Grossly concerned about all the injuries. Card well and Williams are both out and for how long? We don’t know how serious their injuries are. Let’s hope ott can stay healthy because without him, CAL is toast
definitely a lot of injuries when looking at the raw numbers. However, it is only March/April, 5 months until the season starts. No one has been ruled out for the season so it's more precautionary at this juncture. Things can change obviously.
Good point. My concern is with the offensive players who are out right now that aren’t getting valuable reps in Spav’s new offense. This is critical when implementing a new system.
yup, there's always that drawback. The crucial part will be when the guys get together over the summer and into fall camp that they understand the innerworkings of what's going on
LOVE how Spivital communicates. Such a contrast...I hope and pray this will translate to results on the field, but 100% the players must be able to relate to him more than he who shall not be named. I also love Spring, when hope literally springs eternal. GO BEARS.
They are running an offense very similar to your favorite JC team that would not disappoint! I suspect they will pick this up much faster than Musgrave's system, although it might take us two or three games into the season to get really comfortable with Spav's system in the first year. I like reading about the drills under the trampoline and using the chutes. When I was coaching what became our championship and bowl winning o-line, we started every practice with the chutes. I had my kids duck walk a serpentine through them before practice and we would hold blocking drills in them. In my mind it is the absolute best tool to instill the mantra of staying low on blocks. Low and over you feet wins every time. ;-)
Thanks much. This makes me think of how I am doing while learning the cello. There is a steep and fun learning curve in the beginning. And then you realize what is really hard, and what you don't know. This begins the phase of learning that is known in academic circles as "Shitty time". A term used to describe the in-between phase of knowing enough to know what you don't know, and finding it hard to know it. At this point in the spring, their are tired and I'm not surprised the coaches are having to motivate them. Let's face it, we are going to have a dynamic offense that will yield more points and also more turnovers by a young QB. There is no way that won't happen. Spav says as much. If defense can hold teams to 24, and we can score 31, we are all happy. Just don't want a Dykes situation, and we won't. Fair number of players out right now, or never played in spring. I'm especially concerned about Cardwell and wish we knew more about his injury.
San Diego State put out its post-spring depth chart on Thursday. Team captain Patrick McMorris wasn’t on it.
McMorris, a first-team All-Mountain West selection in both of his seasons as a starting safety, is planning to enter the portal on Saturday. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported he’s likely to land at Cal, where his brother is on staff. McMorris certainly won’t be the only all-conference caliber player looking to make the G5-to-P5 jump in this spring window.
Why doesn’t the NFL and CFB institute those soft shell helmet protectors as mandatory? They are obviously for player safety and I wonder what the stats on their ability to limit brain injuries/concussions.
Because they look so stupid that no player would wear them in a game? Lol! The helmets they have these days are really good. And the new rules have really changed the way guys are allowed to use their heads. I think its working well the way they have it. ;-)
I know it is an aesthetic thing and it would take some getting used to but I’m sure way back in the day they felt the face mask looked stupid and I’m sure plenty of people were defending the leather helmets.
Agree, but truthfully, I think the helmet technology nowadays is really good. And if you notice, even in practice not all the kids are wearing these helmet airbags. Also, in practice they don't go full speed very often nor will they tackle to the ground. They have things called 'thud' tempo and 50%, etc. What I find interesting is how little hitting they do in practice nowadays, with much better gear than when I played (we did have face masks when I played ;-)) and yet they still have way more guys injured. I think at the high school level the game is not nearly as physical as it used to be, it's so much more about technique these days. As these kids get to the college level where it is more physical, some of them just can't handle it. Just an opinion and I don't know if I'm right, but I can't think of any other reason.
It's fascinating to reflect on how society has changed, not only how the game and practice of football has changed. I'm not one to praise the past, yet there is little doubt that the expectations we have today of health and safety are totally different than what they were in the past.
So very true, but even though the game has changed, and in ways I don’t like, I still think the changes are good for the safety of the players. That being said, there will never again be players like Jack Tatum, Ronnie Lott and Dick Butkus.
No idea what to expect from this team this year. The only player back on offense is Ott, everyone else hit the portal, which is never a good look when your best guys bail. The hope that Wilcox could turn Cal around is fading, it’s bad when the offense is awful, it’s even worse when a defensive minded coach now has the defense going in the wrong direction too. I think the fan base is restless and Wilcox should be on thin ice.
And Cindric isn't participating in Spring drills. He will be at a big disadvantage come Fall camp because he will not know the system and he won't have mastered the techniques they are teaching this Spring.
I agree there are a lot of unknowns, but we have some seriously talented players on this team. The portal is changing the way football teams will look every season. Look at UW and UO…..and USC. All sporting portal QBs (and others) and killing it. Yes, we’re still Cal, and I will miss JMike and a couple other dudes, but we are in a better place now than if Plummer were calling audibles.
Rugbear, do you have a feeling for how much of this is guys getting injured more often, vs guys getting held out for injuries that they would have played through in the past?
Only 3 losses last year were by more than a touchdown. This year's schedule is harder, but if Spavital can squeeze out that extra touchdown per game, Cal has a good shot at a bowl. Last year's defense was also apparently the worst of the Wilcox era. I would expect them to tighten it up a little, based on good players returning, most importantly on the line, as well as some good transfer portal additions.
Not so fast on a win over Stanford. Troy Taylor took over a Sac State team that had gone 2-8 the previous year and turned them into a 9-win team (7-1 in conference) in his first season in 2019. Taylor will have Stanford playing competitive football from the get-go, IMO. Bowl bid impossible for me to imagine with no game experience from the most important position on the field.
But Stanford has had better recruiting classes over the past several years, no? I think the talent level is probably fairly equal, which is not a good thing for either team. So if it comes down to who has the better coached and better prepared team, it could get interesting. That Spav offense looked pretty good under Dykes in 2016, but it is a huge question mark under Wilcox. I am pretty sure Taylor will have that Stanford offense humming out of the gates. I have to admit I am far more interested in Stanford than ever before because of how much I respect and admire Taylor. Loved him when he was Cal's quarterback, too.
Spav was fortunate enough to have a stacked offense that was already trained under the Tony Franklin System. While he had a new system, there were likely enough similarities between different Air Raid systems that the learning curve was likely not as large. Moving kids from a pro style system to whatever read option system he has now could take longer -- and they do touch on how different things like wide receiver routes are, which impact both them and QBs who have to be making the same decisions at the same time.
First game of the season is going to be...interesting.
Grossly concerned about all the injuries. Card well and Williams are both out and for how long? We don’t know how serious their injuries are. Let’s hope ott can stay healthy because without him, CAL is toast
definitely a lot of injuries when looking at the raw numbers. However, it is only March/April, 5 months until the season starts. No one has been ruled out for the season so it's more precautionary at this juncture. Things can change obviously.
Good point. My concern is with the offensive players who are out right now that aren’t getting valuable reps in Spav’s new offense. This is critical when implementing a new system.
yup, there's always that drawback. The crucial part will be when the guys get together over the summer and into fall camp that they understand the innerworkings of what's going on
LOVE how Spivital communicates. Such a contrast...I hope and pray this will translate to results on the field, but 100% the players must be able to relate to him more than he who shall not be named. I also love Spring, when hope literally springs eternal. GO BEARS.
They are running an offense very similar to your favorite JC team that would not disappoint! I suspect they will pick this up much faster than Musgrave's system, although it might take us two or three games into the season to get really comfortable with Spav's system in the first year. I like reading about the drills under the trampoline and using the chutes. When I was coaching what became our championship and bowl winning o-line, we started every practice with the chutes. I had my kids duck walk a serpentine through them before practice and we would hold blocking drills in them. In my mind it is the absolute best tool to instill the mantra of staying low on blocks. Low and over you feet wins every time. ;-)
Well, if they can emulate my Hawks, I'm all in...for they never disappointed!
Right on my Brother! Those were some fun times!
Thanks much. This makes me think of how I am doing while learning the cello. There is a steep and fun learning curve in the beginning. And then you realize what is really hard, and what you don't know. This begins the phase of learning that is known in academic circles as "Shitty time". A term used to describe the in-between phase of knowing enough to know what you don't know, and finding it hard to know it. At this point in the spring, their are tired and I'm not surprised the coaches are having to motivate them. Let's face it, we are going to have a dynamic offense that will yield more points and also more turnovers by a young QB. There is no way that won't happen. Spav says as much. If defense can hold teams to 24, and we can score 31, we are all happy. Just don't want a Dykes situation, and we won't. Fair number of players out right now, or never played in spring. I'm especially concerned about Cardwell and wish we knew more about his injury.
Any word on Hightower? I don't see him on the 1st or 2nd team but see him listed here - https://calbears.com/sports/football/roster/brian-hightower/22456.
I didn't see him out there on Saturday. I wouldn't have recognized him if he was in street clothes but I didn't see him suited up.
Cal Football: Burl Toler III Media Availability (4.10.23) - YouTube
Around the 8 minute mark he says Hightower's getting "reps" as he works his way back.
Hmmm sounds like he was dinged up then and is day to day. I’m 99% sure he wasn’t suited up on Saturday but maybe it fell through the cracks.
do you know who the other student-athlete he references as arriving in the summer? Marquis Montgomery? He's a very tall JC WR?
I believe that would be who he is referencing to since Montgomery isnt on the spring roster
via The Athletic...
San Diego State put out its post-spring depth chart on Thursday. Team captain Patrick McMorris wasn’t on it.
McMorris, a first-team All-Mountain West selection in both of his seasons as a starting safety, is planning to enter the portal on Saturday. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported he’s likely to land at Cal, where his brother is on staff. McMorris certainly won’t be the only all-conference caliber player looking to make the G5-to-P5 jump in this spring window.
Why doesn’t the NFL and CFB institute those soft shell helmet protectors as mandatory? They are obviously for player safety and I wonder what the stats on their ability to limit brain injuries/concussions.
Because they look so stupid that no player would wear them in a game? Lol! The helmets they have these days are really good. And the new rules have really changed the way guys are allowed to use their heads. I think its working well the way they have it. ;-)
I know it is an aesthetic thing and it would take some getting used to but I’m sure way back in the day they felt the face mask looked stupid and I’m sure plenty of people were defending the leather helmets.
Agree, but truthfully, I think the helmet technology nowadays is really good. And if you notice, even in practice not all the kids are wearing these helmet airbags. Also, in practice they don't go full speed very often nor will they tackle to the ground. They have things called 'thud' tempo and 50%, etc. What I find interesting is how little hitting they do in practice nowadays, with much better gear than when I played (we did have face masks when I played ;-)) and yet they still have way more guys injured. I think at the high school level the game is not nearly as physical as it used to be, it's so much more about technique these days. As these kids get to the college level where it is more physical, some of them just can't handle it. Just an opinion and I don't know if I'm right, but I can't think of any other reason.
It's fascinating to reflect on how society has changed, not only how the game and practice of football has changed. I'm not one to praise the past, yet there is little doubt that the expectations we have today of health and safety are totally different than what they were in the past.
So very true, but even though the game has changed, and in ways I don’t like, I still think the changes are good for the safety of the players. That being said, there will never again be players like Jack Tatum, Ronnie Lott and Dick Butkus.
Ray Nitschke would drop ball carriers like he was calf roping.
No idea what to expect from this team this year. The only player back on offense is Ott, everyone else hit the portal, which is never a good look when your best guys bail. The hope that Wilcox could turn Cal around is fading, it’s bad when the offense is awful, it’s even worse when a defensive minded coach now has the defense going in the wrong direction too. I think the fan base is restless and Wilcox should be on thin ice.
Returners with starting snaps on offense: Rohme, Cindric, Vatikani, Hunter, Anderson, and Ott.
And Cindric isn't participating in Spring drills. He will be at a big disadvantage come Fall camp because he will not know the system and he won't have mastered the techniques they are teaching this Spring.
Eeyore, is that you?
I agree there are a lot of unknowns, but we have some seriously talented players on this team. The portal is changing the way football teams will look every season. Look at UW and UO…..and USC. All sporting portal QBs (and others) and killing it. Yes, we’re still Cal, and I will miss JMike and a couple other dudes, but we are in a better place now than if Plummer were calling audibles.
Portal QB's in PAC12: UW, WASU. OR, OSU, CAL, USC, AZ, ASU, CO
The injury bug seems to be a problem.
Strength and conditioning- FAIL. It’s been a problem for nearly ten years, now. How Goff stayed healthy is a mystery.
Too big. My worry is that some of these guys need to toughen up. Hope I'm wrong.
Rugbear, do you have a feeling for how much of this is guys getting injured more often, vs guys getting held out for injuries that they would have played through in the past?
Only 3 losses last year were by more than a touchdown. This year's schedule is harder, but if Spavital can squeeze out that extra touchdown per game, Cal has a good shot at a bowl. Last year's defense was also apparently the worst of the Wilcox era. I would expect them to tighten it up a little, based on good players returning, most importantly on the line, as well as some good transfer portal additions.
Not so fast on a win over Stanford. Troy Taylor took over a Sac State team that had gone 2-8 the previous year and turned them into a 9-win team (7-1 in conference) in his first season in 2019. Taylor will have Stanford playing competitive football from the get-go, IMO. Bowl bid impossible for me to imagine with no game experience from the most important position on the field.
But Stanford has had better recruiting classes over the past several years, no? I think the talent level is probably fairly equal, which is not a good thing for either team. So if it comes down to who has the better coached and better prepared team, it could get interesting. That Spav offense looked pretty good under Dykes in 2016, but it is a huge question mark under Wilcox. I am pretty sure Taylor will have that Stanford offense humming out of the gates. I have to admit I am far more interested in Stanford than ever before because of how much I respect and admire Taylor. Loved him when he was Cal's quarterback, too.
Spav was fortunate enough to have a stacked offense that was already trained under the Tony Franklin System. While he had a new system, there were likely enough similarities between different Air Raid systems that the learning curve was likely not as large. Moving kids from a pro style system to whatever read option system he has now could take longer -- and they do touch on how different things like wide receiver routes are, which impact both them and QBs who have to be making the same decisions at the same time.
First game of the season is going to be...interesting.