Golden Nuggets: A First Look at Bridgford and Maynard During Spring Practice

One of the major storylines during spring practice is that the team needs to find a starting quarterback.   During Tuesday's practice, the media had an all-too-short glimpse of Zach Maynard and Allan Bridgford, both of whom will try to take the starting role.

On offense, competition for the starting quarterback position will gain the most notoriety. For the first time since Joe Ayoob battled Nate Longshore for the position, Cal doesn't have a true front-runner for the job.

Zach Maynard, a junior transfer from Buffalo has the most experience leading a team at the D-I level. As a sophomore, Maynard threw for 2,694 yards and 18 touchdowns that were offset by 15 picks.

During the limited time allowed for media to watch, Maynard showed athleticism, accuracy, but his arm strength could be his biggest obstacle in becoming Cal's next starter -- some throws didn't have velocity required to be completions in live action play.

Alongside the other quarterbacks on the roster, Maynard has comparable height, but he is very thin. At his listed 6'3", 181-pounds, he's the smallest quarterback on the roster.

Junior Beau Sweeney and senior Brock Mansion are the only other quarterbacks on the roster who bring D-1 game-time experience to the competition for the starting quarterback position, but none of the players stood out amongst the others today. Sophomore Allan Bridgeford had a couple of good throws that stood out during the media session, but the session was far too short to give an accurate assessment of the competition. 

After the jump Tedford and Marvin Jones speak after practice, Larry Scott considers moving Pac-12 games to Sundays (if the NFL season is cancelled), and the 2011-2012 basketball conference schedule is released.

Football

• The first practice is in the books and JO has his report from practice.  The depth chart is very fluid at the moment, with unknowns like Austin Clark taking first team reps.  Tedford hopes to narrow down the QB competition to four guys after Thursday's practice. This will most likely include Bridgford, Maynard, Mansion, and Sweeney.  JO has more from practice including quotes from Tedford about calling plays and toning down the offense for the younger QBs.
• Spring practice has begun for the Bears.  They'll be practicing all over the Bay due to construction at Memorial Stadium and turf issues at Witter Field and Clark Kerr.
• Ted Miller previews the spring for the Bears, hitting such issues as finding a starting running back and quarterback, injuries, and the Bear's nomadic lifestyle this spring.
• If the NFL lockout leads to a cancelled season, Larry Scott will consider moving several Pac-12 games to Sundays to offer better nationwide exposure.
• BearInsider has video of Tedford's post-practice comments.
• GoldenBearLair had a short interview with Marvin Jones.  Jones, like many other players, has been raving about Blasquez's workouts for the players.