Cal Recap - A bit late

Here are random thoughts on the Cal Game. Though not quite fresh in my mind, there were a few things that I wanted to note so I could revisit them later in the season. It'll be interesting to see if they hold throughout:

* Riley actually looked like a changed man. Supposedly his mechanics have improved, and that really seemed to show with his new found accuracy. "Sharp" is a word that I would generally not associate with Riley, but for the majority of the game, he was actually quite sharp. If he could be this consistently, I dare say he might have some interest at the next level. With his size, mobility and strong arm, he just might be a decent NFL prospect.

* Defense was dominating. A lot was made about the fact that the Bears returned their starting D-line and Maryland was totally inexperienced up front. Though Cal won't get match-ups like that all the time, it was still impressive how deep into the backfield the D-line got on every play. I can't remember the final sack total, but it was a truly impressive performance. If they'll compete with USC, the game will be won or lost here. With USC likely to rely on their run game more this season, I hope the D continues to play like this up front.

* Jahvid Best is electric. Though I doubt Cal can produce a Heisman winner, I'm looking forward to seeing Jahvid highlights on ESPN every week. It's fun to think he already has one 50+ run under his belt. How many times will he pull that off?

Dusting off the old blog...

You gotta love September. After agonizing months of nothing but reruns, reality TV, and the truly uninspiring spectator sport that baseball has become, September arrives and all is well again.

Here's a list of things that made me happy this month:


There was College football this past weekend. Tim Tebow is back to prove that he can win a second Heisman, a third national championship, and single-handedly end the worst recession since the great depression.

Colt McCoy, the QB with the greatest QB name ever, returns as well to challenge Tebow for Heisman glory.

Jahvid Best is actually in the running for the Heisman- literally. I know I'm watching someone special when I'm disappointed in seeing him gain anything less than a 50 yards per touch.

The season premiere of Glee was just as good as the series premiere a couple of months ago. Too bad it won't last.

And finally... three days and counting to the 49ers season opener. Though it's very possible they will finish third in this division, I can't help but feel hopeful. At the very least it's now the Singletary Era, and that should be entertain to watch.

Let the eaaaaaaaaaaagle sooaaaaar....

I didn't get to watch a lot of college football (or any football for that matter) during the past season. And when I did get to watch some games, I felt guilty about it since there was stuff that I could have been doing that would help me not fail out of school.

So now that I'm on Christmas break, with nothing due and no quizzes or finals to come for a few weeks, it's time for some FOOTBAW. But first, I must watch Bloodsport every time it comes on Versus HD:


That's right, it's a full Kumite bracket! Lovingly stolen from Wikipedia of course. You know, it sorta looks like a cranial nerve schematic...oh god this break couldn't have come soon enough. In fact, after 5 months straight of med school, 6 finals of various sorts, and many many curses at horrible LA traffic, I could really identify with what JCVD was going through in his epic showdown with Chong Li. Except for the whole blindness thing. But because of JCVD you can now know what med students look like after finishing up finals:




But now to the main point of the post: college football bowl season is almost upon us, and as ESPN has to carefully implanted in my brain "Its the most wonderful time of the yeaarrrr..." So my goal is to watch as many entire bowl games, and portions of bowl games, that I can over break. This is to make up for the games I missed while immersed in minutiae that would make your eyes bleed.

There's a few bowl games that I'm watching come hell or high water:

1) Poinsettia Bowl, TCU vs Boise St: This game pisses me off on one hand because it's a better matchup than most of the Pac-10 bowls, but then again, it's a better matchup than like all of the ACC bowls. Anyway, it'll be a good one.

2) Holiday Bowl, Oregon vs Oklahoma St: I must love San Diego. Or San Diego loves footbaw. This game will be like the classic circa-1997 WAC matchups that routinely ended with both teams over 50 points. Good times!

3) Rose Bowl, U$C vs Penn St: I watch the Rose Bowl every year, enuff said. And I usually pull for Pac-10 teams if they're not playing Cal, but I have a soft spot for zombies and BRAAAIIIIINSS so go Paterno and Penn St!

Those are the biggies. I'm sure I'll catch some of the magicJack Bowl too. Aren't you?

It's Big Game Week

Back in August, I saw an entire aisle dedicated to 'furd football at the Mal*Wart in Natomas.  I saw no Cal gear, and very little Niners and Raiduhs gear (the latter being particularly astonishing considering I was in Sacramento).  Needless to say, I found this display puzzling, and I'm not sure what else to say.  ($13.88 for a tee-shirt seems high.)  Oh, and I was at Wal*Mart asking for directions to the freeway.

Has Cal ever stepped up to win a game that they needed to win?

No knock on the Bears, cause these days are exponentially better than the Holmoe era.

But, since Tedford took over and shaped them into a respectable team, has Cal ever stepped up and won a game that they needed to win, especially when they're the dogs?

I just think to SC games, last year against OSU with the #1 on the line, this weekend with the chance to upset OSU and get back into the Pac-10 race.

Is it just me and I'm focused only on the bad?

BCS Beatings Need BS Banning

Look, I hate the BCS as much as the next casual football fan. It makes more sense to have a college playoff, blah blah blah.

But, I'm really really really sick of the idiotic talking heads on ESPN, Fox, anywhere, blathering on about the potential screwiness of the BCS...when it's October! The first BCS polls comes out, and you'd be surprised to find that the sky isn't actually falling and the world hasn't come to an end. The sportcasters would like you make it seem as if the crimes of humanity are balled into the singular release of this week's BCS poll...until next week arrives.

To me, the arguments are known and need not be discussed ad nauseum every single frigging year. Guess what, the season doesn't end after week 6! The POTENTIAL screwiness isn't realized until the END of the season. All those undefeated teams might not be undefeated.

Why are you arguing over the impact of a week 7 or 8 poll? Teams lose! That's why they play the games! Bitch at the end of the season, when Joe Pa's team really is undefeated and ranked #3 behind two one-loss teams. Until then, remember the Patriots and their undefeated season that got them spanked in the Super Bowl. Hahaha, I just wanted to laugh at Brady again.

Cal 26 Oregon 16

Props to the Cal fans who stuck it out in the rain. I watched on TV, nice and dry. About halfway through the game I got a hankering for something...couldn't put my finger on it...then it came to me. Yummy.

Onto $C next Saturday. Go Bears!!

Condi Rice, a San Francisco Treat?

I shit you not:

Adam Schefter reported on NFL Network’s NFL GameDay Morning that the San Francisco 49ers want to talk to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about a high-level position within the organization.

Per Schefter, the 49ers’ ownership believes that Rice would make a great team president and that she would be likely to help them get financing for the new stadium they want.

Cal 41 fUCLA 20

Don't feel too bad for those Bruin fans.

Go Bears!!!

Nolan Watch: Over before it Begins

So hoping that Nolan would get fired within the next few weeks, I haven't really done a great job rooting for my team. After all, what better way to bring hope every Sunday than a new coach, and the number one pick in the draft?

Admittedly, in a division this weak, it will be hard to go through the season without accidentally winning a game or two and losing the #1 pick, but at least we'll get the new coach.

So officially, Nolan is fired and Singletary is in. Here's the link: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3654528 .

The Nolan Legacy:

* 18-37 overall
* The anti-Bill Belichick - as in spends more time worrying about his attire than his actual coaching schemes
* The drafting and subsequent destruction of Alex Smith
* The defensive genius that brought us Tubby Banta Cain
* The guy that relied on a business major to help determine if he should challenge calls
* The guy who allowed no excuses from his players yet always had one for the media
* Arguably, one of the worst coaches the 49ers organization has ever scene.

Scott M. you're next.

AZ 42 Cal 27

Cal Signs Star Back

Looks like Tedford's streak of recruiting star running backs will continue. Check out the profile on their latest recruit, Dasarte Yarnway.

More on DeSean Jackson

With DeSean Jackson being labeled the "one that got away", there's been some interesting stories regarding his draft status. The one thing that caught my eye was this quote by Andy Reid that mentions Tedford:

"I had a chance to talk to his head coach (Jeff Tedford) and he was very up front with me on things that he did with DeSean," Reid said. "I have a lot of respect for him. He's a heck of a coach, coach Tedford. He just said there were a couple things he would do different. I took that into consideration ... and I didn't feel it was a problem.

I wonder what things Tedford would have done differently? It's clear he lost control of that team last year. Is he suggesting he was too loose with DeSean?

One final note on DeSean: During the intros for MNF when the players announce what college they attended, DeSean declared he was from Long Beach Poly. I have to admit, I was a bit annoyed. Where's the Cal pride? I kind of wonder if he has some resentment as a result of his final year at Cal...

How to build a great team: Rule #43

Never draft a player that doesn't have enough judgment to avoid taking pictures like this. Embarrassing.

It's Official: the 49ers Still Suck

Despite early positive returns, the 49ers have proved the past couple of weeks that they are still a sub-mediocre team. Let's face it, both the Saints and Brady-less Pats are not exactly elite teams. While they provide tough match-ups for any team in the league, the Niners didn't look too competitive. Worse yet, the Eagles and Giants are next, meaning the smart money is on the 49ers starting 2-5.

Here's the best case scenario for the rest of the season - "The Mikes Scenario"

A 2-5 start essentially means the Niners will struggle to hit .500. Because the offense has improved so dramatically, the ultimate culprit will be the defense, which is supposed to be Mike Nolan's forte.

The York's will finally realize, Mike's actual forte is providing sound bytes that make him sound like a good coach. Despite the fact that he's a snappy dresser, the Yorks will make the decision to release Mike Nolan.


While many will consider Mike Martz as the heir apparent, in a rare display of smartness, the Yorks will bypass the obvious choice and consider Mike Holmgren instead. And as Mike H. will require GM power, this will spell the end for Scott McCloughan, the best evaluator of high character, no talent football players in the league.

With Mike H. implementing West Coast football, Mike Martz will be pack his bags and leave for the now vacated Detroit Lions head coach position. Funny but true.

Finally, in a desperate attempt to sell tickets, the Niners will sign Mike Vick to a contract and usher in the "year of the dog" at Candlestick Park. Tailgating parties will be disrupted by dog lover protests outside the park as patrons enjoy half-off "Vick Dogs", inside the park.

One can dream.

"In case you missed it" recap

* Cameron Jordan was a man child. Downright dominant.
* Speaking of dominant, Sy'd Quan Thompson is doing his best D. Hughes impression. I can't count how many passes he got his hands on. He was probably the best player on the field today.
* Not sure if it's the 3-4 scheme, but Bears are pretty good against the run. Don't believe me? Check out Javon Ringer's games after he played the bears.
* Wow did the offense stink in the second half! Here's where not having a bruising back like Marshawn Lynch hurts. Smaller backs are great, but when you want to put the game away and the defense stacks the box... ouch.
* My thoughts on the personal foul call when Arizona State missed the field goal? Horse Sh%!t. Who's even heard of that penalty?
* On the ensuing TD - where's the penalty for picking up and pushing your player across the goal line. The O-Line was literally grabbing the running back's jersey and tossing him across the goal line.

* Overall - Defensive play is making me really happy. Offensive inconsistency has me a bit worried...

To continue the medical theme...

...since it's all I know: 4th quarter Longshore plus med school finals equals:



But that's OK! Medical knowledge, plus the experience of being a long-term Cal fan equals:




Go Bears! 2-o in Pac-10 play, can't complain about that. Cameron Jordan also looks beastly, which is a much-welcomed addition to the D-line. Hagan and Cattouse looking good too. All in all a good game, despite having to follow on crappy Yahoo gametracker.

I want to be the next Giorgio Tavecchio

I've been thinking... Cal needs a new kicker. What if I trained, and made the team. Maybe I could get a scholarship. How cool would that be - go back to school to major in par-taying.

I could be like the kicker in "The Replacements" with the smoking and the gambling and all that... Or gain around 100 pounds and be like Sebastian Janikowski (who is a very fat kicker).

Crazy Football Weekend

Georgia vs. Alabama - I caught this game on ESPN and I have to say, it wasn't nearly as close at the 41-30 score says. Looks like the preseason #1 is pretty much done.

But wait there's more:

Wisconsin (9) falls to Michigan
USC (1) falls to Oregon State
and Florida (4) loses to Ole' Miss on a blocked PAT?!

Other fun happenings:

* Maryland upsets Clemson. Makes me feel better about Cal losing.
* I watched DeLaSalle on ESPNU this weekend. If you hadn't heard (or simply don't care) the #9 Prep team in the country looked pretty ho-hum in a loss to Don Bosco of New Jersey. One other interesting tidbit, DeLaSalle is now joining the EBAL to join my alma mater California High School!

Medic!!

So I don't think I've every experienced a blowout that made me feel worse than the Bears' 42-7 victory over Colorado St. Guarnero? Done for the year. Rulon? Same. JAHVID BEST? Maybe we can replace his arm with a retractable claw that can grip onto the portable lights at Memorial:


I think it's possible. Cal's got a kick-ass bioengineering department, right? And after the game Jahvid can go save the world from a quasi-Hitler-looking dictator that lives in a giant helicopter.

Anyway, the Pac-10 slate isn't looking so promising now. I hope you all enjoyed the 1 full day of hope that $C gave everybody.

Brian - Rob, Rob - Brian

Again, very little to do with football. But maybe, just maybe, Sabean has been making poor moves for the Giants, *cough* Zito *cough*, cause he's busy moonlighting as embattled Defensive Coordinator for the hapless Raiders. Makes you wonder.

I'm hungry.

Bye weeks, especially after a loss, just suck. I want football! Beating up on hapless Detroit Lions is sort of like having 1 Reese's Peanut Butter Cup; it tastes good, even makes you feel good, but damn if you don't want that next one even more. Mmmmm peanut butter and chocolate.

So the Bears are playing Colorado St. What's there to know about Colorado St.? Ummm, a girl I knew in high school went there. Aaaand that's about it. I wonder if Bradlee Van Pelt is still playing there (wouldn't surpise me?)

Nope, he's not: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=5775

I suppose I need to re-learn my HTML to make that a bit nicer looking. Ah well.

GO BEARS!!! (In 2 1/2 days)

Marshawn Lynch in Beast Mode

Love this interview of Marshawn. Beast mode!

If anybody watched the Raiders game (which I watched for Marshawn), you may have noticed that the Beast is looking more beastly than ever. He looks like he's pushing 230 now and on one particular goal line play, he drove the entire pile 5 yards into the endzone. Kind of a luxury when you have a running back that turns anything inside the 10 yard line into a dive play.

Niners Keep Rolling

Not too much to complain about this week with the 49ers. J.T. O'Sullivan looked his best yet, throwing two TD's, and most importantly being pretty decisive about when to take off with the ball. He's not exactly graceful when running, but he's got some quicks.

Here's are some random thoughts on the game:

* I think Martz answered all questions about his willingness to run when he shut down the offense and started pounding away with Gore in the second half.
* Say what you will about the Lions, but the one area you have to be impressed with was the 9ers ability to shut down the two freaks at the receiver position. I have Calvin Johnson on my fantasy team and I played him reluctantly because I figured he'd have a monster game against the Niners. I'm glad I was wrong.
* Justin Smith continues to play up to his contract. A sack, interception, and forced fumble? Pretty impressive game.
* Delanie Walker outshines V.D. Not sure what to think about Vernon Davis' inability to catch the ball. Granted, the one long ball he got thrown was a bit short, but he doesn't exactly look like a natural receiver. At least he's a beast at the point of attack.

Did he look like this?

Zito sighting

I think I saw Zito crossing the street in SF this morning. Weird enough, he was rolling in some hardcore Cal gear, cap and sweatshirt.

I think it was him, tall ass dude. Plus he had a $126M contract across his shoulders. Looked like it was weighing him down.

It's not related to football at all

But I thought this EA spot was pretty damn funny.

Desean Jack-ass?

Oh DeSean!

DeSean Jackson is now only the second rookie to ever to start his career with back-to-back 100 yard games. Too bad he'll be remembered for flipping the ball before he crossed the goal line. Also, his dance looked a bit ridiculous afterwards.

If you haven't seen his high school swan dive where basically fumbles the ball on the 1-yard line with a premature celebration, here it is:

49ers Save Weekend

After a depressing Cal loss, the 49ers managed to save my weekend by pulling off an unlikely win at Qwest Field on Sunday. Here are some things I thought I'd never see:

* A Niners QB showing some moxy and pulling out a come from behind victory.
* Receivers wearing 49ers jerseys getting open in key situations and actually making big catches.
* A middle linebacker looking like a running back on his way to an 86 yard score.
* Mike Martz playing the part of super hero rather than villain.

In general, I loved the fact that the game was competitive and the offense actually looked explosive. Most of all, I love the fact that the QB actually showed some fire out there.

Areas for concern:

* Last week I noted that JTO lacked pocket awareness. I now realize he KNOWS the pocket is collapsing, he just refuses to throw the ball away. He was sacked 8 times in the game, and on most occasions, he held the ball way to long. I could see Martz cussing on the sidelines, and the funny thing is, I was cursing alongside him. On the plus side, on one notable play, he managed to escape a sack, buy some time, and find Frank Gore for an impressive pickup on a pretty crucial drive. I guess when you have a competitor back there, you take the good with the bad.
* What is wrong with the defense and more specifically the play calling? Here's an interesting article by Matt Maiocco on the game. Most notable is that Manny Lawson didn't play a down on defense because they opted for a base nickel package against Seattle's offesne. The result? Seattle rips off 170 yards rushing, the pass rush is useless, and the defense can't get off the field for a second straight game. Here's a thought, MAYBE THE PACKAGE DOESN'T WORK!

This just in, Aaron Rodgers better than Alex Smith.

Gotta love the fact that Aaron Rodgers is doing well this season. I wish I could see him in a Niners uniform, but being bypassed by Nolan was probably the best thing that could've happened for him. Love to see a Cal alum kicking ass in the NFL.

I only watched bits and pieces

But I was glad to see that when I tuned in, Best got smashed.

Then the ensuing close-up was timed perfectly, as we got to see Best throw up green Gatorade glush.

And yet, that sort of sums up the whole game, doesn't it?

Not so special teams

It's probably old news to many, but Cal's having problems with special teams.  To date, no kickoffs have ever made it into the end zone.  Today, the first kickoff went out of bounds.  At one time, there were only 10 Cal players on the field.  Oh yeah, and the point of on side kicks is to kick the ball so it bounces in such a way that your team has a chance at the ball.

And screw the espn broadcasters.  The ACC still sucks, I could care less about the cheers and iconic sweaters that characterize tOSU and u$c, and the suggestions that the hard hits are (or are deserving of) retaliation were just classless.  Take that trash back to "the O.B."

Maybe I should have slept on this before posting?

Sucks.

Game wasn't as close as the final score. Time to drink.

What the hell is this?

It looks like our Cal Bears have lived up to their reputation of not being mentally tough. Catch them on a good day and they look like a legit top-25 team, and hell, they can even hang with $C sometimes. But on a bad day--usually on the road, and especially on national TV (the worst possible time), the Bears fold up camp.

Teams that are coached well never get totally blown out. Even when they're not playing well they can scrap and claw to at least hang around. The wide swings in performance under Tedford the past 2-3 years is a really, really disturbing trend. Are the players tuning him out? Is his act wearing thin with them? I can't watch every game this year and I hope I pick the right ones.

And Guarnero is getting abused today--penalties and bad decisions. Ugh.

Some good news for change

I didn't get to watch the game since I live in SoCal, and I was at a conference, yadda yadda. But us Bears fans have moxie and a knack for technology, so here's a video of the Cal-WSU highlights. Big props to Danzig over at the California Golden Blogs for putting this together.

http://vimeo.com/1703429

Few things about the highlights: Cal just looks faster than Wazzu. That's a nice feeling. Second, Riley was a little inaccurate, but his decisions were still solid. Finally, the offensive line is just beastly. Look at some of the holes--huge!

So, the inevitable looks like its set in stone

Alex Smith = broken shoulder. Heard he woke up Friday morning and it hurt a lot. So, he broke his shoulder...sleeping? That's pretty frail.

And, I think JT looks more manly with the 3 week stubble. I think his lack of manliness contributed to his mediocre play last week. Let's hope he puts the Schick razor away.

Stupid, Stupid 9ers

I'll admit, the start of every season I'm full of hope for the 49ers. After a disappointing season last year, it's hard to think they won't improve. Despite some significant progress, Game 1 shows that the 49ers are not yet ready to win because they're just plain stupid.

Examples of stupidity:

* 49ers turn the ball over 5 times. Interesting strategy. Didn't work.
* Cardinals come out firing in the second half, throwing it to Anquan Boldin pretty much every play. 49ers coaches overhead saying: "No way they throw it to him again, let's double team the fullback."
* Zak Keasey is inexplicably considered a better player than Moran Norris.
* Did I mention FIVE TURNOVERS?!

Here's some random positives on the game:

JTO - Despite the turnovers, he still looks much better than Alex Smith. The interception was dumb, late across the middle, but it's hard to blame him for the fumbles (all blindside hits). We can blame him however for an alarmingly poor pocket sense. RUN FOREST RUN!

Justin Smith - Everything as advertised. He's around the ball every play. Put good pressure on the QB and was strong against the run. Along with a much improved Ray McDonald they had some good D-line play.

Defense - Impressive. 3 official sacks but constant pressure. Desipte ridiculous field position thanks to the turnovers, they managed to hold the cards to 10 points at the half. In the end, they spent way too much time on the field (sounds familiar) and got worn down.

Alex Smith - Donzo?

Alex Smith might be out for the season. Surprisingly, I'm more upset about Tom Brady. No more sideline shots of Giselle looking totally uninterested in football? Or is it going to be Tom and Giselle now? Either way, what will football do without Tom Brady? Seriously, people follow the sport because of him. It's a disaster...

Oh yeah, this was about Alex Smith. Good riddance. Maybe we can finally cut ties with him and draft a real winner. Like Nate Longshore...

Washington State: Not Very Good

First play from scrimmage, Jahvid Best flies through a huge hole in the middle of the defense and runs 80 yards for a score. I couldn't help but think: Wow, Jahvid Best is really good.

59 points later, my thought was: Wow, WSU is really bad.

Despite the score, one has to keep in mind that this was a divisional game. While you might expect to see Cal drop 66 points on Sac State, one would never bet that you'd run wild on another PAC-10 opponent, no matter how bad they are. Here are some random thoughts on the game:

Jahvid Best: Crazy fast. Not just track speed but football speed. I thought it was a bit premature when people started talking about him in the same breath as Reggie Bush, but that kid can sure run like Reggie. He is a tremendous threat that given 20 touches a game, should put up some good numbers.

Shane Vereen: Doesn't look quite as fast, but may only be a step behind Best. His 34 yard TD run featured a jaw-dropping spin move. It's quite a luxury to have back-up that's on par with your starter (though he might be a better between the tackles runner).

Kevin Riley: Really off-target. He's definitely got a strong arm and is a great runner. However, he missed some wide-open shots that could be the difference between a win and a loss against a good team.

Syd'Quan Thompson: Is it just me or do dreads make people look slow? It's like Larry Fitzgerald, Steven Jackson, or Zak Keasey. It's just not aerodynamic looking. Regardless, two picks, and almost a third is a pretty nice game. Good to see his years of experience is now paying off.

3-4: This transition has actually been very impressive. They seem considerably more stout against the run than previous yeas, and I like that they can put some pressure on the offense.