Combined feed (RSS)Wednesday practice
By Jonathan Okanes
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008 at 10:59 pm in off-season stuff.
The second installment of spring practice was a lively one, as the defense hooted and hollered its way to a handful of takeaways during team drills.
Cal’s defense forced a few fumbles and picked off a few passes during crossover, when the offense goes head-to-head with the defense. In general, Nate Longshore had a better day than Kevin Riley at quarterback, although Riley made a late comeback with some nice plays during the end of practice.
Longshore got on a roll for a while during 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s, threading the needle with a couple of crisp passes and throwing the ball down the field as well. He seemed to have a little extra bounce in his step Wednesday, as was evident on one pass over the middle that he fired into fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou. It even drew a reaction from some of the assembled media and Cal athletic staff on hand in the stands.
During one-on-one drills, when receivers take turns going head-to-head with a defensive back, Longshore aired one out for wide receiver Drew Glover, who made a nice diving catch. The only drawback was Glover and Longshore attempted some kind of chest-bump or high-five celebration afterward, and missed each other completely.
During the same drills, Riley was picked off by Chris Conte and Syd’Quan Thompson on back-to-back passes.
(Yes, Thompson was back at practice after a brief suspension. Thompson had missed the spring opener on Monday for breaking a team rule, according to coach Jeff Tedford. Tedford said he Thompson would return when he deemed him ready, and it obviously didn’t take long for that to happen.
Riley struggled for part of practice but came on during crossover late in the session. On one play, he eluded the rush, stepped up and made a nice touch pass on the run to fullback Brian Holley up the left sideline. It was reminiscent of his touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson in the Armed Forces Bowl, just not as deep.
Longshore also was intercepted by Zack Follett late in practice.
The defense continues to employ almost exclusively the 3-4 system. Defensive coordinator Bob Gregory said not to read too much into it, that the spring is time to try new things. Still, the Bears defensive coaches are spending a lot of time during practice teaching, and it appears evident Cal will, at the very least, use a three-man front more than it has in the past.
Gregory used Brett Johnson and D.J. Campbell as first team safeties Wednesday instead of Bernard Hicks and Marcus Ezeff, but he said there was no special meaning to it. He simply wants to rotate players around and try different combinations.
Jahvid Best did a little more than Monday, earning a few reps during team drills (He did just individual drills on Monday). But he is still wearing a red jersey, meaning he is to avoid all contact. Tedford said the plan is still to have him avoid contact all spring.
Meanwhile, fellow running back Shane Vereen took much more reps than he did Monday, as he apparently is recovering from his hamstring injury.
A few other notes from Wednesday:
–Wide receiver Nyan Boateng made a terrific catch during one-on-one drills, still managing to haul in a pass after slipping on the turf and lying flat on his back.
–Converted tight end Tad Smith made a one-hand catch on a pass from Riley during crossover.
–Defensive end Scott Smith practiced after missing Monday because of a flight problem. Smith was returning from his hometown of Honolulu from spring break and couldn’t make it back in time for Monday’s practice.
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April 2nd, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Did boateng get more reps than he did on monday?
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Sounds like things are going well.
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:56 pm
What’s the possibility Tedford uses a Longshore first half and Riley second half? sounds like that is what would work for these guys?
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:05 am
Thanks for the report JO. I know JT wants it hush hush about formations and such. Saying the team ran mostly 3-4 isn’t much, but I just wanted to give you a word of caution about divulging too much info about strategy and formation.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:41 am
Since Syd returned, where was Darian Hagan, did he run with the first unit? What about the other corners? Anyone else in rotation to look out for?
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:36 am
[...] BearTalk: “Wednesday practice” [...]
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:48 am
Hey Big Dan,
JO works for the CCTimes, not Cal. As long as he’s given access, he can report on what he sees. He has no responsibility for keeping Cal football secrets.
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:48 am
Since many of the posters on this board enjoy the reckless posting of material relating to the personal issues of rival players both active in collegiate ranks and in professional ranks how about explaining this one.
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news;_ylt=Avzqe06KpNWbRH.MpDUV91vjvbYF?slug=ap-diehlarrest&prov=ap&type=lgns
Best regards
MoreNCsarecoming
April 3rd, 2008 at 6:35 am
Here’s what I found funny: “Longshore also was intercepted by Zack Follett late in practice.” Hm. Another late interception. Hope that changes.
April 3rd, 2008 at 7:43 am
What ever happened to Alex Cook? Wasn’t he supposed to enroll for spring?
April 3rd, 2008 at 7:57 am
OSU’s Mike Riley tried to split time between Canfield and Moevao for the first few games of the season and it didn’t work too well.
I think the best way to play them both is to have Riley lead the Bears to a blow-out by mid-third quarter, and then send Longshore in
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:07 am
Does it really mean much with Nate looking sharp early in practice? It sounded as though Nate practiced well all last season, but as we all saw, he stunk it up in the game. You can’t simulate ‘mental pressure’ in practice.
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:20 am
JO, are you planning to report the arrest of former Berkley football player? Or is this “good news only” blog?
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:23 am
http://www.contracostatimes.com/sports/ci_8794243
Former Tennessee lineman Reed Diehl, 29, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Santa Ana on allegations he bilked a developer out of $2.5 million. The former Cal star was free on a $75,000 bond.
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:20 am
J.O. keep the reports coming. Good stuff. Getting to see the team’s development before during Spring and Fall will be great for the season…from work.
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:29 am
alex cook will never ever play for the bears. charles johnson took his schollie
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:36 am
Thanks JO. How are the neophytes at O-line (DeMartinis, MSG, Cheadle) looking? How are Ross and Calvin looking?
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:14 am
Agree with Zack (#11) - there are plenty of QBs that practice well.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:57 am
Zack!
Actually, you can simulate pressure in practice when you have a beast like Rulon Davis, Cameron Jordan and Zach Follett. Remember, it is only the red shirts that can’t receive contact. Everyone else is fair game. That’s what caused Will T to be injured last year during pratice.
Let’s not take J.O. comments out of context. He is only talking about one practice out of 15 in Spring. Then, there’s fall practice. Have you guys seen the limited video of Riley at the Elite camp? He took sometime to settle down according to a background voice in the video. I’m definitely entrenched in the lets-see-what-Riley-can-do camp, but everyone take a big breath and save the passion for the games. The players will thank you, later.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:08 am
Is Mansion not getting any reps? With the lack of playmakers on the offense, I think we need someone who can make plays at the qb position. Nate and Kevin obviously are suppose to be good game managers (Nate may have proved otherwise) but Mansion has the legs and arm to make plays.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:18 am
This is all I needed to hear, “On one play, [Riley]eluded the rush, stepped up and made a nice touch pass on the run to fullback Brian Holley up the left sideline. It was reminiscent of his touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson in the Armed Forces Bowl.”
Statues can’t make these kind of plays, period. I don’t care how improved NL’s passes are, he can’t handle pressure. Riley can. Case closed.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:39 am
Bear, Boateng got about the same amount of reps, but he did do most of the punt returning. However, Tedford said that position is open.
N8bear, Tedford has been asked about using a two-quarterback system before, and isn’t really a fan of it. He said he’d prefer to stick with one guy, so nobody is looking over his shoulder.
PJB, Thompson was back with the first unit, along with Conte. Hagan was back on the second unit. Sean Cattouse was the other second team corner.
Blue, Cook never made it to cal academically.
George, DeMartinis, Cheadle and Summers-Gavin have been seeing time as backups. Right now, Mark Boskovich and Chet Teofilo are the first teamers that are replacing Mike Gibson and Brian De La Puente. Ross and Calvin have looked good, and Drew Glover has really made a surprising impression so far.
Twright, yes Mansion is getting a few reps here and there. And I agree he has a world of potential, but I don’t think he’s realistically in the mix right now.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:35 pm
I think Nate is a good guy with a lot of talent, but I think Nate’s QB career ended when he broke his leg and was knocked out for the season in his first start. Longshore has “happy feet” but practices well because he knows Cal’s defense will never hit him as hard as opposing defenses want to. The only way to keep him comfortable is to put him away from the line and have him make the read before the snap (which is what Dunbar’s system did). But Cal isn’t running a spread anymore, so the QB-System mesh is not there.
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:12 pm
So much excitement for 7-5 Las Vegas Bowl bound team. What a joke!
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:55 pm
J.O. Could you list all the players who are currently running w/ the 1st & 2nd teams at all positions so that us fans can get a better idea of who’s where at this moment in time?
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Jonathan:
You do a great job in providing information to Cal football fans. Thank you.
Would you please shed some light in terms of what the public can expect to see at the April 12, 2008, intrasquad Spring Game? Will it be approximately only one hour long?
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I’m encouraraged by the way everyone has ignored Amy’s inflamatory posts. Keep up the good work!
If the team can avoid injuries to key players I think 2008 will be an exciting and successful season.
April 4th, 2008 at 5:57 am
Steve in Concord Says:
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I’m encouraraged by the way everyone has ignored Amy’s inflamatory posts. Keep up the good work!
————–
hahaha. Actually, you are bringing my name up. Owned.
April 4th, 2008 at 7:57 am
My Dad told me Mike Montgomery will be Berkley’s next BB coach. It’s very sad to see such a winner going into such pathetic program. He will regret it.
April 4th, 2008 at 8:13 am
Hey J.O. -
How has DJ Holt looked so far? I believe he was Co-Defensive Player of the Year for the Scout team. Any chance he cracks the rotation?
April 4th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Haha. Once again, I reported Montgomery news earlier than JO, Bear Insider, other Bay area papers, and ESPN.
Just like with Van Meter situation.
Actually, my Dad told me about it last night, but I was too tired to post.
I know more about that pathetic program in Berkley than many of reporters, many of so called “insiders” and that’s why Berkley fans and forum moderators hate me. It’s pure envy. They support those sorry programs, yet know less about them than me. And it stings them SO BAD!!!!
hahaha. What a joke!
April 4th, 2008 at 11:12 am
What a weirdo. Congrats Al, Amy, Moren, Cybil. Here’s some internet messageboard respect for you (actual value in the real world: 0).
We all know you’re mad that you couldn’t get into Cal even tho your dad is supposedly some big time backer. But, maybe you should spend that energy bettering yourself instead of lashing out on people who had nothing to do with that decision.
You know, there’s more to life out there. You ever think about how much time you spend hating? When you’re old and look back on your life will you feel a sense of accomplishment knowing you “owned” some random person on a comment page? What a waste.
April 4th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Montgomery’s hiring was not that surprising to me either.
April 4th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
seriously. owned? you 12?
April 4th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
One Montgomery leaves and another arrives. I guess there can only be one Montgomery at a time at CAL.
April 4th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Big D Says:
April 4th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
One Montgomery leaves and another arrives. I guess there can only be one Montgomery at a time at CAL.
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Wow Big D! So erudite, so captivating, so insightful. Keep up the posts. Surely with such talent you have exceeded your Social Welfare degree.
Best regards
MoreNCsarecoming
April 4th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
DON’T FEED THE TROLL!
April 5th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Like I said earlier, one Monty gone another arrives. GO BEARS!
April 5th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Hey AMY. Let me know when you go to your next Cal game. I’ll buy you a beer (if you’re of age yet); and we can discuss Cal sports, man to man. [If you are female, my apologies].
I’d love to hear what you really think in person; face to face.
Anyone can talk big hiding behind their computer screen. Why don’t we see what’s actually behind the tough dialogue?
If you don’t have the stones to meet in person, I understand. But if that’s the case, be a grown-up and stop polluting our boards with your chicken$hit drivel.
April 5th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Ok, I’ll see you at the season opener. PM me (moreNCsarecoming, KyleBollerFan, lessNCarecoming) a week before the game on scout boards.
April 5th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
I am soooo ashamed now that Amy “owns” me because I used his/her name while encouraging people not to acknowledge his/her rediculous posts. Doesn’t take much to get you all does it? It reminds me of Steve Martin in “The Jerk” getting all ecstatic when finding his name in the phone book. “I’m in the phone book! I’m in the phone book!” Amy, you are a real life jerk! Oops, I did it again!
April 5th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
I am soooo ashamed now that Amy “owns” me because I used his/her name while encouraging people not to acknowledge his/her rediculous posts. Doesn’t take much to get you all excited does it? It reminds me of Steve Martin in “The Jerk” getting all ecstatic when finding his name in the phone book. “I’m in the phone book! I’m in the phone book!” Amy, you are a real life jerk! Oops, I did it again!
April 5th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
DBears
I forgot to mention that daddy already has tickets but I will take the beer. I have already given you instructions to PM me on the scout board at MoreNCsarecoming, KyleBollerFAN, MebaneDT10 or lessncarecoming.
Best regards
MoreNCsarecoming
April 5th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
STEVE IN CONCORD Says:
April 5th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
I am soooo ashamed now that Amy “owns” me because I used his/her name while encouraging people not to acknowledge his/her rediculous posts. Doesn’t take much to get you all does it? It reminds me of Steve Martin in “The Jerk” getting all ecstatic when finding his name in the phone book. “I’m in the phone book! I’m in the phone book!” Amy, you are a real life jerk! Oops, I did it again!
STEVE IN CONCORD Says:
April 5th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
I am soooo ashamed now that Amy “owns” me because I used his/her name while encouraging people not to acknowledge his/her rediculous posts. Doesn’t take much to get you all excited does it? It reminds me of Steve Martin in “The Jerk” getting all ecstatic when finding his name in the phone book. “I’m in the phone book! I’m in the phone book!” Amy, you are a real life jerk! Oops, I did it again!
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Was one of those for MoreNCsarecoming and the second one for lessncsarecoming? Then which one is for MebaneDT10 or KyleBollerFAN. By my counting you have 2 more posts to go.
Best regards
MoreNCsarecoming
April 6th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Check out what players from REAL football programs have to say about pathetic Berkley team:
Montgomery told the Sacramento Bee that he left Berkeley because he didn’t like the Bay Area.
“The thing with him was that Cal wasn’t his first choice,” Carl Moore (Florida WR) said. Montgomery originally committed to Washington in high school. “He went there because his mom was sick, so he wanted to stay close to home. After he got there, he realized no one was really pushing him to make him better. He doesn’t really like Berkeley too much, either. So he wanted to come out here where it’s big-time football, where he knows he’s going to get better, and he’ll be going against people that can compete with him. Me and him, we grew up together. He knows me, come here and it’s not going to be like he doesn’t know anybody.”
April 6th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
The truth about what Carl Moore said can be found here…
http://www.sacbee.com/395/story/822336.html
April 7th, 2008 at 6:39 am
BigD - the article you’ve mentioned leaves out what Carl Moore had to say about your pathetic program.
April 7th, 2008 at 11:18 am
If Carl Moore is really as talented as everyone says and he still had to go to JC before enrolling at a D1 school, it means he’s extremely stupid. There is no way a guy like that could get through a school like Cal. At Florida you just have to be able to spell your name correctly to pass.
April 7th, 2008 at 11:25 am
PasadenaBear Says:
April 7th, 2008 at 11:18 am
If Carl Moore is really as talented as everyone says and he still had to go to JC before enrolling at a D1 school, it means he’s extremely stupid. There is no way a guy like that could get through a school like Cal. At Florida you just have to be able to spell your name correctly to pass.
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Throwing stones Pasadena Bear? Remember what they say about people living in glass houses…
Best regards
MoreNCsarecoming
April 7th, 2008 at 11:33 am
You learn that saying in Sociology class?
April 7th, 2008 at 11:39 am
PasadenaBear Says:
April 7th, 2008 at 11:33 am
You learn that saying in Sociology class?
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No I learned it by looking at your roster which has been and is being filled by JC players. I can’t comment on their majors because from looks of things many of them still haven’t declared majors even though their eligibility is over.
Best regards
MoreNCsarecoming
April 7th, 2008 at 11:45 am
Typical Amy response. Someone talks bad about USC and instead of trying to defend it, she tries to find something wrong with Cal. Typical response from a Conservative Sociology major from USC. Let me guess, the economy is in a rescission because of Bill Clinton too?
April 7th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
PasadenaBear Says:
April 7th, 2008 at 11:45 am
Typical Amy response. Someone talks bad about USC and instead of trying to defend it, she tries to find something wrong with Cal. Typical response from a Conservative Sociology major from USC. Let me guess, the economy is in a rescission because of Bill Clinton too?
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Pot calling the kettle black PB. Favorite saying amongst Berkley art majors.
April 7th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Well said my sociologist friend.
April 7th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
STOP FEEDING THE TROLL!
April 7th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Agreed Yawn, it was working!
April 7th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Boalt, the practice on the 12th will include scrimmage-like situations but won’t be a true scrimmage. Fans will also get to see other aspects of practice. Spring session have typicall gone 2-21/2 hours, and I’m not sure if it will be different Saturday or not.
Pasadena, Holt has looked solid but not spectacular. He missed practice Monday with a concussion. I think eventually he will be an impact player with the Bears, but there probably are too many guys in front of him to make a huge impact immediately.
April 8th, 2008 at 2:01 am
stop feeding the troll..
thanks, Jon, for your hard work and great coverage of Cal football. Go Bears!
April 8th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
AMY, I tried to PM you on the Scout board, but moreNCsarecoming said it wasn’t you. I will be at Cal’s home opener against MSU. They have a beer garden at Kleeberger before all the games. Wear your SC gear, [at least a hat] so I will know it’s you.
See you there