Comments on: Spring practice preview: special teams

By: Juice

Juice — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 08:25:04 +0000

What about Nick Demopoulos…is he in the running?

By: soCALfan

soCALfan — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:33:51 +0000

NCAA rules are arbitrary. Schneider was hurt, never playing a down. USC stud frosh linebacker Galippo was just granted another year, even though he played in 3 games. Schneider is a solid young man that should be treated fairly by NCAA and granted another year.

By: Jonathan Okanes

Jonathan Okanes — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:10:25 +0000

Yes, Schneider already used his redshirt year. Best definitely is the No. 1 back.

By: OCBear

OCBear — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:41:56 +0000

I’m really nervous about the kicking game next year. There is nothing worse than having the kicker line up for a 35 yarder knowing he has a 50% of making it. Especially when the game is on the line.

By: cal85

cal85 — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:35:26 +0000

I think that the poor kick coverage was as much a coaching error as it was a skill problem. With the kick-off moved back to the 30, you either had to have a superior kicker or utilize different strategies to keep teams off guard. After seeing that we didn’t have a kicker that could get it that additional five yards, the coaching staff needed to come up with different techniques to minimize the return, given the kick will only make it to the 10 yard line.

By: CalBandGreat

CalBandGreat — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:51:17 +0000

Steve, I may be wrong, but I think Schneider already used all his blue-shirt eligibility. Is that correct, Jon?

With the exception of Best at gunner our kickoff coverage didn’t seem very effective (the UCLA game comes to mind). How are the Bears going to address this?

Also, is Best seriously considered the #1 back? Sweet.

By: STEVE IN CONCORD

STEVE IN CONCORD — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:03 +0000

Sorry, meant Eric Ainge.

Getting our kickoffs a few yards deeper (hopefully into the end zone) will help things but last year it seemed like every kick-off was being returned to the 45 yard line. Was that the fault of the players, the scheme, or the coaching?

By: STEVE IN CONCORD

STEVE IN CONCORD — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:34:31 +0000

J.O.–Thanks for the heads-up on the Schneider situation. What a dumb-ass system the NCAA has in place to deal with regaining eligiblity due to injury. I thought there was a 25% rule (play in more than 1/4 of the games, not eligible for another year). Schneider never played a minute. The committee can’t make a decision more than three months after the season has ended? What a joke. What if it was a higher profile player? Lets say Danny Ainge had fractured his wrist in the Cal/Vols game last year and missed the rest of the season. Would they still not have decided HIS fate by this years spring practice. I seriously doubt it. I had heard that they were going to liberalize the rules last year “for the benefit of the student athlete.” What a crock that turned out to be.