Our Pac-10 interviews continue with the guys from California Golden Blogs, who claim to have been climbing trees and punching hippies since 2006. CGB is the latest Pac-10 blog for Sports Blog Nation and its users have been kind enough to participate in the Pac-10 interview series with us. Thanks to them for making this interview possible.
1. Who should be the starter at quarterback Kevin Riley or Nate Longshote?
This is an incredibly difficult question and one that has wrenched the Cal blogosphere back and forth. Many, many, many fans seem to think Riley should be the starter based on the amazing game he had against Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl last year.
As to who we think should be the starter? Well, it is tough to make a choice. Longshore and Riley each bring different things to the table. Honestly, I guess all we can do is trust Tedford to put the best available QB out there. One need look no further than UCLA to see how lucky Cal is to have multiple QB options.
2. Cal has had some very good running backs over the yeas in Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett. Is Jahvid Best the next great one?
Yes and No. Marshawn and Forsett were great running backs, but they were helped by having other complementary running backs there. Jahvid is a great running back, because he has amazing speed and agility. He was a track star at the high school level in the sprints. He is not, however, a great power back. James Montgomery was supposed to be the Thunder to Best’s Lightening. However, for reasons that might never become clear, Montgomery transferred to WSU during the off-season.
There are several other RB options available, but none with the level of experience that Montgomery had (which admittedly, was not a ton). Some fear that while Best clearly has an absurd amount of talent at RB, healone might not be enough to push the Cal running game forward. That said, redshirt sophomore Tracy Slocum was a top 20 back out of high school and had a strong spring in the first real action of his career (Marshawn and Forsett were both gone and Best was injured – see below). Redshirt frosh Shane Vereen is almost as talented as Best – he’s not quite as fast, (just being in the same league as Best when it comes to speed is quite an accomplishment) but his acceleration and agility are superb. Slocum should become a solid contributor and Vereen has a chance to be a star. Of course, Best is at another level but is coming off of a big hip injury. All reports say he is doing fine, but only time will tell there.
3. Cal loses Lavelle Hawkins, Robert Jordan, and DeSean Jackson. Who will be the number one receiver this year.
Well, that’s up in the air. You know, many of our answers so far have been “Who knows?” This might be frustrating for you, the reader, but I assure you, it is quite a bit more frustrating for us the fan. We just don’t plain know who should start at QB. We just plain don’t know whether Best will be able to handle the work load himself.
And we just plain don’t know who will step up at WR. This is one of the few positions on the team where incoming players will see legitimate playing time. Cal does , however, have several promising players already on the roster. Junior Nyan Boateng transferred from Florida, sat out last year, and is raring to go. I believe he proclaimed himself similar to DeSean Jackson, but bigger.
Redshirt frosh Michael Calvin is another WR prospect that Cal fans are salivating over.
He is a very tall WR with good speed and great leaping ability and will get every possibility to succeed this season. He was looking great in fall camp last year when he broke his arm – if he hadn’t gotten hurt, he probably would have played as a true freshman, which is really saying something when you can field a trio like Jackson, Hawkins, and Jordan.
Redshirt sophomore Jeremy Ross rounds out the clear top three returners. He’s not as big as Boateng or Calvin but he’s strong and fast.
Basically, what Cal loses in experience, we hope to make up in size. All top returners save for Ross and all 5 incoming players are taller than 6-0. Even Tedford admitted that in the past few years, he has had some WRs that, while very talented, could not always go over the middle for those tough yards. Hopefully, with WRs like Calvin, Cal can do that now.
4. DeSean Jackson was primarily known for his punt/kick return abilitities. Who looks to be his replacement on special teams?
Syd’Quan Thompson, our top corner and a talented two-way player in high school, separated himself a bit from the other punt returners this spring. He looked more natural and fluid than the competition (notably WR Nyan Boateng), but RBs Best and Vereen will get a fair crack at it this fall after sitting out most of the spring with injuries. If Thompson wasn’t one of our most irreplaceable players, I’d say he’d be a lock, but Tedford will give other guys from positions of greater depth a look. Still, look for him to win the job.
DeSean wasn’t often on kick return duties, but the primary guys from last year (corner Brandon Hampton and Lavelle Hawkins) are gone as well. Best, Vereen, Slocum, Boateng, and WR Jeremy Ross should handle it.
5. Last year, Cal’s defensive line struggled by allowing 4.0 ypc and having just 22 sacks. Will the d-line struggle again in 2008?
Damn, I sure hope not! Cal definitely had some rough times with the defensive line last year. And you don’t need to look any further than this past Super Bowl to see how pressuring the QB can affect an offense.
The D Line was the surprise of spring ball. Cal’s O Line is solid with three returning senior starters (including all everything center Alex Mack), but the defensive line consistently put pressure on QBs throughout spring ball. Senior DE Rulon Davis (the former marine who served in Iraq) is talented but has been hurt much of the last two years. Keeping him on the field will be key. True sophomore Cameron Jordan and redshirt frosh Ernest Owusu looked great off the ends. Both are extremely quick and Jordan is already a pretty big guy. Redshirt junior Tyson Alualu may start ahead of them, but both should get significant playing time. Senior Mika Kane is unspectacular at nose tackle – redshirt sophomore Derrick Hill is very talented, and will hopefully find the success of recent Cal DTs like Lorenzo Alexander and Brandon Mebane.
Independent of that, as we will discuss below, Cal is switching to a 3-4.
Cal has better talent and depth at the LB position and is hoping to maximize that talent in a 3-4. So, while it is important to have a successful DLine,hopefully the switch to 3-4 will still allow for good D even if the DLine struggles.
I expect to see a great deal more pressure on opposing QBs this year, which, after the last couple years, will surprise most Cal fans. I am more concerned with stopping the run at this point, since we certainly don’t have a dominant nose tackle required in a 3-4.
6. With the return of Anthony Felder (101 tackles) and Worrell Williams (105 tackles), does Cal have the best linebackers in the Pac-10?
USC probably holds the upper hand in talent, but we pay our linebackers far less (and they pick up fewer assault charges). Let’s call it even.
Seriously though, these two guys along with Zack Follett (the most dynamic and disruptive linebacker on the team) make a pretty good core. There are a lot of good options for the 4th linebacker as well – Mike Mohammed, Eddie Young, or DJ Holt will start at the WILB – so it’s definitely a position of strength. As good as they are, though, I feel that they’ve underperformed at times throughout their careers. Follett and Felder have by hampered by injuries at times (Follett last year, Felder in 2006), and Williams has been an impressive physical specimen that doesn’t always translate into performance (though he played much better last year). If they can all play up to their potential, their production should exceed even USC’s great core.
7. Cal’s pass defense declined last year, as their opponents completed 60% of their passes. Will the secondary be much improved in 2008?
Along with the defensive line, the secondary was a pleasant surprise during spring ball. I would guess that much of the improvement can be credited to Al Simmons, who Tedford lured from ASU (and who Tedford has been attempting to hire for a while). The defensive backs were more active, disruptive and made more plays on the ball than I have seen from Cal DBs in a while (Daymeion Hughes excepted), and the personnel is largely the same. Losing Thomas DeCoud (team leading 116 tackles) at safety will hurt, but he was always much stronger in run support than pass defense. Redshirt junior safety Marcus Ezeff may have been the top performer in the secondary (including his game saving forced fumble at Oregon) before he went down with an injury, and he’s having a battle with Jesse Brooks, Bernard Hicks, and Brett Johnson for the starting jobs. Syd Thompson started coming into his own during the second half of last season and should contend for all-league honors. True soph Chris Conte will start at the other corner. Based on what I saw this spring, the defense should get their hands on a lot more passes this year.
8. During the Tedford era, Cal has struggled during the second half of the season. What needs to be done to correct this?
Injuries (especially at QB) explain a lot of it. Tedford would tell you that it’s a lack of depth, but I’m not entirely sold on that. Tedford is an intense guy, and I think that as the stakes get raised, the team starts playing a little tight. Tedford relinquished play calling duties this year, in part because he wants to manage the team and keep a pulse on the players a bit more. Maybe this (along with healthy QBs, no whining Mack Brown, and a lack of bogus PI calls against Arizona) will get us over the hump and into the Rose Bowl.
9. Lastly, please look into your crystal ball. How will the Golden Bears > do this year?
Well, we seem to differ here. Some of us think 10-2 is a possibly. Some of the more cynical fear 6-6. Perhaps 8 wins and 4 losses might be an average.