Tag: cal bears

Washington draft choice and Super Bowl QB dies at age 85

Joe Kapp had quite the story, and he was Ron Rivera’s college head coach.

Did you know the only quarterback to lead teams to a Rose Bowl, Grey Cup and Super Bowl was actually drafted out of college by the then-Washington Redskins?

He would later go on to become the college head coach of now current Washington Commanders head coach, Ron Rivera.

Joe Kapp who died Monday at age 85, was actually drafted by the Redskins in the 1959 NFL draft, the 209th overall selection. Twenty-three years later he became the head coach of the Cal Bears (1982-86) and one of his better defensive players was a linebacker, Ron Rivera. Rivera would play well enough as a Cal Bear he was drafted 44th overall by the Chicago Bears in the 1984 NFL Draft.

Back to Joe Kapp, the relationship between Kapp and Washington ended strangely, quite strangely. Here goes an attempt at it.

The quarterback for Washington during the previous 1958 season had been Eddie LeBaron. Perhaps Washington felt that having LeBaron they didn’t need the reigning Pacific Coast Champion Cal Bears quarterback, Kapp.

So, strange as it may seem, the legend is that after drafting Kapp, the Washington administration determined to not invite him to training camp, to not attempt to sign him. As bizarre as it sounds, it seems Washington decided to not even contact Kapp at all!

How in the world do you determine to not contact a player you drafted? What’s more when he had proven himself, leading his team to Pacific Coast Conference championship his senior season?

Consequently, Kapp pursued an opportunity to play in the Canadian Football League and play he did, making it to two Grey Cup title games, winning once.

When he returned to the NFL, it was to the Minnesota Vikings, where he led them to a 12-2 1969 record, playoff wins over the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns, before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs (23-7) in Super Bowl IV.

Back to the Redskins, two years after determining to not contact the quarterback they had drafted, Washington struggling without a good quarterback, drafted Norm Snead with the second overall selection in the 1961 NFL draft.

But after three seasons of Snead, Washington traded the former Wake Forest quarterback to Philadelphia for another quarterback you may have heard of …. Sonny Jurgensen.

Jurgensen played for Washington from 1964-74, set franchise and NFL records, and earned himself a place in the NFL Hall of Fame (class of 1983).

If Washington had contacted Kapp, perhaps might we have never enjoyed Sonny Jurgensen as a player or team radio broadcaster.

Bay Area bloodbath: chances of Stanford and Cal firing basketball coaches are soaring

It’s becoming increasingly harder to see how Stanford and Cal can continue with their current head coaches. That and more in this #Pac12 notebook.

It’s getting late very early in the San Francisco Bay Area. Stanford and Cal basketball are facing the very real possibility that they might have to fire their head coaches.

We can talk about how the pandemic hurts recruiting and the transfer portal. We can talk about how Cal has limited resources and will need UCLA to pay some money to Berkeley when the Bruins leave for the Big Ten. New media rights dollars will help cover the costs for the Bruins, so that Cal has more cash on hand to keep the lights on. We can talk about so many other things which limit Stanford and Cal basketball right now. Yet, none of this can be viewed as remotely tolerable.

One would have to think that in Palo Alto and Berkeley, changes are about to come. Two programs can’t be this dead, this adrift, this lifeless, this flat.

Stanford — which led by four points with 3:45 left — didn’t make another field goal in the remainder of regulation time and lost to Colorado to fall to 5-8 for the season, 0-3 in Pac-12 play.

Cal scored just 43 points and lost by 15 to Utah. Cal and Stanford are the only two Pac-12 teams to be 0-3 through three conference games. Cal has won only one game this season.

It’s not as though Jerod Haase of Stanford and Mark Fox of Cal are new coaches, either. Haase has been at Stanford since 2016. Fox has been in Berkeley since 2019.

Even with limitations existing at both schools, it’s hard to see how either coach will be around for the 2023-2024 college basketball season.

Let’s look at other notes around the Pac-12 in both basketball and football:

USC football: the state of the program entering November

We had a lot to discuss with @MarkRogersTV at the @VoiceOfCFB. We also had Cal insider @JakeCurtis53 to talk about the Golden Bears.

It’s the month of November. We got past October and Halloween and trick-or-treating. More than 60 percent of the college football season has been completed. If we aren’t in the home stretch, we are certainly getting close.

We have a weekly USC show at The Voice of College Football with host Mark Rogers. Our live broadcast Monday night tackled a lot of different topics. We invite you to subscribe to, like, and share Mark’s USC channel where we air this show plus our USC postgame show after every Trojan game during the season.

We will share the video of our show below, which — near the end — had a segment with California Golden Bear insider Jake Curtis of the Cal Sports Report before this week’s USC-Cal game.

Here’s a rundown of all the topic we hit on in this broadcast, which took stock of the USC program at the start of November:

Where did the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown go to college?

The Celtics All-Star was a 5-star recruit out of high school.

If you clicked on this headline, chances are you’re like the rest of us on the East who refuse to stay up late for Pac-12 basketball. And that’s your first hint as to where Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown went to college.

The answer is he went to University of California (Berkeley), otherwise known as Cal. A five-star recruit from Georgia and McDonald’s All-American, the explosive athlete only needed one year of college — another reason you might’ve missed him.

Brown started all 34 games for Cal in 2015-16, helping lead the Bears to a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. He was the team’s second-leading scorer and rebounder at 14.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

Brown struggled in the team’s first-round loss to Hawaii, scoring just four points on 1-of-6 shooting before fouling out. That was his final college game, as he entered the 2016 NBA Draft and the Celtics selected him third overall. The following year, the team landed Jayson Tatum at the same spot in the draft, forming the dynamic duo that has now led the Celtics to an NBA Finals.

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Collin Morikawa announces engagement to Katherine Zhu: ‘My love, forever’

Zhu is a former college golfer at Pepperdine with a champion tennis player for a father.

November 30, 2021, will be a day Collin Morikawa remembers for a long time.

The 24-year-old didn’t earn one of his five PGA Tour wins, four DP World Tour wins or two major championships on that day. Rather, it was the day she said, “yes.”

Morikawa got engaged to girlfriend Katherine Zhu, a former college golfer for Pepperdine, on Tuesday night, and took to social media to announce the news.

“11.30.2021 My love, forever,” wrote Morikawa, while Zhu shared, “A lifetime together forever.”

With a win at this week’s Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, Morikawa would become the No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Ranking. If so, he’d reach the mark in just his 61st start and be the second quickest to do so behind Hero host Tiger Woods, who reached No. 1 in just 21 starts.

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Cal Bear Collin Morikawa charges into contention at PGA Championship

Morikawa, 23, tied for the low round of the day at TPC Harding Park to give himself a chance to win his first major.

Fourteen months ago, Collin Morikawa was finishing up his college career at the University of California-Berkeley, just a short trip across the Bay Bridge from TPC Harding Park, site of the 102nd PGA Championship. Morikawa figures he played the jewel of the Bay Area’s municipal courses at least a dozen times during his college career. So, how much has that familiarity helped him this week?

“Other than knowing how to get here off the freeway without my phone and not get a ticket by the police, no, it has not helped me at all,” Morikawa said.

On Saturday, the 23-year-old SoCal native didn’t need to rely on any local NorCal knowledge because he played with the calm of a steely-eyed veteran, making seven birdies, including three of his final four holes to shoot 5-under 65 at TPC Harding Park.

“He played the kind of round today that I woke up thinking I’d like to play,” said former Masters champion Adam Scott, who played alongside him. “It was really incredibly solid. He was in complete control, really, of all parts of his game.”

With two wins under his belt, most recently at the Workday Charity Open in July, Morikawa, ranked No. 12 in the world, already has lived up to his advancing billing coming out of Cal. His ball-striking is sublime – he ranks T-4 in driving accuracy and third in approach proximity – and has served him well as he climbed up the leaderboard. Morikawa, who tied for the low round of the day, improved to 7-under 203, tied for fourth and just two strokes behind leader Dustin Johnson.

The difference this week has been Morikawa’s molten putter. If there is an Achilles’ heel in his game, Morikawa has struggled on the greens, most notably when he missed a 3-foot putt on the first playoff hole to lose to Daniel Berger in the Charles Schwab Challenge in June.

Morikawa credited his caddie, J.J. Jackovic, for helping him with his putting mechanics and learned from watching superb putters Steve Stricker, with whom he played a practice round Tuesday, and Zach Johnson, his playing competitor in the first two rounds. Morikawa’s putter remained fiery on Saturday, as he gained more than four strokes on the field on the greens and h now ranks fourth in Strokes Gained: Putting this week.

Morikawa made a pair of 22-foot birdie putts early at the third and fifth holes and a 7-foot birdie at 7 to shoot 3-under 32 on his opening nine. He tacked on a short birdie at 10 before hitting a road bump with bogeys at Nos. 12 and 13. But Morikawa wasn’t done yet. He rattled off three birdies in a row beginning at 15, and capped by sinking an 18-foot birdie putt at 17.

Could Morikawa nab his first major title in just his second start in one of golf’s Grand Slam events? Scott, for one, wouldn’t be surprised at all.

“He played major championship kind of golf today, and you know, it’s easy to say he’s got all the credentials, but he’s kind of proving it,” he said.

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First bowl game cancellation for 2020 college football season

It was only a matter of time until we started to learn the fate of some of college football’s postseason bowl games and Friday brought news that the annual bowl game played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California won’t be played this winter. …

It was only a matter of time until we started to learn the fate of some of college football’s postseason bowl games and Friday brought news that the annual bowl game played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California won’t be played this winter.

The game, most recently known as the RedBox Bowl was canceled on Friday and was first reported by Brett McMurphy.

The game matches up Big Ten and Pac-12 teams each year. Last year it was Cal beating Illinois, 35-20.

Since debuting in 2002 the game was played from 2002-2013 at AT&T Park in San Francisco before moving to Levi’s Stadium in 2014 and remaining there since.

The game has had a handful of names over the years: San Francisco Bowl, Emerald Bowl, Fight Hunger Bowl and Foster Farms Bowl before being named the Red Box Bowl in 2018.

The college bowl schedule now sits at just 41 games.

A safety prospect for the Jaguars in top-3 round of the 2020 NFL Draft

The Jags need help a CB but could use a starting safety out of the draft, too. Here are three names at the position who they could look at.

The 2020 NFL Draft will be next week and it will mark a crucial time for the Jacksonville Jaguars who have 12 total picks and need more talent on their roster. Over the last couple of days, we’ve been looking at some of the top prospects at their positions of need and now it’s time to evaluate the safety position.

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Here are three names at the position in which the Jags could be eying in the top-3 rounds:

(AP Photo/Sam Craft)

Round 1 – Xavier McKinney, Alabama

The trend of mocking a safety to the Jags in Round 1 is declining, however, when one is mocked to them it’s Alabama’s Xavier McKinney. At 6-foot-0, 200-pounds, he started in 13 games for Nick Saban last year and was a third-teamer on the Associated Press’ All-American team and a first-teamer on the All-SEC team.

Simply put, scouts like a lot about McKinney including his football IQ, coverage skills (89.2 coverage grade, per PFF), and versatility — playing in and outside the box, as well as in the slot. None of that is surprising when considering how Saban coaches the defensive side of the ball.

McKinney would probably be a reach at the No. 20 overall pick, however, if the Jags trade into the late first-round he’d make a ton of sense.

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Meet Evan Weaver, Cal’s unbreakable LB prospect

Check out Draft Wire’s exclusive interview with Cal linebacker prospect Evan Weaver

They say availability is the best ability, and if that’s true, then plenty of NFL teams should be looking to add Cal’s Evan Weaver to their defense.

One of the most durable linebacker prospects in the 2020 NFL draft class, Weaver recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his career with the Golden Bears, his experience at the NFL Scouting Combine, and what he’ll bring to the next level.

JM: What a career you had at Cal. You played in 49 out of a possible 50 games. How have you been able to stay so healthy over the years?

EW: I think a lot of it has to do with good genetics, to be honest. I’ve been blessed. Both of my parents were athletes that competed at high levels, and they were incredibly durable, as well. Knock on wood (laughs). I’ve been able to carry that over to my football career. I take good care of my body. I’m always putting in extra work throughout the week of preparation. I have a pretty good routine after the game and I stick to it. It’s been working.

JM: You’ve also been such a productive tackler. You posted over 400 tackles during your four-year collegiate career, including 181 total tackles this past season. That’s just ridiculous. What is it about your game that led to such tackle production?

EW: My ability to diagnose plays has been the biggest factor in my tackle production. I always understand what’s going on around me. My instincts are also highly developed. I feel like those are the traits that have really brought my game to another level. It’s transferred over to the field.

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

JM: What was your experience like at the NFL Scouting Combine?

EW: It was awesome. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s definitely something that I had been thinking about for a long time. Being able to participate in something like that was a dream come true. Every kid dreams about going to the combine. I was happy with the numbers I put up. I proved that I can play football at the next level. It was a blessing.

JM: What do you think is the overall impression that you left out there?

EW: I think I made a good impression out there. I think I surprised a lot of people with my 40-yard dash and agility times. I finished in the top two of the agility drills at my position. A lot of people thought I was gonna run a 4.9 out there but I quieted a lot of the critics with that 4.76. It’s all good.

JM: What’s your favorite part about playing the linebacker position?

EW: I love the contact. The contact and being able to command a defense. I love being the guy that has to make the play-calls on defense. I get to sit in the middle of the defense and take control. I love that. It’s my job to tell everybody what to do and to make sure they’re lined up. I absolutely love to hammer someone into the ground.

JM: Did you have many formal or informal interviews at the combine?

EW: I had a bunch of informals. I probably met with every single team informally. I didn’t have any formals. A lot of teams told me that we didn’t have to waste our time with the formals. They feel great about my production and my knowledge of the game. I guess they’re pretty comfortable with me. They didn’t need to put anything up on the white board to see if I knew it, they already know that I do.

Gabe Mayberry-USA TODAY Sports

JM: Do you have any private visits or workouts lined up, or will all of that be scheduled after your pro day?

EW: I have two private visits already lined up with the Bengals and Cardinals. We’re planning to take a few more visits after the Pro Day which is on March 20th. We’ll see what the availability looks like. A few more teams plan on getting me up there after the 20th.

JM: What was the strangest question you were asked at the combine? We always hear reports of a getting guy asked an off-the-wall question.

EW: I had one team ask me how competitive I was. When I told him that I was extremely competitive, he asked me to prove it by staring at the wall for as long as I could without blinking (laughs). That went for about two minutes and then he finally asked me to stop. He was like, “Okay yeah, that’s good, we’re just gonna stop here.”

JM: You’ve played against some great competition throughout your time at California. Who are some guys that stuck out to you?

EW: Justin Herbert definitely comes to mind. Sam Darnold was another one. I played against Christian McCaffrey during my freshmen year. He had to be the toughest running back I’ve ever played against. He was a tough tackle, but I was pretty happy that I got him once in the open-field on a punt return (laughs).

JM: When a team uses a draft pick on Evan Weaver, what kind of guy are they getting?

EW: I think they’re getting a winner, first and foremost. I’m a leader both on and off the field. You’re never gonna have to take me off the field. I’m gonna show up every week ready to play. They don’t have to worry about me. There’s a lot of Ferrari’s out there that are good when they can play, but when you only get them for eight games a year, they only give you a chance to win those eight. I’m gonna give you a chance to win all 16.

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2020 NFL draft: Ashtyn Davis scouting report

Everything NFL draft fans need to know about California safety prospect Ashtyn Davis

Ashtyn Davis | Safety | California

Elevator Pitch

Ashtyn Davis has all the makings of a ballhawk at the next level, but unlike most of those types, he can punish you with his physicality. A player who can line up in a multitude of spots on the field. He will likely need to add 10-15 pounds but can make an immediate impact on a defense. His medical re-check will be key following his offseason surgery.

Vitals

Height | 6-1

Weight | 202

Class | Senior

College Stats

College Bio

Combine Profile

Strengths

Speed for days. There is no question that Davis is fast. Had he ran at the combine, he would have challenged Javelin Guidry for the top speed among defensive backs. According to DraftScout.com, Davis high 40 time is 4.28 and low of 4.39 which would put him right at the top. When watching Davis roam the backfield, his speed shows up on film.

One aspect of his game that will help him at the next level is position flex, Davis was recruited to Cal as a cornerback that made the move to safety. Teams can ask him to play single-high or come up to cover a back, tight end or slot receiver. When needing to come up to make a play from the defensive backfield, shows off a quick trigger in getting downhill.

While Davis might be relatively green when it comes to playing the game, one trait you can’t teach is his ability to find the ball and make a play. It is one thing to get into place and another to come away with the ball. Davis is aggressive at the catch point which results in passed deflected or an interception. Can make the athletic play to snag balls before they hit the turf.

Weaknesses

While you love the physicality that Davis plays with, his game built on reckless abandonment can be troublesome. The Cal safety will need to focus on playing more under control and wrapping up his opponents. By flying to the ball, Davis can come in hot and off balance causing poor tackle attempts.

When playing near the LOS, Davis can take poor angles. This could very well be a byproduct of not playing football until his sophomore year of high school. As Ashtyn gets more familiar with film study and tendencies, that part of his game should improve.

Projection: Day 2

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