Youthful discretion: Goff ready now?
Wasn't at practice today due to other commitments, but our commenter Berkules was, and he had a great, great write up that you should all read as your main supplement. But the biggest takeaway is that Jared Goff isn't here for show. He could play, like right now, next year.
Kline looks a little pressured, Goff looks calm.. a lot calmer than I would expect at 18 and a buck-ninety soaking wet. I think if Jared puts on some weight, with his inherent knowledge of a similar playbook, he could be our starter this Fall. It's even hard to type it and the first two practices I thought to myself, "this kids good but he's just too young and small..right!?" I just don't know if I think that anymore. If Kline wins it out, I'd like to see Goff blueshirt and I would be confident with Hinder as a solid backup.
One of the reasons I liked Goff coming into this offense is that he fits most of the specifics pretty strongly. He's very accurate with the football which is a necessary attribute of the Bearraid. His high school offense wasn't up-tempo but did have the option to go a little bit faster than usual. And he could take off and run, which has to be an appealing aspect for Dykes who would love to see the quarterback take off and go.
Goff might not be the most physically ready, but does it matter if he has everything else down pat? If he hits his throws, if he can occasionally turn on the wheels and jet down the field, if he can distribute the football to his playmakers and not have to worry about getting hit repeatedly, he's probably the best player for the job.
Remember what our old buddy HydroTech would say once? You can have great skills, great fundamentals, great technique. Nothing matters more than execution. The same holds true here for the quarterback position. If Goff can come out and perform at a high level, then it might not be the worst idea to roll with him, regardless of the repercussions it might have on the depth chart.
Bridgford too far
The end for Allan Bridgford and his time as a significant Cal contributor seems to be coming quickly. Bridgford hasn't looked good through much of spring ball, and it seems like the coaching staff is recognizing that he might not be fitting the system they've been trying to install too well. So the reps are going down, as are his chances of making any dent on the new depth chart.
Options could be explored soon.
Senior Allan Bridgford, Cal’s most experienced quarterback, has left the team to decide if he wants to remain part of the program after being told his spring practice opportunities would diminish.
"He kind of got some news from us that he was going to get some reduced reps. Decided he going to take a day or two to kind of assess things some things," coach Sonny Dykes said.Dykes said Bridgford will discuss his options with his family over the weekend and report back to the coaching staff by Monday.
It's too bad it doesn't look like it'll work out for Bridgford, because pre-injury the thing that people really liked about him was his accuracy. If he'd gotten the chance to practice in this system or gotten more wind in that shoulder he might be a lot better off in this battle than where he is now.
But right now Bridgford just isn't all the way back. His throws are still floaty without gaining velocity and just aren't powerful enough to really generate the speed necessary for him to be successful within the system. It's gonna take time for him to get up to speed.
Sonny Dykes press conference!
Cal Football: Sonny Dykes Post Practice (3/6/13) (via calathletics)
Nam tweets
Always a great source of info! He's really modest about his accomplishments. Nicknames need some work though.
I'm not joking about that by the way - I'm livetweeting practice, coming to the game, AND pulling an all nighter for a midterm. You can too.
— Nam Le (@OneLifeOneMic) March 7, 2013
Right side of the line is practicing cut blocks by diving on a medicine ball
— Nam Le (@OneLifeOneMic) March 7, 2013
Second straight day Broussard has lined up at MLB. I'll keep an eye on if that keeps once practice comes out of drills.
— Nam Le (@OneLifeOneMic) March 6, 2013
Wark and Gingold are the upbacks in the Diamond (Grizzly) formation. I AM CALLING IT THE GRIZZLY SUE ME
— Nam Le (@OneLifeOneMic) March 7, 2013
Maurice "Manhands" Harris snags a ball with just one hand from Goff. Draws some good oohs.
— Nam Le (@OneLifeOneMic) March 7, 2013
You know what I love about Chris McCain? He's finishing first in all the running warmups so far. #effort
— Nam Le (@OneLifeOneMic) March 7, 2013
Even though he's injured, Lasco looks more fluid than any of these backs. They're in a spin drill right now.
— Nam Le (@OneLifeOneMic) March 6, 2013
Hinder with a good rainbow to the sideline, caught by willis. preliminary rankings today have Kline in last place, and probably Hinder at #1
— Nam Le (@OneLifeOneMic) March 7, 2013
More news snippets
CalBears.com singles out Matt Cochran and Alejandro Crosthwaite as two potential offensive linemen stepping up to push for starting positions.
Enter Cochran and Crosthwaite, a duo with a combined three games of collegiate experience between them. But during Wednesday's practice Cochran and Crosthwaite were running with the ones at center and right guard, respectively.
Although they are taking big steps, even Cochran himself warns not to read too much into it.
"The depth chart is going to change between now and the fall, so in all truth it's just us out here working," Cochran said. "Whoevers ones, whoevers twos, it doesn't matter."
Here's their video with the media.
Cal Football: Alex Crosthwaite & Matt Cochran Post Practice (3/6/13) (via calathletics)
Bonus: Alejandro habla espanol.
Ryan Gorcey of Scout has his writeup on the subject.
The top unit on defense consisted of a linebacking trio of Khairi Fortt, Nick Forbes and Jalen Jefferson, a defensive line of Mustafa Jalil, Deandre Coleman, Todd Barr and Dan Camporeale and a defensive backfield of Kameron Jackson, Avery Sebastian, Michael Lowe and Stefan McClure, who has looked better with a knee sleeve or brace on than most corners do with it off.
Also, a one-on-one with Matt Cochran ($).
Grant Marek of Rivals also had a paid article on the emergence of a defensive back ($), most likely Adrian Lee who had a couple of interceptions.