Today's practice

14,195 Views | 58 Replies | Last: 14 yr ago by calumnus
MoragaBear
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Today was the first of three practices fully open to the media.

Maynard was out with a study group today so Bridgford got the first team reps today. He looked good and threw with confidence and accuracy. He's bigger and stronger this spring than he's been.

Boehm was next in the rotation. Tedford said there was nothing to read into the order but I'm not sure. He seemed to be the next best qb out there, though it's still early. He threw well and he won't hesitate to pull it down and run, which he did a number of times.

Hinder was next, then Kline. Both looked fine, though Kline still looks like he's obviously learning. He did throw a ball through a hanging tire after practice. I think he was the only qb to make it.

Harris looked really good at wr. He had several balls where he went up over the defense to grab balls. It seemed that Bouza and Bostock got the next most balls. Willis took some wr reps along with cb and looked good, too.

Looked like Rodgers got the most balls at TE. He's got a huge base but is definitely not fat and he moved pretty quickly. Hagan and Wark were out there a decent amount, too, and I'm pretty sure Ladner was out there, too.

Isi looked really quick hitting the holes at rb and CJA looked good, too. Bigelow showed some nice burst and it looked to me like he's added some muscle. Looked @10 lbs bigger to me. Lasco and Ervin got some time, as well as Manuel. Both Yarnway and Briggs were out there, too. I asked Tedford if one or more of the rb's might play some fb (thinking Yarnway and Briggs, especially) and he said some of the rb's did get fb reps and that they're looking at that.

Also, re. fullback, Stevens ran on the sideline with a brace and was really quick. Can't imagine he won't be back for fall camp.

McClure was on the exercise bike with no brace and he seemed to have full range of motion, which was good to see.

The first team OL seemed to be mainly T Rigsbee at LT, Adcock/Brazinski at LG, Schwenke at C, Gibson at RG, MSG at OT. Michalczik said if one or more of the OT's do well enough, they wouldn't mind moving MSG back to OG.

I focused mainly on the O since the D can't tackle with no pads but Ted will be able to talk about the defensive rotation. He'll have a report on rotations on both sides of the ball. I'll have the main practice report and Grey will add Tedford video from post practice. I'll also have video interviews with Bridgford, Boehm and from Thursday, Maynard.
mechaniCAL
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Thanks for the updates MB!
heartofthebear
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Thanks for the report.
Much of it is encouraging.
Some questions comments:
I like the Schwenke at center experiment. He is the most experienced OL.
I think the OL progress is the key to the season so I'm hoping that MSG at tackle is more about the progress of Gibson at guard more than the lack of progress of Williams at tackle because I think MSG is better at guard.
Who in your mind is better at tackle, Rigsbee or Tyndall?
Great news that the QB's seems to be all looking good and that Bridgford continues to develope.
I'm also glad to hear about Bigelow getting stronger and that Harris looks ready to have a breakout season.
Great news about McClure.
A couple of questions: How come we continue to hear so little about CDJ at rb? I think he is a great athlete and should be on the field more. I would put him at wr before Willis.
I was not aware Ladner was still part of the program? Is he going to be the starter?
bearblast
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Ladner was not there
BearEatsTacos
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Any chance some of our RBs will line up in the slot and take reps as a WR? I liked seeing Isi used this way in the past.
mdcspe69
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Where was Galas?
Aggie Bear
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Galas is hurt for spring I believe.

Very happy to hear that McClure is healing. He has a chance to be a great player, and I'm really rooting for him to return to pre-injury form and beyond.
petalumabear
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Galas has shoulder issues IIRC
Bear_Territory
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Wow, we are so thin at WR
MoragaBear
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heartofthebear;727255 said:

Thanks for the report.
Much of it is encouraging.
Some questions comments:
Who in your mind is better at tackle, Rigsbee or Tyndall?

I like Rigsbee better than Tyndall at OT

A couple of questions: How come we continue to hear so little about CDJ at rb?

I'd heard that Covaugn might move on after graduation in the spring but he's still on the roster. Didn't notice him today, though, so he may not have been out there.

I was not aware Ladner was still part of the program? Is he going to be the starter?


Ladner's still a part of the program. He was suspended at the end of last season, not dismissed.
bearblast
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Ate u saying u saw him today ?
Sonofoski
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Heart,

You should have taken the clue that CDJ was not going to be in the running back rotation when JT went the JC route to get Anderson. CDJ did not carry the ball once in 2011. I predict he will be gone come fall.
MoragaBear
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I'm not saying I saw Ladner for certain but he is on the roster. When he was suspended last season he was not dismissed.

CDJ had 10 carries and one rushing td for 46 yards last season.
CalGB94
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Is there any official word on the last practice/scrimmage being open to the public?
Son-of-California
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It was fun/exciting to be there...I just don't know what to make of it...every year I think..."this could be the year"...sadly, it never really is.
heartofthebear
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Sonofoski;727286 said:

Heart,

You should have taken the clue that CDJ was not going to be in the running back rotation when JT went the JC route to get Anderson. CDJ did not carry the ball once in 2011. I predict he will be gone come fall.


I have a clue but am clueless as to why he has been routinely lowered down the depth chart. From what I've seen, he's a good player
BearBorn11
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CDJ is not very good. He cant read lanes and ends up just putting his head down and running into his linemen's backs. He's awful. Good athlete, bad football player.
GoCal80
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Is it too early to tell if or how our new D-line and receivers coaches might be changing things up this season from the way things were done previously?
edg64
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What is Maynard's study group - studying??
heartofthebear
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BearBorn11;727385 said:

CDJ is not very good. He cant read lanes and ends up just putting his head down and running into his linemen's backs. He's awful. Good athlete, bad football player.


When CDJ was 3rd behind Best and Vereen there were many times when I could not tell the difference between CDJ and Vereen. Also his statistics are not bad for someone who is a bad football player.
He has 5.1 ypc for his career.


In other words, I would need more than your opinion to be convinced of what you say (stats, video, quotes from coaches)

edit: Here's some information that would tend to contradict the notion that he's a bad football player.

Quote from a scout: Deboskie has excellent speed and shows the ability to break tackles. On one play he will just blow right by you with his breakaway speed. On the next he will run right through a defense, showing his power and quick cuts. Deboskie hits the hole hard and gives great effort on his runs. He shows good vision in traffic and instinctually finds the cutback lane.

He was an army all american coming out of high school.

http://bearinsider.com/football/recruiting/recruit-detail.php?recruit_id=191
southseasbear
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BearBorn11;727385 said:

CDJ is not very good. He cant read lanes and ends up just putting his head down and running into his linemen's backs. He's awful. Good athlete, bad football player.


heartofthebear;727424 said:

When CDJ was 3rd behind Best and Vereen there were many times when I could not tell the difference between CDJ and Vereen. Also his statistics are not bad for someone who is a bad football player.

In other words, I would need more than your opinion to be convinced of what you say (stats, video, quotes from coaches)


Have to agree with heartofthebear. Furthermore, if he's as bad as BearBorn11 suggests, shouldn't the coaching staff have realized those limitations when they recruited him?
berk18
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southseasbear;727425 said:

Furthermore, if he's as bad as BearBorn11 suggests, shouldn't the coaching staff have realized those limitations when they recruited him?


This is an argument people make a lot, but I think these are people who don't understand teaching. I haven't watched DeBoskie enough to say that this applies to him, but it does apply to football as much as anything else. Lots of times you look at a student and say "If they just get this down, they'll do really well." You recruit them thinking you can teach them those skills. For some reason, it's easier to get some people to do what they need to do than others, regardless of how much effort the student puts in or how many different ways you try to teach them what they need to know. You also can't spend 3 hours with a guy who gets it more slowly when you could be dedicating time to a guy who can do all that and more with 30 minutes of help.

DeBoskie is put in to run a couple of plays, not the whole offense. If the staff has found ways for him to be productive while giving the starter a breather, that's a mark in their favor. Gould has proven that he is a great teacher to a lot of different guys with a lot of different skill-sets, so I don't think the problem's with him.
southseasbear
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berk18;727431 said:

This is an argument people make a lot, but I think these are people who don't understand teaching. I haven't watched DeBoskie enough to say that this applies to him, but it does apply to football as much as anything else. Lots of times you look at a student and say "If they just get this down, they'll do really well." You recruit them thinking you can teach them those skills. For some reason, it's easier to get some people to do what they need to do than others, regardless of how much effort the student puts in or how many different ways you try to teach them what they need to know. You also can't spend 3 hours with a guy who gets it more slowly when you could be dedicating time to a guy who can do all that and more with 30 minutes of help.

DeBoskie is put in to run a couple of plays, not the whole offense. If the staff has found ways for him to be productive while giving the starter a breather, that's a mark in their favor. Gould has proven that he is a great teacher to a lot of different guys with a lot of different skill-sets, so I don't think the problem's with him.


Interesting point, if true, that it's not so much ability as it is teachability.
heartofthebear
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Thanks: This is the first cogent theory I've heard regarding the possible reason CDJ doesn't play more. I believe there was some concern about him not learning the blocking assignments and I was wondering if that is still true.
calumnus
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heartofthebear;727424 said:

When CDJ was 3rd behind Best and Vereen there were many times when I could not tell the difference between CDJ and Vereen. Also his statistics are not bad for someone who is a bad football player.
He has 5.1 ypc for his career.




Actually, according to the Cal website, he has a 5.2 ypc average for his career, but that was mostly due to that 2009 season behind Best and Vareen--his average in 2010 was 3.3 ypc and in 2011 was 4.0 ypc.

Sofele in 2010 was 4.9 ypc and in 2011 was 5.2 ypc.

CJ Anderson in 2011 was 4.8 ypc securing the back-up spot.

Even Bigelow in 2011 was 4.2 ypc (coming off injury) and with his upside and the need to develop someone for 2013, he got the nod as third back.

I think CDJ is a good athlete and a good kid who simply has not produced as well as others the last two years when he had a shot (wasn't he injured or out of shape at one point two years ago?) and then especially lost out to CJ Anderson last year who has a very similar straight ahead running style but just brings more and produces more. CDJ just got stopped at the LOS too often. Maybe if the OL were opening holes he could gain momentum getting into the secondary? When I think about his best runs, it is largely when the OL has opened up a hole (though I am sure that could be said about any back, it is less true about the guys in front of him).

He has looked very good a few times catching swing passes, but I think we were too obvious in our use of him that way.
heartofthebear
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Thanks Calumnus for once again providing a balanced and reasonable perspective. Yes he was out of shape last spring but Blasquezed himself and by fall was supposedly back-up to Sofele until CJ overtook him. Understand that I agree that he should be behind Sofele and CJ and whoever wins the Bigelow/Lasco/Ervin sweepstakes but I don't understand why he seems to have disappeared entirely. In any case it's nice to have such depth and it sounds like JT is open to putting some at FB. I think CJ and CDJ could both excell there.

Edit: Yarnaway is the one that has had injury problems. but he could be another possibility at FB
calumnus
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heartofthebear;727575 said:

Thanks Calumnus for once again providing a balanced and reasonable perspective. Yes he was out of shape last spring but Blasquezed himself and by fall was supposedly back-up to Sofele until CJ overtook him. Understand that I agree that he should be behind Sofele and CJ and whoever wins the Bigelow/Lasco/Ervin sweepstakes but I don't understand why he seems to have disappeared entirely. In any case it's nice to have such depth and it sounds like JT is open to putting some at FB. I think CJ and CDJ could both excell there.

Edit: Yarnaway is the one that has had injury problems. but he could be another possibility at FB


I always thought it made sense to have CDJ and Yarnway at FB and turn the position into another offensive weapon instead of just an undersized, walk-on blocker. CDJ's straight ahead style would be a great counter to the toss to Sofele outside (or Maynard, assuming he starts, rolling out left). More importantly, CDJ seems to have pretty good hands and if after we fake the hand-off or pitch he runs a drag route underneath as Maynard rolls out, that gives us another option for an easy to complete pass for a decent gain--the hallmark of any good passing offense. We will be relying on a lot of true freshmen receivers and inexperienced TEs. It would be nice to have a senior FB/receiver in there.
heartofthebear
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calumnus;727631 said:

I always thought it made sense to have CDJ and Yarnway at FB and turn the position into another offensive weapon instead of just an undersized, walk-on blocker. CDJ's straight ahead style would be a great counter to the toss to Sofele outside (or Maynard, assuming he starts, rolling out left). More importantly, CDJ seems to have pretty good hands and if after we fake the hand-off or pitch he runs a drag route underneath as Maynard rolls out, that gives us another option for an easy to complete pass for a decent gain--the hallmark of any good passing offense. We will be relying on a lot of true freshmen receivers and inexperienced TEs. It would be nice to have a senior FB/receiver in there.

:cheer

If JTs seat gets hot, I'm recommending you as HC
sycasey
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southseasbear;727425 said:

Have to agree with heartofthebear. Furthermore, if he's as bad as BearBorn11 suggests, shouldn't the coaching staff have realized those limitations when they recruited him?


I'm not arguing for or against the abilities of CDJ, but this argument really means nothing. Every football program has guys they recruited and obviously thought would be good (otherwise they wouldn't have recruited them), but who turned out to not be all that good. Even the very best teams in the country have guys like that on the roster. Recruiting is a tough game where all you can do is try to have a high enough % of successful picks -- no one hits on 100% of recruits.
82gradDLSdad
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calumnus;727631 said:

I always thought it made sense to have CDJ and Yarnway at FB and turn the position into another offensive weapon instead of just an undersized, walk-on blocker. CDJ's straight ahead style would be a great counter to the toss to Sofele outside (or Maynard, assuming he starts, rolling out left). More importantly, CDJ seems to have pretty good hands and if after we fake the hand-off or pitch he runs a drag route underneath as Maynard rolls out, that gives us another option for an easy to complete pass for a decent gain--the hallmark of any good passing offense. We will be relying on a lot of true freshmen receivers and inexperienced TEs. It would be nice to have a senior FB/receiver in there.


What is this strange concept to which you refer? Backs are allowed to catch passes?
Big C
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Note that CDJ caught several passes, too, last year and I believe at least 3 were for 1st downs.
calumnus
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82gradDLSdad;727645 said:

What is this strange concept to which you refer? Backs are allowed to catch passes?


Yes, we even used to throw wheel routes to Jahvid Best about once a game for huge gains, usually TDs, but any more than that would have been unfair to the other team.
CalBarn
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And here's another real shocker for you.....backs are even allowed to catch passes
past the line of scrimmage!!!
LessMilesMoreTedford
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calumnus;727631 said:

I always thought it made sense to have CDJ and Yarnway at FB.


It's not easy to teach running backs fullback skills on the job. Running backs want to run, not block. They'll pass pro because it's what they need them to be, but blocking for a running back requires a whole new mindset. To teach them to be run blockers on the fly is a tough challenge with the stringent practice hours the NCAA puts in place.
southseasbear
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LessMilesMoreTedford;727748 said:

It's not easy to teach running backs fullback skills on the job. Running backs want to run, not block. They'll pass pro because it's what they need them to be, but blocking for a running back requires a whole new mindset. To teach them to be run blockers on the fly is a tough challenge with the stringent practice hours the NCAA puts in place.


Pete Carroll didn't seem to have a problem converting LenDale White to FB to allow him to play in the backfield alongside Reggie Bush.
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