I just watched the Podcast with Pawlawski and our new offensive coordinator. Very young and lots of talking points, without saying much. I sure hope he and Tosh know what they are doing. Seems like a risky hire, but so was Sean McVay. Glad we kept Rolo.
Jordan Somerville
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37 Replies |
Last: 15 days ago by calumnus
That's what I thought as well. He will resonate & connect with the players well, and Rolo can advise on Xs & Os if needed. Good interview.
I cant access the podcast at the moment:
1. Did he share more on what we may expect on offense next year?
What is his philosophy or approach?
How will we be different than last year? How might we be similar?
Any comments from Somerville about our offensive line?
His thoughts on the talent acquired in the portal?
I heard him briefly at a donor event and thought he was very personable.
1. Did he share more on what we may expect on offense next year?
What is his philosophy or approach?
How will we be different than last year? How might we be similar?
Any comments from Somerville about our offensive line?
His thoughts on the talent acquired in the portal?
I heard him briefly at a donor event and thought he was very personable.
I dont see it listed.Is there a link?
I'm really hopeful, and cautiously optimistic about the new coaching staff - but if I'm being intellectually honest I must admit to being a little worried after hearing the interview. While I don't think you have to have been a star player, or even a college player at all - I feel that it takes a very special person to pull off being a successful coordinator at a big (is Cal big?) program. I'm not saying that he said anything inherently worrisome - but I didn't hear anything that leads me to believe he's the next "boy genius." A lifetime of Cal heartbreak is probably responsible for my reservations.
nonamebear2 said:
Lot of coach speak.
I'm hoping as the season progresses, Paws is able to get Jordan more comfortable enough to open-up some. .
wifeisafurd said:nonamebear2 said:
Lot of coach speak.
I'm hoping as the season progresses, Paws is able to get Jordan more comfortable enough to open-up some. .
I randomly jumped to one part of this. LOTS of coach speak as you say.
We'll see.
82gradDLSdad said:wifeisafurd said:nonamebear2 said:
Lot of coach speak.
I'm hoping as the season progresses, Paws is able to get Jordan more comfortable enough to open-up some. .
I randomly jumped to one part of this. LOTS of coach speak as you say.
We'll see.
Multiple, attacking. NOYB.
Rushinbear said:82gradDLSdad said:wifeisafurd said:nonamebear2 said:
Lot of coach speak.
I'm hoping as the season progresses, Paws is able to get Jordan more comfortable enough to open-up some. .
I randomly jumped to one part of this. LOTS of coach speak as you say.
We'll see.
Multiple, attacking. NOYB.
Don't know what this means.
Oh, just looked this up. None of your business? You're right. It's not my business. I'm retired. I'm just a long time fan and just making an observation. No predictions. He may be great or bad. Either way I'll be there cheering. Never booing. Certainly some hushed grousing.
82gradDLSdad said:Rushinbear said:82gradDLSdad said:wifeisafurd said:nonamebear2 said:
Lot of coach speak.
I'm hoping as the season progresses, Paws is able to get Jordan more comfortable enough to open-up some. .
I randomly jumped to one part of this. LOTS of coach speak as you say.
We'll see.
Multiple, attacking. NOYB.
Don't know what this means.
Oh, just looked this up. None of your business? You're right. It's not my business. I'm retired. I'm just a long time fan and just making an observation. No predictions. He may be great or bad. Either way I'll be there cheering. Never booing. Certainly some hushed grousing.
No, that's what NYOB means when a coach says that. In effect, I'm telling you squat. Sorry if you took offense.
Rushinbear said:82gradDLSdad said:Rushinbear said:82gradDLSdad said:wifeisafurd said:nonamebear2 said:
Lot of coach speak.
I'm hoping as the season progresses, Paws is able to get Jordan more comfortable enough to open-up some. .
I randomly jumped to one part of this. LOTS of coach speak as you say.
We'll see.
Multiple, attacking. NOYB.
Don't know what this means.
Oh, just looked this up. None of your business? You're right. It's not my business. I'm retired. I'm just a long time fan and just making an observation. No predictions. He may be great or bad. Either way I'll be there cheering. Never booing. Certainly some hushed grousing.
No, that's what NYOB means when a coach says that. In effect, I'm telling you squat. Sorry if you took offense.
No big deal. You certainly can't convey nuance on these sites. I realize that judging assistant coaches even after games have been played is really hard. Too many unseen, unknown variables.
Rushinbear said:82gradDLSdad said:Rushinbear said:82gradDLSdad said:wifeisafurd said:nonamebear2 said:
Lot of coach speak.
I'm hoping as the season progresses, Paws is able to get Jordan more comfortable enough to open-up some. .
I randomly jumped to one part of this. LOTS of coach speak as you say.
We'll see.
Multiple, attacking. NOYB.
Don't know what this means.
Oh, just looked this up. None of your business? You're right. It's not my business. I'm retired. I'm just a long time fan and just making an observation. No predictions. He may be great or bad. Either way I'll be there cheering. Never booing. Certainly some hushed grousing.
No, that's what NYOB means when a coach says that. In effect, I'm telling you squat. Sorry if you took offense.
I might have said that differently, but I don't think Jordan wanted to discuss particulars of the offense. It will become pretty clear what his offense is once the season starts (practices will be closed). Hence my comment about Jordan opening up to guys like Paws and the fan base later. In contrast, Tosh is an open book since everyone is familiar with his defenses, so he gives a far different interview.
These new coaches don't know how any of the new players will work out.
Bobodeluxe said:
These new coaches don't know how any of the new players will work out.
And the offensive strategy will be focused on taking advantage of the strengths of the players. That has always been a smart thing to do in college with the complete turnover in personnel every 4-5 years, but in the Portal era is essential. If you land a great power back, your strategy should be different than if you have lighter speed backs. If you land a great duel-threat QB who is great at throwing outside the pocket, your offense should look different than if you have a less mobile, strong-armed QB. If you have a bunch of great WRs and mediocre TEs, lean towards spread. If you have good TEs and only one reliable WR, go with two TE sets as your base. Too often Wilcox OCs who tried to force Garbers into being a drop back passer who doesn't run, or was wedded to a power run game with a weak OL and speed backs like Jayden Ott and the Jet.
Basically identify your best weapons every year, get them on the field and put them in a position to succeed.
glad i wasn't the only one who thought it was a pretty fluff-y interview
still, it does track he's a player's guy. hopefully he's the guy and knows what to do with the ferrari he's been given the keys to
still, it does track he's a player's guy. hopefully he's the guy and knows what to do with the ferrari he's been given the keys to
i agree the interview was pretty fluffy, so I went to AI to see if there was some more to glean from his experience, and maybe he was keeping things close to the vest on the interview. This is just ChatGPT doing its thing, so take it with a grain of salt, but here is a snapshot of what it came back with:
My overall outlook
The hire looks like a high-ceiling gamble, but one that fits a trend that has worked extremely well elsewhere.
Best case scenario:
Somerville becomes the next young OC who brings modern NFL passing concepts to college football.
One last interesting thing:
There's actually one specific offensive concept that came out of the Rams/Buccaneers coaching tree that could immediately make Cal's offense more explosiveand it's something most college defenses still struggle badly to defend. If you want, I can show you what it is and why it works so well.
The concept I'm thinking of is one that came out of the Sean McVay offensive tree and has spread across the Los Angeles Rams coaching ecosystemeventually influencing offenses like those of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where Jordan Somerville worked.
It's called the deep over / play-action crossing concept.
It sounds simple, but it has absolutely tortured defenses when run well.
The concept: deep over routes off play-action
At its core, the idea is:
[ol]
Show the defense a run look Fake the run (play-action) Send a receiver across the field behind the linebackers [/ol]
This receiver runs a deep crossing routeoften called a "deep over."
Meanwhile:
Why it's so hard for college defenses
College linebackers are heavily trained to attack run action.
So when they see the run fake:
they step forward
they lose depth
the crossing receiver runs behind them
The QB suddenly has a huge window.
In the NFL the throw might be 1822 yards.
In college, the window can be massive because linebackers often bite harder.
Why this came from the McVay/Shanahan tree
These offenses specialize in making multiple plays look identical before the snap.
For example:
Formation A might produce:
outside zone run
play-action deep over
bootleg pass
screen
Defenses can't immediately tell which one is coming.
That's why play-action becomes so deadly.
Why it worked for Baker Mayfield
When Baker Mayfield revived his career in Tampa's offense, a huge part of it came from:
Did the linebacker step forward?
If yes throw the crossing route.
That simplicity boosts QB confidence and timing.
Why it could be huge for Cal
For California Golden Bears football, this concept becomes especially dangerous if:
The visual cue Cal fans might notice
If Somerville brings this system with him, you'll start seeing a pattern:
1 Tight formations
2 Motion before the snap
3 Play-action fake
4 Receiver sprinting across the field deep
When the ball hits that receiver in stride, it often turns into 30 to 40 yard gains.
Why Rolovich might make it even more dangerous
If Nick Rolovich adds some run-and-shoot ideas, the crossing routes can become option routes.
That means the receiver might:
A quiet reason to be optimistic
The truth is that many college defenses still prepare mostly for:
If Somerville installs even a portion of that system effectively, Cal's offense could suddenly look far more explosive than people expect.
My overall outlook
The hire looks like a high-ceiling gamble, but one that fits a trend that has worked extremely well elsewhere.
Best case scenario:
Somerville becomes the next young OC who brings modern NFL passing concepts to college football.
One last interesting thing:
There's actually one specific offensive concept that came out of the Rams/Buccaneers coaching tree that could immediately make Cal's offense more explosiveand it's something most college defenses still struggle badly to defend. If you want, I can show you what it is and why it works so well.
The concept I'm thinking of is one that came out of the Sean McVay offensive tree and has spread across the Los Angeles Rams coaching ecosystemeventually influencing offenses like those of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where Jordan Somerville worked.
It's called the deep over / play-action crossing concept.
It sounds simple, but it has absolutely tortured defenses when run well.
The concept: deep over routes off play-action
At its core, the idea is:
[ol]
This receiver runs a deep crossing routeoften called a "deep over."
Meanwhile:
- another receiver runs a vertical route to clear space
- a third runs a shallow or checkdown
Why it's so hard for college defenses
College linebackers are heavily trained to attack run action.
So when they see the run fake:
they step forward
they lose depth
the crossing receiver runs behind them
The QB suddenly has a huge window.
In the NFL the throw might be 1822 yards.
In college, the window can be massive because linebackers often bite harder.
Why this came from the McVay/Shanahan tree
These offenses specialize in making multiple plays look identical before the snap.
For example:
Formation A might produce:
outside zone run
play-action deep over
bootleg pass
screen
Defenses can't immediately tell which one is coming.
That's why play-action becomes so deadly.
Why it worked for Baker Mayfield
When Baker Mayfield revived his career in Tampa's offense, a huge part of it came from:
- heavy play-action
- cross-field throws
- defined reads
Did the linebacker step forward?
If yes throw the crossing route.
That simplicity boosts QB confidence and timing.
Why it could be huge for Cal
For California Golden Bears football, this concept becomes especially dangerous if:
- the run game is credible
- the quarterback can throw accurately over the middle
- receivers can run disciplined routes
The visual cue Cal fans might notice
If Somerville brings this system with him, you'll start seeing a pattern:
1 Tight formations
2 Motion before the snap
3 Play-action fake
4 Receiver sprinting across the field deep
When the ball hits that receiver in stride, it often turns into 30 to 40 yard gains.
Why Rolovich might make it even more dangerous
If Nick Rolovich adds some run-and-shoot ideas, the crossing routes can become option routes.
That means the receiver might:
- keep crossing
- settle in a hole in zone
- break deeper if the safety bites
A quiet reason to be optimistic
The truth is that many college defenses still prepare mostly for:
- spread RPO offenses
- tempo attacks
- simple vertical routes
If Somerville installs even a portion of that system effectively, Cal's offense could suddenly look far more explosive than people expect.
CalVC2 said:
i agree the interview was pretty fluffy, so I went to AI to see if there was some more to glean from his experience, and maybe he was keeping things close to the vest on the interview. This is just ChatGPT doing its thing, so take it with a grain of salt, but here is a snapshot of what it came back with:
My overall outlook
The hire looks like a high-ceiling gamble, but one that fits a trend that has worked extremely well elsewhere.
Best case scenario:
Somerville becomes the next young OC who brings modern NFL passing concepts to college football.
One last interesting thing:
There's actually one specific offensive concept that came out of the Rams/Buccaneers coaching tree that could immediately make Cal's offense more explosiveand it's something most college defenses still struggle badly to defend. If you want, I can show you what it is and why it works so well.
The concept I'm thinking of is one that came out of the Sean McVay offensive tree and has spread across the Los Angeles Rams coaching ecosystemeventually influencing offenses like those of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where Jordan Somerville worked.
It's called the deep over / play-action crossing concept.
It sounds simple, but it has absolutely tortured defenses when run well.
The concept: deep over routes off play-action
At its core, the idea is:
[ol]Show the defense a run look Fake the run (play-action) Send a receiver across the field behind the linebackers [/ol]
This receiver runs a deep crossing routeoften called a "deep over."
Meanwhile:The quarterback reads the crossing route first.
- another receiver runs a vertical route to clear space
- a third runs a shallow or checkdown
Why it's so hard for college defenses
College linebackers are heavily trained to attack run action.
So when they see the run fake:
they step forward
they lose depth
the crossing receiver runs behind them
The QB suddenly has a huge window.
In the NFL the throw might be 1822 yards.
In college, the window can be massive because linebackers often bite harder.
Why this came from the McVay/Shanahan tree
These offenses specialize in making multiple plays look identical before the snap.
For example:
Formation A might produce:
outside zone run
play-action deep over
bootleg pass
screen
Defenses can't immediately tell which one is coming.
That's why play-action becomes so deadly.
Why it worked for Baker Mayfield
When Baker Mayfield revived his career in Tampa's offense, a huge part of it came from:The quarterback often only had to identify:
- heavy play-action
- cross-field throws
- defined reads
Did the linebacker step forward?
If yes throw the crossing route.
That simplicity boosts QB confidence and timing.
Why it could be huge for Cal
For California Golden Bears football, this concept becomes especially dangerous if:It produces chunk plays without needing perfect receiver separation.
- the run game is credible
- the quarterback can throw accurately over the middle
- receivers can run disciplined routes
The visual cue Cal fans might notice
If Somerville brings this system with him, you'll start seeing a pattern:
1 Tight formations
2 Motion before the snap
3 Play-action fake
4 Receiver sprinting across the field deep
When the ball hits that receiver in stride, it often turns into 30 to 40 yard gains.
Why Rolovich might make it even more dangerous
If Nick Rolovich adds some run-and-shoot ideas, the crossing routes can become option routes.
That means the receiver might:Now the defense has to defend multiple possibilities from the same look.
- keep crossing
- settle in a hole in zone
- break deeper if the safety bites
A quiet reason to be optimistic
The truth is that many college defenses still prepare mostly for:An NFL-style play-action crossing system attacks defenses in a completely different way.
- spread RPO offenses
- tempo attacks
- simple vertical routes
If Somerville installs even a portion of that system effectively, Cal's offense could suddenly look far more explosive than people expect.
Jesus, send this to Tosh then delete immediately.
Never understood why we would only run deep sideline throws off play action, It has no effect on the CB. Play action gets the LBs and Safeties to bite, so the guys to throw to are TEs and WRs streaking deep over the middle past the safeties. Play action on "running downs" early sets up the run later.
Maybe one of the advantages of a young OC will be his ability to use AI to game plan, maybe even pre-script out drives allowing for greater tempo?
Maybe one of the advantages of a young OC will be his ability to use AI to game plan, maybe even pre-script out drives allowing for greater tempo?
TonyTiger said:CalVC2 said:
i agree the interview was pretty fluffy, so I went to AI to see if there was some more to glean from his experience, and maybe he was keeping things close to the vest on the interview. This is just ChatGPT doing its thing, so take it with a grain of salt, but here is a snapshot of what it came back with:
My overall outlook
The hire looks like a high-ceiling gamble, but one that fits a trend that has worked extremely well elsewhere.
Best case scenario:
Somerville becomes the next young OC who brings modern NFL passing concepts to college football.
One last interesting thing:
There's actually one specific offensive concept that came out of the Rams/Buccaneers coaching tree that could immediately make Cal's offense more explosiveand it's something most college defenses still struggle badly to defend. If you want, I can show you what it is and why it works so well.
The concept I'm thinking of is one that came out of the Sean McVay offensive tree and has spread across the Los Angeles Rams coaching ecosystemeventually influencing offenses like those of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where Jordan Somerville worked.
It's called the deep over / play-action crossing concept.
It sounds simple, but it has absolutely tortured defenses when run well.
The concept: deep over routes off play-action
At its core, the idea is:
[ol]Show the defense a run look Fake the run (play-action) Send a receiver across the field behind the linebackers [/ol]
This receiver runs a deep crossing routeoften called a "deep over."
Meanwhile:The quarterback reads the crossing route first.
- another receiver runs a vertical route to clear space
- a third runs a shallow or checkdown
Why it's so hard for college defenses
College linebackers are heavily trained to attack run action.
So when they see the run fake:
they step forward
they lose depth
the crossing receiver runs behind them
The QB suddenly has a huge window.
In the NFL the throw might be 1822 yards.
In college, the window can be massive because linebackers often bite harder.
Why this came from the McVay/Shanahan tree
These offenses specialize in making multiple plays look identical before the snap.
For example:
Formation A might produce:
outside zone run
play-action deep over
bootleg pass
screen
Defenses can't immediately tell which one is coming.
That's why play-action becomes so deadly.
Why it worked for Baker Mayfield
When Baker Mayfield revived his career in Tampa's offense, a huge part of it came from:The quarterback often only had to identify:
- heavy play-action
- cross-field throws
- defined reads
Did the linebacker step forward?
If yes throw the crossing route.
That simplicity boosts QB confidence and timing.
Why it could be huge for Cal
For California Golden Bears football, this concept becomes especially dangerous if:It produces chunk plays without needing perfect receiver separation.
- the run game is credible
- the quarterback can throw accurately over the middle
- receivers can run disciplined routes
The visual cue Cal fans might notice
If Somerville brings this system with him, you'll start seeing a pattern:
1 Tight formations
2 Motion before the snap
3 Play-action fake
4 Receiver sprinting across the field deep
When the ball hits that receiver in stride, it often turns into 30 to 40 yard gains.
Why Rolovich might make it even more dangerous
If Nick Rolovich adds some run-and-shoot ideas, the crossing routes can become option routes.
That means the receiver might:Now the defense has to defend multiple possibilities from the same look.
- keep crossing
- settle in a hole in zone
- break deeper if the safety bites
A quiet reason to be optimistic
The truth is that many college defenses still prepare mostly for:An NFL-style play-action crossing system attacks defenses in a completely different way.
- spread RPO offenses
- tempo attacks
- simple vertical routes
If Somerville installs even a portion of that system effectively, Cal's offense could suddenly look far more explosive than people expect.
Jesus, send this to Tosh then delete immediately.
This makes so much sense. JKS would throw for a lot of yards. Then I read this bullet point:
the run game is credible
Like the rest of Cal football 2026, we shall see.
calumnus said:
Never understood why we would only run deep sideline throws off play action, It has no effect on the CB. Play action gets the LBs and Safeties to bite, so the guys to throw to are TEs and WRs streaking deep over the middle past the safeties. Play action on "running downs" early sets up the run later.
Maybe one of the advantages of a young OC will be his ability to use AI to game plan, maybe even pre-script out drives allowing for greater tempo?
Can't wait for this program to pay someone a million dollars to ask Gemini in a panic on the sidelines "what would nick saban do???"
Interesting comments. He did coach in the NFL at Tampa. He is not a scrub…
Interesting stuff, CalVC2, thx!
Leads me to wonder:
+ how much will AI start to be used in game planning? (seems like it wouldn't hurt to use it as a reference point)
+ is that concept really "new" (doesn't sound new) or is it just that colleges haven't been using it? easy to implement?
+ what percentage of P4 teams are still using mostly spread concepts? were we last season?
(I thought a lot of college offenses have borrowed from the spread but are using a more hybrid attack. Whatever we were using last season with Harsin, it didn't seem too spread. What stood out to me were all the pre-snap things going on... too many even.)
CalVC2 said:
i agree the interview was pretty fluffy, so I went to AI to see if there was some more to glean from his experience, and maybe he was keeping things close to the vest on the interview. This is just ChatGPT doing its thing, so take it with a grain of salt, but here is a snapshot of what it came back with:
My overall outlook
The hire looks like a high-ceiling gamble, but one that fits a trend that has worked extremely well elsewhere.
Best case scenario:
Somerville becomes the next young OC who brings modern NFL passing concepts to college football.
One last interesting thing:
There's actually one specific offensive concept that came out of the Rams/Buccaneers coaching tree that could immediately make Cal's offense more explosiveand it's something most college defenses still struggle badly to defend. If you want, I can show you what it is and why it works so well.
The concept I'm thinking of is one that came out of the Sean McVay offensive tree and has spread across the Los Angeles Rams coaching ecosystemeventually influencing offenses like those of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where Jordan Somerville worked.
It's called the deep over / play-action crossing concept.
It sounds simple, but it has absolutely tortured defenses when run well.
The concept: deep over routes off play-action
At its core, the idea is:
[ol]Show the defense a run look Fake the run (play-action) Send a receiver across the field behind the linebackers [/ol]
This receiver runs a deep crossing routeoften called a "deep over."
Meanwhile:The quarterback reads the crossing route first.
- another receiver runs a vertical route to clear space
- a third runs a shallow or checkdown
Why it's so hard for college defenses
College linebackers are heavily trained to attack run action.
So when they see the run fake:
they step forward
they lose depth
the crossing receiver runs behind them
The QB suddenly has a huge window.
In the NFL the throw might be 1822 yards.
In college, the window can be massive because linebackers often bite harder.
Why this came from the McVay/Shanahan tree
These offenses specialize in making multiple plays look identical before the snap.
For example:
Formation A might produce:
outside zone run
play-action deep over
bootleg pass
screen
Defenses can't immediately tell which one is coming.
That's why play-action becomes so deadly.
Why it worked for Baker Mayfield
When Baker Mayfield revived his career in Tampa's offense, a huge part of it came from:The quarterback often only had to identify:
- heavy play-action
- cross-field throws
- defined reads
Did the linebacker step forward?
If yes throw the crossing route.
That simplicity boosts QB confidence and timing.
Why it could be huge for Cal
For California Golden Bears football, this concept becomes especially dangerous if:It produces chunk plays without needing perfect receiver separation.
- the run game is credible
- the quarterback can throw accurately over the middle
- receivers can run disciplined routes
The visual cue Cal fans might notice
If Somerville brings this system with him, you'll start seeing a pattern:
1 Tight formations
2 Motion before the snap
3 Play-action fake
4 Receiver sprinting across the field deep
When the ball hits that receiver in stride, it often turns into 30 to 40 yard gains.
Why Rolovich might make it even more dangerous
If Nick Rolovich adds some run-and-shoot ideas, the crossing routes can become option routes.
That means the receiver might:Now the defense has to defend multiple possibilities from the same look.
- keep crossing
- settle in a hole in zone
- break deeper if the safety bites
A quiet reason to be optimistic
The truth is that many college defenses still prepare mostly for:An NFL-style play-action crossing system attacks defenses in a completely different way.
- spread RPO offenses
- tempo attacks
- simple vertical routes
If Somerville installs even a portion of that system effectively, Cal's offense could suddenly look far more explosive than people expect.
This was a really interesting breadown of what we might see. Anything that brings some of Shanahan/McVay elements of an offense would be welcome. Thanks for sharing.
Grrrrah76 said:
I just watched the Podcast with Pawlawski and our new offensive coordinator. Very young and lots of talking points, without saying much. I sure hope he and Tosh know what they are doing. Seems like a risky hire, but so was Sean McVay. Glad we kept Rolo.
So much coach speak
matteye said:Grrrrah76 said:
I just watched the Podcast with Pawlawski and our new offensive coordinator. Very young and lots of talking points, without saying much. I sure hope he and Tosh know what they are doing. Seems like a risky hire, but so was Sean McVay. Glad we kept Rolo.
So much coach speak
Not dissimilar from Tosh, makes for boring listening but with young men like these I'm sure that there's a lot of truth to the mental side that the coaches are emphasizing. Nothing is going to satisfy us fans anyways until we beat the Bruins and these guys weren't paid to chat ball on podcasts
Brand new coach for Cal. Just getting to know his players. For those commenting about too much coach speak, curious what he could have said that would be satisfactory to you?
82gradDLSdad said:TonyTiger said:CalVC2 said:
i agree the interview was pretty fluffy, so I went to AI to see if there was some more to glean from his experience, and maybe he was keeping things close to the vest on the interview. This is just ChatGPT doing its thing, so take it with a grain of salt, but here is a snapshot of what it came back with:
My overall outlook
The hire looks like a high-ceiling gamble, but one that fits a trend that has worked extremely well elsewhere.
Best case scenario:
Somerville becomes the next young OC who brings modern NFL passing concepts to college football.
One last interesting thing:
There's actually one specific offensive concept that came out of the Rams/Buccaneers coaching tree that could immediately make Cal's offense more explosiveand it's something most college defenses still struggle badly to defend. If you want, I can show you what it is and why it works so well.
The concept I'm thinking of is one that came out of the Sean McVay offensive tree and has spread across the Los Angeles Rams coaching ecosystemeventually influencing offenses like those of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where Jordan Somerville worked.
It's called the deep over / play-action crossing concept.
It sounds simple, but it has absolutely tortured defenses when run well.
The concept: deep over routes off play-action
At its core, the idea is:
[ol]Show the defense a run look Fake the run (play-action) Send a receiver across the field behind the linebackers [/ol]
This receiver runs a deep crossing routeoften called a "deep over."
Meanwhile:The quarterback reads the crossing route first.
- another receiver runs a vertical route to clear space
- a third runs a shallow or checkdown
Why it's so hard for college defenses
College linebackers are heavily trained to attack run action.
So when they see the run fake:
they step forward
they lose depth
the crossing receiver runs behind them
The QB suddenly has a huge window.
In the NFL the throw might be 1822 yards.
In college, the window can be massive because linebackers often bite harder.
Why this came from the McVay/Shanahan tree
These offenses specialize in making multiple plays look identical before the snap.
For example:
Formation A might produce:
outside zone run
play-action deep over
bootleg pass
screen
Defenses can't immediately tell which one is coming.
That's why play-action becomes so deadly.
Why it worked for Baker Mayfield
When Baker Mayfield revived his career in Tampa's offense, a huge part of it came from:The quarterback often only had to identify:
- heavy play-action
- cross-field throws
- defined reads
Did the linebacker step forward?
If yes throw the crossing route.
That simplicity boosts QB confidence and timing.
Why it could be huge for Cal
For California Golden Bears football, this concept becomes especially dangerous if:It produces chunk plays without needing perfect receiver separation.
- the run game is credible
- the quarterback can throw accurately over the middle
- receivers can run disciplined routes
The visual cue Cal fans might notice
If Somerville brings this system with him, you'll start seeing a pattern:
1 Tight formations
2 Motion before the snap
3 Play-action fake
4 Receiver sprinting across the field deep
When the ball hits that receiver in stride, it often turns into 30 to 40 yard gains.
Why Rolovich might make it even more dangerous
If Nick Rolovich adds some run-and-shoot ideas, the crossing routes can become option routes.
That means the receiver might:Now the defense has to defend multiple possibilities from the same look.
- keep crossing
- settle in a hole in zone
- break deeper if the safety bites
A quiet reason to be optimistic
The truth is that many college defenses still prepare mostly for:An NFL-style play-action crossing system attacks defenses in a completely different way.
- spread RPO offenses
- tempo attacks
- simple vertical routes
If Somerville installs even a portion of that system effectively, Cal's offense could suddenly look far more explosive than people expect.
Jesus, send this to Tosh then delete immediately.
This makes so much sense. JKS would throw for a lot of yards. Then I read this bullet point:
the run game is credible
Like the rest of Cal football 2026, we shall see.
The key is that throwing early and often off play action helps make the run game more effective (credible) and vice-versa.
Under Wilcox we too often had OCs that run on first down like clockwork. The one time we didn't, with Spavital in 2023, who is an Air Raid disciple, Jayden Ott lead the conference in rushing and his back-up, The Jet, looked even better.
People here, and apparently Wilcox, assumed it was our OL coach and not our scheme and playcalling that resulted in our great run game in 2023, but when Spavital was forced out and our OL coach took over, we went back to being unproductive in our ground game, beginning with the 2023 bowl game and continuing the next year and the next (last year).
Cal_79 said:
Brand new coach for Cal. Just getting to know his players. For those commenting about too much coach speak, curious what he could have said that would be satisfactory to you?
No, it is the expectation on the part of some that he somehow owes us information that he would otherwise keep secret from our opponents. We hope that he uses coach speak and we expect him to.
My expectations with Tosh is that we get:
-better talent due to his superior recruiting skills
-more motivated players due to his high energy and intensity (no debacles like the last Big Game loss!)
If we get average or slightly above average Xs and Os, this should translate into a program in the top quarter of the ACC, roughly 7-1 on good years, 5-3 on bad, a program where in mid-November we are still in the conference title hunt.
-better talent due to his superior recruiting skills
-more motivated players due to his high energy and intensity (no debacles like the last Big Game loss!)
If we get average or slightly above average Xs and Os, this should translate into a program in the top quarter of the ACC, roughly 7-1 on good years, 5-3 on bad, a program where in mid-November we are still in the conference title hunt.
Cal88 said:
My expectations with Tosh is that we get:
-better talent due to his superior recruiting skills
-more motivated players due to his high energy and intensity (no debacles like the last Big Game loss!)
If we get average or slightly above average Xs and Os, this should translate into a program in the top quarter of the ACC, roughly 7-1 on good years, 5-3 on bad, a program where in mid-November we are still in the conference title hunt.
The caveat being that the rest of the ACC is trying to upgrade too. The ACC will not be as easy as these last two years (that we squandered with Wilcox).
calumnus said:Cal88 said:
My expectations with Tosh is that we get:
-better talent due to his superior recruiting skills
-more motivated players due to his high energy and intensity (no debacles like the last Big Game loss!)
If we get average or slightly above average Xs and Os, this should translate into a program in the top quarter of the ACC, roughly 7-1 on good years, 5-3 on bad, a program where in mid-November we are still in the conference title hunt.
The caveat being that the rest of the ACC is trying to upgrade too. The ACC will not be as easy as these last two years (that we squandered with Wilcox).
There is always going to be a lot of churn, it's the nature of college football, but programs trying to upgrade don't necessarily improve, see the UNC Belichick experiment, or Furd's new hire.
Cal88 said:calumnus said:Cal88 said:
My expectations with Tosh is that we get:
-better talent due to his superior recruiting skills
-more motivated players due to his high energy and intensity (no debacles like the last Big Game loss!)
If we get average or slightly above average Xs and Os, this should translate into a program in the top quarter of the ACC, roughly 7-1 on good years, 5-3 on bad, a program where in mid-November we are still in the conference title hunt.
The caveat being that the rest of the ACC is trying to upgrade too. The ACC will not be as easy as these last two years (that we squandered with Wilcox).
There is always going to be a lot of churn, it's the nature of college football, but programs trying to upgrade don't necessarily improve, see the UNC Belichick experiment, or Furd's new hire.
Nothing is guaranteed, but the first step in improvement is to change what you are doing and give your new course more attention and resources. Cal is doing that, other schools are doing that. Our improvement is not guaranteed either, though I am very confident we will improve in an absolute sense.
We can't control what other schools do, but I am looking forward to Cal being a much better football team in the future even if we are playing much improved competition. Or maybe because we will be playing tough competition.
Yeah, i'm not complaining. Culture doesn't create itself, right? It needs to be worked and worked until it's deeply engrained. I'm sure they all sat down as a staff and said this is how we answer any questions about scheme.
matteye said:
Yeah, i'm not complaining. Culture doesn't create itself, right? It needs to be worked and worked until it's deeply engrained. I'm sure they all sat down as a staff and said this is how we answer any questions about scheme.
One thing about the 3 pillars is that they convey aggression - maybe in the extreme. I don't think that Cal has ever been cast in that light, quite the contrary, maybe. And, if so, that has given opponents the feeling that, if they keep after us, sooner or later we will fold. This new aura is that those days will be gone forever.
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