Cal Bears' Defensive Weaknesses Haven't Been an Issue in the First Two Games

After the first two games of the season, two of the biggest weaknesses for the California Golden Bears have yet to be a big issue.

There were two articles written about the Bears' starting outside linebackers and the secondary. 

Taking a look at the outside linebackers, starting out with the starters of Mychal Kendricks and Keith Browner, they haven't been terrible. Browner really hasn't made a huge impact yet, but Kendricks certainly has, especially against Colorado.

The other outside linebackers for the Bears are David Wilkerson, Ryan Davis, Jarred Price, and Steven Fanua. 

Here's a look at the numbers for each player this season:

Browner: three tackles and a sack

Kendricks: 14 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery

Wilkerson: Two tackles

Davis: Two tackles

Price: Four tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble

Fanua: One tackle

As a group the outside linebackers have 23 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Not a bad start for the group to the season, and with new defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast being more aggressive, these outside linebackers have helped limit their opponents to only 160 yards and five points per game.

The secondary play for the Bears has been strong as well. In the win against Colorado, two defensive backs had interceptions, and one returned a fumble for a touchdown. Although there have been catchable passes that have been dropped by the teams the Bears were facing, the secondary has allowed only 116.5 yards through the air.

Here's a look at what the secondary has done so far:

Marc Anthony: Eight tackles

Sean Cattouse: Seven tackles

Darian Hagan: Six tackles, one fumble recovery, and one defensive touchdown

Bryant Nnabuife: Three tackles and an interception 

D.J. Campbell: Five tackles

Chris Conte: Three tackles

Josh Hill: Three tackles

C.J. Moncrease: Four tackles

Steve Williams: One tackle and one interception

Alex Logan: One tackle

Total for the defensive backs: 41 tackles, two interceptions, one fumble recovery, and one defensive touchdown. Combined with the outside linebackers, the numbers go to 64 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, and a defensive touchdown.

As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how the outside linebackers like Browner and Kendricks do along with Marc Anthony and Darian Hagan in the secondary. As of right now the secondary and the outside linebackers aren't showing a lot of weaknesses.