idontrollonshobbas

Correlation is not causation but, man, DZNC lays out a good case that mirrors my recollection of the events. But I had forgotten how much better Taggart's offense and JH's numbers were. "Only three things can happen when you throw the ball, and two of them are bad." The Kamikaze Kid posted this quote in this thread. I recall that Chip said this regarding his run dominate offense. I think MC sold Mullens that his system would return to a run-dominate offense after the Helf/Taggart era, but would do it with SEC physicality. There were many Duck fans clamoring for that at the time.....advocating that was the difference in two Championship games we lost. Ground and pound, drain the clock, keep our defense off the field more after ignoring TOP under Chip and then Helf. The TCU Bowl Game really cranked up this line of rhetoric. QB's aren't going to shine statistically in that style of offense, but they can make a few big plays in the air or with their legs and be on a championship team, Bama style, and get a shot at the draft. Turns out we won a lot of games doing that......until we didn't and MC didn't adjust. The second half in the bowl against Oklahoma showed how possible that would have been. So, why not adjust and open up the playbook some. I think Mario had the Miami job locked down after the Buckeye's and didn't want to risk a loss.....which is exactly what caused the 2 Utah hose downs. Isn't it ironic, dontcha think? The good advice that you just didn't take.....who would have thought 'It figures.' Sorry, Alanis Morisette just showed up. Thnaks for the great articles, DZNC, including this one!

He ain't comin' UCLA LeBron is too big time for Eugene....call it Lavar Ball Redux

The local PDX radio geniuses were slamming the Ducks on afternoon drive today. Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose

Is 'royalty' a synonym for 'prowess' now? Asking for a friend......

I would like to see them add Peja Stojakovic's kid as a shooter to balance out this class, but I think Dana wants to keep one scholly for potential transfer portal offers

Great info, Charles and I look forward to your breakdown. I heard on the 247 podcast after the Oregon Media Day that at Georgia they are much less cooperative with the media. I remember that post-Chip, the fanbase was starved for more program access because they were used to the Bellotti era. During subsequent coaching searches, the AD put an emphasis on media relations to appease the fanbase. In addition to your astute thought, it could be that DL's general approach with the media is tight-lipped. In today's environment, I think even Mike Bellotti would handle media relations differently.

Crepea has a firm grasp of the obvious.

I would offer Reggie Rogers as a candidate for this distinction. His vileness both on and off the field was incandescent.

My caveats to losing these last recruits are: 1. Bama is a top recruiting program and we were in it until the end. 2. Oregon has a lot of interior linemen already. We need tackles---yes this kid played tackle in HS, but he's moving inside at the D1 level according to this article. Then again, I may just be talking myself down.

We need tackle body types......we have enough interior guys for a 3 deep.

Any practice report without injuries is a blessing if you ask me.

The "flipped classroom" technique brought to football.....Bellotti always said that coaches were really teachers in track suits.

How is today any different than the old days, especially at SC? Higher amounts and transparency, I'll grant you.

Seems like Dana has found his footing in this new environment and is adjusting accordingly, while also keeping long-time contributors in the fold.

The Utah quotes are what they used to say about us.

In listening to the various player interviews, from Media Day. Often they were asked about the difference between this year and last. A renewed "love" for the game, the closeness of the team, Coach Dan's football acumen AND emotional IQ are recurrent themes. I think our last coach was reasonably good at the culture stuff, but I think Coach Dan may even be an upgrade in that area....to my pleasant surprise.

Last season felt like the Blazers 1977-78 season. After the NBA 'Ship the prior year, The Blazers were something like 50-10 when Walton went down, then they lost to the freakin' Sonics in the playoffs. Flowe is a beast against Fresno and then is out the rest of the year, the defense degrades over time and we lose to the Utes with a checked out Head Coach. At this point, I will be grateful for every down Justin plays for us. I will keep my fingers crossed that he is making money in the NFL next year based off of his tremendous 2022 season in the green and yellow. go ducks

Special teams to be special.

Good to know.....ChileDuck's Depth Chart is awesome!

The rug, man.....it really tied the room together.

In terms of comparing AB to Nix last season, I would love to see an analysis of their opponents defensive "prowess" to provide the full context. I suspect that, as many have stated, the SEC overall has better defenses in general, and more top-end individual defensive players than the Pac-12. It would follow that special teams play is better too in the SEC which may have caused Nix to face worse starting field position than AB. At the end of the day though, I will take Nix' 7 fewer INT's with similar pass attempts over AB's superior running abilities. With our Oline and RB's, QB runs are less essential.

Devil's advocate viewpoint here (fair warning): Chip has always been "aloof" about recruiting. As mentioned here, his staff hires do not focus on recruiting, never have. When Pellum left OBD as head of recruiting, he didn't have a Twitter account for crying out loud. Chip hired him for the same role anyway. Chip's belief in his system(s) has led him to conclude that he can win without prima donnas. He really struggled with the Millenial to Gen Z transition which amplified all of the aspects of recruiting that Chip despises. He hired some staff to help with that (remember he used WIllie Lyles to save time on recruiting) but he would rather not have to compromise. The transfer portal could be his salvation. He and his staff can focus on game planning, scheme and coaching up players, as opposed to recruiting. He can pluck guys from the portal to fill out the roster. Portal players are by definition older, humbled, and hungry for a new start. Those players are the anti-hero archetype that Chip's demeanor handles better than the flashy kid that needs endless affirmation, BEFORE SIGNING. At the end of the day, all of that recruiting time comes with an opportunity cost which is time away from scheme/development/scouting/etc. All of the stuff Chip would rather do and excels at. Will he win a conference championship that way? Maybe, once in a while. But he will always be a pain in the ass game on the calendar who can topple a giant on any given Saturday. He outcoached Cristobal the last two times and nearly snatched a W both times.

Winning can stem the tide...but only for FB and hoops....and only if revenue beyond media rights manifests itself. There needs to be a broader revenue strategy beyond the wins, especially if non-revenue sports are to be saved. I hope I am wrong.

In several posts over the past week or so, many of us have expressed concerns over OBD losing some established brand equity (value in this sense) in this slow-moving evolution within college football. In some cases, the anxiety manifests itself as fear of losing recruits/coaches/transfers while others broaden the scope to include non-revenue sports in the discussion. Given the emerging consensus that a short-term media contract for the Pac-10 is likely while awaiting inevitable consolidation into a Power 4 conference format, the question it seems to me is: how can OBD maintain their media relevance and brand value until that new reality settles out? I am thinking a 5-year timeline and have some thoughts, but am curious what others think. Somehow, the AD and Division Street (the NIL firm) have to INCREASE their budgets from revenue sources other than media rights. If we can remain competitive with national coaching salaries and NIL deals, then we have a chance to remain in the top tier based on winning results. But how? Uncle Phil? It seems wishful to assume he will do it alone. Even relying on the usual suspects of Duck benefactors seems insufficient. And that is just to keep men's FB and BB competitive. Do we play some OOC away games in LA? How about all-access packages for major donors that include gameday exposure to the HD Complex, press box, post-game locker room, bespoke Nike gear, etc. similar to the experience a recruit's family gets? Can we financialize OBD to attract investors? Do we target ex-athletes with sports businesses as sponsors for non-revenue sports Oregon Men's Golf, brought to you by Peter Jacobsen Sports? It's 'Break Glass in Case of Emergency Time' it seems to me.....and money solves a lot of problems. What options do we have?

Fresno with Butterfield would be a tough squad.