Weekly Answers, Pt. 1

1. What are your brief assessments of backup QBs Bell, Brehaut, and Crissman thus far? What is your prediction of the pecking order? - sandiegobruinfan
I've actually been very impressed with Crissman, who is displaying a nice arm so far in camp. I haven't seen him in a high-intensity practice situation in a while, and that doesn't happen without full pads, but nice arm. Brehaut looks effective running the twos, but he looked effective in practice last season, too. He just needs to keep growing up. Bell is still learning the system, but he's had some bad passes, and I need to see more out of him to think he's someone who can make an immediate impact.

2. For all the discussion of injuries due to the Addidas shoes, are there other universities that have Addidas contracts and have experienced similar dilemmas? - sandiegobruinfan
Every school everywhere is experiencing injury dilemmas. This is football. People are gigantic and they move fast and frequently collide with other players who are gigantic and moving fast. And when it's a non-contact injury, sometimes the player is just moving too quickly in one direction. I'm not absolving the shoes or the field from any blame - clearly, something is going on, even if they won't admit it - but I don't think it's any different than any school around the country.

3. Reaction to your hometown T.O. boy Steven Slater's actions on the Jet Blue flight earlier this week? Justified or excessive? - sandiegobruinfan
The only Slater that matters to me is A.C.

4) Would love updates on Owa and Marsh - will they contribute early? this year? - Mike H Class of 90
Physically, both are ahead of the game. Someone remarked about the size of Owa's calves yesterday, and after a glance, they're huge. So are his shoulders. That's something you can't teach, and it's something that doesn't come from doing bench press and pull-downs. Those are not football lifts. Biceps don't help much in football. But calves, shoulders, those kinds of muscles highly developed? That means the player has committed to the squats and the power cleans, the non-glory lifts. Owa has that kind of build, and while he needs to put on a lot of weight, he has the raw talent to get some snaps. Marsh and Epenesa both look good enough to warrant a serious look, and given the scholarship breakdown of the defensive tackle position, I expect the coaches to thrust players into duty earlier than is ideal, simply to give the guy some seasoning. So even if Marsh or Epenesa isn't 100 percent "ready," either physically or mentally, they could get a shot. Owa has a few more obstacles in his way at defensive end - Graham, Tepa, Holmes are all still young and all are bigger now - but he's very, very good.

5) Do you think Savage would leave Bruin Baseball to coach at Suc? - BRUINBEATCH
And leave Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer entering their junior seasons? No.