TwistNHook: Looks like we have some clarity on who will be calling plays for Cal next year.
When Cal takes the field for its games this season, there will be a new man calling plays for the Bears.
In this case, however, it's like the old Who song: Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
Jeff Tedford hopes that's a good thing, because he's the boss and he'll be calling the majority of plays in an effort to make his first losing season as Cal's head coach his only losing season.
"I did it the first three or four years here, then went back and forth," Tedford said. "You've got to be all in or out, one of the two. There's got to be a role you play. You get to set things up, have a good feel for things."
Solarise: Instead of having multiple voices on offense, there'll be just one. Getting a new QB in place allows Tedford to start over. Bringing back coaches who worked well in his system before can only help. I think Tedford is staking his legacy as an offensive guru on the next few seasons. It's going to be a great ride.
Berkelium97: It's nice to see Tedford going back to what he's most praised for: running the offense and developing the QBs. Ludwig was not necessarily a bad offensive coordinator (it was hard to tell with Marshall's terrible o lines), but his development of QBs was sub par. I trust that bridgford, Maynard, mansion, and Sweeney, will be in good hands this spring.
In terms of simplifying the offense--I don't care what he does with the offense this spring as long as he chooses a QB who can consistently complete forward passes and who can take care of the ball.
OhioBear: On the playcalling issue, I am excited about Tedford returning to that role. I don't have anything ill to say about Andy Ludwig's playcalling, but I can't help but associate Tedford's heavy hand-on role in the offense with success. With Tedford having a hands-on role, we had very productive offenses from 2002 to 2006. And even in 2007, our offense was very good pre-Longshore injury (and even had flashes of productivity post-Longshore injury). Besides that, I just have a feeling this will be good for Tedford -- he will be getting back to what he really is, which is a guy who needs to be involved with the offense. Maybe getting back to what he is will be a positive step for our offense and our football team.
TwistNHook: I would generally agree with this. I didn't necessarily see a lot of bad stuff with Ludwig's playcalling (although it was hard to determine things when plays would so often break down). But it was obvious that when it came to QB development there were major problems. Hopefully, Tedford being hands on with the QBs and calling the plays will improve things.
NorCalNick: My only opinion on playcalling: Tedford needs to start each season off with a first play half-back option pass
TwistNHook: Frankly, NorCalNick, is there any other play they should ever select?????
Berkelium97: A Brock Mansion fade, obviously.
NorCalNick: I would've said left tackle screens, but with the graduation of Mike Tepper there's been a huge hole that still hasn't been filled in our offensive repertoire.
Solarise: Going back to 2009, Riley's screen tosses to either Best or Vereen often sailed high or bounced low iirc. I think it's fair to say that Ludwig stopped calling for screens after learning the strengths & weaknesses of his personnel.