Cal Football: Top 10 most valuable Bears in 2009 - No. 4

June 18, 1:26 AMCal Bears ExaminerRob Calonge

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It's hard to deny how important the QB is.

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First, let me apologize for the other day.  I hate it when I make a promise that I don't keep, and especially when I do that here in this space.

Wednesday, I was at the Oakland Raiders' final OTA before training camp starts at the end of July.  Unfortunately, Nnamdi Asomugha wasn't at the voluntary team workout - one of the perks of signing a lucrative contract.

I didn't get an opportunity to speak with former Cal line coach Jim Michalczik or lineman Mark Wilson, as many of the players and coaches were unavailable for comment.

That's code for: I didn't see Wilson come off the practice field, and by the time that I saw Michalczik, he was already at the door to the facility.  In other words, I sucked big-time.

I'll do my best to make it up to you by getting to No. 4 of our Top 10 MVB's of 2009.  I'll even throw in a bonus;  Instead of recapping all of the unveiled players, I've listed them to the left, with all of the links, just for those who may have missed it.

Hey, that's gotta' count for something.

Moving on, bowlbasaur called it the other day when he brought up Kevin Riley as one of the top four.  I realize that had I put Riley a little lower on the list, the final few may have been harder to guess.

That's okay, because this list isn't about whether or not it's easy to guess who's on it.  This list was compiled to be about the key Bears for the 2009 season.  If the Bears are to fulfill the promise of the pundits are picking them atop the Pac-10, they are going to need these guys to play well.

By now, Bear Backers may have already started preparing to boo Riley if he's not playing up to his potential.  If, or even when they do, he'll be the third straight in a growing list of quarterbacks to feel the wrath of the blue-and-gold fans.

I don't know if I'm saying this first, but I'm going to say it like I am - Riley is the best quarterback on the roster.  That's why he ranks No. 4 on the list of top 10 most valuable Bears for the 2009 season.

I have no doubt that the other quarterbacks on the roster will blossom into great players while at Cal, but there's no substitution for experience.  Even with the talent that Cal has at the position, the only quarterback of the Jeff Tedford era to come in and start right away, didn't start right away.  Aaron Rodgers shared time before winning the starting job at Cal and he had game experience prior to transferring from a J.C.

If you've followed the Bears at all here at Examiner.com, then you may be aware of my arguments for the poor quarterback play last season.  In a nutshell, the transitional offensive line and the youth of the receivers played a big part in the poor quarterback play - which was only poor by Cal standards.

In Riley's stat line, you'll see that he has negative rushing yards.  Those negative yards are mostly due to sacks.  His 86 positive yards compared to his 142 negative shed some light on what he can do when given time.  Playing with a quick hook doesn't help either, and when your former starter is on the sidelines itching to come in, the hook gets a little faster.

Riley won't have as quick a hook this season, but he is already on notice from Tedford, who has opened the competition to all comers.  Not only do the Bears need Riley at the helm, but they need him to play to the potential that many scouting services envisioned when he came out of high school.

Riley had some technique issues last year and has been working to correct them over the offseason.  Tedford and the coaching staff is encouraged that he's on his way to repairing those bad habbits.

Riley has the arm required to be a great quarterback, but it's his ability to scramble that has many excited.  If he's able to get the mental aspects of being a quarterback down pat, he should be a player in the same mold of Rodgers.  His ability to throw on the run will come in handy when he gets pressure, but he'll also need to figure out when to give up on the pass and scramble for the first down.  On the flip side, he'll also need to know when to take the sack as well.

All of this is moot if Riley is unable to keep the starting job that should be his.  With Brock Mansion and Beau Sweeney hoping to take the role away from him, Riley has his work cut out.

I think he'll be your starting quarterback in 2009.  When it comes to quarterbacks, Bear Backers have experienced how important the position is to their hopes of a Pac-10 title.

There's a lot of value in that.

~ Check back tomorrow for No. 3 ~