Raiders Take Guard Tony Bergstrom at 92

Well they had to wait until the last pick of day 2 to make their first, but the Raiders finally got to chose a player in the 2012 draft, and the new regime went with with a re-enforcement for their offensive line in the form of Tony Bergstrom, a somewhat surprising pick judging by some of the other players that are still available and the Raiders needs on defense especially.

#70, Fits Raider Moto

I don't know a thing about Bergstrom, other than he played his college ball at Utah and is a pretty big load at 6'6" and 315, He played his high school ball in the Bay Area at Skyline High, and is coming home. However, this move caught a lot of Raiders fans by surprise that were hoping for a pass-rusher like Cam Johnson and Jared Crick or a potential shut-down corner like Chase Minnifield. They didn't go after a name, instead going after a guy Reggie McKenzie obviously had his eye on for a while as the Raiders didn't hesitate to choose the Utah guard when their number was called. This now leaves them entering tomorrow with a stict focus on defense, one would think, but with the way the first three rounds of this draft have played out, I really don't know what route they or any other team will go at this point. The one team that has improved themselves immensely by drafting two former collegiate Bay Area stars from Stanford are the Indianapolis Colts. I mean, they got themselves a sure-fire, number one QB for years to come in Luck, and while he may not be Peyton Manning 2.0, he's going to be one of the top-5 NFL QB's within a few years, just watch. Then they went out in round two and nabbed one of Luck's favorite targets and arguably the drafts most talented tight end in Coby Fleener. I mean, that's a squad that had their blue print down and they executed it perfectly. Speaking of tight-ends, I'm a little surprised the Raiders didn't go with talented TE Orson Charles out of Georgia. Their offense suffered last year in the wake of losing top pass-catcher Zack Miller, and they missed that strong presence at tight end. He's a name to keep an eye on for them in round 4 should he fall that far.

Gore Ready for Sunday, McFadden Out Again

Coming off his worst start as a pro in an injury shortened game vs. the Giants last weekend, Frank Gore is healing up surprisingly fast. The Raiders aren't so lucky, as their start back Darren McFadden will miss at least another game with his bum foot.

The pro-bowl back said he fully expects to be on the field Sunday for the 49ers match-up with the Arizona Cardinals. Even if that is the case though, I expect his workload to be a fraction of what it typically is, especially if the 49ers gain control of the game early like expected. Kendal Hunter has been outstanding as the change of pace back thus far and filled in admirably for Gore vs. the Giants. I still expect Gore to start as long as he's healthy, and get the majority of the carries, but if the 49ers are smart, they'll pace the 28 year-old and not give him more than 12-15 touches. The 49ers need to be taking advantage of their schedule right now and if it means resting a key player or two vs. the weaker teams in the league like Arizona, then I'm all for it. However, the 49ers need to be on their game and must take advantage of the light schedule if they are going to start resting their veterans a bit more. Staying on the injury front, it was very good to see Braylon Edwards back on the field after his brief absence. Michael Crabtree leaped into the forefront of the 49ers passing game in his absence, but he appeared to be on the same page as Alex Smith last Sunday like he never missed a beat. The 49ers didn't have him out there for every offensive snap though, as they're bringing him along a little slower than they have to. They need to use the same logic with Frank Gore.

Across the bay, the Raiders have their own backfield injury to deal with, as Run DMC has missed the last two games with a foot sprain, and will likely miss a 3rd consecutive game this weekend vs. Minnesota. Luckily for the Raiders though, they have Michael Bush backing him, and Bush has been a monster the last few weeks. I've always thought that Bush would be a great featured back because of his power and speed, and he's showed it November. So much so that the Raiders could find themselves shopping the former Rutgers star this offseason. I'm sure they'd like to hang onto Bush as McFadden's caddy, but I'm sure he'll want more carries after his showing over the last 2 seasons, and this could be the time for the Raiders to really cash in on him. I mentioned trading him before the deadline as part of the Carson Palmer deal, but his name was never brought up. Speaking of Palmer, in McFadden's absence, Carson has taken reigns of the offense and begun to get very comfortable. After his miserable start vs. KC before the bye, he's torched the Broncos and Chargers, throwing for 631 yards and 5 TD's in the last two weeks. He's also found his favorite target, taking a real liking to rookie Denarious Moore and putting the talented wideout right back on the pace he was at in the beginning of the year. With their passing game now catching up with their rushing attack, the Raiders have improved to 6-3 and look destined playoff football for the first time Since 2002.

Stanford Falls to #9: Unfortunately for the Stanford Cardinal, they couldn't keep up with the 49ers and Raiders winning ways last weekend. They fell to the speedy Oregon Ducks, who really laid it to Stanford like I haven't seen in a few years. They had control of the game from the get go and really gave Andrew Luck trouble all night long. I knew it was going to be a battle, but Oregon really made it look easy. We'll talk much more Stanford football as we gear up for Bowl season, but this loss eliminates any hope at a National Championship appearance for the Cardinal.

Big Weekend for Bay Area Football

The 2011 football season has started off very well for 3 of the Bay Area's, and for the first time in about 10 years, the Bay Area is looking set to produce at least one NFL playoff team, and quite possibly NCAA's top football program in the Stanford Cardinal.

We'll start off with the Cardinal, who we haven't talked a lot about this season, mostly because the Raiders and 49ers have started off so well and have been getting most of our attention. The Cardinal, however, have placed themselves squarely on the map as one of the nations best teams (ranked 6 heading into play Saturday) and could very well find themselves playing for a national championship in January if things go their way. Their prized arm and leader, Andrew Luck, has done everything that was expected of him coming into the year, and some, as he's looking like a lock to be the first player taken in next April's NFL Draft. Through 3 games so far, Luck has thrown for 786 yards with 8 TD's compared to just 1 pick and a rushing score, leading the Cardinal to a 3-0 record. Helping Luck on the offensive side of things for Stanford has been their star Junior tailback Stefan Taylor (281 rush yards, 2 TD), as well as Sophomore Tight End, Zach Ertz (3 rec. TD's) and Senior wideout Chris Owusu (227 rec. yards). Behind these talented offensive weapons and a stubborn, underrated defense, the Cardinal have cruised to a 3-0 record, and they really haven't started clicking on all cylinders quite yet. Just goes to show you how dominant this team can be, and I will be watching closely tonight as they take on UCLA down on the farm. UCLA is a mess, so I expect Stanford to put up W by a wide margin; Prediction: Cardinal 48, Bruins 19

Back to the NFL, where the Raiders and 49ers each shoot for the 3rd victory Sunday. The Raiders will have their work cut out for them, as they host the New England Patriots, but after the way they've started the season, I wouldn't count them out of this game at all. What does really hurt is they'll be without starting corner Chris Johnson, who's been the best corner for the Raiders early on in 2011 in my opinion. Oakland will just need to gear up for Tom Brady and hope to contain him. They don't really need to worry about New England's rushing attack, as they've yet to really get that going this year, so if the Raiders can keep them a one dimensional offense and get to Brady a few times like Buffalo did last week, then they'll be very much alive in this game. They're getting their offense going themselves, so they'll be a handful for New England, who have been exposed badly through the air early on. I expect them to have trouble with Darren McFadden as well, so I don't see the Raiders having trouble putting up points in this one. It's going to come down to which team can reduce turnovers and control the game clock, and the Raiders are very good in both areas, but they're facing Tom Brady, who can throw for 400 yards in his sleep these days. Prediction: Patriots 38 - Raiders 27

The 49ers will have their hands full against a hungry, yet banged up Eagles squad. The 49ers looked as if they were sitting pretty early in the week, as Michael Vick's availability for the game after breaking his non-throwing hand was very much in the air. However, Vick improved throughout the week, and appears fully ready to go Sunday, and if he does, look out 49ers secondary, because I think this guy will be determined. The 49ers barely squeaked by the Bengals last week, despite getting an exceptional defensive performance. Like their baseball brethren the Giants, the 49ers have had a wretched offensive showing so far in 2011, yet they've managed to get off to a 2-1 start. This week though, they won't have a chance to win if they score just 14 points. They'll likely need to put up at least 2.5 times that output against a hungry Vick, LeSean McCoy, Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson. They have so much speed on offense that I just can't see the 49ers keeping up with all of them. I do think they'll hold McCoy in check in the run game, but I just can't help but think of the Dallas game when a broken Tony Romo came in and picked this offense apart. Unfortunately, I see Vick doing very much of the same thing. Also, the 49ers have yet to get Frank Gore going this year, and probably won't have a chance to open up the passing game against this secondary, so offensively, they'll have their hands full as well. Prediction: Eagles 31 - 49ers 16

New Year Brings Big Change for 49ers

Well, I know it's not news fresh off the wire, and has been bantered around for a few days now, but after Mike Singletarry's firing, and with the potential pursuit of Eddie DeBartolo, we definitely wanted to get in our 2 cents, being a 49ers-based site and all.

As your well aware of by now, Mike Singletarry is done as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, and the Niners followed that move with the summoning of former 49ers Team President and NFL-Guru, Eddie DeBartolo, as a consultant to the General Manager. His main goal will be to help the Niners figure out their next head coach, as well as some possible draft input, as the Niners will be sitting pretty come April's draft. After wrapping up the season at 6-10, the 49ers should again find themselves back in the top-10 of the draft, giving them a shot at obtaining Andrew Luck if he does indeed decide to move on to the NFL this year. After his performance in the Orange Bowl, I don't think Luck has anything else to prove in college yet at the moment, Luck is leaning towards returning to Stanford for his Junior year next fall. He hasn't yet made any official announcement yet, but I'm sure he wants to try and bring a National Championship home to Palo Alto, and the Cardinal could be the favorites to do so in 2011, with the return of their star QB.

If they are unable to land the Orange Bowl-MVP, Luck, I'd look for the Niners to turn their attention towards either Arkansas' Ryan Mallet or Washinton's Jake Locker. I really like Locker's potential coming into this season, but he had an off-year in 2010, and struggled to complete over 50% of his passes. Still though, I think I would lean towards the more athletic Locker than the big-armed, big-bodied Ryan Mallet (6'7", 240 pounds). The 49ers need to add a quarterback this offseason, and I really don't see them doing that through free-agency. There aren't going to be many quality guys available in free agency either, so I think their best chance at getting their QB of the future will indeed be in the first round of this upcoming draft.

Stanford Still Waiting

We're officially in December now, and the 11-1 Stanford Cardinal football team is still unclear on what Bowl game they'll be playing in later this month, or possibly even in early January.

There is a slight chance they end up in the National Championship game, which this year is the Rose Bowl, but are more likely destined for either the Fiesta or Orange Bowl. They had a great year, and we didn't get a chance to talk about them as much as I wanted to here during the season, but I just wanted to point out what a great thing they have going at the quarterback position in sophomore Andrew Luck. I mentioned Luck a few posts back when discussing the 49ers possible draft position, and if they do end up with a top-3 pick, they should definitely use it on the 6'4", 21 year-old (who appears headed for the Draft). During the regular season, Luck ended up with a QB rating of 115.4, with a 70% pass completion percentage going 245 of 349, and threw 28 TD's compared to just 7 interceptions. He played in all 12 of the Cardinal's games and was instrumental in all their victories. Some were concerned with the way he sort of tailed off a bit in November, but he ended huge Saturday with a 305 yard, 4 TD performance in the win over Oregon State. Outside of the Heisman hopeful Luck, the Cardinal were led by Sophomore RB Stepfan Taylor (210 carries, 1,023 yards, 15 rush TD's) and senior WR Doug Baldwin (56/824/9), who was Luck's favorite target by far.

The Cal Bears weren't as lucky this year, as they battled injury in in-effectiveness both to a diassapointing 5-7 years. They had some expectations this year with senior Kevin Reilly leading the charge and Justin Forsett 2.0 in Shane Vereen, but things never materialized, kind of like Reilly's whole career at QB with the Bears. All I can say is, finally he's gone! He was like Cal's version of Alex Smith and the Niners, just never worked out after so much expectation.

Players Losing Confidence in Singletary

The talk of last Sunday's loss to the Seahawks, and the miserable game management that transpired during that game just will not die, and it's starting to get to coach Singletarry.

During these last couple of day's, Singletary's shortcomings as a coach have been brought to the forefront, and he refuses to discuss the Seattle game with reporters, inclining only to speak about the upcoming match-up with New Orleans. The only real issue that kind of caught me off guard was that Singletary really isn't in tune with what's going on offensively and leaves that entirely up to OC Jimmy Raye and his assistants. That right there is a problem. A head coach needs to be versed on everything going on during the game, and needs to be involved, in at least some capacity, in a game plan. How else are they going to effectively manage a game? When Raye was having communication issues with his new assistant, Coach Singletary couldn't really intervene, because he really has no grasp of the offensive game calling. I mean, obviously Singletary is a defensive minded coach, and nobody expects him to be an offensive whiz or someone who's going to construct a dynamic offensive game plan. However, a head coach of an NFL football team needs to have some kind of grasp of their respective teams' offense, or defense. When the Niners were down inside Seattle's 5 on Sunday and not accomplishing anything, it would have been nice to see the head coach take over the play-calling and eliminate the communication confusion.

I had big expectations for Singletarry this season, even picking him as my favorite for NFL Coach of the Year for 2010, but after this whole situation, and after seeing his reaction to this whole situation, I'm already second-guessing myself. Now, the Niners can really reverse this misfortune, and make everybody forget about week 1's ugly loss, if they can somehow manage to upset the reigning Super Bowl Champs at Candlestick Park, and this really will be a good barometer to see just what kind of coach Singletary is. I'm not expecting the Niners to win, but they need to respond from last week, and make some sort of statement. The New Orleans Saints are going to make things even tougher than usual though, as they've had an extra couple of days to prepare for the 49ers after opening their season last Thursday. It also allowed them to sit down and watch the Niners play the Seahawks live, so the Saints have a very good idea of what the 49ers are doing on both sides of the ball.

I'm really ready to see the Niners start mixing things up offensively, like they should have done in the 2nd half of last weeks game. I want to see some more Brian Westbrook, and some Gore and Westbrook on the field together, and a little more of Delanie Walker out of the 2 TE set, as I think Walker is the teams 3rd best receiving option behind Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree. Walker needs to be out there more often than #2 wideout Josh Morgan in my opinion. They should start taking some shots down-field (even though top deep threat Ted Ginn is out 2 weeks) and spread things out, a la Indianapolis Colts style, in order to spark some offense. They need to really create some things in order to even dream of keeping up with the Saints, but that won't happen until Alex Smith gets comfortable and in a groove. We saw it start to happen at the beginning of the game Sunday, but wasn't nearly the same after the failed red zone attempts. We'll take another look at this game in Saturday's post, when we discuss the Niners and Raiders week 2 NFL odds.

Stanford Football: The Stanford Cardinal, led by stud sophomore QB Andrew Luck, and running back, Stepfan Taylor as well as veteran wideouts Doug Baldwin and Ryan Whalen, have started their season off 2-0 (1-0 in conference) and are ranked #19 in the country. They smoked the Bruins last Saturday in their Pac 10 opener, as Luck threw for 2 more scores after throwing for 4 in the opener vs. lowly Sac State. Stanford's schedule tightens up a bit over the next few weeks though, as they host an improving Wake Forest next week, followed by a matchup with the Fighting Irish in South Bend, then consecutive games with #5 Oregon and #18 USC. We'll really have a good idea of what kind of team this Stanford Cardinal will be this year after that USC game. Right now though, they're ranked 19 and rolling with confidence, talent and great coaching.

Raiders Seeking New Coach

Although Tom Cable is still officially holding the head coaching job on the Oakland Raiders, it appears it's only a matter of time before Al Davis and Co. go in a different direction.

The Raiders reportedly reached out to Stanford head coach Jim Harbough, although Harbough has made it pretty clear that he wants to stick around Palo Alto for a few more years. At least that's the stance that Harbough is taking publicly. Other than the guy who's brought the Cardinal back to relevance, the Raiders have shown apparent interest in former Giants' head coach Jim Fassel, and former Niner and Raider offensive coordinator, Mark Trestman. Fassel was recently coaching in the UFL, while Trestman has spent the last couple of years in the Canadian Football League. Amidst all the speculation, Cable is still keeping his confidence that it'll be his job and that he believes he's the right man for the job. I just think it's a matter of time before a move is made, but unfortunately for the Raiders, there in a position where they need to find someone willing to come to them because they obviously aren't going to land their top choice in Harbough. The Oakland Raider head coaching job has to be one of the least desirable jobs in the NFL, as it's basically a position to be Al Davis' puppet, which is the reason why they always have a tough time finding a candidate with good credentials who actually wants to coach for them.

Whether it's an NFL retread like Fossil or Trestman, or a newer, younger guy like Tom Cable and Lane Kiffin were, I think it's only a matter of time before a move is made. Davis wouldn't have this much public interest in other candidates if he didn't indeed have a plan in mind, but what has me scratching my head, is why hasn't he made the move to officially release Cable yet? I just can't see a situation where Cable returns to Oakland after the circus year they had in 2009. Davis wants someone who will come in and work JaMarcus Russell into being an NFL QB, and I think that's why he's showing so much interest in those offensive guys like Trestman and Fossil, and of course former NFL QB, Jim Harbough. I highly doubt he'd except the role, but a guy who could really fit well in Oakland I think would be Steve Mariucci. He is an offensive mind who's had a hand in developing a few very good quarterbacks, including Brett Favre. "Mooch" is no fool though, and the Raiders would have to throw a whole truckload of money at him to have him even consider coming into this mess.... More on this situation as it comes!

Cal Has Shot to Win Pac-10

While they've had a disappointing football season thus far, the Cal Bears have a shot to make some noise in the Pac 10 basketball season. The Bears haven't won a conference tittle in hoops in 50 years, but are returning a strong core of players that should make the Bears one of the better teams in the conference.

The Bears are beeing led by senior guards Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher as well as senior forward Theo Robertson, and all those guys can score the basketball. The Bears shouldn't really have an issue with their offense, as they have four players averaging double digits in points, but their one area of concern is their size. The Bears' top rebounder is averaging just 7.2 boards per game and the two guys they start at forward are both 6'6". Coach Mike Montgomery is really hoping for 7'3" center Max Zhang to come into his own and provide defense and rebounding inside the paint, but the sophomore has started the '09-'10 season very slowly, averaging just 4.5 points and 3.8 boards in 14.5 minutes per game. The Bears can run, shoot and score, but they're not going to have any serious hopes of overtaking either Washington team. The Bears have gone 6-3 in their 9 non-conference games to start the year, but have quite possibly their toughest test they'll face all year when they travel to Kansas to play the #1 ranked Kansas Jayhawks right before Christmas on December 22nd. Their first conference game will come just after the new year when they host the Stanford Cardinal.

Speaking of the Cardinal, they don't quite have the depth that Cal does, but they have a couple of starts that should keep them in contention and make them one of the more exciting teams to watch in the conference. The one player who could carry them is senior Landry Fields, who's started off the 2009-10 season on fire, averaging 23.3 ppg, 9 rpg and 3 apg through first 9 games. Sophomore shooting guard Jeremy Green is also an up-and coming player who's seen his game rise this year. Green is averaging 15 points and 4 boards per game. Like Cal, the Cardinal are a tad undersized, but unlike Cal, they aren't really a threat to out-score teams each night. I think they're going to be right around .500 this year and should finish in the middle of the Pac-10 standings. Now, I'm not much of a college basketball handicapper, so I wouldn't take my CBB picks to the bank, but I just don't see them with enough firepower to consistently be very good.

A's Staying Quiet in Winter Meetings

The Winter Meetings are set to wind up Thursday, and the A's have been one of the least talked about teams during the last three days. In-fact, people were pushing for A's news so badly that one source even started a rumor that the A's would have interest in bringing Milton Bradley back to Oakland, which is not really in the realm of possibility.

They have been mentioned in a few rumors that might actually have some merit though. Those rumors involved Hideki Matsui and Kevin Kouzmanoff, but they're so far of from making a move of any kind, that Billy Beane isn't even sticking around for the last day of the meetings. Beane was set to fly back from Indianapolis, the site of the Meetings this year, back to Northern California Wednesday evening, so I wouldn't look for anything to happen on the A's front until after the Holidays, most likely. Apparently the A's could look into Hideki Matsui later on down the line if the price becomes right as they have interest in him becoming their new Jack Cust; part-time outfielder, full-time DH. Beane is also said to be looking at long-term solutions to third base, where things have been a mess since Eric Chavez's injury's started in 2007. Chavez is still trying to make a full comeback, but I don't think the A's are counting on it, and they could look to Kouzmanoff as a guy to hold that position for the foreseeable future.

The A's acquisition of Jake Fox and Aaron Miles may be their lone headline deal of the winter though, and I think Fox is in for a breakout year in 2010. I am expecting him to slide in at first base or in right field full time when the season starts, and I think he's going to hit right in the middle of the A's lineup. As far as other possible additions, I do expect them to make a play for Matsui, as he really fits perfectly in the mold of guys that Beane likes to fill the DH role; veteran with power and an excellent on-base percentage. Also, it hasn't been mentioned anywhere yet, but it wouldn't surprise me to see the A's give shortstop Orlando Cabrera a 1 year-deal again if he doesn't find any other suitor. The A's need a short-term fill-in at short to hold them over until Grant Green is ready, and Cabrera is still a solid option who can bring them something in return at the trade deadline.

NCAA Hoops Underway: The NCAA basketball season has begun, and although conference play hasn't started yet, the Cardinal and Bears are already 8 games into their schedule. We'll have our College Basketball picks and Cardinal and Bears Previews soon, so stay tuned for that!

Stanford Upsets USC, Cal Beats Arizona

It was a good day for the Bay Area NCAA football teams. For the second time in the last couple of years, the Stanford Cardinal celebrated on the USC Trojans' turf while the Bears took care of Arizona at home in Berkley.

The Cardinal rolled into Los Angeles and handed the Trojans their worse loss in decades, 51-22. The star of the day was once again Toby Gerhart, who rushed for 178 yards and 3 scores, and this game really put him right in the thick of things as far as the Heisman race goes. The Cardinal had control of the game for the most part, although USC made the score 28-21 at the end of the third quarter, making for a tight finish. However, Stanford made it anything but a close game. The Cardinal exploded for 4 TD's in the fourth quarter, while completely shutting the Trojans out. It's almost as if the two teams just swapped. Stanford looked like the powerhouse of the West Coast on Saturday, not the Trojans. They ran at will, and even burned USC through the air. Freshman QB Andrew Luck had himself a successful afternoon as well, throwing for 144 yards and 2 TD's while also rushing for 61 yards and a score. The Cardinal victory has bolted them into top fifteen to number 14 in the latest AP Poll, with USC dropping to 22, and coming dangerously close to becoming un-ranked.

Up the coast, the Cal Bears were playing host to the 18th ranked Arizona Wildcats. Cal was obviously without Jahvid Best, their top rusher and offensive player, but still managed to hold off the Cats, 24-16. Sophomore halfback Shane Vereen did his best Jahvid Best impression, as he rushed 30 times for a buck fifty-eight and a TD. Kevin Riley continues to struggle though, as he once again threw more interceptions (2) than touchdowns (1). The real strength for Cal on Saturday though was their defense. They held a strong Arizona offense to just 16 points and 273 yards total offense. It's been a tough year overall for Cal, but they can finish strong as they get the surging Cardinal next week in Palo Alto, then head north to play Washington to end the regular season on December 5th.

Cal's Best Injured, Stanford Keeps Winning

Coming into this NCAA football season, Jahvid Best was widely considered one of the five favorites to bring home the Heisman Trophy in 2009. However, Cal has been somewhat of a disappointment this season, and after righting the ship in recent weeks, things got bad again on Saturday.

Not only did the Bears get upset by Oregon State, they lost their star running back and top offensive player, Jahvid Best, for the foreseeable future. Best was flipped in the air and landed awkwardly on his neck on a 7-yard touchdown run in the 2nd quarter. Best was carried off the field in a stretcher and ambulance, as it was a pretty scary looking injury. You can see in the picture to the right just how much air he did get before falling right on his neck. The good part about the fall is that he didn't land directly on his head, which could have resulted in a serious spinal injury. Instead, it looks like he's going to make out of this with a severe concussion and a slight neck strain. Coach Tedford hasn't put a timetable on Best's return, but he did say he'd be out this Saturday vs. the Pac-10's second best ranked team, Arizona.

Things have been going much better for Stanford, as the Cardinal pulled off another victory on Saturday over Oregon. The Cardinal now find themselves bowl eligible for the first time since 2001 after the win, and it looks like Jim Harbough is starting to build one heckuva program. Coming into the year, the only guy on Stanford who got national attention was their power running back Toby Gerhart. However, they've thrown freshman QB Andrew Luck into the fire, and he's played about as well as Harbough could have asked him to. Luck has 11 TD's with just 3 picks in 9 games and has totalled 2,076 yards. He's also rushed for 227 yards and a score, showing his mobility. The Cardinal defense still has some work to do to make them a more complete team, but right now, this offense can really put up points with the best of them. Next Saturday's showdown in USC could be a chance for the Cardinal to really open eyes around the nation and catapult themselves into the top-10.

12th Ranked Cal Set To Open Season

The College Football season officially kicks off on Saturday, as most the teams in the nation will play their first game of the 2009 season. The California Golden Bears will host the Maryland Terps' in a game the Bears are heavily favored in.

Coming into the season, most of the talk around campus has been about Cal's Jr. phenom halfback, Jahvid Best. The 5'10" 200 pound speedster is coming off an impressive 2008 campaign in which he rushed for 1580 yards on just 194 carries, good for a 8.1 ypc average. He also found paydirt 15 times on the ground an once through the air. A lot of experts around the nation feel that Best is one of, if not the most explosive back in the college football this year, and there are a lot of expectations surrounding the youngster. The Terps' are going to have to stop him and the rest of the Bears rushing attack if they're serious about pulling off the upset in Berkley. Another key offensive player for Cal is their quarterback Kevin Riley. The Junior quarterback has been heavily involved in the Bears offensive game plan over the last 2 seasons, but this is the first year in which he'll enter the season as the clear cut QB 1 and there isn't anyone else close to threatening that spot. No longer will he have Nate Longshore to share snaps with or compete against for PT, so it should be interesting to see how he does being in this situation for the first time. The Bears are obviously more of a smash-mouth, running offense as is, but I'm still expecting a big season out of Riley, and I'd consider it a disappointment if he fails to reach 2,500 yards through the air and at least 20 touchdowns. The Bears don't have the most stacked receiving corps this year, but they do have returning wideouts Nyan Boateng and Veran Tucker, along with yet-to-be used sophomore Marvin Jones, who the Coach Tedford has high hopes for.

Defensively, the Cal is always pretty solid and this year should be no different as many expect them to be the teams strength. They're returning 8 of the 11 starters from last year, and last years bunch was one of the best defenses in the nation as far as creating turnovers. Defensive end Tyson Alualu and defensive backs Syd'Quan Thompson and Marcus Ezuff should all stand out defensively and lead the charge for the Bears. The only way I see the Bears having any trouble controlling the game vs. Maryland is if the Terps somehow figure out how to shut down Best (they did last season, holding him to a career low 25 rushing yards) and get into the face of Kevin Riley, but I highly doubt they'll do enough of that to disrupt Jeff Tedford's game plan.

Notes: The Stanford Cardinal also officially start their 2009 season off on Saturday, as they travel up to Washington State. The Cardinal are hoping for big things from their star running back Toby Gerhart, who's having visions of a 2,000 yard season. They're also starting a freshman quarterback in Andrew Luck, who they're hoping can take that job and keep it for the next couple of seasons. The Cardinal will have their work cut out for them on the road in a tough environment in Washington, but they're facing a team in which they absolutely slaughtered last year (58-0) and I fully expect the Cardinal to leave Washington with a record of 1-0.

Cal and Stanford's First-Rounders

The MLB Amateur draft just ended yesterday, and both Cal and Stanford each had a player from their school get selected in the first round. Today I wanted to talk a little bit about those players and what can maybe be expected from them at the next level.

Drew Storen, RHP, Stanford: Storen was taken with the 10th overall pick by the Washington Nationals. The Stanford sophmore was considered the best closer available in the draft and was the first taken. In fact, it's rare to see a reliever-only go in the top-10, but the Nats felt that good about he Stanford flame-thrower. Storen has 7 saves in 2009 for Stanford, and had a 3.80 era spread out over 43 innings. In those 43 innings, he recorded 66 k's and only walked 8 while allowing 34 hits. Storen was often used for more than 1 inning at a time with Stanford though, and had a 7-1 record in 28 ballgames. I do expect to see him close as at the next level, and with that experience pitching under pressure for Stanford, he probably should be pretty prepared to move through the Nat's system pretty quickly.

-ESPN video on Storen.

Brett Jackson, OF, California: Taken by the Cubs with the 31st pick in the first round was the uber-athletic Brett Jackson out of Cal. Jackson can do a little bit of everything out on the baseball field and I was really hoping he would fall to the Giants in the second round, but that wasn't the case. At 6'2" and 210 pounds, he's got the size to drive the ball, but he's always been a leadoff hitter, so it's going to be interesting to see what happens to him in Chicago's system. He kind of reminds me of Travis Buck with the Oakland A's. Should eventually develop into a decent everyday big league outfielder that won't wow you, but will do everything pretty well. His teammate, all-around second basemen Jeff Kobernus, went just a handful of picks after Jackson to the Nationals at pick 50.

-Here is a video of Jackson roping fellow first rounder, Aaron Crow.
-Another video of a few Jackson at-bats. including a bomb to right.