New article on Scout.com with good analysis

Scout.com has put up an article entitled Has Cal Arrived? The article includes some very indepth statistical analysis and many observations about Cal Football. Take a look.

Cal #7 in Maisel’s (ESPN) preseason rankings

Ivan Maisel of ESPN has named Cal #7 in his post-spring, preseason rankings.

ESPN.com says: Marshawn Lynch should be in the same Heisman breath as Peterson. The defense is experienced. If Nate Longshore stays healthy …

Take a look at his list here.

Cal #8 in Athlon Sports’ preseason rankings

Athlon Sports has named Cal #8 in its preseason college football rankings. Read their preview here. Quote: “If USC has a serious challenger in the Pac-10, it’s these guys.”

Cal selected for 3 primetime games on ABC

ABC Saturday Night College Football has pre-selected Cal for three of their primetime games this fall. They will be available in high definition (HD) for the first time.

Oct. 7, 8 p.m. ET: Oregon at California
Nov. 4, 8 p.m. ET: UCLA at California
Nov. 18, 8 p.m. ET: California at USC

Great to see recognition for Cal as a top football team. Take a look at the article here.

Cal on ESPN

Marshawn Lynch is now gracing the front page of ESPN’s College Football site with caption, “Marshawn Lynch and the Bears are taking aim on the Pac-10 title”. It’s the lead-in for their Pac-10 spring recap article, which highlights many of the developments from spring practice and things to look for in the fall. Take a look.

Blog names Cal one of 4 “best offenses” for 2006

College football blog Heisman Pundit has put up some interesting analysis about offenses in the upcoming season. Coach Jeff Tedford and the team get some high praise:

Cal already ran a balanced, air-tight scheme under Tedford, but now he has added elements of the spread. It’s a brilliant ploy which should help Cal’s young offensive line to make up for some of its deficiencies. Think this system isn’t buoyant enough to keep a team afloat? Last year, Cal lost its starting quarterback in game one. The replacement couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn and his replacement was a former fullback. Most teams go 4-7 in those circumstances. Cal went 8-4 with three losses by seven points or less. Think the running game is all about an uber-talent like Marshawn Lynch? Well, Justin Forsett–a former Notre Dame commit who no one else wanted–also approached 1,000 yards.

Take a look at the entire article here. Another good quote: “The sophistication of (Notre Dame head coach) Charlie Weis‘ passing attack–in the context of teams that have balanced offenses–is matched only by Jeff Tedford’s in all of college football.”

Cal alumni and NFL free agency

I will continue updating this as more news comes in.

Punter David Lonie has been signed by the Washington Redskins. Safety Donnie McClesky was signed by the Chicago Bears. Fullback Chris Manderino signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. DB Harrison Smith has signed with the Detroit Lions.

Great to see our players make it to the next level. Here’s an article detailing these free agent signings.

Cal alumni and the NFL draft

Former Cal offensive linemen Ryan O’Callaghan (tackle), Marvin Philip (center), and Aaron Merz (guard) have been selected in the NFL draft. O’Callaghan was selected in the fifth round (136th overall) by the New England Patriots. Philip was selected in the sixth round (201st overall) by the Pittsburg Steelers. Merz was selected in the seventh round (248th overall) by the Buffalo Bills. Congratulations to all of them.

In other news, there’s an article out about former Cal receiver Chase Lyman. Lyman was selected in the fourth round by the New Orleans Saints last year, and finally appears to be doing well enough to play. He suffered injury after injury throughout college and the NFL, but he was very good when healthy. Hopefully we’ll see him on the field next season.

Media on the spring scrimmage

Here’s a few articles from the past 2 days with insight on the spring scrimmage on Saturday:

• Associated Press: Cal steps up offense in scrimmage
• CSTV.com: Bears complete spring with Cal Day scrimmage
• Oakland Tribune: Tedford will wait to pick Cal’s starting QB
• Contra Costa Times: Cal’s quarterback race on hold
• SF Chronicle: Cal’s spring ends with Longshore in the saddle
• The Bear Insider: Longshore throws for 2 TDs in scrimmage
• Oakland Tribune: Cal’s deep defense has mayhem in mind

Impressions from the spring game

Today I had to chance to watch the annual spring scrimmage with a free burrito. To be honest, the game wasn’t too spectacular but seeing the team play increased my excitement for the upcoming season.

In addition to the starters, the second and third stringers got a great deal of playing time. In terms of the spread, we didn’t see too much of the predicted complexity in the offense, but some option plays out of the shotgun. Overall, it felt like there was a lot left to be seen.

Joe Ayoob did not get a chance under center (he was injured) but did hold for the placekickers. Of the other three QBs, Nate Longshore looked the sharpest throwing, having the luxury of running the first-string offense. While he had some touchdown passes, he did struggle somewhat in running plays. We also got a glimpse of Kyle Reed in play; he showed a lot of potential but definitely needs more experience before taking the starting position. Steve Levy showed a lot of heart and made some great runs, but had some difficulty with passes. I heard he hurt his hand early on in the scrimmage, but I’m not able to confirm that. A nice surprise was seeing him make a few punts as well. They actually looked pretty good.

We didn’t see much from the receivers, as most of the plays in the air were short passes. In the opening drive, DeSean Jackson caught a pass from Longshore and took it something like 75 yards to score. He also returned a punt for a touchdown. There were a few more catches from Lavelle Hawkins, Robert Jordan and LaReylle Cunningham, but nothing much to talk about.

Tight end Craig Stevens also caught a touchdown pass from Longshore in the red zone. I’m not sure if we saw much from the other tight ends.

Marshawn Lynch didn’t appear as explosive as usual and lacked any jaw-dropping plays, but looked solid up the middle. Justin Forsett looked good too, and had some nice moves.

The offensive line looked decent, but not as dominant with the loss of last year’s seniors. They could improve, but they don’t look bad either.

On the defensive side, things look very good. The players are strong and fast. The line always put the pressure on, sometimes overwhelming the offensive line. The linebackers made a lot of tackles, with Desmond Bishop making quite a few plays. The defensive backs did well and got close to a bunch of interceptions, with Tim Mixon returning a pick off Reed for a touchdown.

Overall, the team looked ready for the season. The offense seems to be progressing well, and with a more experienced offensive line they will be a powerhouse. Meanwhile, the defense is definitely solid and will be feared next season.