David Marsh

This could be worse beyond even just the optics. Losing 6 players is really bad and losing more is even worse. I had to look up the numbers as I don't keep the basketball ones in my head but by the looks of it there are only 13 full scholarship players on a team... The. Some walk ons. It is possible that Oregon state at this rate might barely have a team come next year. Or it might just be loaded with walk ons... Which will create a cycle of disaster as more transfer out. This could destroy their program for years to come. We haven't really seen the transfer portal dismantle teams just yet but it is certainly coming.

I've heard its down to the NIL stuff... if Oregon can get close to matching USC then the Ducks can pull it off but the problem is how much is USC offering? An interesting trend at the moment are those historical super power programs that have been struggling as of late have some boosters more than happy to throw some big money to buy players. Tennessee, USC, Texas and I would even throw Texas A&M into the mix there. Oregon is going to spend the money needed to stay competitive but that doesn't mean they should to get into a bidding war with every recruit.

Or there is some problem with the defense where those big defensive linemen don't get to thrive. This last year KT's struggles could mostly be linked to a secondary that always gave an out route to the QB so KT never had the time to really get after the QB because the ball would be long gone before he could get there.

The NFL's overtime rule absolutely sucks when it comes to shootout type games. A defensive slugfest... sure it works... assuming the final score is like 10-7 or something like that. But a shootout it is just a failure. I know College football has its own problems with overtime. At this point I wouldn't mind them just starting OT in College Football by exchanging 2 point attempts. The scheduling of College games is so tight that it OT just eats into the next game too much. Namely... too many Oregon games were delayed or thrown on another network or whatever because the previous game went into OT.

In making the contract it could really be done in such a way to ensure less player exposure. Such as... First team can only play in the first half... Second team can play in the first half and 3rd quarter. Or running clock in the second half ... they can do a lot as to reduce the amount of time the starters are on the field. There could also be set rules for quarterbacks to wear non contact jerseys to keep quarterbacks from getting hit. As for making this a part of community relations... if there is a ticket price (even just a small one) send some of the proceeds to the food banks. In truth they tend to like cash anyways so they can buy the products they want in bulk rather than a mish-mash of cans. They won't turn down canned food. I also think that in Oregon's case that a team like Portland State would also be more regionally beneficial and community building than grabbing a team from outside of the PNW. And just playing a game that will create fan excitement and create interest for larger networks to carry a spring game would bring a good chunk of revenue. Right now the Spring Game really doesn't bring in much but it about giving back to the fans... but making it an actual game (or something that is closer to a real game) would make it into a revenue creator.

There are lots of variables that can be negotiated along the way. Like... how long should the starters play? Lots of the time the second half just has a running clock, would that be something that is negotiated in the creation of these potential games? Would the quarters be shorter? Not every FCS program needs the money the same way, I know programs like Portland State really need the cash but a program like North Dakota has some better funding. It would be unlikely that many programs would want to schedule a game against the likes of North Dakota who would probably be seen as too risky of a loss. I would also like to say these games would be optional... some programs don't even have a spring game because they just want another practice. But it would be nice to have an actual game played at the end of Spring. Granted, there are other problems like how much game prep can actually happen as most teams are just doing an install of their systems.

And the majority of those transfers won't find a new home. The top tier ones always do and always will but there are a whole lot of student athletes in that portal that have seen their football careers and in some cases college educations just come to an end.

I know Oregon and Oregon State do it occasionally but no where near often enough. It is a riot of color when they do actually play the rivalry game both wearing home uniforms. I know sometimes they don't want to do it because of colorblind individuals. I know Red and Green are awful for the colorblind. I'm not sure on Green and Orange though... I suspect it's not great though.

I think Herbert is built more for universally for any NFL team than MM. Herbert is bigger and has a stronger arm. Herbert just needed some receivers to show off his potential. I do think Herbert would fit almost any NFL team as he can really run a prostyle offense without changing up what he does best. Mariota needs a bit more of a schematic fit. Get him out of the pocket to be a duel threat regularly. Herbert leaves the pocket like any other good quarterback and does run the ball from time to time... But Mariota needs to make defenses account for his running ability in ways that Herbert does not.

The NFL seems to have an assumption that any top player will adapt to fit their system. The best GMs and coaches know this isn't the case but so many just try and force players to fit the team. We saw a similar thing with LaMike James ... He is a running back who wants to run in space but when he was drafted it was taking a good running back and putting him in a position that isn't his skill set... Slam him between the tackles. Mariota needs someone who can build a playbook around his skill set and use him to his strengths. That is the case for many duel threat oriented quarterbacks. As for the injuries... I would say many of those were a result of poor scheme and a bad offensive line than just poor play. At Oregon how many plays would Mariota run towards a sideline when the play breaks down rather than sit in a collapsing pocket and get smashed? Getting beat up by massive NFL defensive linemen is rough... Need to let Mariota opporate more to his skillsrt which might result in him only getting hot by a cornerback or linebacker.... Or he gets himself out of bounds. I'm hoping having a coach with some stability and a scheme that is built more to his skill set allows him to succeed.

Oregon doesn't have a whole lot of wiggle room still in terms of scholarships. Everyone expects some scholarships to open up after spring but as it stands Oregon I believe is still over the 85 projected, not all are on campus and enrolled currently which is why this number is fine. It would have been great to land Agude but at the same time I don't think the coaches are losing any sleep over it.

Oregon is building a floor for NIL first. Other schools are building the ceiling. We will see how this all shakes out over the long run but usually building a floor before the ceiling is better from an architectural point of view.

Lol... First practice was flawless... That's hilarious. No coach or player should ever say that. I like Dan Lanning's take on practice where players and coaches need to find something they didn't do well and grow from it. This sort of talk around USC is going to bread entitlement and I'm ok with that.

Gotta love how husky fans repeatedly just believe that the Oregon program has no ethical standards and this a regular talking point for them. I don't see duck fans make imply Washington is lacking ethical standards... Bad decision making, inflated egos, their blind delusions of grandeur... Sure. Have the huskies had dubious ethical standards in the past... YEP! But that's not this current team. Has Oregon gotten in trouble in the past with recruiting.. yep... But again that isn't THIS staff. But I guess when your team is about as entertaining to watch as a dumpster fire... Gotta try and make other programs look bad to distract from the smell of yours.

The big thing is that this is actually good for Oregon and recruiting. Even though coaches spend an insane amount of time recruiting and building those relationships they still only have so many hours in a week. So taking a few off the board because they committed elsewhere means they have more time to pursue other recruits who are actually still interested in Oregon. Oregon wasn't going to match that 8 million NIL deal. So open up some more resources for the coaches now to look at other people.

I just want to see Mariota land some place that knows how to use his athletic ability and can assemble an offensive line that doesn't result him getting demolished.

It would help a lot of they aren't running into a wall of defenders all the time. Granted this last year the run offense was a whole lot better under Moorhead's guidance than previous years. At least in a fun to watch sense.

Yeah it will... Women's basketball will have some key players returning next year and have a veteran team. Men's basketball will have an off season to deal with a very sour taste in their mouths because they know they could have been more... Altman will get the chance to reshape his team and players will buy in or leave. As for football... Lanning is in charge now and loads to look forward to... Lock down defense? Yes please... Up tempo offense designed to score points? That's back on the menu. Football is very hopeful ... I think first year Lanning and con could easily come away with a 10 win season with this roster (including a bowl game) ... And I dare say there is an outside chance of a playoff appearance... I know a playoff appearance seems really far fetched... But if they get the QB right and the defense to hold opponents to 20 points per game and the offense is scoring around 40 per game... There is a chance. The football roster is in great shape... Just need some development and to get the xs and os right.

Oregon football was that way too this year. Can't have every year be brilliant... But this year has been very disappointing from a fan perspective. Look at the bright side though... There is always next season.

I know a lot of people really hate Canzano... In truth I agreed and disagreed with his pieces but I always found I had something to talk or think about afterwards. The sports world needs people like that... Off seasons can last a very long time and that's the entertainment factor. FishDuck is a wonderful place where this is actual discussion of ideas and a dialogue instead of people just getting angry over a title. I'm not saying you have to like his work... But he is one of those people that you do enjoy not agreeing with and that can be entertainment in itself.

I don't know how long these multi million dollar signing deals are going to hold out. Some of these deals are more lucrative than being drafted in the NFL. Though unlike the NFL there isn't really enough of a resume to ensure the risk is rewarded. There are always flops even at the NFL level. However... a 63% draft rate for 5 stars is a bit of a red flag for some of the deals these 5-star players are getting before ever playing a snap at the college level. Is Nico worth 8 million dollars? Maybe... or maybe he will be a flop and not even be drafted into the NFL. Either way... the Tenn boosters will be out 8 million dollars. Some schools' boosters are very short sighted right now... they have lots of money and more than happy to pay top dollar to get top recruits to come to their school of choice. But how many of these big deals will turn into flops? And how many flops will result in boosters loosing some of their interest to pay for recruits up front? Oregon and Phil Knight are playing the long game right now... keeping the roster together to avoid some of the transfer portal attrition. Pay the players for staying with the program, pay the players for proving they are capable of playing at a high level. This is a long game... we will probably struggle with some of these recruits in the short run until some boosters decide the risk isn't worth the money.... or some sort of rules and guidelines get put on NIL.

I'll be honest OregonLive lost a lot of it's interest for me after Andrew Grief and Tyson Alger left. Those two I found wrote some good articles but maybe I'm just nostalgic from the earlier days of my die hard Duck fandom. I would read the Nemic articles when they were free and they were ... Fine... But none of the coverage at OregonLive/Oregonian is worth paying for with so many other options. Recruiting I follow close enough to know what is going on and trends but I usuay forget names until they are actually at Oregon.

Having the physical traits is important for starters and that alone will be a major factor. I loved playing basketball in middle school and high school... Never was that good at it... And I was often one of the taller players on my team so I played forward and sometimes center. Which was fine for me back then. But at 6 foot I am far too short to ever have been considered for any high level team unless I was going to play guard and even then I wasn't that fast or even good at playing guard. So the physical measurables are a must have to start with. Troy Dye was a beast at Oregon but he was a bit undersized to be a linebacker but he did work hard and did make the leap to bekng drafted. Vernon Adams was an incredible deep ball throwing quarterback. He worked very hard but he really couldn't overcome some of the physical measurables to get him in the door at the NFL. I don't think the injuries helped ... But he could really play. Measurables don't guarantee success but they are a starting point that most don't even have so it is easy to separate. It also leads to some crazy star inflation for some players... Just having those psyicial attributes make them better than those try play against at high school which does not build the needed work ethic for the next level.

Absolutely those flagrant late hits should actually be punished to a greater degree than they are... Incedental targeting is nothing compared to an actual flagrant late hit.

Sensors would be the biggest game changer. A senor itself might not tell the full story but if a strong enough impact is detected then just pulling the players off the field would do a lot for player safety.