Summer is here, and that means we're starved for the return of football. Unfortunately, the entire month of July still stands between us and the opening of training camp, so for the time being, we'll have to reminisce to get our fix.

For this series, we're reaching back to the year 2000. Our goal is to find the best lineup combination for each program using only players from this century. Cal's run over the past 15 years has been a mercurial one -- from the heights of the Jeff Tedford era to its collapse, and then on to Sonny Dykes' upwardly-trending tenure -- so the Golden Bears' version of this "All-Century" team is filled with a combination of players from both regimes.

You'll notice that most of the Cal crew listed below reached the NFL -- at least for a cup of coffee. So this is a stacked squad that would probably be favored over most of the other Pac-12 All-Century teams:

Aaron Rodgers completed 23 consecutive passes during his college career at California. AP Photo/Paul Sakuma

OFFENSE

QB Aaron Rodgers: Jared Goff may have the majority of Cal's passing records, but the gold standard here is still this Super Bowl champion. In 2004, Rodgers completed 23 consecutive passes -- tying an NCAA record -- against eventual national champion USC in the Coliseum.

RB Marshawn Lynch: Another Super Bowl champion, another no-brainer. Cal fans won't forget Lynch driving the injury cart after an overtime win over Washington in 2006, and they also won't forget the punishing running style that later took the NFL by storm.

OL Alex Mack: Considered one of the country's best centers during his time in a Bear uniform, Mack is now an NFL staple.

OL Marvin Philip: Cal has been graced with superb center talent since 2000. Philip racked up 68.5 pancake blocks and 54 knockdowns over the course of two seasons in 2004-05 -- wow.

OL Ryan O'Callaghan: One of Tedford's favorites, this 6-foot-7, 330-pound behemoth was a road grader at the tackle position in the mid-2000s.

OL Aaron Merz: The Bears were stocked in front of Rodgers in the mid-2000s. Merz was another part of that line and one of Cal's most valuable run blockers in a very productive era for ground numbers.

OL Langston Walker: This 6-foot-8 giant anchored the tackle position for the Bears in the early 2000s before going in the second round of the NFL Draft.

TE Richard Rodgers: The all-time choice here would obviously be Tony Gonzalez, but he played at Cal before 2000. Rodgers has moved on to be a productive NFL player with fellow former Golden Bear Rodgers throwing to him in Green Bay.

WR Desean Jackson: One of the NFL's flashiest players, Jackson was lightning in a bottle back during his college days, too. He left Cal holding Pac-10 records for punts returned for a touchdown in a single season (4) and in a career (6).

WR Kenny Lawler: There were many Cal receivers to choose from for this second spot -- Geoff McArthur and Lavelle Hawkins immediately come to mind, along with the host of targets that Goff threw to over the past three years. Ultimately, Lawler gets the nod because we feel that both the Rodgers and the Goff eras deserve receiver representation here. Lawler made several fantastic catches during his college career.

K Giorgio Tavechhio: The Italian-born kicker surged toward the end of his career in a Bears uniform. Tavechhio ended up starting for four years at Cal. He delivered a stellar senior campaign.

DEFENSE

DE Andre Carter: The leader of the Hit Squad -- that was the moniker given to the Bears' defensive line in the late 1990s and early 2000s -- Carter was a dominant force who later turned in a productive NFL career.

DL Tyson Alualu: A four-year contributor, Alualu relentlessly pressured opposing quarterbacks during his time at Cal. He delivered some massive defensive plays, including a 2007 interception of Oregon's Dennis Dixon.

DT Brandon Mebane: He was a fire hydrant -- impenetrable in the middle of the Bears' defensive line back in college. It comes as no surprise, then, that Mebane is also a disruptive NFL force.

LB Wendell Hunter: He was the Bears' most productive linebacker in 2004 -- a season highlighted by Rodgers, but also one that featured a fine Cal defense.

LB Zack Follett: A true quarterback hunter, Follett terrorized opposing backfields throughout the entirety of his time at Cal. He notched a staggering 23.5 tackles for loss in 2008.

LB Desmond Bishop: Remember when Lynch drove the injury cart around to celebrate a win? Bishop is the one who sealed that overtime victory over Washington with an interception. He racked up 215 tackles over just two seasons in Berkeley.

LB Mike Mohamed: Aside from being ultra-productive during his time at Cal, Mohamed delivered one of the biggest plays in program history: He intercepted Andrew Luck with Stanford driving, saving the Big Game in 2009.

CB Daymeion Hughes: He was an interception machine: 15 picks -- four taken back for scores. Hughes gambled, but it paid off frequently for him as he lit up the stat sheet for the Bears.

CB Syd'Quan Thompson: The definition of a lockdown corner, Thompson was also excellent in run support. He amassed 20 tackles for loss on top of his seven interceptions in a Cal uniform.

S Nnamdi Asomugha: Yes, the future NFL lockdown cornerback played safety early in college before transitioning to corner, so that's where we'll list him here to fully stock this secondary. Asomugha broke up 16 passes and picked off seven more during his time at Cal.

S Thomas Decoud: A hard hitter who has translated his success to the NFL, Decoud would be a strong physical presence in the secondary of this Cal all-star team.

P Bryan Anger: NFL teams don't often use third-round draft picks on punters, but in Anger's case, the Jaguars did in 2012. He posted three of the top six seasons ever by a punter in Cal history, earning him the highest NFL Draft selection for a punter since 1995.