John Charles

Follow the leader. Perhaps that letter from former players was more spot on than we want to admit. Right now any sense of an Oregon identity appears to be hemorrhaging. The programs not dealing with this reality should consider themselves fortunate.

However flawed, he will view Anthony Brown as his best chance to cut loose on offense, and I cannot help but wonder if that freedom on offense might not trickle down to the quarterback give him the confidence to go-for-it? Would truly love to see this happen, but AB's inability to see the field makes me doubt that it will. AB had many opportunities to "operate more freely" on downfield routes, especially in third and long situations, and he appears to be incapable of seeing routes develop or to anticipate receivers coming open. Much as I hope otherwise, I don't see this changing in the last game of his 5-year career.

I fully expect Oregon vs Utah Part III. 3rd and 12. AB dumps off a 3 yard pass to a double covered receiver. Punt the ball. This one will be over before the 1st quarter. Maybe Sooner!

Great hire! I'd imagine guys like Noah Sewell, Justin Flowe, Keith Brown, etc. would agree. Lanning is a defensive guru. Look at GA's opponents scores over the 3 years he has been the DC. Hire a good OC coordinator and this is a home run hire. Watch the recruiting class regain traction in the coming days for immediate verification. Bring on the Jim's & Joes, cause Lanning knows X's & O's!

Great hire. We'll see the impact immediately with the early signing period. Hiring a top notch OC with in game management skills who recruits well makes this a home run! Gotta believe guys like Sewell and Flowe are whooping it up right now. Great to be a Duck. Let the good times roll!

Bad luck certainly played a part in denying the Ducks the National Championship in 2015. If Mariota, the best college football player in the country that year, had even a couple of his better receivers, I'm convinced we win it all vs. Ohio State. Before the season started, Bralon Addison goes out with a torn ACL. In November, the Ducks lose their best tight end Pharaoh Brown to a gruesome leg injury vs. Utah. Despite losing speedy wide receiver Devon Allen on the opening kick-off of the semi-final playoff game at the Rose Bowl to a torn ACL, Oregon annihilates an FSU team that hadn't lost a game in 2 years. Mariota's featured receiver in that game was Darren Carrington, who had 7 receptions for 169 yards. And the week leading up to the Natty? Darren Carrington failed an NCAA administered drug test and did not make the trip to Texas. Bleacher Report summed it up well: "Wide receiver Darren Carrington, perhaps Oregon's hottest offensive weapon, has been suspended after failing an NCAA-administered drug test and did not travel with the team to Texas. Now, without Carrington, who has 37 catches for 704 yards and four touchdowns this season, Oregon's wide receiver corps is very thin. The Ducks have been fighting an uphill battle all season long in terms of depth across their receiving corps. Oregon lost its most prolific returning receiver, Bralon Addison, in April to an ACL tear. In November, against Utah, the Ducks lost their best tight end, Pharaoh Brown, to a gruesome leg injury. Most recently, Oregon's most reliable and fastest receiver, Devon Allen, was lost for the year after injuring his knee on the opening kick of the Rose Bowl." I can't deny it, luck most definitely plays a part in winning a national championship, and bad luck most likely cost us one in 2015.

To quote an earlier post: No Duarte is a killer...

I watched a WA girls basketball playoff game a couple of years ago and they were perfect from the line. Something like 23 for 23. How is that even possible? Lady Ducks shot 53 percent from the line last night. How is that even possible?

I took my daughter to watch Oregon play Stanford for the Pac-12 Championship in Seattle in 2018. That team exuded confidence, discipline, & execution in all phases of the game--including an assassin like ability to knock down free throws from the top to the bottom of their line-up. After the game we went out for a late dinner and were surprised to see Coach Graves a few tables away from us. I remember thinking how fortunate we were to have him. It was truly painful to watch his press conference after last night's game, on his birthday no less. Hoping this team can turn that pain into gain and get back to the standard set by that team.

I would not be surprised to see Shough transfer. The last 2 games of the season were a huge vote of "No Confidence" in his future as the Duck's signal caller. The only question seems to be whether or not he sees himself as the starting quarterback and is willing to transfer to make that a possibility.