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Rivals has Cal's first opponent of the year ranked #32 in its Preseason polls. You can visit the link to read all about them.
The most noteworthy line from the preview?
"When Ringer needs a blow, junior A.J. Jimmerson is primed to step in."
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The official ruling is out on Marshawn, and whoo boy, is it harsh.
ESPN is reporting that Marshawn Lynch has admitted to being behind the wheel of the SUV that struck a pedestrian last month in Buffalo. He has apologized to the victim and has pleaded guilty to the traffic violation--failure to exercise due care. That's right. A traffic violation, meaning Lynch will avoid any criminal charges and subsequently any jail time.
Here's an official statement from Marshawn.
But, during an excruciatingly long six-minute hearing in the Traffic Violations Bureau downtown, Judge Thomas L. Gagola also fined Lynch the maximum $100 for the traffic infraction of failing to use due care toward a pedestrian. Lynch also paid a $50 surcharge.
"I will, under these circumstances, impose the maximum fine of $100," Gagola announced from the bench, before revoking Lynch's New York license and his vehicle registration.
Man...$150...that's rough. And no NY license? Just throw him in the chair why don't ya? It'd be a lot more humane.
So it's fairly safe to say at this point that this turned out about as bad as it could have for Lynch.
For months now, there have been rumblings of new Cal Bears uniforms. I scrounged up what I could in in screenshots from videos and official shots from EA for the new NCAA 09 games. Well we've got finally got the official word from the Cal Athletics Department.
The official photos confirm what we saw coming. The solid stripes on the sides of the pants, and a solo lightning-esque stripe running across the top of the helmet.
More photos after the break.
According to the Athletics Department, athletes, coaches and staff have been hard at work on the new jerseys for the last 18 months, and they seem pretty stoked about them.
"I think the new look will help us build a new image," Cal senior linebacker Worrell Williams said. "It keeps us up to date and it shows the dedication that our coaches, administration and Nike have to the Cal program. A change in uniform always adds excitement to the team."
Cal is already schilling the new jerseys, and you can already purchase the new jerseys to rock them for the opening game against Michigan state. (Go with the Gold jerseys if you want to participate in the whole "Gold Out" campaign).
Oh and the Cal's press release also has a really cool photo gallery showing off the various Cal jerseys through the years which is uber awesome. While I'm not completely sold just yet on the jerseys, I think I've made up my mind that I'll instantly be a fan as soon as I see the Bears storm through the tunnel on opening day. Hey I've liked all the other ones, why stop now?
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Cal received a new verbal commit over the weekend: Offensive Guard Brian Schwenke out of Oceanside High School.
Schwenke (who looks like a blown up Hansen brother although I'd never say that to his face...even though he kinda does) is listed at Scout.com as a 3 star 6'3 255 lbs guard, and the 41st best at his position. Schwenke had also received offers from Oregon, Colorado, Stanford, and Oregon State among others.
Considered to be a bit undersized as for a guard, Schwenke is blessed with incredible athleticism (running a 4.85 40 yard dash) and is apparently pretty smart to boot, boasting an impressive 3.9 GPA. Says Schwenke:
"It finally came down to Cal and Stanford. I want to major in engineering, and both schools have great engineering schools. In the end, I chose Cal because the football program is better right now." (NC Times)
So what he's saying is that seven years ago, he would have gone with Stanford when Cal went 1-10 as opposed to Stanford's 9-3 season. Then again, seven years ago, Schwenke would have been 11.
Here's what ESPN had to say about him:
"Schwenke is a very scrappy offensive tackle. He is undersized at 6'4" and just 250 pounds but he plays with a lot of heart. Even though his rear end is a little low in his stance, he comes off the ball low and hard and gets off very quickly. Tends to get slightly high after initial contact but that could be corrected with stance adjustment. Athletic lineman that has good leg drive and body control. Uses hands well on base block and really stays after the defender. Excellent reach blocker. Takes good quick lateral step and fits into outside half of defensive ends body. Runs legs on contact knocking back defender and shortening the perimeter. Shows mobility getting to second and third levels. Gives great effort seeking out opposition. Locks on to defenders most of the time but must be careful not to try and turn the defensive player too soon. Solid pass protector that keeps good relationship between rusher and quarterback. Shuffles feet and maintains balance. Must be careful not to attack pass rusher too quick; needs to have some patience. Schewenke is a very good lineman that can excel at the next level if he gains lower body strength and bulk. He can potentially play either guard or tackle. Athletic enough to be a difference maker up front."
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The Buffalo News is confirming what we all pretty much saw coming: Former Cal running back and current Buffalo Bills starting running back Marshawn Lynch is expected to plead guilty in the May 31 hit and run incident in which the Porsche SUV Lynch was driving struck a pedestrian in downtown Buffalo.
From an outsider's perspective, there wasn't any reason to believe Marshawn wasn't behind the wheel, as no one was saying anything. Unfortunately, the entire saga has also seen various members of the Bills organization see subpoenas as well, so hopefully this all gets resolved soon.
The last remaining issues are:
1) What type of charge Lynch will receive in court. I've heard and read here and there that it's unlikely that Lynch will see any jail time as it is his first time offense, but I wouldn't be completely sure on this matter.
2) What type of action the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell will give Lynch in response to this charge. We all know that Goodell has an incredibly tight leash in regards to NFL players getting "involved" in matters off the court. Hopefully, no suspensions will be issued...
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[EDIT: If there are any lawyers out there, or law students, or people who like reading 129 page decisions, who would like to give a more comprehensive overview of the decision, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email. The ruling can be found here.]
I've been asked many times why I never pursued law school. It's moments like these that remind me why I chose the road "less traveled."
So after an unnecessarily painful delay, one that had many wondering if a ruling would be released at all today, as it had previously been promised by Judge Miller, it appears a ruling has been given for now...
Judge Miller has ruled in favor of the University in nearly every aspect of challenges to its environmental impact report and seismic review involving the University's plans to build the student athletic facility next to the stadium.
In a huge victory for Cal, Judge Miller has ruled that the two buildings have been declared to be separate, BUT, Cal will have to document the grade beam's value versus the stadium value to comply with the Alquist-Priolo Act. Ummm...okay. This has led to the continuance of the injunction, halting the commencement of the construction.
To break it down in commoner's terms, it's like this yo: the University has like pretty much won in every aspect of the case, but the one area they need to provide further evidence for and revise, is enough to continue holding off on the construction for now.
Consequently, both sides think they've won.
The University thinks they're 95% there, and believe the injunction will be cleared in a matted of days.
In fact, The University's press release states:
"'We are thrilled that the judge concluded that state seismic law will allow the Student-Athlete High Performance Center to be built on the site' adjacent to California Memorial Stadium, said Vice Chancellor for Administration Nathan Brostrom. 'This is a major victory for our students.'"
On the other hand, The Berkeley Daily Planet is declaring it a victory for the tree-huggers:
"Stephan Volker, one of the attorneys suing the university, hailed the judge’s ruling as a victory.
'We are ecstatic,” Volker said.'"
So...okay...I'm kind of confused. Not really in my understanding of what took place today, but how I should be feeling about it. I think Ken Crawford over at Excuse Me For My Voice said it best:
"So for me, to sum it up: The university has won more than it lost, but it’s not a complete victory, and at this point any delay is a victory for the anti-stadium crusaders."
Well said Ken. So I feel good, I think, but not as good as if the University had won outright. I totally understand how old 'Dubya feels right now.
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"Oh Lord. Let this be a sign. Please...if it be your will...let us win tomorrow's court decision with the SAHPC."
The quarterback controversy at Cal just got a little bit more interesting. And by a little bit, I mean, none at all. Why? Nate Longshore (aka. Nate the Great, aka. Nasty Nate) was just named a preseason candidate for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. I’m serious. It even says so on the official website. At least I’m pretty sure it’s the official site: http://www.goldenarmfoundation.com/.
So just for you all not in the know, Johnny Unitas, is like…possibly the greatest quarterback who ever lived. So winning the award is like…a really big deal. In fact, if Longshore were to win the award, he would join the presence of past great college quarterbacks like Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer, and another former Tedford protégé, David Carr. Oh and Gino Torretta. How could I have forgotten Gino Torretta?
Longshore is listed as one of 26 candidates. Why 26, and not 25? To be honest with you, I have no freakin’ clue. My only guess is that there are only 26 “deserving” senior quarterbacks available since the award can only be given to a quarterback completing their last year of eligibility.
Hmmm…actually, yeah…the more I look at the list, the less I’m impressed. It’s hard to take any list seriously when it includes Drew Willy from Buffalo (who?) and Dwight Schrutte (87 year old Ben Olsen).
So I guess Nate makes the list almost by default. But hey, at least he’s got the nods. First, being named the starter by EA in NCAA ’09, and now, preseason award mentions. He’s that much closer to being named the starter. Go Nate. I’m pulling for you. Seriously. And I’m also pulling for Riley. But I’m still pulling for you.
Scout.com has a story up about a late recruit. So late in fact, that I wasn't even aware that we even had any more scholarships available to give away. Cal picked up a late addition to their secondary, 2nd year Blinn College JUCO transfer, Bryant Nnabuife.
(credit Scout.com for image)
On paper, Nnabuife appears to be a great pick up. Nnabuife has great size for a defensive back at 6'2, 200 lbs, and has the speed to boot, reportedly running a 4.38 40 yard dash time in the Spring. Blinn College defensive line coach, Keith Browning, raved about his strength as well, citing that Nnabuife had power cleaned 295 lbs and squatted 425.
He's also shown versatility in his career to play both the safety and cornerback spots, although he's admitted to the Bears that he would prefer to play the latter, even though he's more than happy to contribute in either position.
Oh and he's got another cool name: Nnabuife. More headaches for ABC broadcasters.
Watch Nnabuife in action.
The Scout.com article goes into more detail about why Nnabuife wasn't highly recruited in college (mainly a coach's decision to switch Nnabuife to WR where he struggled, and his team's lackluster season in his senior year), which would explain why Nnabuife has flown under most scouts' radars. While Nnabuife is getting a bit of a late start, having not been able to participate in Spring practices, his Blinn College coaches have shown nothing but praise in Nnabuife's abilities both as player and teammate, as well as confidence that he'll be able to adjust to D1 football much sooner rather than later.
While it's much too early to say about how good Nnabuife will be, or how quickly he'll be able to contribute, if at all this year, I for one, and pretty pumped about the signing. It'll be a welcome change to get a big, strong corner to match up against some of the larger and more physical Pac-10 receivers. Don't get me wrong, I think some of our smaller corners over the past few years (Dante Hughes, Squid) have done pretty darn well, but I'm interested to see what we can do with someone who physically, could be more of a Antonie Cason type of defensive back.
All in all, I'm just happy to announce we've got a new Golden Bear. Welcome Bryant Nnabuife!
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We all know Alex Mack is a beast and quite possibly the best collegiate center in the country. It's good to see though, that more and more people are recognizing that and the reasons why as well.
Bruce Feldman from ESPN has Mack as one of college football’s top workout warriors. Check out what he had to say:
“7. Alex Mack, Cal, center:
Arguably the best offensive lineman in the country, the 6-4, 310-pound Mack, a standout wrestler in high school, is everything coaches want in a center. The guy is not only the most powerful player on the team, but also the most flexible guy too. His 374-pound power clean set a Golden Bear record, while he regularly displays his freakish flexibility by doing splits and scoring the highest marks on all of the flexibility tests the players do. "The two things that make him different from anybody I've ever coached are his work ethic and his flexibility," says Jim Michalczik, Cal's veteran O-line coach. "He is the hardest worker I've ever seen." Michalczik says that uncanny flexibility not only helps prevent injuries but as a center, Mack always is forced to operate in close quarters and is able to get low and stay low. Not bad for a guy who wasn't a high-profile recruit that had come to school as a 260-pounder.”
I’m not sure if I’m more impressed by the 374-pound power clean or the splits…Probably the splits.
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"Which is pretty cool."
A few quick articles involving some of your beloved Cal Bears grads as Green Bay Packers. Most notably involved Aa-ron Rodgers *clap clap clap clap clap* and "The Bishop."
Bishop benefits from OTA Opportunity:
"His most notable plays came in pass coverage. During a red-zone drill, quarterback Aaron Rodgers was trying to go deep over the middle to the tight end for a touchdown, and Bishop leaped high into the air to bat the ball down with one hand. He took some grief from his teammates for that play, because had he not swatted the ball away, safety Nick Collins may have been in position to intercept it. But it was an impressive, athletic play nonetheless."
Rodgers no long Packer's Plan B:
"It's starting to hit me now that we've got competitive in our offseason training stuff (and) OTA practices," (Rodgers) said. "It's definitely kind of felt more like my team ...
As a die hard 49ers, it's still amazing to me that I'm slowly becoming a Packers fan considering the rivalry we had going on in the 90s. Maybe it's my begrudging but deep respect for Favre, and what he meant to the game, or the passion and tradition of Green Bay's franchise and fans (one of the few NFL teams that I think can match the ferver of some top college football programs), but the added presence of some of my boys from the Golden Bears squad from the last few years has pretty much sealed the deal.
So go Rodgers! Go Bishop! And I never thought I 'd say this, but GO Packers! (except when playing the 49ers).
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No real updates on the story last week that Marshawn Lynch may have been involved in a hit and run accident.
Marshawn and his attorney Mike Caffery have kept quiet thus far in speaking to the media, but Caffery is scheduled to meet with Erie County District Attorney Frank Clark on this afternoon.
In an ESPN News Article though, Lynch did explain why he's been skipping voluntary practices though. Eye surgery. That's right. Lynch was apparently poked in the eye during some drills, and has been held out of practice.
Getting back to the hit and run incident though, am I the only one who's nervous that Lynch hasn't said anything yet? Legally, I know it's most likely the smartest move, but still, I don't think it's looking too good for #23. It's all but been confirmed that he was at least in the car, and there's no other reason for him not to have been named the principal suspect in this case.
We'll see what unfolds. BearswithFangs will have it first. Actually, probably not. But I'll be pretty darn close.
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Quite possibly. At least according to the CBS Sports. They've listed Jahvid "the Jet" as one of the 10 fastest players in all of College Football.
"Jahvid Best, RB, Cal, sophomore: Used sparingly as a freshman, Best once ran a 10.31 100 in high school. Missed the track season (and spring practice) recovering from a hip injury."
Eh. No one who's ever heard of Best is surprised, so I suppose this is hardly newsworthy.
The other players listed are:
(The suit makes him go faster)
[UPDATE: Cal has officially announced the new jerseys.]
Last month I posted some screenshots showing off what are rumored to be Cal's new uniforms for the upcoming season.
While we still have gotten any official confirmation (although at this point I'd be hard pressed to give you reasons why these won't be the actual uniforms), I've been able to get my hands on some new high res images giving you guys a better look at the new Cal uniforms. You can click on the images for larger views.
Credit to Operation Sports for the screenshots.
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Yay! More Desean Jackson news! Whoo!
Actually, not really much here other than a feature done by Jason Cole with Yahoo! Sports on Desean and his potential role in fitting in with the Philadelphia Eagles next year.
The article essentially covers both sides of the future coin with Desean. On one hand, Desean could be McNabb's, and consequentially, the Eagles' savior. An incredible talent with blazing speed, Desean might be the answer to taking Philadelphia's offense to the next level. Philadelphia has been without a star receiver since the dramatic T.O era, and their offense while productive, has been limited ever since.
“ 'What we can do right now is move people around, put some pretty interesting groups out there,' Eagles coach Andy Reid said. 'DeSean will be in a lot of places for us, the slot, outside, places where we feel we can get matchup problems.'
What the Eagles can do is make opponents pay for mistakes, particularly if opponents try to blitz."
On the other hand, you have the continued story line of Desean as a less than hardworking player (read between the lines "lazy") who has shown nothing to dispel the notion that he relies on talent alone, and does just enough to get by on every day but game day."The problem is that Jackson has this tendency to act like a kid who thinks it’s cool to sit in the back of class and stare at the ceiling tiles with a disaffected attitude. During every individual drill, Jackson was the last in line to do the exercise. When wide receivers coach David Culley stopped to talk to the group, Jackson was the first (and often the only) one to take off his helmet. He looked off in every direction except directly at Culley.
About the only time Jackson seemed to pay full attention was when Reid was observing up close. In the NFL, you have to work harder than just when the big boss is looking."
Which side will prevail? I doubt we'll know for sure by the time the season starts, let alone by the end of his rookie season. But it wouldn't be too surprising to perhaps see both.
Yahoo Sports is reporting that a vehicle registered to former Cal running back Marshawn Lynch was involved in a hit and run incident over the weekend. No word yet as to whether or not Marshawn was driving the SUV as messages to both Lynch and his agent have yet been returned.
And it wasn't just a knocking over of a telephone pole. The incident involved a woman actually getting hit by the car. Eesh. I wonder if Dane Cook got to see it.
Here's hoping Lynch was nowhere near the car the night of the accident and it was instead some mentally brain dead cousin or friend who was behind the wheel. Geez.
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