I like this hire. He has a history with Harsin and Harsin wants him. That speaks well of him. My guess is he will be more of a technique guy in practice, eyeballing the little things that are so important, while position coaches focus more on schemes, etc. When I started my coaching career I began the same way. I look at what Bloesch coached and he was a disaster at coaching up the fine points of technique (you gotta teach O-Linemen how to hold, when to hold and get away with it, as well as all the other stuff: ass down, low, over your feet, head up, position, attack points, first step, nasty until the whistle, responding to defensive reads to set up a defensive player, and on and on...). Anyway, I like this hire.
I’m confused. You like the hire and go on to enumerate the areas where you feel MB fell short in coaching up the OL. But how does this guy who was in charge only of WR at Eastern WA qualify as an offensive line technician? Maybe he’s more of a scheme guy in addition to pass-catching coach.
Good question. Coaches go to coaching classes and clinics to learn the fine points of schemes and techniques. That's how players who have become coaches learn to coach a different position than they played. Even though this guy was not formerly an o-linemen he can learn these things. Can he teach them as well as someone who has played the position and has good teaching skills? Probably not, but you never know, some coaches are great teachers and I'm guessing Harsin sees that in this guy. As an assistant he certainly won't be making in game schematic adjustments, but having a additional pair of eyes looking at the detail things during each rep in practice is a good thing.
Also, I'm sure he'll help TE's with both blocking and receiving.
Last thing to think of: How many great players have become great coaches? Often times coaches were not very good players. So how do they learn the fine points of the positions they coach? At coaching clinics and classes. I had no idea until I attended a few. Second, you can be a great player, but not a great teacher. When you find a great player who is also a great teacher (Dan Campbell) then you've got gold.
In the end, you don't hire an assistant position coach for scheme, you hire them to make players better at what they are supposed to do.
Btw, there is a ton of stuff online. You can watch hours of Alex Gibbs, the former O-Line coach from the Broncos, discuss the fine points and nuances of the Zone Read on Youtube. He is credited for inventing the Zone Read. Denver even put him in charge of RB's for the Zone Read to direct coaching for the mesh.
Cal football seems to be making a decent effort to keep their heads above water. So, in 2025 against a softish schedule, solidly over .500 would seem like progress.
I like this hire. He has a history with Harsin and Harsin wants him. That speaks well of him. My guess is he will be more of a technique guy in practice, eyeballing the little things that are so important, while position coaches focus more on schemes, etc. When I started my coaching career I began the same way. I look at what Bloesch coached and he was a disaster at coaching up the fine points of technique (you gotta teach O-Linemen how to hold, when to hold and get away with it, as well as all the other stuff: ass down, low, over your feet, head up, position, attack points, first step, nasty until the whistle, responding to defensive reads to set up a defensive player, and on and on...). Anyway, I like this hire.
I’m confused. You like the hire and go on to enumerate the areas where you feel MB fell short in coaching up the OL. But how does this guy who was in charge only of WR at Eastern WA qualify as an offensive line technician? Maybe he’s more of a scheme guy in addition to pass-catching coach.
Good question. Coaches go to coaching classes and clinics to learn the fine points of schemes and techniques. That's how players who have become coaches learn to coach a different position than they played. Even though this guy was not formerly an o-linemen he can learn these things. Can he teach them as well as someone who has played the position and has good teaching skills? Probably not, but you never know, some coaches are great teachers and I'm guessing Harsin sees that in this guy. As an assistant he certainly won't be making in game schematic adjustments, but having a additional pair of eyes looking at the detail things during each rep in practice is a good thing.
Also, I'm sure he'll help TE's with both blocking and receiving.
Last thing to think of: How many great players have become great coaches? Often times coaches were not very good players. So how do they learn the fine points of the positions they coach? At coaching clinics and classes. I had no idea until I attended a few. Second, you can be a great player, but not a great teacher. When you find a great player who is also a great teacher (Dan Campbell) then you've got gold.
In the end, you don't hire an assistant position coach for scheme, you hire them to make players better at what they are supposed to do.
Btw, there is a ton of stuff online. You can watch hours of Alex Gibbs, the former O-Line coach from the Broncos, discuss the fine points and nuances of the Zone Read on Youtube. He is credited for inventing the Zone Read. Denver even put him in charge of RB's for the Zone Read to direct coaching for the mesh.
Love to see so much focus on the line.
It's good to see we can afford paying for extra coaches
Who's the center?
Cal football seems to be making a decent effort to keep their heads above water. So, in 2025 against a softish schedule, solidly over .500 would seem like progress.