California Golden Bears Football: Grading the Defense in 2011

The California Golden Bears football team in 2011 has a lot of questions.

After missing out on a bowl game for the first time in almost a decade, the Bears hope to right the ship.

Head coach Jeff Tedford is on a bit of a hot seat after several consecutive disappointing seasons.

It just seems that each year, Tedford has the team looking like a championship run could be ahead, then something happens and the team falls apart.

With that said, here’s a look at how the 2011 offense breaks down for the Cal Bears football team this season.

For the defense: click here

Quarterback: C-

Zach Maynard (Colorado Buffaloes transfer) is the supposed starter for the Cal Bears, but he doesn’t have a firm grasp of the job.

Since Aaron Rodgers graduation, it has been a series of injuries, poor play and bad decisions that has left the quarterback position in shambles for the Cal Bears.

Behind Maynard is redshirt sophomore Allen Bridgford who has yet to see the field.

Unless Maynard pulls a “Cam Newton” and comes out of nowhere, the Bears will be very weak at quarterback this season.

Running Backs: B

With how great Cal has been over the past decade producing NFL caliber running backs, it’s surprising that they are only a “B”.

Isi Sofele (338 yards rushing) replaces great running back Shane Vareen who will soon be playing on Sundays.

Behind Sofele is Covaughn Deboskie-Johnson (70 yards rushing) who will see a lot of playing time in 2011.

Note: Will Knapp will replace Eric Stevens at starting fullback who is out for the season with a knee injury

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends: B

I mentioned in the previous slide how good the Bears have been in producing outstanding running backs. They’ve been pretty good at WR as well (DeSean Jackson).

The 2011 unit has a star in Marvin Jones (765 yards receiving 4 TDs) who is in the top-5 list of receivers in the Pac-12, and sophomore Keenan Allen (490 yards receiving 5 TDs) who had a fantastic season as a true freshman last year.

The Cal Bears also have a stud tight end in Anthony Miller (152 yards receiving 1 TD).

Offensive Linemen: B

The Cal Bears in 2011 have a decent offensive line, but it’s by no means great.

The unit is led by all-conference tackle Mitchell Schwartz who will need a huge senior season for the Golden Bears.

The line has a new starting center, Dominic Galas, which is always difficult.

Look for poor snaps, false starts and overall confusion for the first couple of weeks.

Overall Offense: B-

Considering the issues at center and quarterback, giving this offense is more than fair. The Bears bring back seven starters across the offense, including their three starting wide receivers and three offensive linemen.

Bringing in another new quarterback and new center will cause problems for the Bears… at least at first.

Head coach Jeff Tedford (Oregon's former offensive coordinator) is an offensive mastermind who will need to put a lot of time into this offense.