bbmichaels

I don't think I've often witnessed a 325lb dude holding a rubber ducky...but maybe I'm just not paying enough attention. Regardless, this is awesome news. Looking forward to seeing this defense on the field.

lol I've got nothing but love for the Oxford comma.

I'm actually not a portal hater. I like adding depth and letting the competition work things out. I just have hesitancy in regard to this particular get. Optics seem to suggest that they outbid Texas for his services. How much did they spend? Might it be it at the expense of getting the next guy who might have filled a greater void or been a bigger upgrade? He's a proven solid CB. Maybe he'll end up as CB1. But they have brought in several other promising CBs via the portal already. Is he that big of an upgrade? Worth the price tag and the crowded CB room? I hope so. I'm just not blindly over the moon on this one. At the end of the day I trust Lanning, and I hope that the Division Street coffers make it all a moot point.

There was a time when I followed many Duck sports. As I got older and life got in the way that dwindled. I loved watching the Sabrina teams...but basketball has become a hard sell for me in recent years. Some of that is due to the one-and-dones in hoops, which make it difficult to get to know the team. But it's also just due to me being a CPA and not being able to watch late-season and tourament games as I'm dealing with taxes during that season. Football, besides being my favorite sport to watch anyway, simply times well for me and has fewer games, which makes for less committed time from me. It is what it is...

I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, but I wonder about the price paid, considering the competition for his services. I also wonder how the other DBs feel about it. I'm excited to see him on the team, but I can't help wondering if the cost (both financially and from a morale standpoint) is worth the difference between him and the next option already on the roster.

I'm suddenly a little scared my OC is leaving...

I think of them as the Nearly Losers. Glass half full...

This. I felt like Chip's offense had a bit of this problem as well. When teams had weeks to prepare for the pace and reads they seemed to do better against it. Maybe that was just in my head...but I agree that this applies to dealing with the triple option. It's different from anything Oregon has seen this season, but with weeks to prepare for the various looks and reads, I'm not hugely concerned.

I don't think I could reside on the "right coast" simply due to beer selection. I've traveled out there quite a bit in recent years and there is generally just one somewhat passable IPA available. We beer aficianados are very spoiled out here in the PNW. Happy New Year all! Go Ducks!

I would like to see Bryant Jr get more opportunities next year. He played a lot of snaps, which has to mean the coaches liked what he was doing out there - probably blocking effectively and doing those little things that go unnoticed. He just didn't see a lot of targets. But in his limited touches he had some moments that showed what he's capable of, such as that crazy catch and run against ASU.

BMW does rear and awd. I have an old e46 rwd that I love, and has great traction control for a rwd car. My guess is that he had rwd but wanted fwd and just didn't word it very well in the story...? I have to admit that I very much disliked JC when he was at the Oregonian but I've liked him much better since he's been out on his own. But I must say the OSU slant to the Pac-2 saga is getting tired. Anyway, tires are 90% of the battle in terms of winter driving...

...but would it be worth a lifetime of hearing about it?

Kui is our second boxer. They are such clowns, and yes, amazing with the kiddos.

My boxer Kui. Merry Christmas all!

The latest Wilner article takes a much more rational approach to the situation. Worth a read, IMO. I don't think the sky is falling. I could eventually be proven wrong, but until then, it's not worth increasing my blood pressure. There's beer and potato chips for that.

Dude, why you gotta go all Grinch on us? We're trying to enjoy the 8 days of NIL over here.

This feels a bit like the Trent Dilfer > Dan Marino debate. Trent did win the big one... I think Bo left some plays on the field in both UW games, but the losses were definitely more on the team, IMO. The other two losses don't hold water for me. GA was in another class and that game was the first for both Bo and Lanning. It was a complete destruction in all phases. For OSU in 2022 Bo was playing on a bad wheel and still did enough to win. He didn't hike the ball over the punter's head or let the Beavs run 200 times in a row. Really tough to put that one on him.

Keep breaking the tape, JPJ.

LOL - good stuff This obviously depends on if you're a "season ticket person" or not. Personally, I enjoy getting to no more than 1-2 games a season (usually just 1), as I generally prefer watching at home, and don't like to commit the majority of my Saturday to the cause. But, obviously, many fans want to be there for every game. I have had great experiences at away games (Ann Arbor was probably my favorite thus far). It's fun to experience the atmosphere elsewhere, and it's just that - an experience, much like a great vacation. Whereas Autzen is always going to be there for you in the falls to come. So, I'd probably be in the Fiesta Bowl camp on this, even with the somewhat disappointing opponent. One last chance to see Bo play college ball...

So many great plays... A couple of my favorites were: -Franklin turning the USC safety around and then sprinting past him while his head was turned the wrong way. -Bryant Jr's amazing run-after-catch against ASU, with the spin move around the line of scrimmage and multiple broken tackles.

A 6'4" corner... There aren't too many of those around. I hope he works out.

Thanks David. Fandom is an odd thing, isn't it? Why do we become so emotionally invested in something we're not directly involved with, at least not with the outcomes? I was born and raised in Eugene, and am a UO alum. I have been watching the Ducks for basically my entire life, and I can remember a time when I felt much like you describe. But over the years, and now having kids myself, my perspective has changed. I find myself more in line with what Annie and jrw describe above. And while I enjoy watching them succeed, and am disappointed when they don't, I've gradually come to terms with the reality that I have no control over the outcome. Nor do I even know the coaches/players. And their successes and failures aren't truly my successes and failures. Not to go all anti-fandom, but the Ducks winning really shouldn't give me any bragging rights, and the Ducks losing shouldn't give the fan of some other team the ability to make me feel bad. Why would they? Long story short, my sense of self-worth isn't tied to how the Ducks play - it instead hangs on my own successes and failures, and the happiness and well-being of my kids. I'll always keep up with the Ducks, and enjoy when they're good, and be disappointed when they're not, but their outcomes in no way define me. (Written more rationally than I sometimes feel - so maybe you should consider me a "recovering superfan.")

I know stats aren't everything, but isn't it just a little odd that Franklin is as good or better than Harrison in every WR statistical category, and Franklin wasn't even named a Biletnikoff finalist, and here we have Harrison as a Heisman finalist... ...apparently one of the four best players in college football, yet wouldn't even have been a top two WR in the Pac12. But, what do I know...?

I hear you and respect your take. NFL bound players skipping bowl games is mostly a recent phenomenon. Back in the day it was much less common, and kids would get grief for doing it. Now it's become common place and accepted. Bo mentioned post game that he was looking forward to the flight home from Vegas, just to have one more with this team. Dude loves college football and his team, and knows that there is no going back once it's over. He's living his way. At least once in the cinematic recaps he can be heard telling teammates to take in the sights and sounds and cherish the experience. He seemed to really enjoy and appreciate the ride, and now he wants to experience one last collegiate game. I respect that. But, I wouldn't fault him for skipping either. I'm sure he'll have some good insurance in place...

This is exactly why I got back on here today. I went to bed last night thinking I'd be on a break from all things OBD for a while, but today I found myself wanting to connect a bit with like-minded Duck fans. And to touch on the other part of the original post, had this been an open forum littered with UW trolls and super grumpy Duck fans venting, I wouldn't have been back on here. It's the dirty work Charles does "keeping the pond clean" that allows us to have these sorts of exchanges without having to sift through a bunch of....stuff....that would only further our own disappointment. Thanks Charles. That IPA is well deserved.