New post up on some of spring practice that Wilner witnessed. Full of un-researched and useless prognostications per usual:

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/collegesports/2010/04/11/cal-football-thoughts-from-spring-practice/

Quite a difference between Wilner's report and bearinsider's report of the very same scrimmage.

Wilner said:

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[FONT=Georgia][COLOR=Black]But I did not walk away impressed with the offense. Not. One. Bit.[/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Georgia][COLOR=Black]And the defense dominated, which you could take as good news or bad news for the Bears' prospects next season.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia][COLOR=Black]But what does it say that a first-team defense playing without Sean Cattouse and with Mike Mohamed in a limited role was able to get the better of the offense time and again?
[/COLOR][/FONT][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=2][COLOR=Black]
I counted only three or four downfield completions and too many plays that gained five yards or less.

Brock Mansion and Beau Sweeney were not impressive at one point, I thought: Goodness, who's going to start at QB for this program in 2011! and Kevin Riley hardly looked like a different quarterback than he was last year.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=2][COLOR=Black]

But it's also clear that Cal is several talented bodies short at receiver. If the incoming class doesn't include an impact WR or, it's difficult to see the Bears doing much through the air against the league's top defenses.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=2][COLOR=Black]
And if they can't do much through the air, then the defenses will stack the line of scrimmage and well, we all know what happens then.

From what I've heard, the Bears will be slotted for the bottom half of the Pac-10 in virtually every preseason magazine/publication, and some are picking them as low as eighth.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=2][COLOR=Black]
But nothing I saw during the 90-minute snapshot Saturday makes me think the Bears have what it takes to finish in the top half of the conference.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

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bearinsider said:

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[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=2][COLOR=Black]Although the defense played strong again, this week the offense fared considerably better than it did last week.

Riley had a strong performance, completing 13-of-19 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns as the Bears spent much of the latter part of the practice doing situational work from their 2, 30, and 35 yard lines and the opposing 25-yard and 30-yard lines.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Georgia][SIZE=2][COLOR=Black]

His two touchdown passes came towards the end of practice, when on a 4th-and-5 from the Cal 40, he threw a medium distance right-side out pattern to Jeremy Ross, who eluded a tackle from safety Alex Logan and ran for a 60-yard touchdown.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Georgia][SIZE=2][COLOR=Black]

On the following possession, which started from the 25-yard line, Riley had one of his best completions of the day, a well-timed pass to Alex Lagemann's back shoulder. Lagemann stopped, turned, and caught the ball for a 12-yard gain even though he was well-covered by cornerback Bryant Nnabuife.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Georgia][SIZE=2][COLOR=Black]

"The guys I played with last year, Marv (Jones) and Lagemann have definitely improved continuously," said Riley.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Georgia][SIZE=2][COLOR=Black]

"It's always key to have confidence in guys to make plays," said Tedford. " (Riley) did a nice job. he hit Marvin on a back shoulder throw. Anytime you've got a back shoulder throw you've got confidence in your receivers, that's twice; once to Lagemann and once to Marvin."[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Georgia][SIZE=2][COLOR=Black]

On the following play, a 1st-and-goal from the 5, Riley threw a short pass to running back Covaughn DeBoskie-Johnson, who spun away from linebacker Steven Fanua and strolled into the end zone for a touchdown.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Georgia][SIZE=2][COLOR=Black]

Not that there was much question about it, but Riley's strong performance on Saturday would seem to have cemented his chances of being named starting quarterback. His poise in reacting to two snaps that went over his head when he was working with the second unit line, the command that he showed in guiding the offense to two touchdowns during end-of-game drills, and his ability to avoid sacks had him head and shoulders above Beau Sweeney and Brock Mansion.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Georgia][SIZE=2][COLOR=Black]

Whereas last week the defense clearly had a stronger afternoon than the offense, this weekend the offense was better. Out of 16 possessions, the defense forced a three-and-out just four times, while the offense managed four touchdowns, two field goals and had one missed field goal although it should be pointed out that several offensive possessions began on the defense's side of the field.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

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The truth lies probably somewhere in between (although there was more attention to detail in Ted Lee's report).

Quote:

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The truth lies probably somewhere in between (although there was more attention to detail in Ted Lee's report).

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The night before, Wilner and Ratto probably had their annual Spring Bourbon and Cheesecake festival... we all know which one had which....

Nasal Mucus Goldenbear;315685 said:

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Quite a difference between Wilner's report and bearinsider's report of the very same scrimmage.



The truth lies probably somewhere in between (although there was more attention to detail in Ted Lee's report).

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I'm not a fan of Wilner, but his take sounds closer to reality than BI's Blue-tinted view. From everything I have heard, the offense has struggled mightily all spring with the OL being the biggest issue, again.

Recall that in last year's open scrimmage, the offense had trouble and the OL was darn near useless. If there is a repeat performance next week, especially if Schwartz is on the field, then I fear next year will be a struggle on offense.

The guy over at the SF Examiner reported more along the lines of the Bear Insider. Sorry, I don't have the link. He praised Riley and Marvin Jones like crazy.

I saw Wilner's take as well.. clearly the outlier and given that he has not been watching at all - other than this one time - it does lend more credibility to those who've been at it consistently. I have a feeling that all the injuries and the fact that many younger players have been in the mix lends itself to some perception on his part that things were bad.... the good news is, we'll get to wait until fall when many of those who are out will return along with some of our new recruits who should be in the mix (Martin and Allen along with a couple of others)... that is when it will matter..

Our offense can't pass on our pass defense. Now, that is scary.

There are some current injuries, namely to Schwartz and Galas. And what's going on with Schwenke; haven't read his name in reports lately.

An o-line with Schwartz, MSG, Galas, and Schwenke doesn't sound bad. Now, OL depth will most certainly be a problem in this upcoming season.

13-19 (68%) with 2 TDs and (presumably) no INTs sounds like Riley was in fact able to pass successfully against our defense.

Yes, it's a small sample size, and it's limited situational drills, and it's spring, but that's not stopping the chicken littles from running around with heads cut off.

I'd suggest taking spring results (positive and negative) with a big fat grain of salt. We have a long way to go until opening day.

drunkoski;315698 said:

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from what i've been told wilner is spot on. if the oline doesnt' improve we might be looking at tedford's first losing season. lots of time before sept 4th though.

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Low expectations and an even-year schedule sound ok right now.

Ho hum. Wilner must have been rushed for time to meet a deadline - the report missed some usual topics for an article on Cal: praise for Harbaugh, mention that 'Furd is going to challenge for the title and a prediction that 'Furd wins The Big Game by a score of about 37-9.

And one other thing: it will be another frustrating season if the OL and WR's don't start performing.

Thanks elp for bringing logic to the discussion! 13-19 is actually a good enough sample size for a single game, as the offense was focused on rushing. I can't believe the negabear haven't jumped on that fact, yet.

My source on Tightwad hill says the female squirrel population is out of this world...

drunkoski;315707 said:

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sometimes expectations are low for a reason.

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Wow, I can actually kind of relax this season. My level of expectation has finally returned to normalcy. I'm a regular Cal fan again!

:woohoo

drunkoski;315698 said:

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from what i've been told wilner is spot on. if the oline doesnt' improve we might be looking at tedford's first losing season. lots of time before sept 4th though.

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In December, I said that IMO Cal needed to get rid of 3 coaches; ST, DC and OL.
JT got rid of 2 of the 3. A number of pundits said that the OL problems were not the OL coach but the fact that the prior OL coach had not recruited well and had left the cupboard bare. I sincerely hope that they are correct and that we are not relying on an ineffective OL coach to to revitalize a deficient OL.

Other than the rumored prognostications of a second division finish, the comments were based on what he observed and reflect what many of us will worry about until the season unfolds: 1) Riley's growth (or not); 2) WR performance; 3) OL recovery. With Masoli on the shelf and the uncertainty at SC, this year may be the most wide open conference race in years. I could easily envision Cal losing to anyone not named WSU or beating anyone in the conference. It could be a wild ride.

Seriously? You guys go apoplectic about a scrimmage in April, and deduce somehow it's a harbinger of bad things to come for the upcoming season? New flash for those who don't get it: it's frigging spring ball! Time to try a few new things, put guys in new positions, keep guys out you don't want to get injured, and let the young guys play. And, they've only practiced 10 times, which when camp starts, will be done in the first week. The team's not sharp cuz they haven't practiced enough, took a week off during Spring ball, and lots of guys are sitting out. Not to mention break in a new DC, and special teams coach. Take it easy, and enjoy it for what it is - football in April!

:gobears:

Drunk, are you aware that defense is ALWAYS ahead of offense early in training camp, and especially when you've only had 10 practices over 4+ weeks? Every football guy knows that, and I'm guessing, given your argumentative nature, you know that but are just trying to stir the pot. Am i right, or do you just not know what you're talking about?

drunkoski;315698 said:

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from what i've been told wilner is spot on. if the oline doesnt' improve we might be looking at tedford's first losing season. lots of time before sept 4th though.

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which is why we need someone on the coaching staff that can recruit o-linemen. whiffing on top prospects like Kouandijo, Rowland, Khaled Holmes,Chris Ward, Westerman, Castro has taken its toll. Heck, Sarkisian was even able to grab two tackles away last year that we wanted. Our offense will remain mediocre without better linemen.

Riley did have a better day than discussed, but the 2 back-ups have not elevated their game (surprised about Sweeney).

The same old concerns were talked about the oline and wrs are not gonna be cured in spring ball, especially with the key oline guys injured or banged-up. The WR issue comes down to speed/separation, which will have to wait until fall when the speedy frosh arrive.

The offense is usually mediocre to bad this time of year. The defense is showing new looks, which means the offense can't game plan. It all starts to matter in fall.

drunkoski;315736 said:

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i'm well aware, but this doesnt' seem like run of the mill problems.

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Specifically, the banged up O-line and lack of backup QB's dazzling?

I am shocked -- SHOCKED -- that you think there's something seriously wrong with the team. So unlike you.

drunkoski;315750 said:

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name the last time i've been wrong

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As fun as that game sounds, I'm not interested (nor do I have the time).

You consistently take the most negative view of every single tidbit of information. That's all. I would hope you don't think you're a particularly optimistic person?

drunkoski;315750 said:

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name the last time i've been wrong

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When you said Cal wouldn't beat Stanford in the Big Game last season.

GB54;315699 said:

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Our offense can't pass on our pass defense. Now, that is scary.

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LOL, good observation. Our WR corp is pretty thin this year with only 2 decent guys. Jones doesn't have a lot of separation speed and Lags is a posession receiver. Ross is too inconsistent and Calvin is hopeless with stone hands. To rely on the incoming WRs is just too great of an unknown. We are really hurt by not getting a WR last year.

I'm encouraged by the reports of Riley's improvement and hard work though. We'll need his leadership this year.

GB54;315699 said:

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Our offense can't pass on our pass defense. Now, that is scary.

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nvm

i totally misread your post.

i know wilner is a huge loser but we do have to remember that last years team stunk.............there are alot of dudes on the team that arent top pac10 players. Hopefully the incoming class will change that.

Some posters on this forum are breaking down this current team as if they were coming off of a 10-win season............noooooope. So while its prolly not as doom and gloom as wilner says....its prolly not a complete farce either.

I hate to say it but I was at the scrimmage and saw much the same thing as Wilner:

1. Very little downfield passing game.
2. Very few attempts by Mansion or Sweeney to even throw the ball downfield.
3. Spotty protection for our QB's
4. Very little consistency to the passing game.

We were of course missing two of our most experienced and conistent offensive lineman in Schwartz and Guarnero so that is a factor.

Edwards and Brazinksi (?) were at center and were wildly inconsistent with shotgun snaps.

But if you go back and compare this offense with our O under Boller, Rogers, Robertson or Lonshore (of course with the luxury of three NFL receivers in Jackson, Hawkins and Jordan) there is no comparison.

Frankly not a lot of open guys roaming around in the secondary.

A number of the "downfield" completions were thrown on go routes where the receiver was well covered and the ball was purposely thrown behind them to and the receiver (Lageman and Jones) were able to make good, diving catches.

The long TD to Ross was a medium depth out pattern with a muffed coverage.

I know we will be better in the fall but this is definitely worrisome for now....

Campanile1993;315729 said:

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Seriously? You guys go apoplectic about a scrimmage in April, and deduce somehow it's a harbinger of bad things to come for the upcoming season? New flash for those who don't get it: it's frigging spring ball! Time to try a few new things, put guys in new positions, keep guys out you don't want to get injured, and let the young guys play. And, they've only practiced 10 times, which when camp starts, will be done in the first week. The team's not sharp cuz they haven't practiced enough, took a week off during Spring ball, and lots of guys are sitting out. Not to mention break in a new DC, and special teams coach. Take it easy, and enjoy it for what it is - football in April!

:gobears:

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Agreed. Bottom half of the Pac 10?!? I'm not seeing it, at all...

We have lots of returnees. We will have revamped Special Teams. Improving the O-line will be a priority. With another year under their belts, the QB and WRs will be improved.

We may not get to the Promised Land this year, but we should at least have a strong team.

When you questioned the recruiting strategies of the staff before LOI day.

drunkoski;315698 said:

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from what i've been told wilner is spot on. if the oline doesnt' improve we might be looking at tedford's first losing season. lots of time before sept 4th though.

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Must have been hard to include that last sentence, Drunk. So much for that one day of optimism you had when JT let Gregory go. Nice to see you back to yourself.

drunkoski;315707 said:

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sometimes expectations are low for a reason.

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Most of the time expectations are wrong on April 12th.

drunkoski;315707 said:

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sometimes expectations are low for a reason.

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But not high for a reason, right? Like at the beginning of last season?

So to recap:
Low expectations = realistic
High expectations = ridiculous
You're never wrong - except when you are

Guess the Huskies should sit Locker this year. From their spring scrimmage report:

...Jake Locker got just two series, leading a TD drive the first time he had it, going 3-6 for 70 yards, including a 29-yard TD to Devin Aguilar. On his second drive, UW was moving before a holding penalty derailed things.

wifeisafurd;315743 said:

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Riley did have a better day than discussed, but the 2 back-ups have not elevated their game (surprised about Sweeney). .....

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Is Bridgford getting any looks at all this Spring? Or is he still recovering from injuries? Thinking ahead to 2011, if Brock and Beau are not showing enough development to push Riley now, then I hope Bridgford or Hinder would be ready to seize the reins by then.

wifeisafurd;315743 said:

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....The same old concerns were talked about the oline and wrs are not gonna be cured in spring ball...... The WR issue comes down to speed/separation, which will have to wait until fall when the speedy frosh arrive. ....

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I have high hopes for Keenan Allen, but it's asking a lot to count on a true frosh to step right in at WR. I guess Julio Jones did pretty well a couple of years ago for 'Bama. But IIRC, even D-Jax and Hawkins did not set the world on fire their first year on the field at Cal (esp. Hawk, who also had the experience from being a soph transfer).

I think that Wilner's snapshot observation is reasonably accurate. Cal doesn't possess gamebreaker's this spring other than Vereen. Shane Vereen has not had a heavy workload because he's proven. The question is who will split time with him in 2010. The wide receivers also lack game-breakers at present although three sprinters enter the competition in the fall. I think that Cal needs to have a strong OL this season to sustain the run game and protect QB Riley well enough to enable success in the passing game. GO BEARS!

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Nasal Mucus Goldenbear;315701 said:

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There are some current injuries, namely to Schwartz and Galas. And what's going on with Schwenke; haven't read his name in reports lately.

An o-line with Schwartz, MSG, Galas, and Schwenke doesn't sound bad. Now, OL depth will most certainly be a problem in this upcoming season.

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I think that Cal could break into the top half of the conference, not because we will be that good, but because I can't count five teams that I think are a sure thing to finish ahead of us. Hopefully we can avoid the humiliating losses that we endured last season, though. Tedford is to me a total enigma. A meteoric rise in his first years at Cal, the thrilling Aaron Rogers era, then a series of underachieving teams with some amazing talent (Lynch, Jackson, Hawkins, etc) but a lack of something - heart? coaching? chemistry?