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Cal Football

Second Bowl Practice in the Books, Garbers Getting Work on the Field

December 8, 2018
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The Bears held their second “developmental practice” Saturday, one of their 15 permitted sessions leading up to the Cheez-It Bowl.

“We were a little rusty,” said offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin said after the 90-minute morning session in Memorial Stadium. “You are are coming off six days (of not practicing). And you’ve got guys who have been running a lot of scout team all year, and all of a sudden they’re hearing the terminology that some of them haven’t done a lot of that since fall camp.”

As linebacker Evan Weaver said after watching the youngsters in Friday’s first session, “You can tell who has studied the playbook.”

One player who definitely studied the playbook is quarterback Chase Garbers, who despite having been the main QB during the second half of the season, has taken a good share of the “developmental” snaps the last two days. And even though he will be the man under center against TCU Dec. 26, Garbers is not game-planning yet.

“He is development. He’s developing,” Baldwin said of the redshirt freshman. “We are not doing anything scout team wise, so everything he’s doing is against our defense. Not one time out there are we talking about TCU, we are talking about getting ourselves better.

“But ultimately if you are going to have a better shot to win a game against a great team like TCU, you’re more concerned with yourself anyway, especially early on. You’ve got to be great at what you do before you worry about what they’re doing. He’s working to be better and better each day in just what he needs to do what within this offense.”

Even though the focus of the “developmental” phase is the future, Baldwin won’t anoint Garbers the starter beyond the bowl game.

“I never talk about that,” he said.

Baldwin said no one has really “jumped out” during the first two days. “But you are excited seeing them, knowing what this means compared to last year when we weren’t practicing at this time,.what this can do for those guys going into next fall knowing that we lose a lot of seniors. These reps are all big.

“It is definitely something they’re excited about. They’re embracing it and they earned it. It’s tough to go through this conference, and half the teams lose every week. People have these expectations but people forget half these teams lose very week. They’ve earned it and found a way to put themselves in this spot and they’re definitely embracing it and excited about this opportunity. Because there’s no guarantee you’re going to be in another bowl game or win X amount of Pac-12 games, so you’ve got appreciate it when you’re here.”

Baldwin and the rest of the staff have a group of eager new assistant coaches during these early days. Once they finish their work in the weight room, the first and second unit players come onto the field and offer their advice.

“They do a great job,” Baldwin said. “They care, they’re involved in it. They’re smart, they’re focused people, they’re driven people. That’s why they’re here at Cal. They get into situations like this, they’re not floating. Their eyes are on it, they’re seeing what’s going on. They are coaching up young guys, that’s just how they’re wired. You see that  great leadership, coming out once they’re done with the program they’re doing.”

With bowl game preparations, final exams and helping with recruiting, these are crazy times for all the players. “It’s like drinking out of a fire hose,” Baldwin said. “It’s just constantly things are happening. But it’s kind of fun that way. As coaches we’re used to that and the players are used to that. They’ve always got demands in school, demands in the weight room. They’re used to it, and usually in the football world we’re at our best when we’re the busiest. So it’s a good thing, it’s challenging but it’s what you want.”

As a coach in the lower tier FBS division at Eastern Washington, Baldwin has postseason experience. But those playoffs are different from a bowl game. Preparation is limited to a week in FBS and the focus is strictly on the game.

“It’s night and day,” Baldwin said. “The playoffs are the playoffs. You wouldn’t have Addie (Ooms) not suited or Malik (McMorris) not suited. ... This is closer to spring ball with maybe some of your older guys injured or out. Those are playoffs, it’s win or go home. You are doing what you did all year.”

The Bears hold their third practice Sunday afternoon, then take four days off and get back on the field Friday afternoon.




 

Discussion from...

Second Bowl Practice in the Books, Garbers Getting Work on the Field

7,705 Views | 13 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by Blueblood
Blueblood
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Gather your rocks.....I'm already running for cover!


The Bears held their second "developmental practice" Saturday, one of their 15 permitted sessions leading up to the Cheez-It Bowl. [Wow, another extra day to practice for those who won't play for a season that won't start for another nine months. Hmm, could it be that not having this extra practice time is why Cal hasn't played in the Rose Bowl for almost 60 years?]

"We were a little rusty," said offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin said after the 90-minute morning session in Memorial Stadium. [Oh wait, I see what the extra practice is like; it's like WD-40 that will keep the Bears rust-free over the summer! Someone should tell Beau to squirt a little extra WD-40 on his offensive unit.] "You are coming off six days (of not practicing). [Zowey! Can you imagine what the players will be like after eight or so months of not practicing let alone six days...get your shovels out!] And you've got guys who have been running a lot of scout team all year, and all of a sudden they're hearing the terminology that some of them haven't done a lot of that since fall camp." [It sounds like a lot of scout team guys would be a lot more help to those teams that they represented while on the scout team, don't you think? I mean, like they sound ready to go!]

As linebacker Evan Weaver said after watching the youngsters in Friday's first session, "You can tell who has studied the playbook." [This observation should also help Santa's list as to who has been naughty or nice. I bet that Weaver is trying to get a lot of presents!]

One player who definitely studied the playbook is quarterback Chase Garbers, who despite having been the main QB during the second half of the season, has taken a good share of the "developmental" snaps the last two days. [Guess who is going to start against UC Davis.] And even though he will be the man under center against TCU Dec. 26, Garbers is not game-planning yet. [Garbers game-plans?]

"He is development. He's developing," Baldwin said of the redshirt freshman. [Say no more. I think most of us fans realize this pretty clearly.] "We are not doing anything scout team wise, so everything he's doing is against our defense. Not one time out there are we talking about TCU, we are talking about getting ourselves better.

"But ultimately if you are going to have a better shot to win a game against a great team like TCU, you're more concerned with yourself anyway, especially early on. [Wait, TCU is a "great" team at 6-6?] You've got to be great at what you do before you worry about what they're doing. He's working to be better and better each day in just what he needs to do what within this offense. [So, you expect Garbers "to be great" before he starts "game-planning" for TCU? Isn't that cutting it a little close?]

Even though the focus of the "developmental" phase is the future, Baldwin won't anoint Garbers the starter beyond the bowl game. [Why give him all the "developmental" snaps then, unless you're hoping to bring in someone else maybe?]

"I never talk about that," he said. [Sure..wink, wink, we got ya I that you might get lucky and bring in a grad-transfer or you might not be coaching at Cal next season. Hey, I don't blame you. You've got to keep your options open!]

Baldwin said no one has really "jumped out" during the first two days. [Give them time. According to you, you'll have "greatness" all over the place.] "But you are excited seeing them, knowing what this means compared to last year when we weren't practicing at this time. [Yeah, now I know why I didn't see any real greatness on offense.] What this can do for those guys going into next fall knowing that we lose a lot of seniors. These reps are all big.

"It is definitely something they're excited about. They're embracing it and they earned it. It's tough to go through this conference, and half the teams lose every week. People have these expectations but people forget half these teams lose very week. [Umm, I don't think that I forgot this but maybe someone like chazzed, or LunchTime, or aUNbear89 do, but not me!] They've earned it and found a way to put themselves in this spot and they're definitely embracing it and excited about this opportunity. Because there's no guarantee you're going to be in another bowl game or win X amount of Pac-12 games, so you've got appreciate it when you're here." [I'm not sure the Sunshine-pumpers will agree with this belief.]

Baldwin and the rest of the staff have a group of eager new assistant coaches during these early days. Once they finish their work in the weight room, the first and second unit players come onto the field and offer their advice. [Yeah, I bet. I can just hear the advice McIlwain gave to Bowers, "Transfer, dude."]

"They do a great job," Baldwin said. "They care, they're involved in it. They're smart, they're focused people, they're driven people. That's why they're here at Cal. They get into situations like this, they're not floating. Their eyes are on it, they're seeing what's going on. They are coaching up young guys, that's just how they're wired. You see that great leadership, coming out once they're done with the program they're doing." [I'm glad.]

With bowl game preparations, final exams and helping with recruiting, these are crazy times for all the players. "It's like drinking out of a fire hose," Baldwin said. [Ugh! I'm not sure what "drinking out of a fire hose" means, but I never thought of it as being that much "fun."] ""It's just constantly things are happening. But it's kind of fun that way. As coaches we're used to that and the players are used to that. They've always got demands in school, demands in the weight room. They're used to it, and usually in the football world we're at our best when we're the busiest. So it's a good thing, it's challenging but it's what you want." [So, get busy!]

As a coach in the lower tier FBS division at Eastern Washington, Baldwin has postseason experience. But those playoffs are different from a bowl game. Preparation is limited to a week in FBS and the focus is strictly on the game.

"It's night and day," Baldwin said. "The playoffs are the playoffs. You wouldn't have Addie (Ooms) not suited or Malik (McMorris) not suited. ... This is closer to spring ball with maybe some of your older guys injured or out. Those are playoffs, it's win or go home. You are doing what you did all year."

The Bears hold their third practice Sunday afternoon, then take four days off and get back on the field Friday afternoon. [The team gets "four days off?" Aren't the coaches afraid that they might gather some more rust?]
KenBurnski
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I have a strange feeling that BB's services are retained for 2019.
CALiforniALUM
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Easy to nit pick his words. Easy to nit pick the teams performance. Why not just realize that Wilcox is in control and let things play out as he will have it?

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly.
So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt

Go Teddy Bear!!!
XXXBEAR
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Why not just support the team and be excited about the bowl game? Analyzing coachspeak is a waste of time.
socaliganbear
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XXXBEAR said:

Why not just support the team and be excited about the bowl game? Analyzing coachspeak is a waste of time.


That's pretty much the point of sports forums. To analyze anything.
calgldnbear
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socaliganbear said:

XXXBEAR said:

Why not just support the team and be excited about the bowl game? Analyzing coachspeak is a waste of time.


That's pretty much to point of sports forums. To OVER-analyze anything.


Fixed it for you
Blueblood
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XXXBEAR said:

Why not just support the team and be excited about the bowl game? [I am but just not like you do in silence!] Analyzing coachspeak is a waste of time. [Maybe it is...but..but....it sure is fun to do! What are you doing for the next two and a half weeks while waiting for the game? I mean, not that I care that much, but you haven't given us any clue until now about how you feel.]
Blueblood
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KenBurnski said:

I have a strange feeling that BB's services are retained for 2019.
Ken babes, I have a feeling that everything you feel is strange!
Blueblood
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CALiforniALUM said:

Easy to nit pick his words. [Ain't that the scream-in' truth!] Easy to nit pick the teams performance. [I think so because I think that you'd agree that there was a lot nit pick on.] Why not just realize that Wilcox is in control and let things play out as he will have it? [Oh, I do. I mean, what else can we fans do other than what I do do?]

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. [Whoa, why not? I mean, there are plenty of critics but not many "strong men" or "doer of deeds" that hang around this forum. Don't believe me?You just "stumble" around here and watch how many pile on!]
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly [You mean like the Christians did in Roma?]; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed [Yes, this sure does sound a lot like Cal football.]; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. [Yes, these words might make the players feel good and this sure does describe the Cal football Program. But, I think football is about winning games, at least in some significant part.]
So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."[Oh, you don't have to worry about this happening at Berkeley because I pretty sure Cal's football Program knows enough about "defeat."]
Theodore Roosevelt

Go Teddy Bear!!!
KenBurnski
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Blueblood said:

KenBurnski said:

I have a strange feeling that BB's services are retained for 2019.
Ken babes, I have a feeling that everything you feel is strange!


This is accurate. You are on fire lately and it's joyous.
BearGreg
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Staff
Let's keep it civil here. Holiday spirit and all that.
KenBurnski
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Good point. I'm making gingerbread cookies but I don't have a gingerbread man cutter. I'm using a Bear cookie cutter instead. IMHO, Bears are the greatest animal on the planet. Not sure why I feel that way.
Blueblood
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BearGreg said:

Let's keep it civil here. Holiday spirit and all that.


Obviously, I wholeheartedly agree
with you because many here believe
that we're one and the same, bro!
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