Golden Nuggets: Learning the Ropes

In preparation for a significant role on offense, Best is having the entire Detroit Lions offense thrown at him.

While Best is expected to be the feature back, he understands it's more than a one-man show. To start the season, he likely will share carries with Maurice Morris. When Kevin Smith returns 100 percent from a knee injury, he's expected to split time with Best. In both cases, Best likely will get the bulk of the workload.
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Right now, though, the only job Best has is to memorize his entire playbook. All the rookies can return for offseason workouts May 17, and Lions coach Jim Schwartz does not want to waste a minute waiting for a rookie to catch up.

"We're throwing everything we have at him. We didn't spoon-feed it," Schwartz said. "He's a guy that when he does come back, he has to assimilate right away into the offense. We can't slow the offense down for where he is. We moved him around a lot and exposed him to a lot of things. I thought he did a really good job of handling it."

Best constantly was coached on the field, not just during the plays he ran, but offensive coordinator Scott Linehan counseled him from time to time when Best did not get his repetitions.

"He just keeps throwing offense at me," Best said. "I've got to look in my playbook every day. I'm definitely going to spend a lot of time going over the plays, so when I get back I can pick it up quick."

Best said Detroit's playbook is about the same thickness as the one he had at the University of California, but at Cal, "the running back portion is a little bit slim," he said.

"I didn't need to know everything. At this level, you need to know everything, you have to know what the receivers are doing, you need to know everything about the linemen and what the quarterback's thinking. So I've got to learn the whole thing."

After the jump Tyson Alualu talks to the media, Ted Miller posts another set of preseason power rankings, basketball recruits play in a national all-star game, and more.

Cal Football

• Here's more on Best's task to learn the offense.  His coaches said he noticeably progressed as the weekend went on.  At the pro level, Best said he has a lot more to learn about what's going on around him in addition to what he is supposed to do on a running play.
• Tyson Alualu spoke to the Jacksonville media for the first time.
• Nyan Boateng seemed to perform well at the NY Giants' mini-camp over the weekend.  He demonstrated great speed in his routes.
• Mike Mohamed and Bryan Anger were named on the NationalChamps.net preseason All-America teams.  Mohamed made the third team while Anger is an honorable mention.
• Looking ahead to next year's NFL draft, Wilner lists his top-5 Bay Area prospects.  Cameron Jordan comes in at 4th and Mike Mohamed is 2nd.
• Now that spring practices are over, Ted Miller has posted another set of Pac-10 power rankings.  He currently has Cal at 5th, with room to climb if Riley turns in a good season.
• Ted Miller looks at this season's OOC games.  Not surprisingly, he says Cal has to be concerned about stopping Nevada's offense.