BearTalk

The Bears had a pretty spirited practice yesterday in their first session in shells (helmet and shoulder pads). Cal actually played surprisingly fast for it being so early in camp, and both the offense and defense had its moments.

Linebacker Chris McCain really stood out early in practice. He shared first team reps with Dan Camporeale and recorded a sack. He also demonstrated good speed and coverage, especially for a player of his size.

Ryan Davis is also in the mix at that weakside outside spot, but right now it looks like McCain at the very least will be in the rotation.

“He’s really rangy,” Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. “He can run. He’s disciplined. He knows what he’s doing. He’s going to play.”

As stated in my earlier post, Tedford was very pleased with the play of his quarterbacks – not just starter Zach Maynard but backups Allan Bridgford and Brock Mansion, too. Mansion threw a couple of especially nice balls yesterday

“We’re getting better every day,” Tedford said. “I thought there was some really special things going on today. The more Zach understands what he’s doing, his zip on the ball, his timing, is getting better and better. He’s doing a great job. Those three are getting better every single day and they are doing some good things. I’ve been pleased. We’re not perfect by any means, but we’re learning “

Tedford touched on several individuals:

• On freshman running back Brendan Bigelow: “We’re really putting him through a lot of drillwork to make sure he’s ready to go. He’s doing a nice job there. When we get pads on, we need to orchestrate some things to get him the ball and see what he can do.”
• On freshman cornerback Stefan McClure: “Stefan looks to be a special guy. He’s done a great job in coverage. He’s very competitive. He’s really stood out.”
• On freshman defensive end Brennan Scarlett: “Scarlett reminds me of Cameron Jordan, the way he can run and his long arms. He can get off the ball.”
• On freshman walk-on wide receiver Bryce McGovern: “Bryce McGovern is doing a really nice job. He’ll probably get some more reps now. He’s really earning everybody’s respect right now.”
• On freshman nose tackle Viliama Moala: “I don’t think we’ve ever seen anyone here like Moala. We’ve had some good guys here but Moala holds point so well.”

I will have a thorough report off tonight’s practice tomorrow, but here are some quick hitters:

• WR Kaelin Clay had surgery on his left knee today, but could be back in as soon as three weeks. Coach Jeff Tedford said the procedure was to trim his meniscus, which is better than repairing it.
• RB Trajuan Briggs is not in camp. Tedford said it is because there are so many tailbacks on the roster and he evidently is a product of the logjam. Briggs is still on the team and will resume practicing when camp is over and the semester begins.
• Safety Sean Cattouse stopped practicing about halfway through after tweaking his hamstring. It’s believed to be minor.
• OT Mitchell Schwartz is still out with his hamstring problem.
• Tedford was pleased with the play of all of his quarterbacks today. “I thought there were some really special things going on today.”
• LB Chris McCain is taking some first team reps on the outside. He had an impressive practice, recording a sack and generally flying all over the field and being at the right place at the right time.
• WR Jackson Bouza made a couple of nice catches down the middle of the field, on passes by Brock Mansion.

There’s a little less to report on when you can’t watch practice (imagine that), but there was one significant development at the second day of practice today.

Wide receiver Kaelin Clay is now on crutches after injuring his knee Saturday. The severity of the injury is still unknown because he needs an MRI and he can’t get one until Monday. Assuming Cal’s staff gets the results in time, we should know more about the extent of the injury tomorrow.

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Here is a sampling of what was heard after the first day of training camp Saturday:

COACH JEFF TEDFORD

“The guys came to camp in really good shape. I’m really pleased with the enthusiasm, the togetherness, how they are working. It’s always bittersweet because they don’t have pads on. “

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Here’s the story I wrote for today, with an update on running back Brendan Bigelow on the first day of training camp, followed by a look at the top issues facing the Bears during camp.

Cal kicked off the 2011 season with its first practice of training camp tonight at Witter Rugby Field. The first piece of good news is the turf appears to be in pretty good shape. As we all know, it was a mess when it was first installed and the Bears weren’t able to practice there during the spring. All appears to be well now.

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I’m looking forward to getting out to practice tomorrow and commencing another season. Should be interesting with practices taking part at Witter Rugby Field. Lots of storylines — Getting Zach Maynard ready, establishing running back depth, looking at some of the new players, especially on defense.

I will be attending most practices, with a couple of desk shifts mixed in. Saturday, Monday and Wednesday are open to the media so I hope to have more extensive reports off those days. Otherwise, there will still be daily interviews and (hopefully) updated information coming from the coaching staff.

Just a reminder you can also follow me on Twitter (@OkanesonCal), where I provide regular updates (especially off the practices open to the media).

Enjoy the 2011 season!

Training camp for the 2011 season officially gets underway Friday when players report. But the first practice won’t be until Saturday evening when the Bears will go with a helmets-only session.

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WHAT WE KNOW: That this is the deepest position on the team. It starts in the middle, where Mychal Kendricks and D.J. Holt form an experienced, formidable tandem. Defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast will be counting on the duo to anchor the unit this season. The Bears are especially deep on the outside, where senior Ryan Davis and redshirt freshman Dave Wilkerson begin training camp getting the first reps. But will they stay there? Freshman Cecil Whiteside had a strong spring and has loads of potential, and he could give Davis a run on the strong side. Fellow freshman Chris McCain also impressed during the spring before getting injured. Sophomore Nick Forbes got some first team reps during the spring when Kendricks suffered a concussion. He obviously won’t supplant either guy in the middle but could work himself into the rotation with a strong camp.

WHAT WE DON’T KNOW: Just how good are the young players. If you believe recruiting rankings, the Bears have a slew of good, young linebackers. And based on what Whiteside and McCain displayed in the spring, those ratings could be right on. But that’s just one spring. How will Whiteside and McCain do as camp goes along and the defense continues to get installed? Don’t forget that the offense was going through some growing pains in the spring, searching for a new quarterback and playing with two key offensive linemen out (tackle Mitchell Schwartz and center Dominic Galas). The offense still has questions but could give the defense a little more run for its money in training camp. In addition to Whiteside and McCain, what about heralded incoming freshman Jason Gibson? Jeff Tedford has said that just about every player in his 2011 recruiting class is capable of competing for playing time right away. Gibson’s early development will be important to watch as well.

IN SUMMATION: Simply put, this could be the most dominant position on the team. Kendricks can use camp to get back into the swing of things playing in the middle after playing on the outside last season (he rotated between the middle and outside in 2009). That will help Holt get accustomed to playing along side him as well. The potential explosiveness of the outside linebackers could work perfectly in Pendergast’s attacking schemes. Cal’s offense should have its hands full during team drills this fall.

WHAT WE KNOW: That the Bears are experienced. Four of their five projected starters have spent at least one season as a full-time starter during his Cal career, and new center Dominic Galas appeared in every game last season and started one. Cal has to feel good about tackle Mitchell Schwartz, who has started every game of his career and has played on both ends of the line. He should slide back to right tackle this season with left-handed quarterback Zach Maynard now running the offense. Schwartz showed great promise starting as a redshirt freshman, and although he hasn’t developed into a dominant offenisve lineman, he still enters the season as one of the Pac-12′s best and is on a couple of preseason watch lists for postseason awards. Left guard Brian Schwenke played pretty well last year in his first season as a starter. Returning offensive line coach Jim Michalczik should help the linemen realize their potential.

WHAT WE DON’T KNOW: Which Matt Summers-Gavin will we see? The junior was terrific as a redshirt freshman in 2009 before going down with an injury. But he injured himself again on the first day of training camp last season and it took him a long time to get back up to speed. He finally started the final four games of last year at left guard. He’s projected to move to the tackle spot opposite Schwartz this season, and if he plays up to his ability, could give the Bears a terrific set of bookends on the line. Justin Cheadle was the odd man out last season after Summers-Gavin came back and Schwenke moved over to right guard, but he is back in his right guard spot now, a position he started every game of 2009 as well. He needs to elevate his play because the Bears aren’t deep along the line. It will be imperative the starters stay healthy.

IN SUMMATION: Cal’s offensive line has been up and down the past couple years but the pieces could be in place for it to be a strong unit. The return of Michalczik is a big reason for that. He produced several top-notch players during his first stint at Cal and the overall performance of the offensive line was consistently better under Michalczik than the past two seasons under Steve Marshall. Schwartz is experienced and solid while Schwenke could really blossom this season. The Bears expect strong play from Galas. The key to the offensive line may be the performances of Cheadle and Summers-Gavin, who have demonstrated the ability to play at a strong level at times but need to stay healthy and improve their consistency.