(Written by kencraw)

I did most of my Spring Practice commentary in the podcasts, but I thought it would be worthwhile to put down some notes in word form as well:

Players with best practices (according to me, anyway):

• Nyan Boateng
• Michael Calvin
• Covaughn DeBoskie
• Brian Anger
• Tad Smith
• Peter Geurts
• Ernest Owusu
• Syd’Quan Thompson
• Rulon Davis (as a leader)

Units that are looking to be strong going into fall practice:

• Receiver core (came a LONG way)
• Defensive line (in 3-4)
• Secondary, particularly corners
• Tight-ends

Units that look to be weak:

• Quarterbacks
• Offensive line

Here’s some detail on each unit:

• Quarterbacks: Although Tedford dismissed it, having Longshore out for the majority of Spring Practice was not a good thing. He really needed a good spring if he was going to fully recover from last seasons hangover. Fall is just too short to fully recuperate from that. Additionally, Riley didn’t look all that great out there during practice. He’s really going to have to step things up in the Fall if he wants the starting job, particularly if Longshore starts out strong. Finally, although Mansion improved a great deal, there’s no question that he’s still raw and not ready for prime-time. Although I have great hopes for him in 2009 and beyond, 2008 will be pretty shaky if the Bears are forced through injury to put him under center.
• Offensive line: This unit looked really soft in the spring, which was really surprising to me. They were supposed to be the strength/backbone of the offense with all of the talent/experience coming back. However, in scrimaging the defense was able to successfully get lots of pressure on the QB and shut down a lot of run plays. Also worrisome was the inability to setup screen passes consistently. There are a number of explinations that exist that would give hope that the unit will perform fine come game day, everything from not being accustomed to blocking the 3-4, a particularly strong effort by the defensive line and trying out new combinations on the line being the most likely. Nevertheless, the performance of the unit suggests there is work to be done here.
• Backs: There’s no doubt that there is a lot of talent at running back. Jahvid Best, Shane Vereen, Tracy Slocum and Covaughn DeBoskie all possess wonderful talents. They’re fast, they’re nimble and they avoid tackles well. At the same time, they’re all pretty inexperienced. Nevertheless I think they will perform pretty well carrying the ball. Their weakness will likely be pass protection and route running with an emphasis on the former. While each of the 4 backs impressed during practice, they all still need to grow in the fall for the RB position to be a bright spot. Luckily at fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou will man that spot to give some experience in the backfield. With Zack Smith also having experience in a backup roll and a young pair fighting out to be Ta’ufo’ou’s successor (Peter Geurts and John Tyndall) the fullback position will be well stocked in 2008 hopefully to offset the talented but unexperienced depth at running back.
• Wide Receivers: In my opinion, the question marks at wide receiver were answered in full during spring. Jeremy Ross, Nyan Boateng and Michael Calvin all dramatically increased their stock throughout the practices. These three will make a pretty solid replacement to the ‘big three’ recievers that all just got picked up by NFL teams in the last few days (Robert Jordan signed as a free-agent to SF). With a LaReylle Cunningham making the 4th quality receiver and then 3 more developing talents behind them, the receiver position looks in very good shape particularly considering that unlike the running backs, their lack of experience is less likely to hinder their ability to contribute at a high level in my humble estimation.
• Tight Ends: With Tad Smith moving from the defensive side of the ball and Cameron Morrah continuing to improve, there looks to be great depth at this position. Add in the couple of young guys showing potential, and this is likely going to be a strength in the fall.
• Defensive line: If it weren’t for the lack of a dominant nose-tackle on the line, this would be the team’s strongest unit when in a 3-4. With Rulon Davis and Cameron Jordan on the outside, along with Cody Jones, Scott Smith and Ernest Owusu pushing them for the starting position, the defensive end position looks good. However, none of Mika Kane, Derrick Hill and Tyson Alualu have developed into a dominant nose tackle, a near necessity to make the 3-4 work consistently. While all 3 have potential, none of them seemed to make the leap this spring. Nevertheless, this unit impressed me through the spring mostly because the expectation was that they’d be one of the weak spots. Instead they looked to be mediocre with some strong spots.
• Linebackers: Everyone expects this to be the strength of the defense and for the most part they continue to be. Follett continues to be one of the best pass-rushing linebackers in the Pac-10 if not the country on the outside. Adding to the experienced group of Follett, Felder, Mohamed and Williams, all of whom performed as experienced LBs, was DJ Holt and Devin Bishop. Bishop, who had a very weak junior year, seems to have put the pieces together and may be able to challenge for a starting spot in the fall. However, beyond these 6, there was a significant dropoff. This is concerning from a depth perspective and may be the second reason why a move to the 3-4 may not be as wise as one would hope, particularly considering the surprising depth that has accumulated on the defensive line with the emergence of the young talent mentioned above. That said, the starting 4 look very strong making this one of the better units on the team if they can avoid injury.
• Defensive backs: Syd’Quan Thompson is becoming a monster at cornerback. He’s probably the most talented player at his position on the team. All that is needed is a second corner with similar skills and the secondary has the potential to be one of the conference’s best. To fill those shoes, Chris Conte, Darian Hagan and Charles Amadi are fighting for the spot. Conte has the inside track on that position with a fair amount of playing time in 2007 where he both showed his youth and his potential. Conte seemed to show the opposite in the spring being the more dependable of the contenders but also not showing the signs/moments of brilliance that Hagan and Amadi showed. In any case, while all three are young, all three will be an acceptable fill-in across from Syd. For the Safeties, Marcus Ezeff and Bernard Hicks are the likely starters and are as hard hitting as they come, particularly Ezeff. DJ Campbell is the most likely candidate to spell those two but don’t be surprised if the losers of the cornerback battle get some backup playing time at safety. Overall this unit is young as well (notice a trend here) but looks to be more than capable of holding up their end of the defensive battle.

Speaking overall, I think 2009 is shaping up to be a great year… and no that wasn’t a typo. 2008 seems to be a season full of youth, talent and too many question marks to be a Rose Bowl caliber team. A trip to the dreaded Sun Bowl seems more like the target for this team with an upshot at yet another trip to San Diego (will YATTSD ever catch on?). This spring showed a team that was growing in leaps and bounds. That says great things for the team, but also has some fine print that goes along with that.