Checkin’ on the Pac: California

Our Pac-10 interviews continue with the Cal Bears football blog Bears with Fangs. With a diehard Cal fan on board, we discuss many topics ranging from the development of quarterback Kevin Riley and whether head coach Jeff Tedford is as good as advertised. Thanks to Phil for participating in this interview.

Q: Will Kevin Riley finally take the reigns of the quarterback position after sharing the position with Nate Longshore last season?

A: Everyone in Berkeley is certainly hoping so, as that is arguably the biggest question mark on the offensive side of the ball. Riley had a solid spring, but didn’t do much to indicate that he is a man among boys at this point. However, he has all the physical tools and enough experience with the offense to be a good and potentially even a great quarterback. With Longshore gone, Riley appears to be regaining that swagger that was missing during last year’s quarterback carousel.

Q: Is Jahvid Best as good as advertised or was he the product of a good offensive line?

A: It’s a little bit of both. You could really take any talented running back and put him behind Cal’s notoriously solid offensive line, and he’s going to have some level of success. With that said, Best is truly something special. You don’t see his combination of balance, vision and speed very often, and he really does only need one crease or angle to take it the distance, whereas other “good” RBs might still get caught somewhere in the second level. You also have to keep in mind that Cal’s offensive line was absolutely battered last year with injuries, and Best still chalked up one of Cal’s best rushing seasons ever in his first year as a starter.

Q: Last year, the Bears had very limited production from their number one and number two wide receivers Nyan Boateng (439 yards and 5 TDs) and Verran Tucker (362 yards and 3 TDs). Do you anticipate an improvement by these two returning wideouts?

A: Well it’s hard to say, only because I’m not fully certain that both Boateng and Tucker will be the top two receivers by the end of the season. You have to keep in mind, that last year’s receiving corps was brand spanking new, with something like 8 collegiate catches among the entire unit coming into last season. Let me say this: Receiving production will most certainly be better this year.

The only question is who will be the top receivers when it’s all said and done. Boateng and Tucker are both talented and have some experience at this point, but keep an eye out on sophomore Marvin Jones who really shined during Spring practice. Michael Calvin who was considered as possibly being the best all around receiver before suffering a torn ACL, returns as does Alex Lagemann who also had a great spring and appears to be focused on coming back from injury. It’s still up for grabs at this point, but it’s very possible that 3 receivers might have at least 500 receiving yards by the end of the season.

Q: ESPN’s Mark May has said this offseason that he worries about Cal because of their offense line? Does he have a point, or is he overreacting?

A: Mark May has always strangely had something against Cal. It’s really quite bizarre. Even Kirk Herbstreit mentioned noticing it once in an interview. Hence, Mark May is always going to find a way to knock Cal, but I could see how he might be worried about the loss of 1st round draft pick Alex Mack and 2nd Team All-Conference Choice Noris Malele. Still, a closer look reveals there might be a lot more depth than meets May’s eyes. 6th year senior Mike Tepper returns after missing all of last season to man LT, and Freshman All-American Mitchell Schwartz will move back to RT. Chris Guarnero who won the starting job last year at left guard moves to his more natural position at center, taking over for the departed Mack. The question marks will be at the guard positions, where 3-4 guards who all have starting game experience will battle it out for the starting jobs. While none of the starters might be at the level that Mack was, I think this unit is much deeper than it was last year, and won’t be reason for too much concern.

Q: Cal has been known for its strong secondary and athletic defenses. With eight returners this year, where would you rank Cal’s defense among the other Pac-10 schools?

A: You’ve got to put it near, if not directly at the top of the list in terms of talent and experience. Cal returns 9 of its top 10 players in a secondary that ranked 3rd last year in interceptions. Cal also returns its entire front 3, edging out USC for the top DL in the conference. While ASU might have the best linebacking corps this year, Cal still returns starting OLB Eddie Young, the 3rd leading tackler on the team Mike Mohammed, and a some talented returning players in Mychal Kendricks and Devin Bishop as well as some JC recruits who could make an immediate impact. I still fully expect USC to be scary and talented on defense, but they might have lost too much experience for me to not believe that the Bears might have the top all around defense in the conference.

Q: Cal was really dynamic in the return game with DeSean Jackson back in 2007. Is there a Jackson-like kick/punt returner in this year’s group?

A: I think it’s unlikely that anyone matches Desean’s level of performance (8 career punt returns for TDs is absolutely ridiculous), but do expect Cal to excel this year. Believe it or not, DB Syd’Quan Thompson is one of the top returning PR players in the conference, having averaged 12.3 ypr for 334 yards and a TD last year. True Frosh Isi Sofele is an explosive scat back, who might surprise some folks if he can get a few shots in the return game this year. Oh, and don’t forget about that player named Jahvid Best who might still get a few kickoff returns this year.

Q: Jeff Tedford has been hailed a genius by many Cal fans, but he has yet to take home a conference title. Is he as good a coach as everyone says he is?

A: Short Answer: Yes. Slightly longer answer: Yessssss. There’s a reason why Tedford is considered one of the top HCs in the country. It’s not so much the resounding turnaround he has had with on the field results, taking a 1-10 squad to consistently winning, going 5-1 in bowl games, and usually challenging for the conference title. It’s more of the turnaround in the culture that Tedford has had year. Cal had been absolute joke of a program in the early 2000s, and Tedford has brought stability, consistency and newfound passion for Cal football. Cal is very much in the hunt with some of the top recruits in the country, and his results have paved the way for a brand new sports athletic facility. For the record, Tedford’s 2006 team actually shared the conference championship (Cal’s first since 1975). Tedford’s tenure has been untimely to start around the same time as one of the most dominant football eras in CFB history (those men of Troy), but I really believe it’s just a matter of time before Cal wins the conference title outright.

Q: What’s the deal with the tree sitters? Did they finally move and are Cal’s stadium renovations finally underway? How much of an impact will a revamped Memorial Stadium have on recruiting and on team performance?

A: Sigh. Yes, the tree sitters are gone, and facing nearly unpayable (for them) fines and sentences in the process. And to clarify, the tree-sitters (and the city) were actually protesting the building of the new Student Athletic High-Performance Center which is very much underway and should be open during the summer 2011. The stadium renovations are a completely different issue, and the first phase of that should be done in the next few years. While I don’t ever think the new SAHPC was ever a make or break issue for recruits, having the building process underway does certainly provide Cal some legitimacy in recruiting battles. Other schools had been using the legal standoffs surrounding the SAHPC against Cal, but now the site of cranes and and bulldozers do provide a sense of excitement.

Q: After glancing into your crystal ball, how do you see the 2009 Cal Bears finishing this year?

A: It could be a very special year for the Bears. I’m still hesitant to say, because we Cal fans have been burned badly before (see 2004, 2006, 2007, etc…) by strong expectations, but this year looks as good as any as we have had in challenging for the Rose Bowl. Cal has some tough games on its slate, including its homestand against USC and the always pesky Beavers, road games at Oregon, ASU, as well as the quandary that is the inability to beat UCLA in LA.

The difference this year though, could be Cal’s outstanding defense, as well as the strength in the trenches on both lines. I know the issue has been beaten to death, but if Cal can find a serviceable passing game, this could be the Bears’ best team in years. While I expect double digit wins, Cal’s performance at some of the key games (USC and Oregon) could determine whether that simply means a good team headed for the Holiday Bowl, or a great team finding itself playing in January.

Feel free to check out more from Phil Nho and company at their informative Cal football blog, Bears with Fangs.com.