We Have a New Enemy
Rick Neuheisel’s hiring at UCLA has everyone talking with excitement at Westwood about how the Bruins will finally supplant the Trojans as the best team in the Pac-10, become a football empire and establish dominance in both of the big major sports for the next decade.
Okay. Stop laughing. I might have exaggerated a bit, but I’m sure some Bruins fans believe it.
Unlike USC’s glorious Red Armies, UCLA was more like Chiang Kai-Shek’s bumbling Nationalists–great at defending the home turf, terrible at everything else. By the end, just like Kai-Shek’s descendant Taiwanese parliament, Bruins Nation looked something like this.
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So while UCLA seems to have assuaged the flames by hiring Rick, a coach that has at least made a Rose Bowl, add to the fire, the Seattle Times is running some devastating columns on Rick’s 2000 Rose Bowl athletes (if you read some of it, you’ll understand the perils of coddling talent). Welcome to the UMiami of the West Coast folks!
What effect will it have on the Bears? Bruce Feldman has pointed out (I can’t remember where, but he HAS pointed it out–someone please send link!) that UCLA really needs to loosen their recruiting standards. Many likely UCLA recruits have ended up at Cal because of some amazingly high academic requirements for college athletes at their public schools (I believe Cal had similar standards before the arrival of Tedford, when there was “adjustment”). With Neuheisel in command, you might see some additional “adjustment”, which could mean Tedford has his work cut out for him in expanding his recruiting base. Plus Neuheisel might just give everyone $40 too.
So, is Neuheisel a good fit in UCLA? Yes…for a few years. But Bruins fans should really be wary of the track record of Rick. His last two coaching gigs lasted four years apiece, starting out with impressive bangs the first two years in both Boulder and Seattle (three ten win seasons and a Rose Bowl appearance). But then he faded quickly, and by year four he was done dirtying up the program and was out.
Then again, this is UCLA. I doubt they’ll care if their 2010 Rose Bowl champs end up becoming the 2015 Vacaville High Security Prison All-Stars.
In terms of personal rivalry, I guess I won’t mind. Losing to Dorrell was a shitty feeling. At least with Rick you’ll know you’ll get UCLA’s best shot. It’s nice to have three healthy California battles every fall. And dealing down a sleazeball next October is just fine with me. Let’s go.
What are your thoughts on Rick Neuheisel, UCLA, and the future of Cal vs. UCLA football?
The Big Boards
People have asked me why I don’t follow Cal basketball with the same depth that I cover college football. As frustrating as Cal football was this year during our plunge, it’s more likely to be an anomaly than a trend with Tedford at the helm. Compare that to the madness of Cal basketball, where stupidity and perplexity abound. Considering that the biggest star we’ve produced in the Ben Braun era is more known for his blog says all you need to know about how Cal has squandered its talent.
Not really ready to deal with the nonsense, I maintained a minimal diet of Cal basketball when they started undefeated–the out of conference schedule is usually a joke, and size is usually more important than speed or passing. When facing smaller schools with smaller-sized teams, it figures that our team would roll over with a dominant frontcourt.
Once we reached Pac-10 play, you could see the problem was the same–pretty good frontcourts, abetted by inconsistent backcourt play. I caught glimpses of the UCLA and Arizona games, and there are just too many annoying kinks. We average plenty of assists, but mostly on kickins to the post. There’s just not enough ball movement to spread the defense late in games, and the defense crowds and that’s that. In addition to that, you’d see the frontcourt not getting the ball often, the backcourt taking awful 18 foot jumpers, the perimeter defense ok, but plenty of points being scored inside and out (Cal is near the bottom in scoring defense up to this point). It doesn’t help when Ben Braun decides not to address these problems–instead of fixing the point guard problem this summer, he goes out and finds a 7 foot Chinese project.
However, that isn’t to give enough credit to a Braun-coached team–they can find other bizarre and absurd ways to lose. My comments on the Cal-Stanford game went someting like this.
“Grab a board.”
“Arrggh. JUMP!”
“Rebound damnit. Please.”
“JUMP OFF THE GROUND. Please fight gravity. Please.”
You know how Jeff Van Gundy goes bezerk when an NBA team grabs an offensive board off a missed free throw? Sending him a tape of the second half of Cal-Stanford would have turned him into Hitler in Downfall.
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For a team that’s supposed to live off its frontcourt, they sure disappeared for most of the second half. Much of the Cal-Stanford game was post-up, rebound, foul, missed free throw, rebound, rinse, repeat, as the Lopez twins barrelled all over Christopher, Anderson, and Hardin. NO team should allow 21 offensive rebounds in college basketball. Certainly not one that prides itself on defense.
There are other annoying stats. Despite Braun’s insistence on great defense, the Bears are 179th in blocking and a whopping 324th of 328th in steals in Division I, and the scoring defense is a lovely 239th. For a team that preaches defense, Cal sure is having trouble defending their paint and forcing turnovers. These glaring deficiencies could lead to the end of Braun’s time here, although considering that things like these have been going on for years, I’m inclined to think change won’t be forthcoming.
Now next to last in conference, Cal will probably see its dim NCAA tournament hopes fade to black after the trip to the Evergreen State. And then we can move past another disheartening year of Cal basketball falling short.
Saying Goodbye–Mike Gibson
This one’s always tough. Not because I don’t have anything to say…well, okay, I guess I don’t really have anything to say. So I’m going to wax philosophical here.
Mike Gibson was a solid part of our offensive line, but the damned thing about O-lines is that all the players exist together in a unit. When you think of the New England Patriots, you don’t think of Matt Light, Logan Mankins, or Dan Koppen (and even I had to look up the center’s name), you probably think of Brady and Moss, Harrison and Bruschi. But the “offensive line” gets plenty of credit, because they exist as one cohesive form, a mass of muscle and power pushing back the agile and speedy defenses.
I will say this: For most of the season, Cal’s offensive line was its strongest component–nearly every game you could expect Longshore to get maximum protection, with pressure contained, blitzes picked up. The Bears were one of the best in pass protection (3rd overall), and if this were the NFL, you’d expect us to be in the playoffs. Unfortunately, in the bizarro college world, pass protection isn’t enough. We’d have apparently been better off had Longshore gotten more tastes of Sedrick Ellis and Rey Maualuga, since that might have meant him getting injured and Riley coming in to SAVE THE DAY YAY!
So I guess what I’m saying to Mike Gibson is…we fell to 7-6 in spite of your stoic efforts. Hope you do much better with a stronger team.
Retrospection Evaluation–Arizona
For the fourth straight year, Mike Stoops stumbles out of the box–the Wildcats have started their 2004-07 campaigns a combined 6-23 (half of those wins coming against Northern Arizona). For the fourth straight year, Mike Stoops saves his hide with an absurd upset in the desert and crawls his way back to mediocre respectability (3-8, 3-8, 6-6, 5-7).
And it looks like the pattern will repeat itself for at least one more year. Stoops is coming back, to the disgust of almost everyone in the Pac-10 who has to play them next November (just at a glance…Cal, USC, OSU, and ASU are their last four home opponents. That will be pain for one of those sides.)
Final record: 5-7. Typical ignominy.
The wins: The annual upset, this time against Dennis Dixon’s broken leg and Ryan Leaf’s baby bro (talk about a kiss of death). Also knocked off UCLA, signalling the death knell of Karl Dorrell. Blew out Wazzu and came back on Washington. And of course, the annual big win against the juggernaut that is Northern Arizona.
The losses: Other than Cal, they hung around with a shellshocked “we just lost to fricking Stanford” USC squad for four quarters, then proceeded to lose to that same Stanford team at home. They were also shellacked by Oregon State, but to their credit never really were blown apart by any of their opponents this year. Also fell to good Mountain West squads in New Mexico and BYU.
Pass. PASS. PASS! You won’t be mistaking this team for the Arkansas Razorbacks. This team lives and dies with the pass. The junior Willie Tuitama, who should be the starting QB again next year, had an excellent October and November, sans bad performances against the Beavers and Stanford. The Wildcats finished 10th in passing offense and 35th in passing efficency throughout the nation. What else would you expect from an offensive coordinator from Texas Tech?
On the flip side, as you expect with a guy like Stoops, Arizona again was anemic toward the run, finishing fifth to last. Interestingly, this lack of a running game did not hurt the Wildcats later in the season as Tuitama started to reorient himself to throwing 40-50 times a game. The downside is that Wildcats games start getting that much longer from all the incomplete passes and punts and what not–the Oregon-Arizona game ran longer than The Ten Commandments, plus the intermission.
Additionally, Arizona’s offensive line needs some upgrading to protect the weak run and the strong arm–Tuitama was sacked an average of 2.5 times a game this year.
Name you’ll be hearing again: Antoine Cason is looking like one of the top NFL prospects, a fantastic corner who played a huge factor in the last two upsets against Oregon and Cal (three big TDs on punt returns and interceptions). He especially covered his old buddy DeSean well this year–Jackson struggled against Arizona this year with only 3 catches for 39 yards, and Cason also bagged another pick on Longshore.
On the other hand, Stoops’s development of NFL talent is lacking. I looked at the list of All-Americans under his tutelage who were drafted–don’t recognize a single name who panned out.
Interestingly enough, Arizona’s defense was surprisingly solid this year (47th in rushing D, 33rd in pass efficiency D)–but Stoops’s pedigree has always been as a defensive man (hence the sterling development of many defensive players under his reign). It’d be a frisky team if someone in Tucson realized that they need to develop the running game, but alas, that probably won’t happen while Stoops is here.
Wild card: Cason might be NFL bound, but the Wildcats have the other side of special teams covered. Keenyn Crier had the best punting average in the Pac-10. He’ll probably have to keep it up next year though.
You know your team is in trouble though when one of the big highlights of your season is an 83 yard punt.
What our game against them showed us. We stormed to an early lead, and then let them pass around for three quarters to nibble at an almost insurmountable deficit. Credit to Tuitama for making the final margin respectable, but it’s hard to assess a game with no flow at all. Cal had short fields early, took advantage of mistakes. Pretty much the difference here. Being up by double digits for the last 57 minutes doesn’t hurt either–inspires a little apathy and relaxing, but not enough from a Tedford team to blow it (that is an interesting question–how has Tedford done with double digit leads?).
There is one thing it did expose–our difficulty handling an efficient quarterbacks, a trend that would be blown open against USC and Arizona State.
Saying Goodbye–Craig Stevens
It’s weird–I went to almost all the Cal home games the past two years, and Craig Stevens never seemed to hit a blip on my radar. Probably my fault. I didn’t know any better and was too focused on the meltdowns and big players that I miss the unsung tight end.
Perhaps if the Bears had pulled up more tight end plays…ugh, no. I’m not going to get into that “what if” game right now. Let’s analyze Stevens’s prospects for the NFL draft.
The upside: He’s a really nice guy. He’s a really honorable guy too. Great blocker. Not an easy player to take down.
The downside: For a coach who loves using the tight end, the Bears sure didn’t go much to Stevens this year. Stevens went from 17 catches and 239 yards in Dunbar’s spread offensive scheme last year to…17 catches and 204 yards this year. Compare that to the Trojan tight end, Fred Davis, who atoned for the Trojans wide receiver troubles with 62 catches and 8 TDs.
This is no knock on Stevens, who had the misfortune of being stuck with a struggling Longshore for half a season and the most talented receiver corps Cal has ever disposed of. Plus the up-and-coming Cameron Morrah took nearly 30-40% of his possession time. Talk about too much talent. Like Hawkins, he does struggle holding onto the ball.
Most memorable moment: Ride Beavers. Ride.
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Future: Probably a backup tight end, would work great in two tight end sets–he averages over ten yards a catch, so he has shown he is more than capable of running his routes and picking up some extra yardage as well. Stevens is a decent run blocker too for goal line situations, but his dropping problems might come back to bite him. Hopefully he overcomes them, and I’ll get to know him better in the NFL. Just never got his chance to fully blossom into a fan favorite.
Any parting thoughts on Craig Stevens? Comments please.
Retrospection Evaluation–Louisiana Tech
I’m not exactly going chronologically–Tennessee will come later in the week–but let’s continue with this exercise of looking at our opponents.
Wins: They beat Scottie Pippen’s alma mater (not a terribly good thing, considering they finished 6-5 in I-AA), and their remaining four wins in conference came by a combined 27 points to teams with an overall record of 12-36. On the other hand, they nearly beat Hawaii. Do they get gumbo for their troubles?
Losses: They lost to Ed Orgeron. Not just that, they got SHUT OUT by Ed Orgeron. “ISEETHAYPLAYFOOBAWIN ‘DEMSCOOLSOVHIGHAEDUCAYSHION!” Fun losses to Hawaii and Boise State and a solid raping by LSU in mid-November. Can’t really tell much about them from their schedule–other than Hawaii, they squeaked by crapaholic teams and got knocked around by the beasts.
From what I saw of them: Nothing. Louisiana Tech was not exactly high on my college football radar, so I can tell you really nothing outside the stat sheet.
Key statistics: 111th in pass defense. A pretty good recipe for defeat. Also Zac Champion appears to be one of the worst quarterbacks in America, as Louisiana Tech didn’t even crack the top 100 of 119 schools in Division I-A passing efficiency. It’s all the more impressive the Bulldogs squeezed five wins out of that.
What our performance against them shows us: It was a sloppppy game. The Bears really didn’t hold the ball for any great period of time (our longest drive of six minutes ended in a field goal), and we didn’t look impressive on offense either. It didn’t send up as many red flags as the Colorado State game, but nevertheless…
We treated them like cupcakes and it was a fattening experience in sugar and flour. An unhealthy win in an unhealthy season.
That Damned Ankle–Nate’s Travails, Part I
Most fans are in agreement: When Nate Longshore’s ankle bucked up in Eugene, so did Cal’s 2007 season. It led to Riley running for his life against the Beavers. It led to Longshore coming back too early to replace Riley, and sinking at the end of close, crucial games. It led to the endless Longshore-Riley debate that resulted in message board meltdowns and a barrage of four letter words in the Student Section. It led to Riley coming in during the 2nd quarter of our bowl game and throwing a near perfect game–perplexingly making Cal fans even more miserable, thinking of what could have been of this year.
So let’s go back at the numbers, and try to look at them in perspective (YPC standing for yards per completion).
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Nate certainly came out strong, shredding the UCLA defense in the first half, peaking in performance in the 2nd quarter with some beautiful play action, fake reverse, to DeSean Jackson (A variation of this play was also run during The Big Game to Robert Jordan):
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Longshore was at his best running these little gimmicks, reading routes, going by the book. Naturally, as time went on in the game, the defense started to wisen up to Longshore’s antics, tightened up coverage, and the completion percentage started plummeting as options became limited.
However, the numbers don’t tell us everything. Yes, Longshore’s stats are unimpressive as the game progressed (and that INT in the third quarter was terrible, causing a great shift in field position), but it was also followed up by predictable playcalling. One thing to notice is the dropoff in Longshore’s attempts due to our stubborn press to rush the ball late with (in this game) an ineffective Forsett. 67 ground yards on 30 carries is the real reason we lost the UCLA game, when we really should have been Mike Leaching it for the last thirty odd minutes, or at the very least mixing things up.
One thing to note is that the Verner INTs came on obvious passing 3rd downs of seven and ten yards each. The last four incompletions (and the final INT) came after the clinching Verner INT.
Let’s follow up the UCLA stats (fairly impressive) with Arizona State (flamebroiled).
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Okay, this was certainly more clearcut of a disappointment than UCLA, as Nate made some terrible lob heave throws in the 4th quarter (I’ll show some tape next week of his attempts). ASU’s defense wasn’t as fearsome as UCLA, but they certainly got into Cal’s heads as the game progressed, and Longshore’s breakdown looks completely regressive.
Of course, there still is a caveat to this game: Penalties. There were six killer ones on offense, four of them (illegal touch, holding, two false starts) killing two promising drives, another that pushed the Bears away from field goal position, making it easier for ASU to block the kicker, and another one that lengthened the Bears only TD drive. Considering these circumstances, and Nate’s difficulties in 2nd/3rd and long situations, the incurring result seemed inevitable. I know this is no excuse for Longshore throwing two picks in his own territory in the 4th, but it’s still something to think about.
But again, the crucial thing to consider is this: Nate has yet to throw a come-from-behind TD in the 4th quarter. You might argue Oregon, but Forsett scored the tying TD, and Nate spent the rest of that quarter either tied or ahead on short fields. You also might argue Washington last year, but that was pretty much Marshawn running all over the field. Nate has been the complementary player, just not the facilitator Bears fans desire.
Coming next: Disappointment turns to anger. It’s Cal Football, only on FOX! Drama! Tension! Pain!
Leave your thoughts of Nate’s UCLA/ASU performances in the comments.
Retrospection Evaluation–Colorado State
Instead of talking about the Bears and their consistent underperforming these next two weeks, I’m going to move on for a bit. Let’s talk about teams that are right now worthy of my time and patience. Teams that have shown heart and spirit in the face of defeat. Teams that don’t bow down the moment they fall down. Teams that you can be proud to root for.
Yes, I’m talking about our 2007 opponents!
USC broke down Illinois in about five minutes. ASU got the traditional Pac-10 runnerup bowl walloping. Colorado State might have finished the season 3-9, but they won their last two games! Tennessee took what appeared to be a dead October team and turned them around, only being an errant INT away from going to the Sugar Bowl. UW probably deserves a bowl appearance over us for taking USC, UCLA, Oregon, Hawaii, Ohio State to the wire, and even beating Boise State. Louisiana Tech was a 2 point conversion away from spoiling Hawaii’s perfect season bid. UCLA was typically Dorellian, getting strong efforts against ASU and stuffing a third-rate Oregon team before predictably being outcoached against the Trojans. Arizona upset Oregon. Oregon State toppled us. Stanford beat USC. Hell, even Oregon didn’t completely lose face, putting up a valiant effort in the Civil War before getting stuffed on the most predictable 4th and 1 call ever.
So let’s take a look at what good teams do. We’ll go from the dregs to the Roses, starting with our friends at Fort Collins.End of season: 3-9. Ow. Awful season in the tame Mountain West.
Their wins: They crushed UNLV. UNLV is 2-10. They beat Georgia Southern, who beat Appalachian State. So they might be competitive against Michigan. A shellshocked Michigan. And they beat 5-7 Wyoming at home. So these aren’t exactly the ’95 Rockets.
Their losses: They should have won the Colorado game if Hanie hadn’t decided to ruin his perfect game by throwing a pick at the worst possible time (in OT). They blew a 2 TD halftime lead at Houston. They were picked apart by the backup TCU quarterback. They got Bible belted by BYU and Utah. And of course the Cal loss. There were other defeats (Air Force, San Diego State, New Mexico) too, but it’s the same old slogfest. Let’s move on.
Quarterback: Caleb Hanie can throw completions, damnit! Despite the poor season, the QB managed to finish in the top 20 in passing efficiency. Either he’s used to the Rocky Mountain air or he knows how not to make mistakes. Actually, we might have to compare how Hanie did at home as opposed to his performances on the road.
Annoyingly, his best performance in terms of total yardage was against Cal, when he gunslinged two bombs deep in the game and accounted for one-half of his production. Bravo. He did throw eight picks in a three game stretch, including one in the end zone against San Diego State. He finished the season on a high note (other than the unwinnables with Utah and BYU with 2 INTS total, there were 8 TDs, 1 INT), so he did pick up his game as the season went on. Hanie is a senior though, meaning CSU will be getting fresh blood behind the pocket for next year’s game at Memorial.
Running game: Kyle Bell fell out of grace as his number steadily declined after the Cal game (135, 102, 73, 9), relegated to the second string as Gartrell Johnson III started horsing his way as #1. Johnson didn’t really get the reins until the Air Force game; from there he managed to average over 125 ypg.
Receivers: A haphazard group. Damon Morton seems like their primary option, with Johnny Walker and Luke Roberts rotating the second banana slots. They have decent games every now and then, but nothing that really opens your eyes.
Offensive Line: Despite the good run options with Gartrell Johnson III and Bell, that offensive line can barely hold them. They give up over five tackles for loss per game and three sacks. Makes the playmaker production all that more impressive for Hanie and the running backs.
Pass D: Very impressive in terms of yardage (29th). You have to wonder how much of it has to do with the air in Fort Collins, or the quality of their opponents–only BYU is pass-dependent, and the Mountain West doesn’t have too many gunslingers. Longshore certainly didn’t test them too much with only 149 total yards on two.
Run D: Despite being effective against the pass, Colorado State is 106th against the run. Cal’s lack of a power running game nearly cost us against the Rams, as Forsett was held to a quiet 59 yards. If not for a pair of long running spurts from the speedsters Jackson and Best, the Bears hopes might have flamed up in week two. I’ll go into more detail about every Cal game this offseason, but this is the big sticking point to remember about this Ram games. Don’t neglect the power game.
Special teams: Good kick return game, bad punt return game. Good punting, average field goals. Zoom zoom zoom.
Coaching: After a subpar season, Sonny Lubick is gone. Too bad; he seemed like a nice enough guy. Hopefully the new regime doesn’t improve their defensive woes for next year’s game.
What their performance means to Cal: Most common fans now think we were lucky to escape Oregon, but they should have probably seen the warning signs three weeks earlier, when we traveled into Fort Collins against a Colorado State team that looked friskier for three quarters and roared back to make the score close late. And yes, admittedly two of the touchdowns were in garbage time. But 28 is still 28.
In short, this is a sub-par team that caught us on a down week and nearly handed us our lunches because we couldn’t run the ball down their throats. We used the speed dynamic to our advantage, but still barely scraped it out. Weak pass attack, and defensively we gave up a lot. For those looking for warning signs, they were planted in week two.
Saying Goodbye–Robert Jordan
Obviously one very prominent junior player is on his way to fulfilling his destiny as “the next Devin Hester”, and I’ll get to him later, but first we have to send off every big senior who deserves his due.
I don’t get too misty-eyed sending off our seniors–they’re football players, they do their job, and they go on, with perhaps one or two shining in the league and the rest finding other ways to employ their skills as coaches, trainers, etc. I get sentimental soft spots of course (everyone knows how much I love Forsett and Hawk from this group), but there are plenty others. I’ll take a look at the NFL prospects one by one.
Very good at..The dirty work. While Jackson and Hawkins get the deep slant and sideline route balls, Jordan specialized in the gritty 4-5 yard out route or quick pass. An example of this is illustrated in the Tennessee game, where he shows a great deal of versatility at the goal line.
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Through three and a half years, Jordan averaged a steady 3.5-4 passes caught per season, and holds the record for consecutive games with a catch, so if you put him in the right lineup, he’ll get his touches. He’s perfectly capable of running the deep route (witness his
Big problem: Because he gets stuck with the gritty work, that also means running into the teeth of the linebackers and secondary. He seems incapable of not running into people. Doesn’t bode well for future health.
Example 1, Example 2, and below is Example 3.
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Prospects for the NFL: Hard to say, considering he was always playing Fredo Corleone to Desean’s explosive Sonny and Lavelle’s steady Tom Hagen–never got the attention he really deserved. I wouldn’t be surprised if he fit right in as a third/fourth option on a receiver heady team. On the other hand, he has the same dimensions as DeSean, and certainly lacks that explosive beat. He’s at best a fifth rounder, although the Tedford factor might push him up.
How I’ll always remember him: Being Marshawn Lynch’s cousin? Jordan always carried the Marshawn bug. You could tell he cared about Cal’s wins and losses–just not as much as probably you or me do. Not a terrible attribute, just a noticeable one. He’s still a cool guy and everything; of the three wideouts leaving us, he’d probably be the guy I’d hang out with at a bar or a house party. You know something wild’s happening with him. Peace bro.
Please leave your fond Cal memories of #2 in the comments.
Coaching…Overhaul?
(I’m in the process of moving out, so my posting will be sporadic for at least the next week or two. Since it’s the offseason now, there will be plenty of spare time.)
A few weeks ago, I said the following.
Wide receivers: Dan Ferrigno has produced outstanding receiver production for the second straight year, this year in spite of Longshore’s ineffectiveness. His transformation of Lavelle Hawkins into a legit NFL prospect definitely deserves props, although I wish he’d teach him to catch with his hands.
I guess that translated into a safe rating…real nice one out of me.
*Littlejohn and Ferrigno were released from their position coaching duties.
*Delgado left to take a job at Louisville.
*Coach Daft [QB Coach] will now coach the WRs.
*Former Graduate assistant Tosh Lupoi has been promoted and will now coach the DL.
*Frank Cignetti (the 49ers QB Coach last season) will become Tedford’s offensive coordinator.
*Al Simmons will become the new Cal DB Coach.
The big surprise to me was Ferrigno, who I never seriously thought would be leaving. There have been a curious number of routes misread (which didn’t help Longshore any bit) and other such failings. That being said, I figured Tedford would maintain patience. Nooope. I’m not exactly sure why Daft is being juggled around, but I guess it keeps things.
Delgado’s departure to Louisville was not a terrible surprise–if you thought Cal’s D-line was difficult to watch this year, Louisville was Indian Superman, woefully inept in every possible way. Not even worth looking at. Okay, Indian Superman is worth looking at.
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I hear Al Simmons molded Deltha O’Neal. And he was in charge of Arizona State’s secondary last year, which if nothing else knocked people to the ground. It’ll be nice getting more physical down in the box with Ezeff, Thompson, Hicks and likely Conte manning the backfield, or at least trying to read the route then manning a zone.
The interesting move is Cignetti, who didn’t see much of a future between Alex Smith and Shaun Hill (and was probably getting canned anyway). Cignetti’s last coaching position was with Fresno State, a team that took #1 USC to the wire before Reggie Bush started channelling OJ. It’s probably not much of a coincidence that Coach’s origins are also from Fresno. So if nothing else, he’ll make things competitive each and every game for Cal’s young offense.
The question will be whether these moves were enough to turn around expectations for 2008–certainly the fact that Gregory is still here might not appease the majority of Cal fans disgruntled by bend-not-break. But it’s a long offseason. A very very long offseason. So don’t think you’ve seen the last changes of the year in Strawberry Canyon.
