SB Nation User Blog: HydroTech

The Daily Cal Interviews Aaron Rodgers

HydroTech — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:24:05 -0000

The Daily Cal Interviews Aaron Rodgers

An excellent interview with one of Cal's greatest QBs. Here's a sample of some great quotes:

"I've had parents send photo albums of their daughters out to me. Also to my parents out in California. With letters attached telling either myself or them why I should be dating their daughter. A lot of parents just trying to pawn their daughters off on me."

and

"I'm like wanting to watch Cal, UCLA, some of these big games going on, but we never get them. Occasionally Cal will be on TBS or play on ABC, but usually we get really bad regional coverage out here and I have to watch one of those boring Midwest games."

Emerald Bowl Review: Part II: Mack Gets Beat

HydroTech — Fri, 22 May 2009 05:20:49 -0000

In this second part of a twelve post analysis, we're going to look at Cal's early problems with execution. In case you missed the previous installment, here is Part I.

Most football fans love to criticize the complex parts of football when something goes wrong. The typically criticism when something goes wrong is "the playcalling sucks," or "they need to throw the ball deep more," or "they need to change cleats to get better traction." Cal fans are no different. Many times when something goes wrong, everything from global warming to the depression is cited as a reason for Cal's failure. But there is always a simpler answer: EXECUTION.

Like the Nike slogan: just do it.

Win the individual battles. If the players on the field all win their individual battles, the play's likelihood of success will go up exponentially.

Here is the pre-snap look below:

Cal is faced with a 3rd and 14. Cal has 11 personnel on the field (3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 RB). Cal will most likely pass the ball.

Here is the post-snap picture. The person to look at here is the center, Alex Mack. As an offensive lineman, you typically want your shoulders parallel to the line of scrimmage. Or in other words, you want to keep your back to the quarterback. In even more words, you don't want to face your quarterback, nor do you want to get yourself turned so the quarterback is to your left or right such that a line from your shoulder to your other shoulder points to the QB. The reason for this technique requirement is to maintain the pocket. By getting yourself turned, you lose power to sustain the block and allow for the pocket to collapse.

In the picture above, I've drawn a line through Mack's shoulders. I've also drawn an arrow from Mack showing which way he is facing. As you can see, Mack is not facing forward and away from his quarterback. His shoulders are not parallel to the line of scrimmage. Instead, his shoulders are almost perpendicular to the line of scrimmage. Mack has gotten turned by his defensive assignment and is losing his individual battle.

Cal's quarterback, Longshore, most quickly dispose of the ball to have a chance at the first down. Alex Mack has fallen down and is hidden behind Miami's defensive end, Cal's right guard, and Cal's right tackle.

Longshore throws the ball (ball highlighted yellow). Ross is the receiver. The pass is broken up due to excellent coverage.

Below are additional angles showing the collapse of the pocket.

Above is the post-snap picture. Everything is fine right now.

Here is where things start going bad. Mack has been turned and his shoulders are no longer parallel to the line of scrimmage. Cal's guards also do not have their shoulders parallel to the line of scrimmage however the rule applies less strictly to them since defensive lineman will often speed rush to the outside requiring adjustment. Furthermore, the guards are not the center who must maintain the front wall of the pocket to allow the quarterback to step up into the pocket. In other words, the guards can turn their shoulders and the repercussions are less harmful because the quarterback can step up into the pocket (thus the QB is behind the guards, and not to the side of the guards).

In this view it is quite clear that Mack has gotten beat. Longshore does have some room to step up to his front-left, but all the routes are going to his right thus going to his left would have significantly decreased the chances of completing a pass. Furthermore, had Longshore ran to his left (viewer's right), and attempted a pass to one of the receivers on his right, he would have broken the cardinal rule of not throwing against the direction of your moment.

This play was Cal's 3rd play of the game and because Cal failed to convert the first down, Cal went three-and-out on their first drive. The first play of the game also failed due to execution problems. The first play of the game was a playaction pass that was slightly high and off the hands of the intended WR.

Conclusion:

Beyond all the other more complex reasons why a team might lose a game are the little reasons: execution. A team doesn't need the most cutting-edge gameplan or scheme to defeat an opponent. Nor do they need a genius offensive coordinator or tons of NFL talent. If you just execute you can win that play and win the game.

Emerald Bowl Review: Part I: Miami Blitzes the A-Gap

HydroTech — Fri, 22 May 2009 04:09:21 -0000

Brief Intro Note from HydroTech:

First of all, I would like to apologize for the tardiness of these posts. I had hoped to begin these in at the start of June, just like I did with the Armed Forces Bowl Review series last year. Unfortunately, I have had much less time this summer than I expected.

When I did start working on this series, I noticed a disappointing trend in my drafts. The plays I wanted to write about were not good plays, but bad plays. Plays where Cal's offensive players made mistakes, and the team paid for those individual mistakes. While football is a team game, it's a team game made up of small individual battles all over the field. These individual battles make up the team. A team can only be as strong as it's weakest link. If all the players aren't weak, and execute to perfection, then the team should prevail over the other team. But if merely one player loses his individual battle, the entire team can fail. Unfortunately, I saw a lot of that during this game. The more I watched the game, more lucky I felt that the Cal offense was so lucky to have such a great defense to help them keep the game manageable. Similarly, I felt like the entire team was incredibly lucky for having a 1st Round NFL talent at runningback who could take the rock to the house when everything did go right on the field. I think that without the defense holding down Miami's offense throughout most of the game, I don't think Cal's offense could have scored enough to match Miami. Likewise, if it wasn't for Best's home run ability, the Cal offense would have been forced to sustain methodical drives which isn't desirable (in most situations), and something the Cal offense might not have been able to do.

Anyways, the purpose of this series is to just show the casual fans some things which they might have missed when they watched the Emerald Bowl on TV, or from the stands, or even after the 528th viewing. I think this series will be a little less technical than last year's series, but I hope you still find it worth reading.

***************************

In this first part of a twelve post analysis, we're going to look at Miami's defensive strategy on passing downs.

Here is the pre-snap look below:

This is the second play of the game. Cal is facing a 2nd and 10. Cal has 11 personnel on the field (3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 RB). The QB is in shotgun. Cal appears to be showing that they are going to pass on this down because the QB is in shotgun, and Cal has 3 WRs on the field (Cal has a very heavy tendency to pass when 3 WRs are on the field).

Above is the post-snap picture. Miami is pass-rushing with their four defensive linemen, a defensive back off the off the edge (on the offense's left), and a linebacker (who is circled). The linebacker is attacking the A-gap. The A-gap is the space between the center and the guard. In this case, the linebacker is attacking through the left A-gap, meaning the gap between the center and the left guard. Because the center, Alex Mack, is already pre-occupied with his assignment and the left guard, Boskovich, is pre-occupied with his assignment the Miami linebacker is going unblocked into the backfield.

In this case, the play is actually a run play. Specifically the play is a draw - a run play that starts off looking like a pass play to fool the defense into thinking it's pass to open up running lanes. Unfortunately, Miami's defense and Cal's offense playcall are a recipe for disaster (for Cal) and allows a Miami defender into the backfield untouched (circled above).

The play results in a four yard loss. Although Miami's defense was probably suspecting a pass, the fact that Cal was running the ball does not change the fact that Miami is already showing their hand on how they are going to pressure the QB on passing downs. Miami, as in the play here, is going to blitz the A-gap.

It is not surprising that they are using this strategy. Blitzing the A-gap gets quick pressure on the QB, and even better, gets the pressure directly in his face. Most quarterbacks, when confronted with pressure in their face throw off their back foot leading to weak and lofty passes ripe for the picking (getting intercepted). Cal's quarterback, Longshore, shares this typical flaw. In the past, when Longshore has been presented with pressure from the center of the pocket and in his face, he has been reluctant to step up into the pocket and instead passes off his back foot without stepping into his throws.

As an offensive coordinator, this would be your first big clue into how Miami's defense is going to operate in the future.

Cal's odds of winning the 2010 BCS National Championship: 45:1.

HydroTech — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:50:10 -0000

Cal's odds of winning the 2010 BCS National Championship: 45:1.

DBD 06.24.09 Cal's Odds are 45:1

HydroTech — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:54:00 -0000

via www.visitingdc.com

So I found myself in Vegas this last weekend. Not really sure how I got there. The whole ride there was sort of blurry and I woke up in the trunk of a car at the Bellagio valet.

Not too long ago Fever put down bets on the Eagles, Cal, and the Nets (i think) to bring home the hardware this upcoming season (he said he should have parlayed those bets I think he should have too). I figured I ought to do something of the same.

So I meandered my way around the strip in the 100 degree weather, and stumbled upon the sportsbook.

I checked the odds for the BCS.

The top three in order were:

1. Florida 3:1

2. Texas (don't remember the odds)

3. USC (don't remember the odds).

....

...

I forgot what number Cal was on the list, but our odds had gone up (more likely to win) from the opening odds. I think we were like 60:1 at first, but now... we're at 45:1.

Here's a picture of my winning ticket with the sensitive information blocked out:

Yeah, that's right. I did it. If you really can't read the image above it says:

$20 straight bet. Odds to win 2010 BCS Champ. 3022 (bet #) California. 45/1. Win $900 to pay $920.

Ohio State was #4 I think, then Oklahoma or something. I should have just brought the odds sheet home.

***************************

Rollonubears was flagged for:

Flagged for being alive;
I HAT CANADA

SpazzyMcGee was flagged for:

flagged for being flagged by Rishi;
I LOVE MY INDIA;
flagged for not liking Lagaan, best movie ever. Slut.

HydroTech was flagged for:

We should play a game where if you say the word flag you get flagged. That isn't the worst idea evair.

being realistic when all we want is entertainment. damn you, i want entertainment. it took you two months to read my last legitimate flag, you're telling me there hasn't been anything new or funny since then?

flagged for posting flags of spam. it's just as bad. you're letting the terrorists win.

moooo

zombies

Flagged for having a silly name.

Rags was flagged for:

flagged for saying 'flag' three times in one post

In response to Bearstage asking if people actually flag posts when they say "flagged," and how he/she doesn't flag despite saying "flagged," Bearstage was flagged for:

Flagged for saying "flagged for…" without actually flagging. How many times do we have to go over this people?

TwistNHook was flagged for:

He had it coming.

I will judge you and you can't stop it.

this poster gremlin is getting all uppity about keeping the inanity of DBDs and now he has the CO JONES to try and green up the legit posts? WELL SLAP MY BALLS AND CALL ME SALLY.

Am I weird for never seeing A Troll in Central Park? I mean, I know what the movie is, but it's come up in conversation twice in the past week and people look at me like I haven't seen the Godfather. It's just strange...

Flagged for being a jerk to people unfamiliar with SBN. Like you've never had a reply fail.

I'm a puppet.

INAPPROPRIATE! Rec'd cannot lost to Dumpster Muffin. I demand a rigged election!

crass and vulgar. funny, but crass and vulgar.

LOL TWIST IS WHIPPED

Flagged for Ted Strickland reference. Not that I have anything against Ted Strickland, but it just seemed like something that should be flagged.

Do me a favor and mill my eyes out with a spoon.

Your inability to understand the lowering-the-bar joke means we have to lower the bar even further in an attempt to humor you, great master. You have brought this upon yourself. Do not force us to resort to honk jokes and nailed-its.

you sick fuck

There are only 2 acceptable ways to spell the name of "that school": 1. Stanfurd 2. stanfurd (preferred, as they are unworthy of capitalization) GET IT RIGHT!

Rated-R Superstar was flagged for:

F U ALCOHOL IS AWESOME

Holmoephobe was flagged for:

[reason deleted by hydrotech]

AERose was flagged for:

Thou shalt not disgrace In N Out. Bak Bak will strike upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to slander and demean those burgers.

Carp was flagged for:

Twist is not funny ever. Especially right then.

Our eyes met across the crowded flag brothel. I, a customer, and her, a flag whore. So I pursued, and she withdrew, and she pursued and I withdrew. And so we danced. And I burned for her... ...Much like the burning during urination I would experience soon thereafter.

HOW CAN YOU LET TWIST BE MORE MANLY THAN YOU SLUT

Chowder was flagged for:

That bizarre humanoid toad ain't got nothin' on real toads. Chowder has been licking some psychedelic hypnotoads if he thinks Toadman is better than real toads.

toadfails cannot be rec'd. I read that somewhere in SBNation's terms of service. Trust me.

Note from HydroTech:

(1) There were a few really funny ones, but the reason why they were funny was because they were vulgar and potentially offensive despite being just for fun, therefore, just to be safe they weren't posted above.

(2) I only post the not-serious flags. We at the CGB do take flagging seriously so we will never post REAL flags that are legitimately complaining about something. Thus don't be afraid to use the flag feature to give us legitmate flag feedback. If, on the other hand, you use the flag feature to joke around and send us funny little messages that only the mods can see, well, we might post those here and there.

Poll

Cal's odds of winning the BCS are 45:1. What do you think the odds should be?

DBD 06.18.09 That's a nice watch

HydroTech — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:22:31 -0000

(First four polls of the Hall of Fame have wrapped up: Our first two second round matchups will be Tony Gonzalez vs. Ryan Anderson, Joe Igber vs. Matt Biondi)

So I was looking through yesterday's DBD when I saw this fabulous picture:

via i41.tinypic.com

INSTANTLY, my first thought when I saw this picture and thought:

"My goodness. That... is... one... nice...... WATCH!"

Really, that's a nice looking watch that this person (who is she???) is wearing. That got me thinking, I need a new watch.

I've been thinking about getting a new watch for a while. My old one is some Fossil watch from like high school that I've had for ages.

Here's a picture of what my old one sort of looks like:

via www.comparestoreprices.co.uk

My parents think it's too sporty and that i need a nicer looking formal one. They suggested getting one with a black leather strap as opposed to a metal strap.

They suggested a watch by Tag Haeur or whatever. I have no idea if those are good watches or how cheap/expensive they are.

Anyways, so does anybody have any suggestions on good watches? What brands? What styles?

I'm looking for something somewhat nice looking and semi-formal, probably something a little less sporty than the one above. Probably black or silver in color and not a gold colored one (or do I need a gold colored one?). I'm not looking for something ridiculously cheap nor ridiculously expensive. I suppose this watch would be more for semi-formal events and formal evenings.

via images.quebarato.com.br

I like the design but still a bit too sport looking?

via www.wristwatchhaven.com

Kinda too much going on with the watch face? I'm not a big fan of seeing all the gears and stuff.

via www.joonsookim.com

I kinda like the cleanliness of this style of watch. But should I go with a square-ish face? Or a roundish face?

What brand of watch do you own? What color? What shape face? Metal or leather strap?

Help!

Poll

What was your first thought when you saw that first picture?

Nice watch!

2 votes

Nice hair!

1 votes

Nice shoulders!

1 votes

Nice tank top!

1 votes

Nice smile!

1 votes

Nice profile!

3 votes

Nice... something else.

14 votes

What is that woman in the background eating?

7 votes

Who is this person???

1 votes

Heeeyyyyyy!

4 votes

I want Carp to do DBDs from now on.

9 votes

44 votes | Poll has closed

DBD 06.17.09 Responding to UCLA alum

HydroTech — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:31:33 -0000

Hey everybody,

I'm studying for culinary school finals, and in my culinary school review class there is this smug UCLA alum that always tries to let me know that UCLA is better than Cal at everything. I'm tired of hearing his stupid "Hippie" jokes and would like to respond with something better than "UCLA sucks," but I don't have the time to do some thorough research into UCLA to get this guy to shut his trap, because of these damn culinary school finals.

This guy was on UCLA's rally commie (which he makes sure to reminds me about it every time we talk) and a requirement of being on UCLA's rally committee was that members had to know about Cal so that they can talk trash about Cal.

Other than the usual "satellite school" jokes and "baby blue" jokes, I really can't think of much else. One thing that I did mention to him that got under his skin was about how a bunch of UCLA football players were caught with illegally obtained disabled parking placards. Any suggestions on other rebuttles?

Thanks!

I've been working on my chocolate souffle recipe lately. Here are some pictures from the internet which sort of look like what I've been making:

via www.foodconnect.com

via www.diablomag.com

Poll

UCLA's admission standards are so tough that...

you need to have an SAT score of 2500 to get in.

5 votes

even Einstein wouldn't have been able to gain admission.

5 votes

they made Chuck Norris cry.

21 votes

I want TwistNHook to do DBDs from now on.

17 votes

48 votes | Poll has closed

05.22.09 I'm Back!

HydroTech — Fri, 22 May 2009 05:49:46 -0000

Culinary School finals ambushed me for the past few weeks so I've been MIA like CBKWit! I'm done with another year of culinary school and now my mincing technique is flawless and my souffles never collapse.

During those tough times at the culinary library studying and reading, I'd often think of the CGB. I'd wonder how many comments were in today's DBD. I wondered if Maharg missed me. I wondered if people were wondering where I was.

Did people even notice I was gone? Did people even miss me? Am I special???

And I'd think of that Plain White T's song:

give me more lovin then i've ever had.
make it all better when i'm feelin sad.
tell me that i'm special even when i know i'm not.

Tell me I'm special! Even if I'm not! And even if I'm not, you guys are special to me. You see, I was going through some hard times during culinary school. The daily work load is tough. There's enough pressure in trying to cook a 5 course meal in 75 minutes to make a grown man cry. I began questioning if culinary school was the right choice for me. There were times when I felt like throwing in the towel and putting my knives into my chest instead of the knife block. But then I thought of the CGB. And I"d go read the DBD and laugh at the inanity. And I'd feel better.

make me feel good when i hurt so bad.
barely gettin mad,
im so glad i found you.
i love bein around you.

You see, the CGB completes me.

via onderdiemaanensterre.files.wordpress.com

You guys make my life easier... and more tolerable.

you make it easy,
as easy as 1 2,(1 2 3 4.)
theres only one thing two do three words four you.
i love you.

Yes, I love you guys. I love you guys like a fat kid loves cake. I love you guys like Neuheisel loves gambling. I love you guys like Harbough loves tight ends.

Oh, and before I forget, I love all the non-CGBers too, like JSchufelt. I ain't forgot about you!

And I heard Carp might do the DBD for today. I love him so much I thought I'd do it for him. Take a load off Carp. You're going to be a dad. Go to the driving range and do fun stuff before you can't.

Also, I watched The House Bunny.

via www.entertainmentwallpaper.com

It was kwality entertainment and I highly suggest watching it. There are some seriously talented TEs in this movie. I'll be sure to let Harbaugh know.

Finally, I was at the Coaches Tour thing with TwistNHook. He told me that the word "meme" is pronounced "maym" such as the word "maim," as in "mamed by lions. Is that true? I thought it was prounced "me-me" or something like that.

OH, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, Rags reminded me I needed to do an Emerald Bowl Review this summer. And because Rags asked me instead of Twist, I agreed to do a review (just kidding, I was going to do one anyways, but I just wanted to make it known that I don't do anything for TwistNHook).

I started looking through the game tonight, and i'm barely through the second quarter yet I already have 7 parts of the series! In other words, this could be an epic review of perhaps more than 12 parts! Maybe even 15! Oh noes! The epicness!!!

Poll

What say you?

"meme" is pronounced: me-me

8 votes

"meme" is pronounced: maim

4 votes

Safron is the most expensive spice in the world aside from the Spice Girls

18 votes

I want Carp to do the DBDs from now on

8 votes

38 votes | Poll has closed

2009 Spring Depth Chart

HydroTech — Fri, 01 May 2009 08:09:32 -0000

Well, I meant to do a spring depth chart post, but then culinary school finals ambushed me. In the mean time, fellow Cal Football blogger Ken Crawford over at Excuse Me For My Voice beat me to the punch. Nevertheless, I'll continue on with this post despite my tardiness.

Here are my thoughts regarding the 2009 Cal Football post-Spring ball depth chart (the depth chart is available to view here):

No QB named the clear starter.

via blog.oregonlive.com

What does this tell me? The QB job is still pretty wide open. However, Riley is listed at the top, followed by Mansion then Sweeney. What does this tell me? This is the tentative standings between the three QBs. What else can be inferred from the depth chart? Well, it looks like experience is definitely giving Riley and edge over Mansion, likewise Mansion's (albeit limited) experience is giving him a slight advantage over Sweeney. ESPN writer Ted Miller put it pretty accurately when he said that Riley is the clear front-runner but he could easily lose his job too.

Does Tedford need to name a QB now? No. I've perused other Cal sports boards and I've heard some talk of how Tedford has lost his mind by not naming a starter. Quite frankly, that's straight silly talk. Naming a starter now accomplishes very little. At the most, it may instill some confidence into the named starter. However, naming a starter now, this early, will breed complacency. The starter won't push himself as hard as he would when he knows his job is at risk. The backups won't push themselves as hard when they know they can't win the job. Furthermore, naming a starter now, after spring ball accomplishes nothing. Some people think that naming a starter now will allow the starting QB to work on his timing with his WRs. However, this really isn't true. Right now it's summer. The coaches can't work with the players. The players are conditioning and don't really have rigidly structured practices. During the summer the players will get together and practice among themselves but not all players are here during the summer. Some are in school, some are home. With as much as 1/2 the team gone during summer, and the players having mildly organized practices (as opposed to highly structured fall camp practices) are they really going to get a lot of quality reps together? No. In other words, a "starting" QB really won't do much else differently than a non-starting QB. So why name a guy a starter and just have him get complacent?

Finally, I think some Cal fans have been complaining that USC and Pete Carroll named a starter prior to their spring game and thus Tedford should be able to do it too. Well, Tedford pretty much did. Riley was essentially the starter for our spring game since he worked with the first team. Does Tedford need to make a public announcement so it's official?

The most compelling reason why Tedford hasn't named a starter is because with all of Cal's QB problems last year, Tedford wants the most information possible before he makes his decision. Naming a starter now, without seeing the QBs' performances during fall camp (the more important camp), would be premature.

The Battle for Flanker

In the Emerald Bowl, Jeremy Ross played exclusively as Cal's flanker WR in base personnel. Now the depth chart is showing Nyan Boateng in that spot. Perhaps the senior finally showed enough to earn that top spot? It's still early but it's possible there could be an upset special and Ross wins it back.

The Battle for Split End

Towards the end of last season, Verran Tucker played split end WR almost exclusively. With all that experience on the field you'd think he'd be an easy write-in for the starting spot at split end again. I guess not. Sophomore Marvin Jones, with little game experience, is at that top split end spot. Again, it's still early, but a seasoned WR with lots of starting experience loses his starting spot to another player who was mostly injured all of last year? Either Tucker is slipping or Jones is that good.

Who Will Be the Top 3 WRs?

This is a fairly important question. Cal's top 3 WRs get the majority of the snaps on the field - perhaps upward of 90%. So who is it going to be? Tucker, Ross, and Boateng have the most experience so you might think it'd be them. However, we all saw sophomore Alex Lagemann blow up in spring ball. Right now he's penciled in at the #1 slot position. When Cal goes to its 3 WR sets (11 personnel), if we assume the top players at each WR position see the field then the top three will be Boateng, Jones, and Lagemann. That leaves out experienced WRs Jeremy Ross, and Verran Tucker - and puts the more inexperienced Jones and Lagemann on the field. Do we want more inexperienced WRs on the field again another year? Is the talent that Jones and Lagemann bring to the field worth more than the experience that Ross and Tucker bring? Cal could have a Rose Bowl season next year if its passing game comes together (and assuming the running game stays dominant and the same goes for the defense). I'm not exactly sure that having more inexperienced players on the field is the greatest way to get that passing to improve. The alternative is that Cal adopts some sort of 5 WR rotation with all the aforementioned players rotate in frequently. It will be interesting to see what happens with the WR situation when fall camp ends.

via imgs.sfgate.com

Hagan Locks Up A Starting Spot From the Classroom

Darian Hagan has been out most of the spring working on academics. Most of us figured Chris Conte had a chance to steal a starting spot. It doesn't look like that is going to happen. Frankly, I'm not surprised. While Conte has shown improvements from his shaky freshman year, I still think Hagan has superior coverage skills as well as being better in run support too. The fact that Hagan still sits #1 at his CB spot despite being mostly MIA speaks volumes about what the coaching staff thinks of him.

Ted Miller of ESPN has been saying the secondary might be the best in the Pac-10. Well, he might be right. We all know Syd'Quan Thompson is a stud and an NFL talent. We all know Darian Hagan is great too (he's got two years remaining too!). Actually, I think Hagan is underrated and should have made Miller's Top-30 Players in the Pac-10 list. And with Sean Cattouse coming on strong and pushing Brett Johnson, and Marcus Ezeff being his stud self, our secondary could be wicked good again. Of course, let's not forget that a secondary's success also relies on the linebackers, and defensive line too.

Tad Smith Locks Up A Starting Spot From the Training Room

So Tad Smith breaks his Scapula, looks to be out perhaps through opening kickoff and set to lose his presumed starting spot to Anthony Miller but then he's still #1. Hmm... okay. I think it's safe to say that unless something crazy happens in the fall camp that he's still going to be #1.

via imgs.sfgate.com

Mychal Kendricks to Will and Devin Bishop to Buck

The biggest change in positions this spring was Mychal Kendricks moving from Buck (weak outside linebacker) to Will (weak inside linebacker), and Devin Bishop moving from Will to Buck.

I think a lot of fans are a bit hesitant about this move because Kendricks doesn't have prototypical size (6'0" 230 lbs) however I don't think that's a big concern. Former Cal middle linebacker Anthony Felder was 6'2", 233 lbs. Former Cal middle linebacker Worrell Williams was 5'11", 240 lbs. Both of those guys were very productive at their positions despite Felder being a bit under the prototypical weight of a middle linebacker, and Worrell Williams being under the prototypical heigh of a middle linebacker. Are we really going to make a big deal out of a Kendricks being perhaps 10-20 pounds lighter than the prototypical MLB? Or the fact that Kendricks is perhaps 2-3 inches too short for the prototypical MLB? I don't think we need to or should.

What matters the most is player production. The coaches feel that Kendrick's production is maximized at Will and that Bishop's production is maximized at Buck. I see nothing wrong with their decisions despite having Kendricks, who is only very slightly undersized, at Will.

Poll

Which position do you think has the fiercest competition for earning a starting spot?

Quarterback

43 votes

Wide Receiver

120 votes

Linebackers

36 votes

199 votes | Poll has closed

The Next Greatest

HydroTech — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 23:58:50 -0000

via cache.daylife.com

The Daily Cal had a nice write-up on Cal linebacker Mychal Kendricks. As I was reading it, something really popped out at me:

And for his final personal blessing, Williams grabbed freshman linebacker Mychal Kendricks, looked him straight in the eye and told him this: You have the potential to be the best linebacker ever to come out of Berkeley.

Why does this pop out to me?

Well, I grew up playing a musical instrument. It was a hobby. I took some private lessons. I was alright. I made a few county honor bands but I was never good enough to make state honor bands. That experience learning a music instrument helped me gauge the talent of other musicians. For example, if someone else played the same instrument I did and I listened to them play for even a minute, I could tell how good of a player they were. If I listened to them longer, got to know how much effort they put into their trade, and how much desire they had to get better, I could gauge how much potential that person had on becoming better as well as how good they could be in the future - such as whether they were good enough to be a professional musician.

This same idea applies to all other trades including sports. So when I hear a player go out of his way to say something like "you can be the next greatest player," it really means something.

This isn't the first time I've heard (now former) Cal players say those words about (current) Cal players. In fact, I've heard former players say those same words about two other Cal players. Those are stories that I'll share in the future. But let me just say that those two players who were deemed by their peers to be the next greatest, are very talented, are doing very well in the college game, and will probably have NFL careers.

So in case you missed it, Mychal Kendricks may be our next greatest. The players told us so. And I think you ought to believe them.

What do you think Mychal Kendricks' chances are at being an NFL talent? Although we are not privy to day to day practices to evaluate the players, whom else do you think has the chance to be The Next Greatest?