Cal Football 2011 Schedule Thoughts

Cal's schedule was officially released a few weeks ago, but I'm just getting around to mentioning anything about it. Here's the schedule below.

Day, Date - Opponent (Time, TV)
Sat., Sept. 3 - Fresno State (TBA)
Sat., Sept. 10 - at Colorado (TBA)
Sat., Sept. 17 - Presbyterian (TBA)
Sat., Sept. 24 - at Washington (TBA)
Thu., Oct. 6 - at Oregon (6 p.m. PT, ESPN)
Thu., Oct. 13 - USC (6 p.m. PT, ESPN)
Sat., Oct. 22 - Utah (TBA)
Sat., Oct. 29 - at UCLA (TBA)
Sat., Nov. 5 - Washington State (TBA)
Sat., Nov. 12 - Oregon State (TBA)
Sat., Nov. 19 - at Stanford (TBA)
Sat., Nov. 26 - at Arizona State (TBA)

After the jump, some quick thoughts.


We all knew the Bears had a bit of a funky schedule this year, what with Memorial Stadium under renovation and all the games being played at ATT park and all. With that said, there's a little extra funkiness in store for this upcoming season.

Sat., Sept. 3 - Fresno State
The Bears open their season playing the Fresno State bulldogs at a "neutral" game site at Candlestick Park. This is a game that FSU and head coach Pat Hill have been pining for for quite some time now, and it appears they'll get their wish. Really, this game probably wouldn't have happened had the Bears not been in such a rush to try and get a full schedule together this year. The challenges with the stadium reconstruction had made it difficult for the Bears to be picky about their opponents this year, and the Bulldogs willingly jumped at the chance to play the Bears.

As for the venue, the game will be held at in one of the worst stadiums in the country in my opinion. Perhaps it's the stench of the Niners performance there the last ten years or so, but I really do not enjoy watching games there. Transportation getting to and from the stadium is a pain and the stadium offers nothing in terms of comfort, views, or amenities. And let's just hope whoever is QBing for the Bears that day doesn't have to deal with the strong winds that can swirl through the stadium.

The Bulldogs themselves should make for a suitable opponent. They're competitive enough to offer a stiff challenge, yet far from daunting. The game should provide a good sense of where the Bears are in their development.

Sat., Sept. 10 - at Colorado (TBA)
Another weird game in that the Bears face off against a new Pac-12 conference opponent in a non-conference game. The Buffaloes were reportedly trying to get out of this one after joining the Pac-12 in the offseason, but it made more sense for them financially to stick it out.

Now that there Buffaloes have shed themselves of Dan Hawkins, I expect them to be better. I thought they had shown some signs of competitive play last season, despite their uncompetitive showing in Memorial Stadium last year. Plus, going on the road to Boulder against a team seeking revenge is never an easy task.

Still, the Buffaloes are still a ways away from being a truly dangerous team, and the Bear should walk out with a win in this one.

Sat., Sept. 17 - Presbyterian (TBA)
Yes, the legendary and storied Presbyterian Blue Hose program will face the Bears in their first meeting at ATT park. Blue Hose's alumni include President Barack Obama, NFL greats Peyton Manning and Barry Sanders, as well as pop sensations Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.

Sat., Sept. 24 - at Washington (TBA)
For the first time in a while, Washington won't be Cal's final opponents of the season. The Bears will pick up right where they left off, after their last meeting with Huskies ended with a heart-breaking loss on the last play that sent the Huskies to the Holiday Bowl and the Bears sitting home for the bowl season for the first time in Jeff Tedford's tenure.

The media will have an easy job selling this one, freely opting between the revenge/redemption angle, or going with the conference opener story.

Jake Locker is gone, as are some veteran defenders in Mason Foster, but the Huskies will still feature one of the better runningbacks in the conference in Chris Polk who should contend for all-conference honors next year. Plus, why does it seem like it's been an eternity since the Bears have had nice memories in Husky Stadium?

Thu., Oct. 6 - at Oregon (6 p.m. PT, ESPN)
The Bears will have a few extra days to prepare for this one, which is about the best possible situation in preparing to face the Ducks, other than coming out of a bye. The Ducks offense takes a bit of extra time to prepare for, in terms of both conditioning and gameplanning.

Cal faces the Ducks on national television, getting the Thursday night ESPN2 slot. Unfortunately for the Bears, when they play on ESPN, bad things happen.

To make matters worse, the Ducks are again the conference favorites next year, and as we all know, Autzen is historically one of the tougher venues to play at. Oh, and the Bears were walloped their 42-3, the last time they played there. Hurray!

Thu., Oct. 13 - USC (6 p.m. PT, ESPN)
The craziness continues, as the Bears continue their Thursday night ESPN tour with a game against the USC Trojans. Unfortunately, the Bears' last couple of meetings against the Trojans haven't ended well, to stay in the least.

Despite the Bears postseason and recruiting restrictions, the Trojans still feature the best athletes in the conference. It's hard to get excited for this one given the Bears' woes against USC, but hey, perhaps there will be a 8 year anniversary special of the last time the Bears beat the Trojans in Memorial stadium. Wait, they'll be playing at AT&T. Blast!

Sat., Oct. 22 - Utah (TBA)
The Bears come off their bye to square off against new Pac-12 foe Utah. The last time the Bears played the Utes, they were beaten in the Poinsettia Bowl. Notice a theme here? Revenge tour!

While I highly doubt the Utes will go through a Pac-12 schedule unscathed like they did so many years in the Mountain West, they're still a well-coached competitive team with a nice quarterback in Jordan Wynn. It should be a competitive game, and fun one to watch.

Sat., Oct. 29 - at UCLA (TBA)
Ahh the Bruins. Far be it from me to begin taking things for granted, but the Bears have absolutely owned the Bruins the past few years. And after breaking the Rose Bowl curse (not THAT one), I can't find myself getting too worried about this one.

Sat., Nov. 5 - Washington State (TBA)
What does it say when I find myself more scurred of Cougs than the Bruins? I really do believe this will be the year that Cougars win more than one conference game. They were fairly competitive in almost their games last year, nearly taking down the Bears in Pullman last year.

With that said, the Bears should still handle Wazzu.

Sat., Nov. 12 - Oregon State (TBA)
Jeebus, it's been a while since the Bears have beaten OSU. I keep saying, "This will be the year," every year as the Beavers usually look mediocre on paper each season, only to go on a conference ass kicking from the mid season on (with the exception of last year).

But you know what? I think this is the year.

Sat., Nov. 19 - at Stanford (TBA)
It's been a while since the Bears had their asses handed to them by the Furd like they did last year. I don't know how much added motivation that will be for a team facing their rivals. But here's hoping to the Bears showing up more than they did last year.

The Furd lose Jim Harbaugh and some veteran offensive lineman, but still have one of the best QBs in the land in Andrew Luck. I'm doubtful that the Furd will have the level of success they did this past season, but they should still be a very good team who will likely be favored in this matchup.

Sat., Nov. 26 - at Arizona State (TBA)
The media's sexy pick to contend for a conference championship, the Sun Devils finish their season against the Bears. The Sun Devils were 6-6 last year, but people are excited out in Tempe. You might ask, "Why? Isn't Dennis Erickson still the head coach?"

Well the optimistic fans will tell you they have a lot going for them. ASU was competitive in most of their losses, mere points away from knocking off Wisconsin, OSU, Stanford, and USC (their worst loss coming to the Bears actually). They also return one of the conference's more solid defenses and one of the nation's more fearsome defenders in Vontaze Burfict. Brock Osweiler looked promising after taking over for Steven Threet last season, and the schedule looks doable.

This blogger isn't sold however, and think the Bears may should have a solid shot if they decide to show up.

Well there you have it folks. It's a funky schedule for a funky season. Here's hoping the results aren't as funky.
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Tevin Carter Leaves Team

(via CaliforniaGoldenBlogs)

There were a few big stories yesterday which I'll touch upon in a couple of posts.

The first of which is the news that redshirt freshman wide receiver Tevin Carter has left the team.

While there are some unsubstantiated stories as to why Carter has left the team, all we have so far is this quote from Coach Jeff Tedford.

"He's finished here, which is unfortunate," Tedford said. "I don't know if he had a passion to play football anymore... he doesn't know if he wants to play football."


This has to be disappointing for all involved. I for one, had big hopes for Carter, a prized recruit from last year's Cal class. Carter had a freakish blend of size, speed (he was a track star), and athleticism. He was expected to contribute heavily this year and battle for some significant playing time.

Needless to say, Carter's career with Bears is over before it ever really took off, but I wish Tevin the very best in his future and with what he decides. No word yet as to whether he will stay enrolled at Cal and get his degree, but as Ted Miller reports, Carter has not asked for a release so that he can transfer schools.

In terms of long term plans for the team, while the Bears are likely set at their starting WR positions with Marvin Jones and Keenan Allen, it will be interesting to see who moves into the 3rd and 4th spots in the WR rotation. Expect RS frosh Kaelin Clay to play a lot, with senior Michael Calvin pushing for the 4th spot alongside senior Coleman Edmond who got limited playing time last year as a junior transfer.

Wide Receiver recruiting also becomes a much higher priority this season, with Jones, Calvin, and Edmond all graduating at the end of this season. The Bears would only be left with Clay, Allen, incoming frosh Maurice Harris, Terrance Montgomery, and a few walk-ons in Jackson Bouza and Spencer Hagan.
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Spring Practice Videos at BearInsider

I'll try to have my thoughts on Spring Practice as a whole by the end of the week as soon as things at work die down a bit.

For now, enjoy some of the always terrific reporting that Bear Insider has up over on their site. They're also sharing two videos. The first is 8 minutes of footage from the first spring practice over at Oakland Skyline High. Remember, the Bears will be moving around this spring to different locations for practice, due to the returfing efforts at Witter Field. Which, might I add I think will ultimately be a good thing. It'll be nice for the Bears to practice on different kinds of surfaces in preparation for the season. I know it'll be a bit inconvenient in the short run, but I'm hoping it pays dividends.

Anyway, back to the video. A couple of quick thoughts:

1) I'm impressed with new QB Coach Marcus Arroyo's energy. I had some previous clips of him leading some drills back at Wyoming, and liked what I saw. It's apparent that his enthusiasm and intensity during drills won't die down one bit here at Cal. Tedford has stated that the guy is a pure football junkie, so I'm cautiously excited about the joint mission (along with Tedford himself) to revitalize the QB corps for the Bears. Actually, I'll settle for one QB for now.


2) I almost shed a tear seeing Coach M back coaching the O-line. Coach M. wasn't always the loudest coaches during drills, and there was only a brief highlight of him with his o-linemen, but it was nostalgic and comforting to see Coach M. doing his thing again. Quietly coaching, perfecting, and hopefully dominating.

3) Coach Lupoi is as fun as ever to watch coach. The guy is gets all the credit in the world for being one of the nation's best recruiters, but I don't think he gets enough props for the work he does with his defensive line unit. They are in my mind the deepest and most solid of the three units on defense, and you can't take away the work Lupoi has done with his group in his short time as D-line coach. Tosh'd.

4) Anyone else salivating at the idea of what Coach Kiesau might do with this group of wide receivers? I couldn't make out too much of his directives to his group, but let's just assume it was something about being awesome. Yes? Let's.

5) Coach Tedford has stated that he would be much more involved with the QBs this year, and you could already see that in his interactions with the QBs. I haven't attended many practices in the past, so it's hard to see if this was a noticeable change over previous years, but his involvement was obvious in the clip.

6) Coach Gould looks as fearless as always coaching up the runningbacks. Very brief thoughts on the backs. Trajaun Briggs looked explosive in his cuts and his footwork looked solid for a guy coming off injuries. FB Eric Stevens still appears to be the most athletic and fluid of the fullbacks. I'm excited to see how he'll do with another year at the position.

7) Austin Hinder still looks really skinny. Can't remember the last time I saw a Pac-10 quarterback that thin. I don't think he's topped 190 pounds yet. For a guy who's 6'5, that's pretty stringy.

8) Fun to finally see Zach Maynard throw some balls in a Cal helmet. He's easy to pick out. The only lefty quarterback on the field.

9) And no special teams footage? I'm craving me some Anger smashes.

The second video has an interview with Jeff Tedford as he gives some fairly standard responses about the importance of Spring practice, as well as some nice info on injuries and Josh Hill's current status.
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I'm Alive

Thanks for asking. Posting will commence soon

For now, enjoy this gem from "Pearls before Swine."


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Coaching Carousel Thoughts (Part II)

I know it's been some time since I last posted, but I'm ready to go again. There's been quite a bit to blog on, which includes some of the other coaching changes since my last post on this matter back in January.

Offensive Line Coach
Out: Steve Marshall
In: Jim Michalczik

By now, you should already know my thoughts on Coach Marshall. In a nutshell, while I understood the hire, and could see some very marginal improvement in the offensive line this past season, it was fairly obvious to all in involved that there was something very wrong with our offensive line the past few seasons.

The parting of ways makes sense, and what makes even more sense is the hiring of former offensive line coach Jim Michalczik. In my mind, this is one of the biggest hires of the offseason for the Bears, and one that I'm downright ecstatic about.

Michalczik can coach the offensive line, plain and simple. While some have questioned his recruiting prowess in the past, the guy knows how to find the right players to fit his offensive line philosophy who he can develop accordingly. Michalczik is responsible for some of the best offensive play in the history of the Bears, which explains a lot of the offensive success Tedford and company had during the early part of Tedford's tenure.

Michalczik has been known to be an absolute stickler for technique, which is so critical at the collegiate level. This mindset is already one of the many improvements Coach M will bring over the previous Coach M.

I do have questions as to Coach Michalczik's long term future with the Bears, as he's publicly stated he's looking to pursue a head coaching position at some point or another. Let's just say we'll cross that bridge when we get there, as for now he's likely got his hands full with an offensive line that has been anywhere from mediocre to bad the past few seasons. Who else is looking forward to the day we can again characterize our offensive line as "dominant" again? Show of hands? Yeh, me too.


Offensive Coordinator
Out: Andy Ludwig
In: Jim Michalczik

One of the more interesting aspects of the Michalczik hire, is what Michalczik's new role will look like exactly, as he's been hired as both the offensive line coach and offensive coordinator for the Bears.

Before I proceed any further, I suppose I should comment about the Ludwig's "decision" to become to the offensive coordinator for the San Diego Aztecs. I'll admit that I was a bit surprised by the move, because I did feel like Tedford had found the coordinator with whom he most agreed with in terms of philosophy to really entrust playcalling duties with. They seemed to be on a similar (though not identical page) in terms of an offensive mindset. And though the offense has struggled the past few seasons, I thought you could chalk it up more to offensive line play, execution and injuries than placing the blame largely on playcalling.

So color me a bit surprised by the move. And I was even more curious with the decision to name Michalczik the offensive coordinator in addition to his role as the offensive line coach. While the details of Michalczik's duties as the offensive coordinator hasn't been made explicit, I can only surmise a few things.

One, Coach Michalczik wasn't going to come back as just the offensive line coach. My guess is that leveraging his move back to Cal involved the necessary title promotion as well as the salary boost.

Two, while Coach Michalczik is likely to be more involved in the gameplanning process and in the offense on a week to week basis, I'd be very surprised to see him in the booth calling plays. With Ludwig's departure, and the inability to find an offensive coordinator to stick around longer than a season or two, it's pretty clear by now that Tedford has made up his mind that he's going back to calling the plays himself. The Bears' offense was at its best when he was more involved in the QBs and offense, and I think Tedford's decided to go back to what it looked like back in 2007 when he was responsible for calling plays and Coach M took care of the other Offensive Coordinator responsibilities.

While Tedford admitted much of the chemistry issues were the result of him being too absorbed in the offensive coordinator duties and not focusing on the team as a whole, I think he's learned enough since then to know how to effectively balance the two. Let's be clear, there are plenty of examples of head coaches who can effectively coordinate either the offense or defense or call plays, as long as they're surrounded by coaches who are fully capable and he can trust. And with Michalczik, Gould, and Kiesau on his staff, I think he can sleep easy knowing that won't be an issue.

Quarterback Coach
Out: Andy Ludwig
In: Marcus Arroyo

This was another move that surprised me somewhat, because I don't know much about Arroyo, and because I had heard Tedford state that he wanted to be more hands-on with the quarterbacks this year.

However, I do think he hired Arroyo, precisely for that reason. I do believe Tedford will be more involved in coaching the quarterbacks alongside Arroyo, but needed someone to handle the wealth of other duties that come with being the quarterback coach.

It will be interesting to see what type of balance he strikes up with Arroyo, in terms of working with the quarterbacks while also not necessarily diminishing Arroyo's authority as QB coach.

In terms of what I know about Arroyo, it's not much. I know he's a young coach from San Jose State, where he excelled as both a starting QB and a coach. He even had a chance to coach former Cal QB and SJSU transfer Kyle Reed, before taking a job as an offensive coordinator and QB coach at Wyoming. Wyoming's on field results on offense were questionable, but then again, it was Wyoming, and he's not being hired to call plays, he's being hired to coach QBs. He seems like an energetic, go-get-'em kind of coach, as evidenced from the short clip below.



The jury's still out on this one, but I am optimistic about the idea of Tedford being more involved with the QBs.

Strength and Conditioning Coach
Out: John Krasinski
In: Mike Blasquez

The last time I wrote on this, I expressed my surprise by the decision to let Krasinski go because of the length of time with Tedford and the fact that he was well liked by players.

But by all reports of positive feedback I'm hearing about Blasquez (formerly overseeing just the Cal Men's basketball team and De la Salle's football team), this might be the best offseason move. Seriously. Players are all chiming in about the difference between Blasquez's approach and Coach K's, and the reports are of painful yet ecstatic support of Blasquez.

The team also reportedly "looks different" already, which is exciting news. This could mean great things for the Bears both short and long term.
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