I wonder how UCKA is going to prepare for us

CalVC2 said:

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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:

• another receiver runs a vertical route to clear space
• a third runs a shallow or checkdown

The quarterback reads the crossing route first.

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

The quarterback often only had to identify:

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

It produces chunk plays without needing perfect receiver separation.

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

Now the defense has to defend multiple possibilities from the same look.

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

An NFL-style play-action crossing system attacks defenses in a completely different way.

If Somerville installs even a portion of that system effectively, Cal's offense could suddenly look far more explosive than people expect.

---

Of your three criteria for this scheme to work at Cal
1. A credible running game
2. A QB who can pass accurately over the middle.
3. If the receivers can runs disciplined routes
I assume includes the unspoken #4 a good OLine

I believe we have #2.
Cal has often had #3 and the recruiting is positive for 2026
But Cal hasn't had #1 and #4 in a long, long time.
The jury is still out on the new recruits. But they look promising
Hope springs eternal in the hearts of the Golden Bear faithful

GivemTheAxe 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:

• another receiver runs a vertical route to clear space
• a third runs a shallow or checkdown

The quarterback reads the crossing route first.

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

The quarterback often only had to identify:

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

It produces chunk plays without needing perfect receiver separation.

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

Now the defense has to defend multiple possibilities from the same look.

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

An NFL-style play-action crossing system attacks defenses in a completely different way.

If Somerville installs even a portion of that system effectively, Cal's offense could suddenly look far more explosive than people expect.

---

Of your three criteria for this scheme to work at Cal
1. A credible running game
2. A QB who can pass accurately over the middle.
3. If the receivers can runs disciplined routes
I assume includes the unspoken #4 a good OLine

I believe we have #2.
Cal has often had #3 and the recruiting is positive for 2026
But Cal hasn't had #1 and #4 in a long, long time.
The jury is still out on the new recruits. But they look promising
Hope springs eternal in the hearts of the Golden Bear faithful

---

Re #1. In 2023, just three seasons ago, Ott lead the Pac-12 in rushing and his backup, the Jet, looked even better. Both were home run threats. We were #33 in the in the nation in rushing TDs per game. Ott was far and away our star player, the player teams wanted to stop which made Spavital's use of play action effective allowing the deep middle of the field to be open, especially to the TEs, and that became Mendoza's bread and butter, what really gave him confidence and allowed him to grow as a QB.