Levy rejoins team

Quarterback Steve Levy, who was recently suspended from the team for a bar brawl in San Francisco, has been reinstated and will be allowed to join the team for fall practice on August 6. Yesterday, Levy’s case was settled in court and the charges were reduced to a misdemeanor. However, he remains suspended for the Tennessee game on September 2.

Levy will compete to start at quarterback in fall camp, but he is not expected to take the first spot on the depth chart.

Tedford interview on KNBR

Another radio interview with coach Jeff Tedford was featured yesterday morning on KNBR’s Murph and Mac show. He didn’t say anything particularly new, but it was nice exposure for publicity. A quick summary of his comments:

• Preseason expectations: He likes the high preseason expectations, and feels it’s good for the team. The team will have to meet this potential, though.
• Tennessee: Tedford considers this to be a premier opening game nationwide, naming the Vols stadium one of the most hostile in the country. The game will be a challenge, and act as a motivating factor for fall camp. He mentioned that he will be playing game noise during camp.
• Defense: The defense will be the anchor of the team this year. Brandon Mebane, a senior leader, is deserving of all the preseason recognition he’s receiving as he really requires attention from opponents. Meanwhile, the corners are tested and the linebackers are solid as led by Desmond Bishop.
• Quarterback: Competition will remain open, with Longshore starting in fall camp. Tedford’s happy with Ayoob’s progress in the offseason. Levy and Reed will also be in the running, but not all four will be sharing snaps during camp.
• Running back: Both Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett will be carrying the ball. While Lynch will get the most, Forsett and Marcus O’Keith will be keeping him fresh.
• Speed: Tedford considers this the fastest team he’s had in his tenure.
• Offensive Line: The line is talented but inexperienced. New additions Mike Gibson and Tyler Krieg have done well this summer. Tedford expects a solid line by the end of camp with 8 guys ready to play.
• USC: Cal needs to take care of business one game at a time. The focus will be on the teams as they come. Tedford noted that last year’s USC team was particularly special.

Thanks to Chris B. for the note and AuNBearkeley for the summary.

Cal featured on ESPN.com, picked to win Pac-10

Marshawn Lynch has returned to the front page of ESPN’s College Football index, with caption “Marshawn Lynch and Cal are focused on a run at the Pac-10 title” and subtitle “Is this the year USC gets knocked off the Pac-10 throne? Will Marshawn Lynch lead a Cal coronation?” This is the lead-in for ESPN’s release of the Blue Ribbon Preview for the Pac-10 (subscription only). The article is VERY positive, picking Cal to win the Pac-10. Their summary:

Blue Ribbon Preview – California:
The defense should be potent, led by perhaps the most complete collection of linemen and linebackers west of the Mississippi. The pass rush should be more than enough to bypass potential growing pains by the safeties.

And then there’s Lynch, who along with USC receiver Dwayne Jarrett should bring the Pac-10 any national attention some might fear departed with Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart. Lynch is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate and here’s guessing Cal produces a 2,000-yard rusher for the second time in three seasons (J.J. Arrington did so in 2004).

In the end, we see Cal as a lock for double-digit wins and at worst, third-place in the Pac-10. Best-case scenario, though — one of the quarterbacks takes to the spread offense and the Bears unseat USC, the three-time defending Pac-10 champs, and earn a coveted BCS bid that many thought they deserved two seasons ago.

They project Lynch as the Pac-10’s Offensive Player of the Year and Daymeion Hughes as the Defensive Player of the Year. Lynch and Hughes (DB) also make their All-Pac-10 Team along with Brandon Mebane (DL), Desmond Bishop (LB), and Tim Mixon (PR).

One player I believe they overlooked is DeSean Jackson (WR), a contender for a monster season. ESPN’s Bruce Feldman reports that Jackson has spent the offseason weight training instead of playing baseball. He’s already put on 10 pounds of bulk.

Lynch on ESPN2 feature for Heisman hopefuls

Today, Marshawn Lynch was featured on ESPN2’s “Cold Pizza” as a candidate in the Heisman race this season. During his segment, he could be described humble and well-spoken. Lynch seems to remain deeply appreciative to his team and his hometown (Oakland), but he also realizes what he means to them.

Analyst Pat Forde made some comments regarding what must happen for Lynch to win:

• Hype. Cal needs to give Lynch the spotlight in front of the TV camera and create opportunities for him to get more TV exposure, especially since we’re 3 hours behind the East Coast.
• Numbers. Lynch needs to get more touches (whether it’s carries, receptions, or kick returns) and stats like 2000 yards and 20 TD’s. These may be a bit lofty considering the balance of the offense.
• Team. Cal needs to beat USC and get 10 wins.

Forde closed up with giving Lynch 12/1 odds to win the Heisman, but said the odds would improve substantially given wins against Tennessee and Minnesota (the first two games of the season).

EDIT: Here is an online clip of the video segment.

Mansion “most improved” at Elite 11 QB camp

Reports from the Elite 11 quarterback camp list 2007 commit Brock Mansion as the recipient of the “most improved” honors. Here’s an additional comment on his performance from an administrator of the camp:

Brian Stumpf says: Brock is a guy that benefited a ton from being out at the Elite 11 the past four days, even telling his dad that he learned more the first day there than he had previously known about playing the position. Was he one of the top four or five overall at the camp, probably not just due to consistency but Brock has a tremendous upside and showed improvement each day. His physical tools and upside are there and it’s just a matter now of applying the new things he learned and continuing to work hard and make himself as good as he can be – which could be scary.

Pac-10 media picks Cal as preseason #2

In a poll of West Coast media members who cover Pac-10 football, Cal has been voted preseason #2 in the conference. While USC takes the #1 spot with 18 of 29 first-place votes, Cal also received 7 first-place votes. Take a look at the breakdown here.

Cal releases 2006 Football Media Guide

The 2006 Football Media Guide is now online on the official Cal Football site. Take a look.

ESPN: Cal/Tennessee #1 intriguing matchup

ESPN writer Bruce Feldman has named the Cal/Tennessee game the #1 intriguing matchup for September. He writes:

1. Cal at Tennessee, Sept. 2: I know this one pits a team that played in the Vegas Bowl against one that didn’t even go bowling, but I’m fascinated by how the Vols come out. Will there be any hangover from that wreck last season? And what will the Cal Bears get from their QB spot? Are they back to being a top 10 program or have they peaked? I have a feeling the loser of this one, especially if it’s the guys in orange, will be sent reeling. I guess this one is kinda like the Kirstie Alley of games — two programs that had been riding high a few years ago before sliding into some sort of embarrassing downturn. Both are reportedly on their way back into the spotlight again, but we’re not sure just how far back they truly are, and we’re not quite ready to take them too seriously just yet.

I was a little surprised to see that Feldman considered Cal’s last season “embarassing” like Tennessee’s and his statement that he was not ready to take either team seriously. While Feldman has consistently been skeptical of Cal’s legitimacy this season (especially in light of the quarterback situation), these words are a bit stronger than usual. However, I’m glad that he recognizes the stakes of this game for both programs and the article still adds to the building hype to September for Cal.

EDIT 7/28: I’m happy to see that Feldman more or less retracted his “embarassing” statement in response to feedback from a Cal fan:

Jerris in San Carlos, Calif.: I love your blog and think you are spot on with most of your observations, but I do take issue with you characterizing Cal’s last season as “sliding into some sort of embarrassing downturn.” It was an obvious rebuilding year with unproven QBs, WRs and most of the defense. I think you would be hard-pressed to find many Cal fans who thought last year was embarrassing. I think the parallel with Tennessee is strained on that point. But I am psyched you are looking forward to the game as much as I!

Feldman: Yeah, Jerris. You caught me. I kinda cheated a little to make the Kirstie Alley line fit. That really wasn’t that embarrassing of a downturn for Cal especially in light of the nightmarish lengths the Vols sunk to.

Rivals: Tedford/Dunbar working on “magical mix”

Rivals.com has put together an article describing the new offense. It also talks about Mike Dunbar‘s history, how he was hired as the offensive coordinator, and his thoughts on the quarterback situation.

Dunbar offers a few glimpses into his potential playbook, including shotgun formations with 4+ wide receivers, possibly including tailbacks Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett in addition to star wideout DeSean Jackson. In the end, the plan is to have what he described as a “magical mix” of head coach Jeff Tedford‘s pro-set offense and Dunbar’s spread.

Take a look at the article here.

Cal launches Marshawn website (for Heisman)

Cal has launched www.Marshawn10.com, a website designed to promote Marshawn Lynch, a Heisman Trophy contender.

The site looks great, and it offers a wealth of highlight videos and other information about our great running back. Hopefully the site will contribute to Lynch’s national recognition and his run for the Heisman. Take a look!

EDIT 7/22: The San Jose Mercury News put up a news article discussing Marshawn’s site on the front page of today’s Sports section. Read the article here.

EDIT 7/24: The Daily Californian also has a nicely written opinion column about the site. Take a look here.