won the gold medal in a world record time. Returning to Berkeley, Biondi once again played on an NCAA Champion water polo team in the fall and in the winter of 1985 won the first of his 8 individual swimming titles at NCAAs. He would be named NCAA Swimmer of the Year in 1985, 1986, and 1987, and would set several American and NCAA records.

Biondi set the first of his twelve individual swimming World records in 1985. He was the first man to swim the 100-meter freestyle faster than 49 seconds, and by 1988 he owned the ten fastest times swum in that event. He won a total 24 U.S. Championships in the 50, 100, and 200-meter freestyle events, as well as the 100-butterfly. In two World Championships (1986 and 1991), Biondi won 11 medals including six gold. During his career, he was a James E. Sullivan Award Finalist, the UPI Sportsman of the Year, the USOC Sportsman of the Year, and twice the Swimming World magazine Male Swimmer of the World (1986 and 1988).

1988 Olympics

Biondi was involved in perhaps the most notable defeat of any competitor at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. In the 100 metre butterfly final, caught between strokes as he approached the finishing wall, he chose to glide rather than take another stroke, & was pipped by Anthony Nesty of Suriname by 1/100th of a second.

He still managed to win 5 gold, 1 silver & 1 bronze medal at the 1988 Olympics, achieving World records in 4 of those triumphs, 3 in relays & one in the 50 metre freestyle, clocking 22.14 seconds for the sprint 50. This was the third time he had broken or equalled the existing 50 metre freestyle World record.

Biondi's time in the 100 metre freestyle final was the only sub-49.00 second swim of the competition, setting a new Olympic record of 48.63 seconds, the second fastest time in history.

For those having trouble viewing the box above, click here to vote.

CGB Hall of Fame Brackets And First Round Matchups

Avinash — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:30:15 -0000

Here are the bracket announcements. Top half first, bottom half after the jump. Discuss in the comments whether we screwed it up like Meme Madness, bracketology picks, whatever.

Also, if anyone wants to write anything about these guys I can include in the matchup previews (anecdotes, stats, tall tales about the athletes, etc.), put them in the comments and I'll include them.

Oh yes, people, you might notice Mark Bingham is not in the poll. That's because he's automatically in! Our first CGB Hall of Fame inductee! (For more on Bingham, check out his story here).

Note: Sorry Ken, you got in Vinnie Strang just a little too late (plus for whatever reason Twist hates his guts and vetoed him out)!

Quick hits on first round matchups. Times on the bracket are unofficial and are subject to change. Click on the bracket images to enlarge them.

Brick Muller Bracket

#1 Tony Gonzalez vs #16 Hardy Nickerson: One of the greatest football players in Cal & NFL history, versus one of the fiercest defenders in California history.

#8 Rod Benson vs #9 Ryan Anderson: Perhaps the best athlete blogger of his time versus a low post monster in his last year.

#5 Sean Lampley vs #12 Matt Biondi: Pac-10 POTY at hoops and led the Bears to a NIT title. The other one just replicated Mark Spitz in winning seven medals at Seoul--five golds, four world records.

#4 Joe Igber vs #13 Will Ta'ufo'ou: The first is an incredible student athlete with kick-ass photos on Life. The second liked knocking people to the ground.

#3 Geoff Macarthur vs #14 Shareef Abdur-Rahim: The primary weapon of Aaron Rodgers versus an NBA journeyman.

#6 Jack Clark vs #11 Lavelle Hawkins: A rugby legend versus a loveable receiver.

#7 Nnamdi Asomugha vs #10 Craig Stevens: One has risen from the ashes of the Holmoecaust to be a Pro Bowl talent. The other blocked, blocked, blocked, and blocked some more.

#2 Deltha O'Neal vs #15 Thomas Decoud: The favorite is a legend to Cal fans everywhere. The underdog blasted Korey Bosworth to other dimensions.

Joe Kapp Bracket

#1 Natalie Coughlin vs #16 Jon Zuber: One of the most decorated Olympians ever versus a well-loved baseball player.

#8 Kevin Johnson vs #9 Jocelyn Forest: A softball player with an amazing story versus a guy who posterized Hakeem The Dream and became mayor of Sac-town.

#5 Sandy Barbour vs #12 Bob Milano: Our current AD versus our greatest baseball coach.

#4 Zack Follett vs #13 Milica Vuckadinovic: Pain Train needs no introduction. Milica was a pioneer, the best women's hoopster until Ashley Walker came along.

#3 Desean Jackson vs #14 Kyle Boller: Perhaps the greatest receiver in California history versus a QB who got it together under Tedford's watch.

#6 Michelle Granger vs #11 Morgan Beck: The most good-looking of the first round matchups. A softball giant versus an offensive volleyball talent.

#7 Kirk Everist vs #10 Mary Meagher: Water battle! He was and is a water polo king as player and coach (national championships in both). She won gold medals at Los Angeles and set swimming records that lasted nearly two decades.

#2 Marshawn Lynch vs #15 Jeremy Newberry: The underdog is the original version of Alex Mack. I hear Twist really likes the favorite.

Onto the bottom half of the bracket!

Pappy Waldorf Bracket

#1 Jeff Tedford vs #16 Angie Pressey. Our head coach extraordinare goes up against one of our most competitive women's volleyball talents.

#8 Joe Roth vs #9 Robert Jordan. Learn about Roth here. Come back. Jordan was a secondary yet critical element on four straight Golden Bear teams.

#5 Vicky Galindo vs #12 The Play Players. I've fallen in love with our 5 seed. I don't know what to do about it. I've even forgotten what happened at the 1982 Big Game. Someone remind me?

#4 Ashley Walker vs #13 Ben Braun. The greatest women's bball player in Cal history, I'd say. The other guy was here a long time.

#3 JJ Arrington vs #14 Brian Hendrick. Arrington perhaps had the best running season in California history, perhaps Pac-10 history, perhaps college football history (I don't know, you could probably find others, but go back and look at that season again). Other was a solid bball player who came just before the rise of Kidd, so he's sort of fallen through the cracks.

#6 Dante Hughes vs #11 Lamond Murray. One was a great great ballhawk, our finest corner since Deltha. The other was a pure pure scorer who finished off much of Jason Kidd's handiwork.

#7 Mike Pawlawski vs #10 Sean Dawkins. You know how football announcers annoy you with intangibles talk and "how he does all the little things to win"? That's what Mike was about. Dawkins made tough tough catches during our time at Cal.

#2 Leon Powe vs #15 Lorenzo Alexander. Welcome to the Show. For those who've forgotten Alexander, he was one of the main forces that drove the early Tedford defenses of 2002 & 2003.

Pete Newell Brackett

#1 Jason Kidd vs #16 Jeff Kent. Both of these athletes have had long, great careers in the pro leagues. Surprising this is a first round matchup, even more suprising it's 1 vs 16.

#8 Joy Fawcett vs #9 Jerrott Willard. Joy is one of women's soccer's finest. Willard enjoyed destroying people.

#5 Desmond Bishop vs #12 Geno Carlisle. Bishop was the anchor of those 2006 defenses. Carlisle bragged that the only person better than him in Chicago was MJ.

#4 Russell White vs #13 Ed Gray. Perhaps the greatest RB in Cal history goes up against a former Pac-10 player of the year at hoops.

#3 Alex Mack vs #14 Suzi Babos. Mack is self-explanatory. Suzi Babos won Cal's only women's singles title.

#6 Chuck Muncie vs #11 Joe Shipp. Muncie nearly won the Heisman in 1975 if it weren't for that dastardly Archie Griffin. Shipp was a versatile talent on the earlier decade Cal bball teams.

#7 Justin Forsett vs #10 Brian Weathers. Forsett was a steady horse who gave great effort on the field.

#2 Aaron Rodgers vs #15 Camille Leffall: Battle of the hair. Rodgers has always enjoyed his unkempt look. Leffall just looks fabulous, with or without the blond highlights and braids.

There you have it guys. Discuss away!

Poll

Just the Elite 8 get in, or should it be wildcard picks?

Just the Elite 8

28 votes

Wildcard picks

17 votes

45 votes | Poll has closed

Mack to Cleveland, Follett to Detroit, Morrah to Seattle, Ta'ufo'ou to Chicago, Rulon to Denver, Nick to Carolina, Nate to Miami, Felder to SD

Avinash — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:57:43 -0000

via blog.cleveland.com

UPDATE (11:35 AM): Anthony Felder to San Diego!

Scout.com has been told that rookie free agent Anthony Felder has agreed to terms with the San Diego Chargers.

UPDATE (10:35 AM): Nate Longshore has been given an invite to try out with Miami. Hat-tip to Ohio Bear!

Updating a previous report, California QB Nate Longshore will be going to a tryout with the Miami Dolphins instead of the Cincinnati Bengals.

UPDATE (10 AM): I have reports from some website that Nick Sundberg has been signed by the Panthers. Update 12:45 PM--Okanes confirms it.

Danzig has passed this news along after following the wires closely.

Brad Biggs, of the Chicago Sun-Times, reports the Chicago Bears have agreed to terms on a free-agent contract with FB Will Taufoou (California).

Danzig has also gone over to the SBN Chicago Bears blog, Windy City Gridiron to post Will's highlights. Feel free to join him in talking up Ta'ufo'ou!

Thoroughbred also has good news about Rulon. UPDATE (8 AM): Confirmed by Okanes.

Rulon Davis signs with the Broncos. Exactly the right fit for him at SSDE. Very great shot to make the team, given the depth issues the Broncos have…

For Cal fans though, it was perhaps a disappointing draft, considering that we had such high expectations going in as to having several Golden Bears drafted. Rollonubears addressed a concern about having so few prospects getting drafted, and it's worth discussing a little bit in the comments.

This has been a really bad day for Cal. I predict we lose at least 1 potential recruit because of today. A big selling point is the ability to get guys into the NFL. Look at our 3 biggest in conference rivals. They all were in the top 4 for number of players picked. They will use that as a selling point against us. USC obviously has a great reputation in the NFL and their borderline guys will always get drafted. Draft picks mean a lot to recruits. And we only had 3, 2 of those coming in the late 7th round. This day is a setback for the program. A relatively minor one, but still a setback.

I disagreed with this, but maybe other Cal fans think otherwise. So feel free to discuss this in the comments.

Vote in the poll: Do you feel Cal gained or lost anything from the lack of drafted prospects?

After the jump, you'll hear some of the thoughts from the three SBN team blogs that drafted Golden Bears.

via blog.cleveland.com

As the most high profile pick, obviously Alex Mack got the lion's share of the attention. Here's Dawgs by Nature's settled thoughts.

Finally, after all of that ruckus, the Browns settled on selecting C Alex Mack. I love the idea of having Mack, as I stated a couple of days ago in my draft primer. I'm not excited about having to pick him a little earlier than I would've liked, but I'm not going to curse out Kokinis and Mangini for the pick. Hank Fraley was a liability on the line, and now I feel a lot more secure about the development of Brady Quinn heading into this season. We also are in line to have a better line for RB Jamal Lewis to be in front of.

Their simplified dossier on Mack's skills.

A little background on Mack:

2004: Cal red-shirts Mack. 2005: Appears in a back-up role, seeing reps mostly in a mop up duty. 2006-07: Mack starts all 26 games. 2008: He once again starts all 13 games. He wins the Morris Trophy as the best offensive lineman in the Pac-10 (as voted by league's defensive linemen) for the second year in a row, just the third player to receive the award twice.

Simplified scouting report:

6'3 7/8", 311lbs.

Strong with a mean streak

Decent but not elite agility

Over-aggressive if anything in his technique

Personally, I am alright with this pick. I have wanted Mack on the Browns for a while. I love that he didn't drop to the Steelers. I do wonder why we passed on LBs like Rey Maualuga and Clay Matthews III, but at the rate many of them are falling, someone good has got to be there for the 36th pick.

A nice interview of Mack at Cleveland.com (and if you check out the link and read the whole thing you'll find out why he ends up on the ground so much, which it turns out isn't so bad!)

"They put me through a lot," he said. "[Offensive line] coach George Warhop had an offensive line test for me after he tried to teach me stuff. They explained plays to me, distracted me with another interview and then had me come back and see how much I remembered. It was pretty fun."

The test involved filling in Xs and Os to prove he knew the blocking schemes, defensive formations and everyone's assignments.

"I think I missed two [out of about 30 questions]," he said. "I forgot the terminology they use for certain blocks. But I pride myself on being a smart guy."

During his first meeting with the Browns, Mack was put in the pressure cooker by Warhop and other coaches, according to yahoo.com.

"I was on the hot seat," Mack said. "I thought I was going in for a nice chat, and I was completely unprepared. [Warhop] put a play on the screen and started shouting questions, with other people chiming in and murmuring in the background: 'What are you doing on this play? What does the tight end do?' I said, 'I think he's out.' He said, 'You think he's out? Or he is out? Which is it?' It was intense."

But Mack, who earned his degree in legal studies, is working towards his Master's in Education and often brought novels into post-practice ice baths, was up for the mental gymnastics.

via image.examiner.com

Pride of Detroit on the Pain Train.

One position they haven't forgotten about is outside linebacker, as the Lions just drafted another one with the 235th pick. His name is Zack Follett and he played for Cal. It appears that he is a great special teams player based on this scouting reportfrom NFL.com:

Compares To: LARRY IZZO, New York Jets -- Like Izzo, Follett plays like a UFC champion - packs a wallop, but boy can he get out of control. He will at least buy himself time in the NFL based on his stellar special teams play and also as a situational player to disrupt the backfield, but there are a lot of holes in his game, especially in pass coverage. He will likely be on the draft board much longer than most experts predict.

If nothing else it was a fine example of neopolitick, keeping one of the top talents in the draft away from a huge rival.

via cache.gettyimages.com

Finally, Field Gulls on Morrah to Seattle.

Athletic tight end out of Cal. Caught eight touchdowns in just 27 receptions. Might be destined to play wide receiver in the pros. 4.66 forty, 24 reps on the bench, 32.5" vert, 6.99 three cone drill.

Finally, Seattle wrapped it up with three project picks. Nick Reed is a pass rush specialist that needs to get up to NFL speed and NFL size. Courtney Greene is a big upside strong safety that will need time on the practice squad to learn how not be made foolish my NFL offensive coordinators and NFL quarterbacks. Cameron Morrah is an athletic tight end that might play something closer to a wide receiver role in Seattle.

If you have any parting thoughts about the draft, this is the place to voice them!

Poll

How do you feel about only three Golden Bears being drafted?

A major setback in recruiting; young guys are going to say we don't produce talent

21 votes

A minor setback in recruiting; it sucks not having high profile guys up there, but that's just me

121 votes

Not much of an issue; high schoolers don't get influenced by this stuff

24 votes

Who cares? This is about pro teams getting better, not Cal.

16 votes

182 votes | Poll has closed

NFL Draft II Open Thread

Avinash — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 08:39:12 -0000

NFL Draft, Day 2: 10 AM EST, 7 AM PST.

Worrell Williams Highlights from david cutcliff on Vimeo.

Round 1 is up and Alex Mack is on his way to Cleveland, where he will get a chance to duel with old enemies in Rey Maulauga and Keith Rivers at Cincy. It seems around football circles, he was valued more than the highly versatile Duck center Max Unger; Unger wasn't picked until late in the 2nd round to Seattle.

Now we're onto the meat and potatoes. Although the big guns have been hired, the 3rd through 7th rounds can offer so many opportunities at rebuilding a team from the bottom up. Follett and Morrah are the likeliest Bears to be drafted. Worrell, Rulon and Anthony all have shots too. Nate and Will are dark horses. We'll see what happens.

Before clicking through to the comment sections, ponder this question: Which Golden Bear moving on will have the best pro career? Answer this poll and elucidate on your answer in the comments.

After the jump are all the links from yesterday, along with danzig highlight reels for most of the players up for grabs.

Rulon Davis Highlights from bob gregory on Vimeo.

Rulon Davis (Click for Remembering the Seniors Profile)

Interviews: Yahoo Sports, Cal Bears Examiner, The Football Expert, Daily Cal

Profile from Draft Countdown

Strengths: Decent athlete...Great height and bulk...Extremely long arms and big hands...Strong...Powerful tackler...Stout at the point of attack..Does a nice job in pursuit...Has a non-stop motor...Very tough...Hard worker.

Weaknesses: Below average speed and quickness...Is not very explosive and lacks a burst...Raw technician...Not a top pass rusher and repertoire of moves is limited...Durability is a concern...Is older than the average prospect.

Fanbases/teams interested in Rulon: New England, Oakland, Indy, Buffalo (maybe it's just that one fan, fami1y_first who keeps on posting Bears players. Not that I don't mind the coverage...wooo! MORE GOLDEN BEARS IN BUFFALO!)

Wrecking Crew 2008 - Cal's Linebackers from jack bauer on Vimeo.

Zack Follett (click for Remembering the Seniors profile)

Interviews: Daily Cal, Scout, Examiner

Draft Countdown Profile

Strengths:
Very physical with good strength...Reliable tackler...Excellent in pursuit...Does a nice job versus the run...Can take on and shed blockers...Good pass rusher and blitzer...Has a burst to close...Very intense and competitive...A big hitter...Has a non-stop motor...Superb instincts...Hard worker...Tough and durable...Has a lot of special teams potential... Productive and really had a terrific senior campaign.

Weaknesses:
Just average size and bulk...Stiff and not a great athlete...Doesn't play real fast...Has some health and durability concerns...Sub par change of direction skills...Too aggressive at times...Lacks fluid hips...A liability in coverage...Marginal ball skills...Struggles in space ... Limited upside.

Fanbases/teams interested in Follett: San Francisco, Buffalo, Houston, Arizona, Oakland, New Orleans, Indianapolis

Worrell Williams (Click for Remembering the Seniors Profile)

Draft Countdown Profile:

Strengths: Good athleticism...Is quick and agile with a burst...Decent bulk and a solid frame...A reliable tackler...Able to deliver the big hit...Good strength...Works through traffic well...Has a great motor...Intense and competitive...Versatile...Durable and experienced...Good bloodlines.

Weaknesses: Shorter than you'd prefer...Does not have great timed speed...Lacks fluid hips...Average, at best, in coverage...Questionable instincts and awareness...Is too aggressive at times...Has trouble getting off blocks.

Fanbases/teams interested in Worrell: Denver, St. Louis, Cincinnati

Anthony Felder (Click for Remembering the Seniors Profile)

Draft Countdown profile:

Strengths:
Very athletic...Above average speed, agility and quickness...Excellent strength...Reliable tackler...Outstanding range...Intelligent with great instincts and awareness...Smooth in coverage...Offers some positional versatility...Fantastic work ethic...Lots of experience...Still has upside.

Weaknesses:
Does not have the size that you look for...Has trouble taking on and shedding blockers...Marginal pass rush ability...Isn't a big hitter...Does not make many impact plays in coverage...Durability may be an issue.

Fanbases/teams interested in Anthony: Cincinnati

Will Ta'ufo'ou Career Highlights from danzig on Vimeo.

Will Ta'ufo'ou (Click for Remembering the Seniors Profile)

Sports Illustrated Draft Profile:

POSITIVES: Explosive lead blocker who flashes skill handling the ball. Quick off the snap, accelerates into blocks and fundamentally sound. Displays good footwork in pass protection, picks up blitzes and squares into defenders. Gets out front and creates space for running backs. Works hard to finish blocks.

NEGATIVES: Average strength and really does not get much movement run blocking. Looks small for 250 pounds. Rarely asked to handle the ball.

ANALYSIS: Ta'ufo'ou is a hard-working fullback who's also been very effective on special teams in college. He has the skill set to find a home as a number two fullback on a roster, and Ta'ufo'ou presents himself as a special teams demon.

Fanbases/teams interested in Will: Cincinnati

Cameron Morrah (Click for Remembering the Seniors Profile)

Draft Countdown Profile

Strengths:
Very athletic...Good speed and quickness...Soft, reliable hands...Great body control and ball skills...Decent leaper...Runs good routes...Able to separate..Strong...Is not afraid to work the middle...Still has upside.

Weaknesses:
Just average size and bulk...Isn't very elusive and won't do much after the catch...Questionable instincts and awareness...Isn't much of a blocker...Not real tough or physical...Durability...Limited experience.

Fanbases/teams interested in Morrah: Atlanta, Denver, Philadelphia, Detroit, Buffalo (there's a crazy number of Cal fans who are Bills fans too, weird)

Nate Longshore (Click for Remembering the Seniors Profile)

Stories on Longshore: CC Times, Examiner

Tom Schneider (Click for Remembering the Seniors Profile): Plus our interview with him! And my old interview with him!

Jordan Kay (Click for Remembering the Seniors Profile)

Poll

Which Golden Bear moving on will have the best pro career?

Nate Longshore

9 votes

Will Ta'ufo'ou

12 votes

Alex Mack

151 votes

Anthony Felder

0 votes

Zack Follett

18 votes

Cameron Morrah

4 votes

Worrell Williams

2 votes

Rulon Davis

1 votes

Another Cal senior

4 votes

201 votes | Poll has closed

NFL Draft Open Thread

Avinash — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 07:30:09 -0000

This post is for discussing this weekend's NFL Draft. If the thread gets huge on Day 1 we can probably split it into two threads for each day. Any NFL fans wandering by after Cal players get drafted are welcome to comment too!

For Cal fans with NFL allegiances, you're free to speculate about which players your team is interested in, who you believe they should pick, how happy or disgusted you are with your team's picks, and how Mel Kiper's hair could be used as a biological weapon.

For those not terribly interested in where everyone ends up but just that they get drafted, this is one last chance to reminicise about seniors. Which senior will you miss the most? Which senior do you think the Bears will miss the most, based on their importance to the team? And is there anything wrong with the draft profiles on our players?

Here are some brief predictions of where some of our players can go by people (i.e. SBNation NFL blogs) who follow this stuff way more closely than me.

After Alex Mack, the jump takes us to the rest of the players who are in the draft mix and see which fanbases have expressed interest in them (the description is more detailed for Mack since he's the only one going on Day 1; after that it becomes essentially a crapshoot).

Alex Mack (click for Remembering the Seniors profile)

via www.calbearsonline.com

Interviews: Scout, Yahoo Sports

Draft Countdown Profile

Strengths:
Ideal size and bulk...Extremely smart...Decent athlete with good agility and quickness...Physical and aggressive...Nasty with a killer instinct and always finishes plays...Great technician who understands angles and leverage...Outstanding awareness...Very strong and powerful and is a monster in the weight room...Above average mobility...Hard worker...Tough and durable... Has a lot of experience.

Weaknesses:
Does not have great balance and spends too much time on the ground...A little stiff in the hips...Not real light on his feet...Shorter arms than you'd prefer...Can be too aggressive at times...Will get out of control ... Susceptible to being overwhelmed by massive defenders

Bruce Feldman

Alex Mack, Cal, C: I know some teams prefer Oregon's Max Unger to Mack in part because the Bear spends too much time on the ground. Some of the Pac-10 defensive tackles I've spoken to in the past say Mack was the better player. My hunch is that Mack will start in the NFL for close to a decade. He is a former standout wrestler with great flexibility and more than enough bulk to anchor the middle.

Fanbases really interested in Mack: Buffalo (don't forget we did an interview with them about Mack), Arizona, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Miami

Fanbases not interested: Seattle, Detroit, Kansas City

Most mock drafts have him going to...Pittsburgh with the 32nd pick (Big Blue View (Giants), Canal Street Chronicles (Saints), Don Banks of SI, Sports Agents Blog, Mocking the Draft, Music City Miracles (Titans), Stampede Blue (Colts), Mile High Report (Broncos), Niners Nation (49ers), Walter Football). Quite pleasing if this happens.

Dark horses: Peter King has him going to Minnesota, which means he's not. Mel Kiper has him in Cincy in the 2nd round, I think. Michael Abromowitz of the Football Expert believes he's the second surest prospect in the draft. Nevertheless, Mike Maycock believes Max Unger is a better pick because of his versatility, or whatever.

Zack Follett (click for Remembering the Seniors profile)

via cdn2.sbnation.com

Interviews: Daily Cal, Scout, Examiner

Draft Countdown Profile

Strengths:
Very physical with good strength...Reliable tackler...Excellent in pursuit...Does a nice job versus the run...Can take on and shed blockers...Good pass rusher and blitzer...Has a burst to close...Very intense and competitive...A big hitter...Has a non-stop motor...Superb instincts...Hard worker...Tough and durable...Has a lot of special teams potential... Productive and really had a terrific senior campaign.

Weaknesses:
Just average size and bulk...Stiff and not a great athlete...Doesn't play real fast...Has some health and durability concerns...Sub par change of direction skills...Too aggressive at times...Lacks fluid hips...A liability in coverage...Marginal ball skills...Struggles in space ... Limited upside.

Fanbases/teams interested in Follett: San Francisco, Buffalo, Houston, Arizona, Oakland, New Orleans, Indianapolis

Cameron Morrah (Click for Remembering the Seniors Profile)

via cache.daylife.com

Draft Countdown Profile

Strengths:
Very athletic...Good speed and quickness...Soft, reliable hands...Great body control and ball skills...Decent leaper...Runs good routes...Able to separate..Strong...Is not afraid to work the middle...Still has upside.

Weaknesses:
Just average size and bulk...Isn't very elusive and won't do much after the catch...Questionable instincts and awareness...Isn't much of a blocker...Not real tough or physical...Durability...Limited experience.

Fanbases/teams interested in Morrah: Atlanta, Denver, Philadelphia, Detroit, Buffalo (there's a crazy number of Cal fans who are Bills fans too, weird)

Rulon Davis (Click for Remembering the Seniors Profile)

via cdn1.sbnation.com

Interviews: Yahoo Sports, Cal Bears Examiner, The Football Expert, Daily Cal

Profile from Draft Countdown

Strengths: Decent athlete...Great height and bulk...Extremely long arms and big hands...Strong...Powerful tackler...Stout at the point of attack..Does a nice job in pursuit...Has a non-stop motor...Very tough...Hard worker.

Weaknesses: Below average speed and quickness...Is not very explosive and lacks a burst...Raw technician...Not a top pass rusher and repertoire of moves is limited...Durability is a concern...Is older than the average prospect.

Worrell Williams (Click for Remembering the Seniors Profile)

via cache.daylife.com

Draft Countdown Profile:

Strengths: Good athleticism...Is quick and agile with a burst...Decent bulk and a solid frame...A reliable tackler...Able to deliver the big hit...Good strength...Works through traffic well...Has a great motor...Intense and competitive...Versatile...Durable and experienced...Good bloodlines.

Weaknesses: Shorter than you'd prefer...Does not have great timed speed...Lacks fluid hips...Average, at best, in coverage...Questionable instincts and awareness...Is too aggressive at times...Has trouble getting off blocks.

Fanbases/teams interested in Worrell: Denver, St. Louis, Cincinnati

Will Ta'ufo'ou (Click for Remembering the Seniors Profile)

via www.dailycal.org

Sports Illustrated Draft Profile:

POSITIVES: Explosive lead blocker who flashes skill handling the ball. Quick off the snap, accelerates into blocks and fundamentally sound. Displays good footwork in pass protection, picks up blitzes and squares into defenders. Gets out front and creates space for running backs. Works hard to finish blocks.

NEGATIVES: Average strength and really does not get much movement run blocking. Looks small for 250 pounds. Rarely asked to handle the ball.

ANALYSIS: Ta'ufo'ou is a hard-working fullback who's also been very effective on special teams in college. He has the skill set to find a home as a number two fullback on a roster, and Ta'ufo'ou presents himself as a special teams demon.

Fanbases/teams interested in Will: Cincinnati

Anthony Felder (Click for Remembering the Seniors Profile)

via blog.oregonlive.com

Draft Countdown profile:

Strengths:
Very athletic...Above average speed, agility and quickness...Excellent strength...Reliable tackler...Outstanding range...Intelligent with great instincts and awareness...Smooth in coverage...Offers some positional versatility...Fantastic work ethic...Lots of experience...Still has upside.

Weaknesses:
Does not have the size that you look for...Has trouble taking on and shedding blockers...Marginal pass rush ability...Isn't a big hitter...Does not make many impact plays in coverage...Durability may be an issue.

Fanbases/teams interested in Anthony: Cincinnati

Nate Longshore (Click for Remembering the Seniors Profile)

Stories on Longshore: CC Times, Examiner

Tom Schneider (Click for Remembering the Seniors Profile): Plus our interview with him! And my old interview with him!

Jordan Kay (Click for Remembering the Seniors Profile)

Poll

Which departing Cal player will you miss the most?

Nate Longshore

17 votes

Alex Mack

48 votes

Zack Follett

96 votes

Cameron Morrah

1 votes

Rulon Davis

2 votes

Worrell Williams

2 votes

Will Ta'ufo'ou

20 votes

Anthony Felder

4 votes

Jordan Kay

1 votes

Tom Schneider

2 votes

Another senior (Sean Young, Norris Malele, Nick Sundberg, etc.)

2 votes

195 votes | Poll has closed

Remembering the Seniors: Will Ta'ufo'ou

HydroTech — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:30:10 -0000

via imgs.sfgate.com

TwistNHook: We thought we should go senior by senior and take a gander at their Cal career. Some photos. Some videos. Some stats. And if HydroTech has any personal stories of his time with the team, he'd share them. We did Nate Longshore months ago, because Twist screwed up the scheduling. Also, he's so dreamy! And we just did Alex Mack.

Today, we do Will Ta'ufo'ou.

TwistNHook: Honestly, Will T is one of the unsung heroes of Cal football. The FB inevitably toils in near-anonymity, only really recognized when he misses a key block or after his yearly touchdown reception. But unlike Arizona's Will T, Cal's Will T really fulfilled his potential.

Read this from a Chron article a few months back:

Ta'ufo'ou has spent his college career shunning praise. He arrived as a non-scholarship player, has performed through major injuries and has done his best to hide his face while the holes he has created have induced dancing in the end zone.

Ta'ufo'ou was offered one scholarship - to Portland State - although he was the West Catholic Athletic League Player of the Year while at St. Francis in 2003. He was a feature back in high school, but was told he wouldn't carry the ball in college.

He accepted it all, and his quiet significance might have proven best last season.

He was supposed to accept a spot on the bench when he tore his posterior cruciate ligament in training camp and was predicted to miss 3-6 weeks. He was supposed to miss another three weeks when his medial collateral ligament faltered in Week 4, and his high-ankle sprain in Week 8 was supposed to end his season.

Instead, he played.

To really understand Will T, you don't need to look at his numbers, which include a peak of 11 attempts in one season:

Year	G-GS	No.	Yds.	Yds/C	TD	Long
2005	11-0	0	0	0.0	0	0
2006	13-1	1	2	2.0	0	2
2007	13-4	11	52	5.8	0	14
2008	13-8	4	26	6.5	0	21
Totals	49-13	16	80	5.0	0	21

You really have to look at the RBs overall numbers. Marshawn. Forsett. Best. Vereen. All great running backs, but all great running backs who owe Will T a lot of credit.

Avinash: Football to war analogies aren't my favorite (just because it feels so serious), but it's the best I could come up with: A fullback is like the guy who provides cover fire while the other guys go off outflanking and doing hero shit. He'll never take you down directly, but he opens the path for others to take you down. It's inglorious, but unselfish. That's Ta'ufo'ou for you. Being great without many noticing he's even there.

TwistNHook: So far, Avinash, you've given us similes, metaphors, and analogies. What other turns of phrases can we expect from you?

Avinash: I had good English teachers. The system works!

HydroTech: I wish Will got more TDs, or at least got more touches He was such a tireless worker and never complained. He did his job, did his job well, and was a team player. For all that he's done, I would have really liked to have seen him rewarded with more TDs or perhaps a few more carries. But of course, if Will was running with the ball, then we'd have one less blocker out on the field, and one less great blocker. So the fact that Will got so few carries makes sense, although I'm sure we all wish he got a few more touches.

Avinash: One of the things with Will was how his teammates raved about him. Usually when there are cancers in the locker room you don't look at what guys say about their teammates, you look at what they don't say, or the hidden meaning behind their statements.

There was no hidden meaning behind the way players raved about Will.

TwistNHook: We'll definitely remember Will T, because the drop off at his position might be the largest. There are DLinemen to take over for Rulon Davis and QBs to take over for Nate Longshore. But our new FB or FBs is slash are going to be brand new to the position. Nobody expects that they will make us forget Will T, but hopefully they will minimize our wistfullness somewhat.

HydroTech: Let's talk pro prospectus. I think Will is probably a 7th round pick to undrafted free agent. It's possible that one out of the 32 NFL teams will value Will enough to use a small 7th round pick to secure his rights. What do other people think?

Avinash: Undrafted. Fullbacks are a dime a dozen. And no one likes to commit to them until they're sure they have a winner.

I shouldn't say they're easy to get, but no one wants to pay them unless they're a sure thing.

I'd love to see him get drafted though. Maybe he'll get the Tedford Bump.

Yellow Fever: It's difficult to project a fullback getting drafted if he hasn't shown that he can at least carry the ball on occasion or catch the ball in the flat every now and then. Willie T hasn't shown he can do that - of course, he hasn't been given the opportunity to do that, but even Chris Manderino used to get the odd handoff up the middle here and there when Marshawn was around. There's a reason for the disparity, and it's not a good one.

HydroTech: Keep in mind there are like 60 picks in the 7th round of the NFL draft due to compensatory picks. Furthermore, spending a draft pick on a player, especially a low draft pick, is hardly binding or expensive. I wouldn't be surprised if Will doesn't get drafted, but then again, I wouldn't be surprised if a team throws out a lowly 7th round pick to secure his rights.

Avinash: From a Cal Pro Day Analysis (subscription) : "Fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou does not suffer from a lack of talent, but could go undrafted, because not that many teams use a fullback on a consistent basis"

via www.mybearterritory.com

That's the main problem that he faces. Fullbacks are not in high demand in the pros.

HydroTech: I agree completely. And unfortunately, I don't think Will has much value outside of fullback - such on special teams. I don't recall him participating on Cal's special teams very much at all if at all.

Avinash: Yes. However, if teams are interested in a specalist, someone who can provide one particular function (great downfield and power blocking), they should consider him. Cal's running game, regardless of wins or losses, was always at the top of the country (13th, 14th, 5th the pass three seasons), and he was one of the biggest reasons for it. Him and Mack will be missed. 13th/14th/5th referred to YPC.

This is a good sign.

Danzig's Highlight Video:

HydroTech's memories of Will Ta'ufo'ou:

My first big memory of Will Ta'ufo'ou occurred during the summer of 2006. It was the off-season and the team was conditioning with Coach K (Krasinski) around the stadium. Some days they would run the benches in the stadium. Other days they'd run the small concrete steps at the top of the stadium, or do agility drills on the field. Every once in a while they'd also run 40 yard dashes on the inclined loading ramp on the north side of Memorial Stadium. It was there, at the loading ramp that my first memorable moment occurred.

Like most summer days, it was hot but with all the trees around the loading ramp on the north end of the stadium the players stayed cool in the shade. The players were practicing running 40 yard dashes in pairs. Two players would line up on the narrow loading ramp, and upon the word of Coach K, would burst off the line and race 40 yards up the loading ramp incline. Most of the players would match up against players of similar positions. Thus, LBs, TEs, FBs, and QBs raced each other. CBs, WRs, and safeties raced each other. DL-men raced OL guys.

via blog.mlive.com

On this day, there was only a small group of players - not more than 10. And on this day, there was an odd number of players.

I was by the starting line with the team trainer, and Coach K watching him give the players the word when to go. Pair after pair went off the ramp in 10 second intervals. Finally, Will Ta'ufo'ou stepped to the line all by himself. Coach K asked him if he was ready and was about to yell "go" when Will said he had nobody to race.

Normally, when there are an odd number of players the odd man just goes by himself. But I guess today Will wanted someone to race. He then turned to me, and said "[HydroTech], come on!"

I was a bit unsure. Never has a player invited me to really join in the training. I looked to Coach K for approval. He shrugged, didn't seem to care and said to get on the starting line.

Now as I was approaching the starting line, I was going through in my head this matchup. Here we had Will Ta'ufo'ou, a hefty 240 pounds or so versus me - a person more resembling Robert Jordan or Desean Jackson. Any reasonable person would probably say that Will Ta'ufo'ou had no chance. But while my body type resembled the speedy Robert Jordan or Desean Jackson, I definitely wasn't nearly as fast or even remotely as fast. Sure I played sports a lot as a kid and as a teen, but that was a while ago. I wasn't a football player or had been training pretty much all around the year like the Cal Football players. So as I stepped to the line and got into a two point stance next to Will crouching in a three point stance, I knew this would end with me losing.

When Coach K gave the word, I did my best to "burst" off of the line. In my peripheral vision, I saw that Will didn't move when Coach K the word. He paused for perhaps half a second to give me a head start. How kind of Will.

With my head start, I could feel myself putting space between me and Will as I was approaching my top speed and Will was still getting up to his top speed. After passing the first 20 yards, I could hear Will laboring behind me and catching up. For a moment, I thought there was a good chance I might hold him off for the final stretch. But then slowly, I could see Will to my right peripheral right next to me... and then pass me up. It was then, that I was started laughing at myself and pulled up short. Will finished out the 40 and was also laughing at the comedy of the situation. Here we had me, someone who was easily outweighed by Will by a good 80 pounds or so, get beat handidly on a 40 yard dash with a half second head start or so. I mean, by the time I had run 30 yards, Will had already caught up to me and surpassed me. Embarassing? Some might say yes, but I wasn't embarassed or ashamed at all.

via www.dailycal.org

It was then that I realized how in-shape so many of these players were. Sure they looked big, muscular, and slow when you're watching from the stands but as soon as you get into their world and play against them (or in my case merely "run" against them), you see how fast they really are.

So that's my big memory of Will Tau'ufo'ou. I raced him in a 40 yard dash. He gave me a half second head start and by 30 yards he had already passed me up.

My second big memory of Will Tau'ufo'ou occurred during the spring practices. During practices, there are a pair of periods ("period" meaning one time block of 5 minutes or so during the entire practice which can consist of 25 periods or so) where the walkon QBs, TEs, RBs, and FBs practice offense against the LBs (the scholarship QBs are off working with the OC).

This is a slightly less intense period with lots of offensive players rotating in and out for those few snaps thus there are a lot of players just standing around and watching.

Will wasn't in this particular rotation for a moment so I walked up to him. I had a question about some of Cal's offensive terminology. I figured I'd ask him since he wasn't doing much other than just watching the players in the rotation. So I went up to him and asked him what's the difference between [term redacted] versus [term redacted]. He explained the difference to me.

Nearby I could see now-graduated Cal runningback Marcus O'Keith listening to our conversation and giving me an inquisitive look - presumably because he was surprised I knew some of the terminology. Will, apparently, had that same surprise. He asked me how I knew what those terms mean. I explained that it was pretty easy to pick up on those things since they have the playcall terminology on a whiteboard for the entire offense to view when they're not on the field in the play (thus those players know what play is being run and can take a mental rep).

Then, who else bounded and bounced over was BEAST MODE (Marshawn Lynch) himself. He had just gotten out of the rotation and had overheard some of the conversation. Will called him over, "Hey, Money, check it out he knows some of the terminology." I gave a quick glance over at Coach Gould. He apparently had heard Will. I was a bit nervous because I wasn't sure what one of the coaches would think if someone other than the players and the coaches knew the terminology. Coach Gould gave a glance over towards us but then looked back down at his script to set up the next snap.

via www.dailycal.org

BEAST MODE came up to me and in his goofy high pitched voice asked me, "You know what that means?" He nodded towards the white board with the terminology of each snap on it. I nodded. BEAST MODE wanted to test me. "What's [terminology redacted] mean?" BEAST MODE was looking over at the white board with the upcoming plays terminology. I answered, "playaction left, fullback running a [name of route redacted] right." BEAST MODE gave out a long high pitched expressive "Oooooo-eeeeeee" in surprise then laughed, and bounced off somewhere else only to return a moment later. "Hey, you're hella smart, huh? You're some genius, huh?" I laughed and said that I wasn't. BEAST MODE didn't seem to believe my answer. "You're some sort of genius," he again asserted.

During the rest of the period BEAST MODE seemed truly impressed with the revelation that I knew some of the terminology. He bounded around the rest of the period from various small groups of other offensive players in this drill telling them the news. Finally, BEAST MODE bounded over to me one last time. "Hey, what's this mean?" and giving me a hand signal. It was one of the numerical digits hand signs that the QBs use to signal in plays. I couldn't remember if it was for the number five or six. I told BEAST MODE I didn't know. He responded, "It means five," then gave out a playful laugh and teased, "See, I know something you don't!"

Cal Fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou to visit Cincinnati

Kirkendall — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:13:50 -0000

Some people claim that Mike Brown specifically reaches out to troubled players, calling him a redeemer. One reason is that players with character issues are much cheaper, because there's no demand so they'll take anything. It's a fair point, I suppose, but I usually let others beat that drum. Another group of players that the Bengals keep looking at, this off-season specifically, are people that requires some time, effort and an update to respected spell checks on computers to learn how to spell their name. Laveranues isn't all that complicated, but you type with a slight stutter, just to make sure your got it. And you spell check that anyway, but confidence isn't really that high. It took me 54 months to type Houshmandzadeh's name effortlessly.

The Bengals looked at fullback Naufahu Tahi. Granted, his last name is easier, but typically I like to fill out a player's name at least once in each post before going into last-name only basis. That's just how it's done -- respect or something. I don't know.

Anyway, I'm really making no sense and rambling like an idiot on a first date with a hot chick.

The Cincinnati Bengals have scheduled a visit with Cal Fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou, who is 5'11 and 253 pounds. Will has carried the ball 32 times in his career for 160 yards rushing. An old San Francisco Chronicle piece featured the fullback.

There's one seemingly unknown consistency in Cal's running game: senior fullback Will Ta'ufo'ou.

"He means everything to our offense," running backs coach Ron Gould said. "I think he's one of the most underrated fullbacks in the country."

All Ta'ufo'ou has done is pave the way for Justin Forsett's 1,546-yard season last year and the ridiculous rushing numbers Cal has compiled in two weeks this season.

All Ta'ufo'ou has done is perform at an All-America level and then silently limp back to the huddle for his next assignment.

"He's invaluable to this team, beyond what he does as a blocker," senior fullback Zack Smith said. "The way he practices every day and the way he works in the weight room commands your respect.

"You have to be somewhat selfless to play the position, but good fullbacks realize that there is something intrinsically rewarding about it."