Dickey: Tedford has many reasons for optimism

Top of his game: After an uneven season last year, Cal’s Kevin Riley showed improved consistency in the spring. He faces some competition for the starting spot, however, from backups Brock Mansion and Beau Sweeney. (AP File Photo)

The Cal Bears are again nationally ranked in preseason football polls — everywhere from nine to 21 in the ones I’ve seen — but coach Jeff Tedford is more relaxed in his approach to those expectations than he’s been in the past.

“I’ve changed my mind a little about those polls,” he said in a telephone conversation from his Lake Tahoe vacation home.” “I used to emphasize that we still had to prove ourselves, but now, we’ve been in this position a few times so we’re accustomed to it. When we start practice [first week in August], I’m not going to make a big deal of it.”

Tedford is more relaxed, too, actually seeming to enjoy his vacation while preparing for his 30th high school reunion.

It helps that the tension surrounding his quarterbacks is one. When we spoke in the spring of 2008, he was visibly upset over the criticism Nate Longshore was getting from media and fans. Longshore is gone, and Tedford isn’t as emotionally invested in the three quarterbacks he has now.

Kevin Riley won the starting job last summer but had an uneven year, which Tedford attributed to his problem with mechanics when we talked before spring practices.

“He was much more consistent this spring,” Tedford said. “He has to keep working on that, to stay consistent.”

Tedford has always liked Riley’s decision-making, apart from that famous brain lock at the end of the Oregon State game in 2007, so his improved mechanics make Riley the No. 1 going into summer camp.

That doesn’t mean he’ll still be the starter in the Bears’ Sept. 5 opener at home against Maryland, because backup Brock Mansion looked good in the spring, too. Mansion is an imposing physical specimen, 6 feet 5 inches and 237 pounds, with a strong arm and good speed, able to run for yardage if a play breaks down, as Riley can, too.

But Tedford had his highest praise for redshirt freshman Beau Sweeney.

“He may have the best potential of any quarterback I’ve had here,” he said.

The reality, though, is that Sweeney is probably a year away from a real shot at the starting role.

“There are only so many snaps in practice,” Tedford said. “Kevin and Brock will obviously be taking the majority of them early, and whoever is the starter will be taking most of them the two weeks before our opener.”

Jahvid Best, who did not participate in the spring, was Cal’s chief offensive threat last year. He’s healthy again and could have an even better year.

The Bears’ receivers, inconsistent most of last year, should be better with a year’s experience this season. Tedford mentioned Michael Calvin, now a sophomore, as having an especially good spring, which is important. Calvin was regarded as potentially the best of the freshman receivers last season but battled injuries all year. If he stays healthy, he can be a potent threat.

The Bears will again have several televised games, which means widely varying starting times, from 9 a.m. (at Minnesota in the third game) to 7 p.m. for their opener, but Tedford isn’t worried about his players adjusting (“They’re used to this by now”) and he certainly isn’t going to complain about the TV schedule. Coaches love to have games televised because that helps recruiting. Being on TV helps the Bears compete, which is the reason for high preseason rankings.

Glenn Dickey has been covering Bay Area sports since 1963 and also writes on www.GlennDickey.com. E-mail him at glenndickey@hotmail.com.