Lynch running better, smarter

The Contra Costa Times is saying that Marshawn Lynch is running smarter, making him even more dangerous on the field. In addition, it reports that he’s weighing in at 225, something like 10 pounds more than last year. At 5’10”, he’s going to be a monster. Here’s an excerpt:

Jay Heater says: Although Cal tailback Marshawn Lynch gained 1,246 yards as a sophomore, the third-best rushing year in team history, running backs coach Ron Gould said Lynch only has started to tap into his potential.

“He has gotten so much better (in the offseason),” Gould said. “He has gotten better in terms of work ethic, and I see a better back in terms of all-around play. He is running the ball harder inside. He has been great in meetings. He is smart like a fox.”

You can see the rest of the article here. It also mentions that fellow tailback Marcus O’Keith has put on 20 pounds to 200, and Justin Forsett is looking good as usual.

Cal the #6 “most intriguing system shift”

ESPN‘s Bruce Feldman has listed Cal sixth in his list of the most intriguing system shifts. He says:

Jeff Tedford has been considered one of college football’s sharper offensive minds. I think he could probably turn Steve Levy (the SportsCenter host, not the one-time Cal fullback) into a winning QB. However, Tedford is tinkering with his system. He hired Northwestern assistant Mike Dunbar to incorporate more principles of the spread offense into his attack, which the new OC reasons should help the Bear QBs see the field better while operating out of the shotgun. It also will open up wider lanes for star TBs Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett. After all, it sure made unheralded freshman Tyrell Sutton look great. Dunbar’s offense led the Big Ten in total offense last season and was fourth in the nation in total yardage and seventh in passing.

To spice things up even more, Tedford visited West Virginia’s Rich Rodriguez for a better handle on the evolution of the spread and all that it can do with formations and disguising things. This should be fun. The Bears have a ton of firepower, although their O-line won’t be as experienced as last year’s unit.

Read the rest of the article here.

Ayoob challenging Longshore as starter

As reported yesterday, former starting quarterback Joe Ayoob appears to be doing increasingly well in spring practice. The SF Chronicle is reporting that he’s challenging Nate Longshore as front-runner for the starting spot.

Brace Adams says: Ayoob has been a surprise. He’s beginning to show the form that earned him junior college All-America honors at CCSF, where he led the Rams to a national championship as a freshman.

“He’s throwing the ball a lot sharper,” Tedford said.

Ayoob has been helped by changes in Cal’s offense, with Tedford incorporating elements of the spread-option, which Dunbar used at Northwestern in leading the nation’s No. 4-ranked offense last season. It is similar to the pure spread Ayoob ran at City College.

Read the whole article here. If he does take over the starting spot from Longshore, it’ll be a remarkable comeback after his meltdown of a season last year that ended with boos at home. I’d like to see Longshore take over after his nasty injury last season, but we’ll see who Tedford decides on.

2006 Preview on College Football News

College Football News has put up a rather lengthy preview on the team for 2006. They praise the potential of the team, giving a lot of specific details on players, stats, and the schedule. In addition, the article includes some breakdowns and analysis that make for good reading and overall excitement for the upcoming season. Check it out here.

More on QB progress and interview with Tedford

There’s a new interview video with head coach Jeff Tedford and some analysis from The Bear Insider about the progress of our quarterbacks. Between the four of them, it seems that: Nate Longshore understands the offense best and makes the better reads; Kyle Reed is throwing well but can’t handle the defense; Steve Levy is good with decisions but doesn’t have a good arm; surprisingly, Joe Ayoob is looking particularly good with passes and runs in the spread (this article in the Contra Costa Times also points this out). Take a look.

Practice report

The Bear Insider has a nice report of practice on Friday, including details about the outcome of some plays and the overall progress of team. The article talks about the performance of the QBs, kickers, receivers, offensive line, and defense. There’s also an interview with defensive back Daymeion Hughes on video. Check it out.

Tedford hires new DB coach

R. Todd Littlejohn has been hired as the new secondary coach. He spent last season at Buffalo, but also coached at UCLA, SJ State, and the SJ SaberCats (arena). See the article here.

Perspective from ESPN

ESPN put up another article in its Pac-10 spring notebook series today. There’s no revelations, but it’s always interesting to hear what people are saying and what the media thinks. The main things it observes for Cal come from the first spring scrimmage:

• Joe Ayoob is still in the QB competition (they celebrate his stats during the scrimmage)
• Marshawn Lynch is looking like Reggie Bush
• In addition to DeSean Jackson and Robert Jordan (who’s mentioned as #1 receiver quality), tailback tandem Lynch and Justin Forsett are looking to be great possible receivers in the spread. Marcus O’Keith is mentioned as well.
• Also, Lavelle Hawkins (the JC transfer receiver who struggled last season) appears to have picked up more of the offense in the offseason.

Check out the full article here.

Two spread/QB articles with quotes

There’s two new articles out with great quotes from head coach Jeff Tedford and the battling QBs.

Former SF Chronicle writer Glenn Dickey discusses the spread with Tedford and also the QB situation. One important quote:

Glenn Dickey says: Who’s No. 1? “If we had to play a game tomorrow, it would be Nate,” Tedford said, “with the other three pretty much bunched behind him. But that’s not to say that Nate has the No. 1 spot cinched.”

The Oakland Tribune details the QB situation again, with a lot of quotes from Longshore, Levy, Ayoob, and Reed. See this article here.

Cal “sleeper” for nat’l championship?

Sporting News mentions Cal as the “sleeper team for the national championship game” during a discussion of our QB situation. I’m not sure how informed this writer really is, but it’s nice to see the team getting some respect. See the article here.

News is pretty slow these days, but the Spring Game is coming up on April 22.

EDIT: There’s an interesting article on CBS Sportsline with some insight from Tedford on the upcoming spread offense. Check it out.