Pac-12 Media Day - In-Depth With Cal Center Matthew Cindric

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - Sixth year senior offensive lineman Matthew Cindric has been around the block as a Bear, signing with Cal in 2018 out of Skyline High School in Washington. The veteran OL is Cal's active career leader in games played (34) and starts (33) over the last four seasons since redshirting as a 2018 true freshman with 17 starts at right guard and 16 at center.

With five fall camps and spring balls under his belt at Cal, Cindric was asked if he sees any differences this year compared to his prior seasons.

"I think we're probably a little more hands-on in a way," Cindric said. "A lot of walkthroughs. They're building in a lot of time for us to go do player-run practices.

"This summer, how it's working is we'll do our team runs in the morning and then they'll give us a two hour break where we can totally control the practice walkthrough. I take leadership, especially at the O-line. We do our drills just to kind of stay ready. And then once we get into walking through plays, I'll help lead it along with the quarterbacks. So yeah, it's been good and we have a good chunk of time dedicated to that. We need it just for so many new guys. We're really coming together nicely."

Cindric came to Cal as a former offensive tackle and defensive end, starting out at guard as a redshirt frosh before being pressed into duty when starting center Mike Saffell was lost to injury. He then moved back to guard before returning to center once more this season.

"When you first learn it, it's a lot different from playing tackle, but I feel like I'm old enough and I've played the position long enough that I can transfer over pretty quickly when I need to,” Cindric said. “And of course, there's going to be slight adjustments you kind of have to remember. But yeah, I'm excited to kind of be able to go back to center. I feel like, that's my natural position.

"I think it suits my skill set well. Being a little bit more of an undersized guy, it kind of lets me fly around, use my speed and agility to my advantage. Let the big guards kind of lift those guys up and let me come kind of be a bowling ball and bounce around. Are you engaging the defensive tackle or linebacker mostly? "It depends on the play," Cindric noted. "A lot of times the center gets to work with the guard on the double team, which in our offense, we do a lot. Depending on where the linebacker goes, you kind of switch off."

As center, his assignments vary depending on how the defense is aligned and the offensive play call.

"It depends on the play," Cindric noted. "A lot of times the center gets to work with the guard on the double team, which in our offense, we do a lot. Depending on where the linebacker goes, you kind of switch off."

At center, Cindric plays a key role in formation alignment, defensive reads and more. He added some additional thoughts on the logistics on how that’s executed.

"They'll call them from the sideline and we'll get it from the quarterback, but as a center, you're in charge of small adjustments, getting your guys where you need to go," Cindric noted. "So on a smaller scale, I'm helping to make calls but the calls will still be quarterback-led."

"Once the quarterback gives us the play call, then I like to say I start the line of communication,. And then everybody can communicate, everybody makes calls. But at center, you kind of make sure everyone's right on their line of communication."

After several seasons where the line struggled under former OL coach Angus McClure, the Bears nabbed top FCS veteran OL coach Mike Bloesch to take charge of the line. Consider Cindric a fan.

"He's been awesome," Cindric said of his new OL coach. "He's a great blend of getting right to the point, coaches hard, intense, but also, he lets us have fun and doesn't overcoach us. When we're playing, when we're going, he doesn't yell at us. He lets the film room be the area where we can learn or we'll go over it in a walkthrough. So you can kind of play free, you're not looking over your shoulder. He's not demeaning towards us, yelling and screaming but he's gonna make sure that we do things correctly and we don't make the same mistake twice. So it's been really good."

Bloesch came in talking about instilling a toughness mentality on the line. The veteron OL noted that the different mentality showed right from the beginning of his arrival.

"Definitely, we've definitely gotten tougher," Cindric said. "It starts with the offseason conditioning we've done. We've definitely stepped it up. In this more up-tempo offense, being able to get to the line and get set and go. We had to get going. So we’ve had to get tougher and then just the playing style, the way he wants us to play the techniques he's coaching. He wants us to play with a little mean streak to us."

"I think when he showed up on campus, it immediately showed up. And I think that along with just the discontent for how last season went, I think all of us know that that's not what we are as an O-line. So we got some guys back that were banged up back healthy and I'm super excited to see what this O-line can do because we had a lot of room to grow. And now we have a lot to prove. And I think we're excited to show what we've been working on."

The Bears added several new pieces to the line with portal transfer Matthew Wykoff‍ from Texas A&M, frosh OT Frederick Williams III‍, former prep OL and Cal DE Jaydon Roberts who moved to the offensive side of the ball as well as former Stanford starting OG Barrett Miller‍ who arrived on campus last week.

"They've been great," Cindric said. "They've fit in well and they've been working really hard,. We're excited to have them and hopefully they’ll contribute wherever they can. They're not really "me" guys, they're trying to fit in and be for the team, which is all you can really ask from the new guys. Super excited to see what they can do. As you know, from your years covering the Cal O-line, the guys who start the season, rarely finish the season. As much depth as we can get, that's what we need."

Cindric is one of those guys who didn’t finish the year he started after tearing his biceps midseason but his rehab has gone well and he’s ready to pick up where he left off.

"I feel like I'm right there," Cindric said. I feel like I'm 100% if not 110%.

In some ways, his intense rehab has built even more confidence in the veteran lineman who is ready to take the field in two weeks at Memorial.

"Yeah, definitely," Cindric said. "When you're doing all that stuff, you're working muscles that you weren't really working before so I feel like I'm fully back to 100% and it won't cause me any issues."

Beyond the new additions to the team, Cindric sees a lot of positive developments among his fellow starting O-linemen.

"I think TJ Session - Coach Wilcox highlighted at the end of spring - had a great spring," Cindric said. "I think he wasn't happy with how he played last season and he's really put in a lot of work to fix that and I'm really excited to see where he's at. And then the rest of the starters. Sioape's (Vatikani) gotten into much better shape than he was. Same with Brian Driscoll. Brayden Rohme's put on a few pounds. Some of those guys, it's hard to put on weight but he's eating lasagna and doing whatever he can to put on that weight. So a lot of respect for him and how he's trying to work there and just the guy's dedication. 

"Coach Bloesch came in and he said we're gonna show up 20 minutes early to do rehab. He gave us a sheet to do drills and no one's complained, everyone just goes about their work. Those little 20-minute additions, those add up over the course of a spring and summer. So we're much further along, I think, than we ever have been at this point."

Improved cardio has been a big factor in the team’s strength and conditioning program and it’s been paying dividends so far on the field.

“Oh, definitely," Cindric said. "(S&C) Coach Brian Johnson and his crew - TJ Owens has kind of been leading our sessions - they've been great. And we're pushing sleds and running and we're going so yeah, I think we'll be in good shape. And I know Coach Wilcox has mentioned that we practice the way we'll play, with that up-tempo style. I think we'll be ready."

There’s been a lot of talk in the offseason about the offense being simplified after the departure of former OC Bill Musgrave. Cindric talked about some of the differences he’s seen so far.

"I think any time you spread the wide receivers, it's going to make things a little clearer for the O-line,” Cindric noted. “And the more tight ends, the more condensed you get. It just makes it a little bit tougher to see your landmarks where you're going, who's coming from the defense. So I think just that will help kind of us and me as a center identify where we're going, get guys in the right place. Allow the tight ends to do what they do best rather than trying to get them to always block a D-end. I don't know if I'd say the offense it more simplified but it's more advantageous to us.

"A lot of the reads are similar. I think it's just maybe cutting down some of the plays and just doing what we do really, really well."

Stay tuned for more from Cindric, Sirmon and Wilcox from today’s media day appearance.