Matt Summers-Gavin and Derrick Hill out for Cal-Oregon State
Tedford officially ruled them out after Thursday's practice. More from Okanes's report:
~Hill will continue to start opposite Syd.
~I have no evidence about this, but I feel Hagan's in the doghouse right now. He might play against OSU, he might not. Nnabuife and Conte are likely to see PT before Hagan.
~Kendricks will probably see more of the field after limited action the last few weeks. This is definitely a move to challenge the Rodgers brothers.
~Also, Gregory offers a partial explanation as to Ezeff's struggles this season. Find out why in the article. Cattouse will continue to get the start over Ezeff.
~No starting kicker has been announced, although Giorgio has the edge.
4 months ago
Avinash
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Can’t argue with a student-athlete focusing on his goals as a student. Take care of business, son, take care of business.
"Let me tell you a story. I was a political prisoner for two years. The instant I was released I ran to McDonald's. I had a Big Mac and a Coke.
It was fantastic."
-Toyama Koichi, US Presidential candidate from Japan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGZqOkeYbB0
by AERose on Nov 5, 2009 11:50 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
damn right!
CGB: Wasting Your Potential, Your Time, & Your Life Since 2006.
by BearStage on Nov 6, 2009 5:39 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
If his goal of attending that one class is more important than practice with 50 other people with the common goal of defeating your opponent, then he can can study from the bench.
by DavidsonBear on Nov 6, 2009 10:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
It is apparently the only class he can take to graduate. Are you saying he should sacrifice an extra semester when he’d have nothing else to do?
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash on Nov 6, 2009 11:48 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I’m saying that if he isn’t injured and isn’t practicing and starts, that sends a bad mixed message/double standard to the team. Why he is not practicing is irrelevant.
by DavidsonBear on Nov 6, 2009 11:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Nice job by Ezeff to TCB
The tenor of the article is that the coaching staff supports Ezeff in this. Good job by them, too.
Praise be to Tedford!
by Ohio Bear on Nov 6, 2009 6:49 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
Can we declare this day, Ezeff Day in his honor? Take that UC faculty!
by BlackandOldGold on Nov 6, 2009 7:16 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
That’s awesome on Ezeff’s part that he has the maturity to do that, and on the coaches’ side it’s very cool they support him in this. I’m feeling the love for Cal after reading that (more than my normal amount).
On the football side of things, I hope rotating Kendricks in some more will help with LB pursuit, but at the same time I’m still afraid the Rodgers brothers will go Godzilla on us.
by sec119 on Nov 6, 2009 7:18 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
I disagree
Imagine you are a DB. You have Ezeff who doesn’t come to practice and gets to start. You are busting your butt in practice and then you have this Senior that gets to just come in and start and he doesn’t do well in the games.
This is something that will cause divide in the locker room. No one person is bigger than the team and but letting Ezeff start by not attending practice sends a mixed message. The rule should be that you are to be at practice and then it is up to Ezeff to decide what to do with his class. It’s not like you are denying him a college degree, you are just letting Ezeff get his way by bending backwards to let him play; at the expense of the team.
by DavidsonBear on Nov 6, 2009 10:44 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
I don’t claim to fully know the situation, but if the class is offered next semester, and if he’s on scholarship… why is it such a big deal to stay an extra semester? I wish I’d stayed an extra semester, frankly, and I certainly didn’t have anything like football practice to work around.
by atomsareenough on Nov 6, 2009 10:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Ezeff didn’t start the last game. And most of the evidence from the field suggests the coaches try to put the best player out there, regardless of seniority or how hard they work in practice (although this is usually correlated with playing well). Why else would Josh Hill be playing so much?
by sec119 on Nov 6, 2009 10:57 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
ezeff and josh hill play different positions.
by DavidsonBear on Nov 6, 2009 11:39 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I believe he meant “why else would Josh Hill be playing so much if Gregory wasn’t committed to getting his best players on the field?”
"Let me tell you a story. I was a political prisoner for two years. The instant I was released I ran to McDonald's. I had a Big Mac and a Coke.
It was fantastic."
-Toyama Koichi, US Presidential candidate from Japan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGZqOkeYbB0
by AERose on Nov 6, 2009 11:53 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Well, first of all, let’s hope that Gregory can get 11 players on the field for every play. I’m not naive enough to think that our coaches can do no wrong and their decisions are always right.
I’m sure Gregory wants the best players on the field, but if a player isn’t practicing and isn’t hurt and he starts him or her…he might not be seeing the side effects of that decision.
by DavidsonBear on Nov 6, 2009 11:57 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
This might makes sense if Ezeff were actually starting, which he is not. Sorry you let that tidbit pass you by.
"Let me tell you a story. I was a political prisoner for two years. The instant I was released I ran to McDonald's. I had a Big Mac and a Coke.
It was fantastic."
-Toyama Koichi, US Presidential candidate from Japan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGZqOkeYbB0
by AERose on Nov 6, 2009 12:42 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Yes, he was recently supplanted by Cattouse because of his poor play. Poor play resulting from lack of practice from attending class…isn’t this what spurred the whole debate?
by DavidsonBear on Nov 6, 2009 12:55 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Are you angry at Gregory or Simmons for starting Ezeff? Or angry at Ezeff for not recognizing the unintended consequences?
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash on Nov 6, 2009 1:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Forgive me if I come across as angry
I’m not. I just have noticed Ezeff’s lack of production in the backfield and wondered how he regressed this year as a Senior. He’s always been the weaker of our Safeties (Remember Decloud?)
Ezeff maybe is most famous for his hit in Autzen to seal the game for us (yay!), but we might have not even been in that position if Ezeff didn’t throw a clearly late hit on a duck late in the second quarter on 3rd down to set them up for a TD right before the half. But anyways, I digress.
So after noticing Ezeff’s weak play this year, in comes the news that he hasn’t been attending practice b/c of school. Now all the rosy-eyed Cal fans say how that is great b/c it shows that we care about academics, etc. However, the situation rubbed me differently, as discussed before.
by DavidsonBear on Nov 6, 2009 2:26 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
It’s a fair assessment. But I was wondering who you direct your blame towards, the coaches or Ezeff.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash on Nov 6, 2009 2:55 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
coaches
I don’t blame Ezeff for doing his thang. Hell, if I could skip practice AND play…sign me up for THAT!
by DavidsonBear on Nov 6, 2009 2:59 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Thank you Aerose.
AERose has it right, I use Josh Hill as an example of someone who lacks seniority who starts. I thought he was a good example b/c your first comment starts off with
Imagine you are a DBand I’m sure you know that Ezeff is not a DB.
Regardless, the first noise I heard about Ezeff’s class issues affecting his play started about the last game, for which he did not start.
by sec119 on Nov 6, 2009 12:43 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Safety = DB
Safety is commonly referred to as a DB; otherwise known as a defensive back.
by DavidsonBear on Nov 6, 2009 12:54 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Hmm. I am wrong in that DB can include cornerback and safety, whereas I thought DB was limited to just cornerback. However, DB is not exclusively safety either, in that I don’t think Safety automatically equals DB.
by sec119 on Nov 6, 2009 1:01 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
For whatever reason, my reply failed.
You are right that DB does includes safeties, although between cornerback and safety I thought they usually refer to cornerbacks instead. I was wrong to say Ezeff is not a DB.
You have Ezeff who doesn’t come to practice and gets to start.
No one person is bigger than the team and but letting Ezeff start by not attending practice sends a mixed message.
At any rate, it originally sounded like you were saying the coaches would start Ezeff despite him missing practice (and therefore playing poorly), in spite of the fact he did not start the last game. If you agree that Ezeff missing practice led to him not starting, then we all agree that the coaches did what was fair and there is no debate regarding whether someone who misses practice should start.
Hugs for everyone.
by sec119 on Nov 6, 2009 1:12 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Please don’t pretend to have full knowledge of the situation or why the circumstances have come to this… You think for a second the coaches don’t know this and haven’t spoken to the team about all situations like this one? From what’s been gathered, it seems like the coaches and academic advisors urged him to take the class at this time. It’s not like he’s purposely showing up the team. For all that’s being said, no one has given any meaningful evidence that Ezeff is playing any worse than last year, and the Cal secondary always has a steady rotation in place. The defense is an entire unit, and you cannot blame the worse statistical portion on one player alone. If anything’s to blame, it’s the failing pass rush, but since secondary coverage and line play go hand-in-hand, it’s on the entire team to improve.
STAY THIRSTY, MY FRIENDS
by Thoroughbred on Nov 6, 2009 11:04 AM PST up reply actions 2 recs
I did find it curious that they couldn’t reschedule the class or do something one-on-one where he saw the professor on their own time, esp. since it’s only one class, but whatever. Deal’s done.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash on Nov 6, 2009 11:17 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Imagine you are a DB. You have Ezeff who doesn’t come to practice and gets to start. You are busting your butt in practice and then you have this Senior that gets to just come in and start and he doesn’t do well in the games.
If that happens to me, I’m pissed at myself that I can’t play better than Ezeff even though I get to practice. And unless Ezeff is a gigantic asshole, I’m happy that the dude is successfully graduating and still contributing to the football team. He’s my teammate, not my rival.
I guarantee you that the coaching staff isn’t playing Ezeff just for the hell of it. When he’s playing it’s because he’s the best option. And the fact that we’re seeing plenty of Brett Johnson and Sean Cattouse indicates that Ezeff isn’t always the best option and the coaches are reacting to that.
The #1 greatest threat to America: BEARS
by norcalnick on Nov 6, 2009 6:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
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