I have found David Hale’s (ESPN) ‘Saturday summary’ articles to be an enjoyable reads this season (his takes in Mario are especially enjoyable). However, there are two ways to read his comments on OBD.
First, they can be construed as maligning, worthy of tar and feathers. My take is slightly different.
This year’s team doesn’t have the flash or novelty of the 2010-era Chip-innovated teams. That’s what most of the press has expected from us. That innovation is what brought us to prominence, and helped make us most kids’ second favorite team - the team with the cool and athletic appeal.
Instead, the 2024 brand of Ducks gets down to business - the business of winning grind-it-out, in-the-trenches warfare that the tOSUs, Alabama’s, and Michigan’s of the world have fought for years. The adage “Defense wins championships” applied to them in the past, and it applies to OBD now. And let’s face it - defense isn’t flashy. Sure, there’s and occasional WOW moment, but mostly it just ‘punches the clock and get it done’.
We shouldn’t be looking at Hale’s comments as an insult, but rather as the highest compliment: We have arrived and are eating at the adult’s table.