Comments on: QB, news from Fort Worth

By: Terry

Terry — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:04:26 +0000

Did anyone catch the story about the WR coach and DB coach being fired, in particular the fact the WR coach was fired because the Recievers were not running the correct routes, yeah that is why Longshore was so bad in the fourth because Jordan Hawkins and Jackson were not running the correct routes, does that mean they just started running the correct ones when Riley was in. I smell patsys, both of these seem like scapegoat firings, the WR coach for Tedford not going to Riley, and the DB coach because Gregory could not get any pressure with the DL, I really want to believe that Tedford is the guy who will win the Rose Bowl for us, but sometimes I am left with puzzlement on my face for his inexplicable decisions.

By: Sad Fan

Sad Fan — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 08:13:34 +0000

Excellent analysis Terry. I’m glad that there are some fans that actually know what they’re talking about. There are too many people out there that like to propose ridiculous ideas just because it worked against one particular team in one particular game. I agree that Cal might not adopt the 3-4 just because there isn’t enough talent in the college ranks to develop depth at key positions. Unfortunately, until Cal is a bit more successful recruiting top notch defensive linemen, the defense will suffer no matter how good the linebackers and secondary are and no matter what defensive system is used. We’ll see what the next season brings.

By: Terry

Terry — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 06:05:41 +0000

Great points regarding the 3-4 could not agree more, but perhaps looking at the roster as is, not to mention understanding the type of players we have. Follet is listed as 6′2 232, Williams 6′2 243, Felder 6′4 231 Mohamed is 6′4 220 and Charles Johnson the new JC transfer comes in at 6′2 223. Lets just look at the Cowboys, of course remembering that players are on average smaller and slower in College ball compared to the NFL, Akin Ayodele 6′2 250, Demarcus Ware 6′4 257, Bradie James 6′2 250 Greg Ellis 6′6 270 (of course Ellis was a pure DE out of UNC, and played that position until Dallas asked him to switch to the outside LB) Kevin Burnett who sees lots of playing time comes in at 6′3 240. So when we look from a pure physical look they are not that far off, they are roughly the same height, and the NFLers are about 20lbs heavier which is not untypical for guys to put that weight on after they get to the NFL. I would also point out that Cal might have a very good looking future Greg Ellis in Cameroon Jordan, at 6′5 265 he saw some playing time and although he was a true freshman he tallied the fifth most tackles by a DL men this year, granted that is not saying much. As for that strong nose tackle Mika Kane is coming back he is 6′3 305 after losing 30lbs last summer making him quicker off the ball, to look at the Cowboys Ratliff is 6′4 298, and Tank Johnson is 6′3 300, Alualu is 6′4 288 and could probably move inside if needed and be very physical. Also Rulon Davis at 6′5 275 has the height to play end, if he could keep from getting injured. Also one of the very few DL pick ups this year Trevor Guyton is 18 and 6′3 271. Now as to the finer points that you brought up, your right just because your big does not mean you play big, but by that logic just because your not big does not mean you cannot play big. Follet has lead the team two years in a row in Sacks, how coming off the edge just like he would in the 3-4. That is proven Talent. I do believe that Mika Kane has the ability to play big on the nose. But there is something else that must be brought up and that is the specific type of 3-4 they would most likely utilize, do you play the 2 gap that NE plays or the 1 gap that dallas plays, I think they would choose the 1 gap, for its easier to play, essentially you have your gap and that is it pin your ears back and go, in the 3-4 you could bring 4 or 5 guys on almost every play leaving 7-8 in coverage, the very fact that the blitz is coming from all over would only further confuse the O a lot more than our pathetic drop 8 and rush the four down and get no pressure. Will they likely adopt the 3-4 No, they played it in the second half against Air Force because it was easier to stop the option by spreading them out. Either way I think we both agree that until there is a more consistent pass rush it does not matter what Defense they play. And on that point it is one of my main criticisms of JT, why is he not able to land some big Defensive talent, great more WR, and again no DE’s its something that needs to be addressed.

By: Calman

Calman — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:48:38 +0000

For the record, Terry, you are absolutely right about the Cal defense. They have been exposed badly this year because of a lack of a pass rush. It really doesn’t matter who you have playing DB if the QB has all day to throw.

By: Calman

Calman — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:37:02 +0000

A little off topic but I was wondering if anyone knew the status of UF transfer WR Nyan Boateng. I’m assuming he’s been practicing with the team this year but I know tedford suspended him because of a minor arrest in August. He looks like he could be a huge contributor next season on a team without many returning wideouts, and from what I heard he was planning on playing football and basketball at Cal.

By: Sad Fan

Sad Fan — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:03:44 +0000

The 3-4 is an extremely difficult defense transition to from the 4-3. You can’t just come out with one less lineman and stick in one of your quality linebackers. First, you have to have a big strong nose tackle that can take on the center and the strong side guard. Not all big strong guys have the talent or physical attributes to do that. The perfect example is Warren Sapp who was a beast in the Tampa 2 which uses 4 down linemen. Sapp struggled mightily when the Raiders tried him at the nose. Second, you can’t just have any pair of defensive ends on the line. The have to be pretty hefty guys capable of taking on the interior linemen and sacrifice some pass rush to stuff the run. This frees up any of the 4 linebackers to pass rush.

On average, the linebackers in the 3-4 are also bigger in size than the linebackers in a 4-3. This is because they do have to deal with the O-line on a more consistent basis. The OLB’s have to be big enough to fight off O-Tackles and the ILB’s have to be able to shed the much larger interior linemen. Look at Dat Nguyen who played in both Mike Zimmer’s Dallas 4-3 and Parcells’ Dallas 3-4. He was a stellar player in the 4-3 but struggled with injuries that eventually lead to his retirement after the transition to the 3-4. Ray Lewis struggled with injuries and was glad to switch back to the 4-3/46 defense back in 2005.

My point is that a transition to the 3-4 takes time and serious commitment to recruiting players that fit the 3-4 defense. It’s also totally different in terms of assignments and not every defensive coordinator can make that adjustment easily. The 3-4 isn’t a personnel change like going to the nickel or dime defense. It’s a change of mentality, physicality, and philosophy. I agree that Cal needs some good linemen to apply pressure like Riddle, Carter, and Mebane used to do, but it’s probably a bit easier to recruit good athletes for your system rather than changing the system entirely.

By: Terry

Terry — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 03:15:01 +0000

Mitch I am with you compeletly on regards to the D, although I think the 3-3-5 better suits a team with Fast Dline men, as you pointed out we are so deep in the LB position with Felder, Follet and Worrell all coming back, not to forget Mohamed who I thought played solid off the bench, should adopted the 3-4 that is very effective for what most would consider the top two teams in the NFL NE, Dallas. Follet off one edge and Felder off the other would be unstopable, Follet certainly should play at the next level as that converted OLB, and Felder was a Frosh All-american. Point is I think they should play that 3-4 and at times drop into the 3-3-5, the issue with Cal playing the 3-3-5 is we will be losing to big hitting safetys in Decoud and Hampton, and Hicks could perhaps play that tweener role, or perhaps Conte but right now neither is big enough, Conte is only 190 and 6-3 he would have potential to grow into that position, other than that you would have to look at someone like Mohamed to perhaps take that role, but I am not sure about his coverage skills. But I do think the 3-4 is the way to go for Cal, especially since we have seen no attempt by the Coaching staff to go after a NFL quality pass rusher. You mentioned UWVa, but what I thought was more impressive was UGA against Hawaii they showed every Cal fan what a bend dont break can do to a throwing team, in the pass happy Pac-10 the Gregory Defense might in fact be the best D to win week in week out, it worked against Oregon, it has essentially kept USC from scoring more than 24 for the last 4 years, the Ayoob disaster not withstanding. But the key to that type of D is Pass rush, the Dawgs sacked Colt Brennan by only brining three and Four downed Lineman. The d works if you have the players to play it, it worked in 04 to perfection until the Holiday bowl, but again as I have said before 04 had a total of 37 sacks in 12 games that works out to 3 a game (Riddle had 14.5 sacks that year) this year 22, last year 26 and the year before 32 and the 03 team had 38. Of course you can easily predicate that the best Defensive teams for Cal were the ones in which they averaged over 3 sacks a game. I mean 22 sacks in 13 games is pathetic. So until the coaching staff commits to getting a Pass Rusher we need to move to the 3-4 to allow Follet who this year as he was last year our Sack leader to go after the QB.

By: Mitch

Mitch — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:30:33 +0000

CLEARLY the need on this team is for defensive pressure on opposing QB’s. How many of you saw West Virginia’s 3-3-5 defense overwhelm Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. This to me is a powerful defensive set that a team (like Cal) heavy in LB talent and weak in D-Line talent can utilize with some real success. I thought WV really brought it to OU and they do not have a lineman like LSU’s Dorsey or USC’s Ellis. Watch for Gregory to experiment with the 3-3-5.
Go Bears!

By: Mitch

Mitch — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:25:24 +0000

As I pointed out on another blog site: I think Riley is clearly the QB of the future, everyone can see that. Injuries and stubborn loyalties ruined it for Longshore. Who I think is a quality guy and a great QB when he is healthy. But CLEARLY

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 20:16:32 +0000

Other stat to note:
Kevin Riley, with significant playing time in 2 games and a few pass attempts in a third this season is averaging a passer rating of 174.63 with a ridiculous high of 255.24 in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Nate Longshore’s average passer rating this season was only 123.32, with his HIGH being 170.45 (…less than Riley’s average…) in the loss to Washington.

In fact, in Riley’s worst performance, he had a rating of 144.99 against OSU. Longshore has only had two games with a higher passer rating than that: 163.73 against Tennessee, and 170.45 against Washington. Of course the 144.99 passer rating against OSU doesn’t reflect on that bone-head rookie mistake, however it is an interesting stat.