New Cal Uniforms Unveiled on April 10, 2013

Cal's planning on unveiling the football team's new uniforms on April 10th, 2013. I know most of us should probably sit and patiently wait for the actual uniforms to be shown before making any hoopla over them, but you're talking to a blogger who blogged about the last set of uniforms being leaked through EA's NCAA Football.

On top of that the Cal Athletics Department unveiled this nifty little sneak peak at the uniforms featuring none other than Jason Kidd, former Cal point guard.

You can watch the video below:


Full thoughts after the jump.

Now no one is ever going to ever completely agree about a uniform. That we know. Actually, scratch that. These are universally...awesome.



With that said, here are some extremely premature thoughts.

1) It looks like a simpler look.
Sonny Dykes has said that he's a big fan of tradition when it comes to uniforms in an interview with the BearInsider:

"I'm a big believer in tradition," he said, "and we'll make the uniforms as traditional as possible. I want one consistent home uniform -- blue helmets, blue jerseys, gold pants. On the road, we'll change up a little bit -- white on white, white with blue pants, but always with blue helmets. I don't think we should be what we're not. We're not Oregon; we don't want to try and be like Oregon."

This was a sigh of relief for yours truly as I was never a fan of the most recent iteration of uniforms. I thought I'd get used to the stripes, but they always reminded me too much of the Chargers uniforms and quite frankly, a bit tacky and out of place.

These look to be a bit more solid design, and without the stripes, thank goodness. The only stripe I seem to see is the solid stripe on the side of the pants, which is fine by me. It reminds me a bit of the pre-2008 Tedford uniforms.



2) The only area I'm not completely sold on is the golden collar area on the uniform.
It looks far too prominent on the uniform. In fact, when I first saw the shot, I thought they were making the entire shoulder to chest area golden, right around where the pads would be. Then it occurred to me that the gold in the chest area was the number, and the only golden part was the collar.



Jason Kidd said in the video that he liked the bear on the sleeve, so it is possible the golden area around the collar could be some type of Bear sigil.

It does make more sense though the aforementioned bear on the sleeve refers to a patch of Gold on the sleeve, that you can see in the video. There's a chance that could also be the uniform number but this seems far less likely given that a standard Bear would be far less work however for the equipment staff.

So yeah, still not sure what the golden collar/shoulder pad is all about, but I'm willing to wait.

3) We seem to have seen the last of the yellow on yellow "banana" look.
It seems like there will be the above blue uniform for home games (maybe throwing in golden bottoms) with a tad more variation for away games. White on white, white on blue like Dykes said. And I actually like the white look, from what little I've seen of it. Clean and simple.



But we have yet to see a yellow on yellow mockup.



Keeping fingers crossed. Me no likey.

4) Cal picked the wrong alum to feature

Don't get me wrong. I like Jason Kidd. But he plays basketball. I don't think it would have been ridiculously difficult to get a few former Cal players back in to show the uniforms to. But if Kidd happened to be in the area, then I understand making the best of it. But then again, this was his reaction.


"That's awesome. That's strong. I like that."

Anyway, for now, it's much hoopla about nothing. Just gotta wait until April 10.

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Thoughts on the Spring Game

Cal’s Spring Camp officially came to an end with the their annual game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. In front of a crowd of about 5,000 an injury-battled squad resorted to playing a point-based scrimmage in which the defense eventually edged out the offense by a score of 28-24.

Clearly, with the nature of the scrimmage, and the sheer number of injuries limiting both squads, it would be difficult and frankly misleading, to try and make too much of the scrimmage. The coaching staff knows this as well, and will have to look at spring ball in its entirety in making all personnel and scheme decisions during the offseason.

Still, there are a few some items that can be gleaned, especially for a fan like myself, who was able to witness Sonny Dykes’ Bears’ squad for the first time.

Quarterback Play
The offense has a whole was had a very uneven day (more on that later), but the quarterback play by and large was inconsistent. All three quarterbacks, Jared Goff, Zach Kline, and Austin Hinder, had their share of good and bad moments.

Austin Hinder showed he’s clearly the most mobile of three, and the best runner as well. He’s a natural fit in a zone-read run-offense, and I’m already convinced he’d be the most durable and comfortable running quarterback the Bears have in the last ten years or so. However, outside of his screen pass to Lucas Grisom that Grisom took to the house after a broken tackle, Hinder was largely quiet in his passing game. No real shots downfield (other than a nice jump ball to Maurice Harris that was called back for offensive PI) and his other passes were uneven in accuracy.

Zach Kline had the biggest passing plays of the day, both of which came on his first drive. On his first passing play, Kline did a tremendous job avoiding the pass rush by literally ducking underneath the arms of a crashing defensive lineman, and scrambled to his right to heave a long pass to a wide-open Maurice Harris. A few plays later, Kline took a designed rollout to his left and dropped a perfect pass into the arms of Maximo Espitia in the left corner of the endzone. Those are the plays that exemplify just how special Kline can be. He’s the best deep-passing threat, and though he isn’t as natural of a runner, he’s got very good pocket awareness and is athletic enough to avoid the pass rush and buy time in or out of the pocket. At the same time, Kline was largely quiet after that drive, and though he wasn’t helped by a few receiver drops, still wasn’t as dynamic for the rest of the day.

My biggest takeaway though is how impressed I was with Jared Goff. I’m not saying he shined the most of the three quarterbacks (though I thought he was the most consistent in moving the chains), but I did walk away hugely impressed with his game. I’ve been very high on Goff as a recruit for a few years now, but he’s looked far better than any freshman quarterback I’ve seen play for the Bears. Most of his passes in the 5-15 yard range were spot-on. He can make the throws sitting in the pocket or on the move. His deep balls were a bit sketchier, but his shorter passes were perfectly placed balls. But more than his play was overall demeanor and maturity for an early-enrollee freshman. He looked simply unflappable and showed a quiet confidence throughout the entire afternoon. His demeanor, and I repeat, his demeanor was eerily Aaron Rodgers like in the way he composed himself and led the offense. I do think Kline has a higher upside in terms of sheer physical tools, but Goff has done nothing to convince me that he won’t be a very good starter for the Bears.

So who should be the quarterback? Heck if I know. Dykes has probably been pretty accurate when he’s said that all have had their moments, but none of truly separated themselves. If you arm-barred me into making a call, I’d say that unless Goff clearly rises above the others, you’d have to name Kline the starter, with Hinder as a backup. While I’m a proponent of playing the best QB, it’d be foolish to burn Goff’s redshirt to make him a backup. On top of that, Dykes has stated that he was looking to see who would step up and lead the team. From everything I’ve seen and some of the whispers I’ve read, it seems like Kline is most poised to be that guy.

Regardless, despite the uneven day from the quarterbacks, I do feel pretty strongly that regardless of who the quarterback is going to be, the play from this unit should be better than what we’ve seen the past few years. There should be some growing pains of course, but the talent, coaching, and perhaps most importantly, the offensive scheme is going to produce much better play here. I mean, there has to be, right?

Uneven Offense
Offensive Coordinator Tony Franklin called it “ugly” and though I wouldn’t go that far, it certainly wasn’t pretty. Some of the issues were self-inflicted. Errant passes, drops, formation penalties, missed blocking assignments, etc.

But I do think that before people go and already calling this offense a complete failure just yet, it’s worth remembering two things.

First, I think this offense will look infinitely better once the coaching staff settles on a quarterback, provided he’s the right one of course. But it’s so difficult to find a rhythm as an offense, when you have to wait two series before getting back on the field. Everyone from the players to the coaching staff knows this, and this is why I think the staff will settle on a naming a starting a quarterback early on in fall camp, probably after the first week. You can’t continue to rep three quarterbacks. Once the QB is named, and the coaches start developing the offense to that QB’s strengths, I think we’ll see far more consistency from the offense.

Second, don’t forget how many playmakers have been out of spring ball. Our starting guard, wide receiver, tight end, both runningbacks have all been held out of contact for the spring, and you have to think the offense, particularly the running game will look better once they’re back in the fold.

Battered Team
Speaking of the injuries, the end of spring ball couldn’t have come soon enough. This team is absolutely decimated with injuries, to the point that the scrimmage had to be cut early because the defense was down to three linebackers. The injuries were far more extreme on the defensive side of the ball, where the Bears were literally playing with their third string cornerbacks. The number of potential starters out of pads on Saturday was a bit disconcerting to say the least.

Fortunately, none of the injuries should hold players out of fall camp, and everyone should *fingers crossed * be healthy for the season. However if the Bears run into the same gamut of injuries they last season, we’ll be in a world of trouble.

Defense, Not Too Shabby
All spring we’ve read about the offense completely steamrolling the defense, but with the addition of some blitz packages, the Bears looked far more polished than the offense than the new BearRaid.

In fact, it was more of the Bears’ strong defensive play at the line of scrimmage that stood out to me. You could naturally point to the struggling play of the offensive line which I’ll touch on in a little bit, but in all fairness, having both Deandre Coleman and Mustafa Jalil manning the interior is a lot to handle. But Cal’s defensive front seven got constant penetration at the line of scrimmage, holding Cal’s running game to minimal yardage and pressuring the quarterbacks as well.

The most concerning area on the defensive side of the ball were the missed tackles however. Cal’s defense let Grisom score on the aforementioned screen because they whiffed on the tackle, while there were a number of other whiffs. You can only hope that it’s attributed to nerves and a desire to make a play which leads to a brainfart in technique.

All things considered though, given the number of injuries on defense and the absolute lack of depth on this side, I thought the Bears defense held up well. A few defensive players that impressed me? Avery Sebastian, Deandre Coleman, and Jalen Jefferson. Pretty impressed with those three.

Offensive Line Still Needs a Lot of Work
We knew Cal’s offensive line was going to be a work in progress, but I was hoping for a better showing than what we saw. The offensive line did much better in its protection after the defense scaled back on their blitzes, but there were times when the defense line straight up pushed oline players way back into the pocket.

And finally, everyone has probably mentioned this, but some of the snaps were way too high. Not to bury players, but I do think Matt Cochran fared far better in this quarter. Let’s put it this way, when your 6’4 quarterback has to jump to corral in a snap, then your snaps are too high. If Cochran can continue to be the more consistent snapper and quarterback the offensive line, it’s hard to see him not sealing the starting job.

Coaching Staff is Winning So Far
And while this wasn’t completely evident during the game, I have to say that this coaching staff has done everything you could have hoped for so far.

They’ve instilled immediate accountability in the classroom. I’ve been delighted to read reports about Sonny Dykes sitting in on the same classes as their players, and holding the entire team accountable for individuals missing in on classes with the team have to run up-downs after practices.

Nick Forbes was interviewed on the Pac-12 network and described Dykes to the effect of “he means what he says and says what he means.” It’s that type of accountability and discipline that this team needs.

Then, you consider what they’ve done in continuing their ties with famous alumni, and there wasn’t a more evidence of this than when Marshawn Lynch got on the field for a faux touchdown. A little fun for the fans, but a creative way for connecting this new regime to the success that Cal has had in the past.

In addition to the fairly smooth transition of the new offense and defense, you also have to credit the overall transition this coaching staff has made. You just get the sense that Sonny Dykes is a man who knows exactly what he wants and where he wants the team to be. He exudes this quiet confidence where can demand greatness from his players without have to resort to being overbearing or slimy.

Hey, we’re in the offseason, so this is all we have to base our judgments on. And so far, I like what I see.
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Questions Heading into Spring Scrimmage

So my spring practice coverage has been “skimpy” to say the least. Despite the most access to practice the media or the general public has had in years, I have yet to be able to make any practices. The reasoning is simple. With work and personal commitments, it’s been difficult to make my way over. It’s difficult to convince my better half to ditch other tasks in favor of attending a Cal practice.

But no more. With Cal’s spring ball ending on Saturday with the Spring Game, I was not about to pass this opportunity up. So I’ll be there, with the aforementioned wife, and we’ll enjoy a long overdue date in Strawberry Canyon to finally see the Sonny Dykes’ coached BearRaid in person.

Here are a few things I’ll be paying attention to.

How will the QBs Perform Under Pressure?

With the three quarterbacks left in the running for the starting nod, (Austin Hinder, Zach Kline, Jared Goff) I’m really interested to see how they hold up under pressure. Now, I use “pressure” in the lightest sense of the word. But you can see it in two ways.

One, how will the QBs do against a defense that has up to this point, largely been working in base packages as they transition from the 3-4 to Andy Buh’s 4-3 scheme? Both Buh and Dykes have indicated that the defense would begin to incorporate more blitzing throughout the week, and we may get a chance to see that up close and personal. Just as importantly, we’ll be able to see how the quarterbacks perform with the added pressure, instead shredding up base defenses as they've reportedly been doing for the past few weeks.

Secondly, how will the quarterbacks do playing in front of what's likely to be the biggest crowd they've played in front of in...ever really. None of the QBs have seen any snaps at the collegiate level. And though the turnout on Saturday will likely be around 10,000 at best, it will still be an opportunity for them to show off what they have in front of the larger general public, and parts of the country, with the game being televised on the Pac-12 Network.

Now hopefully, this won't phase any of them. You want your quarterbacks to play as well as they do on Saturday as they would in any practice. So though Saturday's scrimmage is a far cry from the pressure of playing an actual game, it most certainly be telling if a quarterback completely falls apart under some pressure on Saturday.

Battle in the Trenches
There won't be a lot to take in with the defense's secondary that is absolutely battered with injuries at this point. Kameron Jackson, Adrian Lee, Damariay Drew are all out with injuries, which leaves the secondary pretty much at one deep. This is a unit that desperately needs to stay healthy this fall, and will be eagerly anticipating the arrival of true freshmen Cameron Walker, Darius Allensworth and Trey Cheek this fall, all of whom might be counted on to grow up quickly.

Despite the injuries though, the Bears have stayed fairly healthy at the defensive line spot (knock on wood) so I'll be paying attention to some of the battles in the trenches between the defensive line and the o-line.

But more than anything, the two units severely disappointed last season, so their progress and development will be absolutely critical. Plus, I've been hearing a lot about some of the individual battles getting pretty chippy to say the least, so there's always that.

Tempo, Tempo, Tempo
Finally, I'll be paying special attention to the tempo at which the offenses move on Saturday. Not because I'm necessarily a fan of tempo, but under Dykes and Franklin's system, it'll be a testament to the efficiency of this offense. If the Bears are able to move quickly, it'll show not only how easy this offense has been to digest, but also how focused this year's squad has been in picking up a new system.

I've bought into the bottom line from Dykes which essentially says that the offense is easy to pick up, it's just about executing. Well, the speed will have a lot to say about it.

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Spring Promo by Klindergoff

If you've been following Cal football at all this spring, you've likely read a little something about the ongoing 3 player QB battle. If you know anything about the QB battle, then you know that it's down to Zach Kline, Austin Hinder, and Jared Goff.

If you know it's down to Kline, Hinder and Goff, then you know it's a lot easier to simply type Klindergoff. With that, Klindergoff would like yo invite you to the spring game this Saturday.



The real gem however are the outtakes.



For as much as these guys are competing, it seems like they've got a fair level of rapport with each other. It's what you want to see.

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Allan Bridgford Leaves Team

According to Sonny Dykes, fifth year senior quarterback has asked for a break from the team after receiving news that he would receive diminished reps during practice.

“Basically, he kind of got some news from us that he was going to get some reduced reps, and then decided that he wanted to take a day or two to kind of assess some things,” Dykes said. “We told him that we’d love for him to do that, so he’s probably going to think some things over with his family and talk about some things, and I would expect to have a conversation with him again at the end of the week, over the weekend, probably.”

So the door is certainly open for Bridgford to return to the team, but at this point, it seems like everyone has seen the writing on the wall: whatever chance there was of Allan Bridgford being the starting quarterback seems all but closed.

If Bridgford does decide to pursue football opportunities at another school, the options are pretty limited. As a redshirt senior, Bridgford wouldn't be able to play at a Division I school. Of course, he could transfer to an FCS school and compete for immediate playing time, much like Beau Sweeney did a few years ago. If Bridgford is all but set to receive his Cal degree and play as a graduate student, that'd seem like a logical choice if he wanted to get some shot as a starting QB for a season.

All in all, you gotta feel for Bridgford a bit. He was a highly acclaimed quarterback coming out of high school, tearing up all sorts of records out Mission Viejo HS. And though I had some questions about his ability to put enough zip on the ball at the collegiate level, I was pretty high on his potential.

However, a serious shoulder injury pushed him back in the depth chart, and he never seemed to get enough of practice reps to really develop as a Division I starting quarterback.

After filling in for an injured Zach Maynard last season, Bridgford completed just 45.6% of his passes for just 1 TD and 3 interceptions. In his short playing career, he has completed just 44% of his passes.

Unless he progressed dramatically as a passer during the offseason, it would have been hard pressed to imagine Bridgford holding off Austin Hinder, Zach Kline, and incoming Jared Goff, all of whom seem to be the favorites for the starting job at this point.

In any event, I for one wish the very best to Bridgford. He's been a upstanding representative for Cal and has been all class in what has understandably been a frustrating situation.

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Spring Practice Week 1 Thoughts

Well technically, the first practice of Week 2 just wrapped up Monday evening, but for all intents and purposes, let's look at it by each week.

Here are a couple of quick thoughts and updates:

Don't Read Much Into QB Reps...For Now
True to his word, Coach Dykes has been rotating through all five scholarship quarterbacks quite a bit. Instead of always trying to give each QB the same number of reps in 11-11s in each practice, he's been giving 2-3 QBs the majority of reps in each practice, and giving the other 2-3 QBs those snaps in another practice.

You could drive yourself mad trying to read too much into these situations. Case in point: Zach Kline didn't get any reps until the end, and when he did come, his throwing time was limited. An obsessive fan might wonder whether Kline has fallen down the depth chart, yet another equally obsessive fan might simply presume that Kline has already proven what he can do, consequently not needing the reps.

Me? I'd like to think I'm a bit calmer, or more ignorant. It's just Week 2 of spring practice, and it's unfair to dwindle the down the candidates after 2 or 3 practices. With that said, I'd suspect that you're going to see just that by the end of this week or so. If I had to put money on it (based solely on the multiple practice reports I've been reading), I'd expect it to come down to Kline, Goff, and Hinder.

Ever Think About the Defense?
It's a bit humiliating to admit that I was just realizing how many freaking reps the defense is getting right now. We've been so hung up on the offense's pace, but you have to think that in turn, this is going to make the starting defense's conditioning and awareness that much better as well. By all accounts, it appears that the starting offense is playing against the starting defense, so you know you're getting the best level of competition possible in practice.

And that's a lot of invaluable practice for a secondary that was abused for much of last season. With two brand new corners, there opportunity is ripe when defending a Sonny Dykes/Tony Franklin offense.

Battle at Center
It looks like Matt Cochran is finally making a push for the center spot against fifth year senior Mark Brazinski. The time is now or never for Brazinski, as the #1 rated high school center coming into Cal has struggled to make a real push in the depth chart due to injuries and play, but he's going to have to really battle with the redshirt freshman Cochran nipping at his heels.

For what it's worth, Brazinski has reportedly had a few bad snaps the past few practices, which may have played a part along with Cochran's strong play with the second team, in Cochran getting a look.

Release the Kragen!
One name that might have gone under the radar a bit was DVC transfer Kyle Kragen. Kragen was expected to play right away in a supporting role, but his name has popped up time and time again as a pass rushing force in practices. Plain and simple, Kragen has been flat out unblockable at times.

Watch his highlight reel and don't tell me you don't see a little Zack Follett in him.


,br> The Bears pass rush (or lackthereof) was a huge issue last season, so it'd be nice if some new players and the switch to the 4-3 could see some of our ends be a greater force in applying pressure to opposing QBs. For More Details

Check out the nice writeups by Nam Le over at BearInsider.

CaliforniaGoldenBlogs has some nice analysis as well. Read the rest of the post and comments here >>