David Marsh

I would say the lack of consistency in the availability of our recievers was quite troubling this last season. Pittman was sidelined for quite some time after the first game. Then williams had a couple of break out games and was sidelined for a few games. In a year with a new quarterback Shough really wasn't given enough of an opportunity to really get in sync with his receivers as the cast was always shifting.

In 2019 Breeland was absolutely a terror on the field. Then he was injured. The rest of the TE group needed some work and were good in some areas but not others. Kampmoyer was a good blocker but until last year wasn't much of a pass catcher. Webb was/is a good pass catcher but needs developing as a blocker. Last year we saw DJ Johnson really emerge in the first few games then he went quiet. Kampmoyer returned and made some noise briefly. Last year I think it is really difficult to judge the TE group because all but Johnson were injured or just out of commission for the first several games. What will this group look like when they are fully healthy? That is the next major question. I think the Tight End position is probably one of the most complex on the field due to its weird hybrid nature. Having to be a skilled enough blocker to act as another offensive lineman but also have the ability to run vertically (not always far mind you) to stretch the defense and give your quarterback a big bodied receiver. That is a skill set that not every player has and needs developing. Yes, Wide receivers need to know how to block and sustain those blocks on the perimeter but they are taking on more knowns than what tight ends need to deal with as tight ends have to be ready to pick up weird blitzes and take on charging linebackers.

The bright side for Oregon is that it really does allow Oregon to maintain full or nearly full recruiting classes year to year. The attrition may be a problem for some as if players don't make it to the field right away may look elsewhere. However, that is where Oregon's culture is to counter that problem for the players who may truly see the field.

I feel like I wrote an article a few months ago that talked about this... Or at the least was rather similar. Still good national coverage for the Ducks.

Doesn't Oregon have a couple of walk ons in the transfer portal? Not saying they are not important but I recall a a couple entering the portal. The transfer portal is a quickly becoming a one stop shop for schools where it is difficult to recruit or group of 5 schools. I think it is more often than not a good thing for athletes because if they had loads of playing time and we're happy where they were they wouldn't transfer. So all the more power to them.

I agree and I have grown weary of shouting at my computer screen as every single news site seems to cry how Washington was robbed.

Ok ok ok.. that was some typical Husky media writing there... starts off negative.. then starts pumping the sunshine and glazing over how things really aren't bad. If Oregon was losing talent at the rate Washington is right now you know we would all be asking questions and looking for real answers. Washington has some serious problems right now but their media writers are content waiting and seeing what happens and not asking actual questions about what IS happening. We may have to play Washington at Washington again this year... but I'm sure our Ducks will fill the stadium with Husky tears once again.

Altman's team peaking right on time.

Matt Lubick ... Wide Receivers coach during the Helfrich years should get some consideration. There were no issues with the receivers during those years, yes some issues with back-up quarterbacks but the receivers caught the ball and blocked well. Though I think Campbell is probably more impactful just due to some of the big time runningbacks and his years of tenure. Though if we are talking about years of tenure and program impact Don Pellum should get consideration. Yes, he was a bad defensive coordinator but he was a solid linebacker coach. As for Cristobal's staff... Mirabal and Salave'a are the two who I have pinned as sticking with the program for awhile and will probably be the most impactful over time. Though I really can see DeRuyter staying for a good long tenure at Oregon, assuming he is successful.

The major advantage Oregon gains with this is that Oregon's basketball program is pretty good. Another Pac-12 Championship and they should be getting a decent berth in the big dance. Altman's teams are good down the stretch. That also bodes well for a two sport athlete... when those two sports are football and basketball where there can be some significant overlap in terms of scheduling. It will be unlikely that JTT would make it on the court until after the football season is over, and with Oregon we hope that is at the very earliest beginning of January at best mid January. So a basketball team that can reliably make it to the post-season does increase the possibility of being able to play a meaningful amount of time to make basketball worth it. Now what we need to watch for is if Alabama offers basketball as well. This might give Oregon an edge right now but Alabama has a pretty good team this year as they won the regular season in the SEC in basketball, though Alabama doesn't have the regular consistency of doing that. Does Alabama give him a basketball offer in order to continue the pursuit or do they just stick with football?

That is the way you really need to approach every game. Play to win and not play to not lose. The Fiesta Bowl this year really felt like a play to not lose... Coupled with a heap of indecisiveness of what they actually wanted to do with the quarterback position. Need to always play to win and if you lose in the process so be it ... But playing to not lose will end in a loss more often than not.

Being a ball control offense comes in two forms only... 1) be varied and creative because you MUST move the chains in order to maintain control over the ball. 2) the Stanford approach... Your opponent knows exactly what you are going to do and beat them anyways. The Stanford approach tends to milk the clock out the gate with very little tempo ever. Though they do still need first downs to really milk that clock. I feel like Cristobal would like to do the Stanford model... But even Stanford can't do the Stanford model anymore. The big thing I liked out of Moorhead was how many first downs created on first and second down. Oregon was actually one of the best teams during the season at avoiding third down all together. Also just think about some of those plays coming off turnovers. Oregon got a turnover in or outside the red zone and in a couple plays scored a touchdown. There is some beautiful stuff in that Moorhead playbook that is just itching to come out. I do believe though that the ball control offense has no place on the field until the 4th quarter. I'm tired of seeing Oregon letting opponents back into the game in the 3rd quarter as they try (and usually fail) to milk the clock. Score some more points and put the other team away and then milk the clock.

No... Which is why the next few years of recruits are going to be critical. Oregon is really looking at a 3-4 year starter emerging this year. Brown may start the season but the current consensus is that he won't finish the season as the starter. So if one of those young quarterbacks gets the starting job then Oregon will lose quarterbacks in the room which will make bringing in young quarterbacks to be the back-ups or get a shot as a the future starter after riding the bench behind an established starter.

I agree the pistol is a sometimes formation... a lot of teams (including the Clemson, Alabama, and Ohio State) all use the pistol.... SOMETIMES. One of my observations was that as the season went on we actually saw less of the pistol. We saw more out of the shotgun... though still too much pistol for my taste but less is better. My other hope is that with a better receiving corp it will stretch the field better. This will help open up the run game... but in stretching the field it requires both a better receiving corp to catch the ball but also a quarterback who can throw the deep throws and is patient enough to let things develop.

I'm fine with him not coming to Oregon... again he took over Washington in 2014 which was the year that Oregon made the playoff and won a semi-final game. By the way... Helfrich achieved MORE at Oregon than Petersen did at Washington. Oregon under Helfrich won... 1 Alamo Bowl, 1 Rose Bowl and a Heisman (yes... having Mariota helped a TON) Washington under Petersen won... Heart of Dallas Bowl and Las Vegas Bowl... Oregon under Cristobal has won so far... 1 Redbox Bowl and 1 Rose Bowl Oregon has won MAJOR bowl games... Peterson and Washington have at best been invited but not won them.

Losses are the determining factor absolutely. Losses count more than wins. It doesn't matter who you beat only who you lost to.

I'm feeling optimistic... I wish I had the links but I have read in a few places now that Moorhead struggled with installation via Zoom. As a high school teacher who has been distance teaching for almost a year now I can safely say that Zoom is incredibly deceptive as to how much anyone actually learns from this platform. Now, I obviously don't know the level of engagement and participation from players but Zoom just invites distractions and I am absolutely sure that the off-season was no where near as productive in terms of installing the offense as it should have been. Moorhead's results were certainly a mixed bag in 2020 but there was a lot of interesting potential. Keep in mind that it wasn't just a new quarterback but also an entirely new offensive line in terms of starters. Each game had some flashes of intrigue as to how this offense is supposed to look moving forward. Shough seemed to get anxious and too happy with just trying to run the ball rather than waiting for passing routes to develop. This worked well in the beginning of the year where defenses didn't seem to expect Oregon to have any quarterback runs. Though once they picked up that Shough would actually tuck and run the ball they closed in and were more disciplined against the quarterback run. Then Shough just didn't stretch the field with many vertical passes to force the defense to play the entire field. There are changes that will need to be made... though I feel optimistic that those changes will happen. Especially with some talented youngsters coming into the program that are hungry for an opportunity to prove themselves and see the field. Is the Spring Game here yet?

Good... We can savior those Husky tears when they lose to Oregon again... When Oregon has to play washington at Washington ... Again. We will all just remember who the Pac-12 champions are, even with a dumb system last year.

This is all the more proof that Oregon is carrying the conference right now. The two revenue generating sports of football and men's basketball are owned by the ducks right now.

The fact of the matter is that Oregon has the talent and potential to win every game in their schedule. Yes, including Ohio State though I'm on the side that it is unlikely Oregon beats ohio state in the second game of the season, it is possible for Oregon to do so. Oregon can and should beat everyone in pac-12 play. Is there the possibility of a slip-up... Yes... But this team needs to play to their potential every single game. The defense is truly loaded with talent and a new scheme needs to maximize that talent and let them cause chaos. The offense has a ton of potential and that youth needs to show up. Cristobal and Moorhead need to set that offense loose. Yes, I am saying BOTH coaches are responsible for making this happen. If Moorhead wants amother head Coaching job then he needs to prove that he still has the offense chops to do so, that does mean making sure Cristobal let's him run an offense that can score points on demand. In the end there are no excuses this year. Oregon out classes 11 out of 12 teams on the schedule this year and they need to prove it. Side note... After reading the 247sports predictions for years now I truly believe they pick the games that may have the biggest risk and make them as Oregon losses. More to prove they are not Oregon homers and can achieve an independent thought ... Unlike our purple neighbors to the north who cannot accept the notion they may actually lose a game.

Not a bad record at Oregon so far in truth... He didn't have a full spring or a full fall camp with the quarterbacks. Even then Shough was ok... Though at Oregon we are a spoiled lot when it comes to quarterbacks and simply put ok is no where near good enough. In the past decade Oregon has started the following quarterbacks... Darrin Thomas, Marcus Mariota, Vernon Adams, Dakota Prukop, Justin Herbert and Tyler Shough. Just to throw out a fairly impactful stat I feel of the most touchdown passes in a single game by an Oregon quarterback... Thomas, Mariota, Adams, and Herbert are all tied for first with 6. Harrington and O'Neil also make the list in the years 2000 and 1994 respectively. Why I love that stat is that it just shows how much of a game changer those quarterbacks can be in a game. Furthermore, on a list of 6 quarterbacks total in program history to tie for the record 4... Yes 4!... Have played for Oregon in a significant starting role in the past 10 years. We are absolutely spoiled and expect the best from out quarterbacks. Now, I am not saying we as fans should lower our standards but I think we do need to put our standard into perspective. Tyler Shough is going to Texas Tech and is now the leading man to start at quarterback next season. He'll still have to compete for the job but I want to emphasize here that other schools WANTED him after a mediocre season at Oregon because it wasn't a mediocre season elsewhere. Oregon still won the Pac-12 championship and Shough still finished towards the top in quarterback rating for the season. Though at the end of the day Shough isn't good enough to play at Oregon. Moorhead will have a whole offseason to get a quarterback ready to run the system to it's full potential... AND we should have some receivers to stress the opposing defenses to make the new starting quarterback's job easier.

I'm sure it helps sells tickets... but scores over 120 points on a regular basis is INSANE! I remember when it was a high scoring game when the game reached a hundred points, and that wasn't that long ago... in the 2000's! Key match-ups really seem more like who can put up more 3s rather than a competitive back and forth of offense and defense. I also find the NBA incredibly boring to watch due to the length of the season and then the length of the playoff. Best of 7 sounds nice... but after a long season we know who the statistically the best teams are. Major upsets are unheard of as winning 4 games in a series of 7 is difficult, especially when the top seeds have already proven they are the best through a long schedule. There are no Cinderella teams in the NBA playoffs because they have to win too many games and a prolonged slip up from a statistically top team isn't going to happen. Ughh... the NBA is a stat machine and that's about it these days. The individual games can be interesting but the overall narrative for a season is pretty boring. Each team's playoff results for the most part resemble their season. The only games of any potential interest are the finals (Conference and Finals) as those four teams might actually be able to cause an upset... but even then it turns out that more often than not, the statistically best teams win.

Then to make matters even more vomit inducing .. those stadiums are usually built with large sums of money that are raised from the local communities via taxes and other donations. Then you get teams like the Chargers and the Raiders (and the Rams? less sure on them) who want new stadiums and they opt to move to a city that is more willing to build them a shiny new stadium rather than stay in a community that has supported them for years. Professional sports are a quagmire of their own. We love them, hate them, and at times just don't know what to do with them. College teams have their own set of problems... though at least I know my Ducks won't be moving away.

Salary caps for fans are an interesting exercise of gamification of management. You have to like the logistics and finances of how programs operate and who they can add to their rosters. I'm not an NFL fan though I'll usually watch a few games a year if there are Ducks involved that I want to see... Herbert is making me into a Chargers fan and I am really hoping Mariota finds a home as a starter so I can watch him again. For most fans, me included, the financial side of things is pretty boring. I find it usually leads to disappointment more often than not as a team cannot acquire a player because of the salary cap. Now I get why the salary cap is there from a fairness perspective. Fans usually only care about salary cap shenanigans if they are playing a campaign sports game... Madden or NBA 2k-whatever (it's been well over a decade since I last played one). Where it does get interesting to manage the salary cap. Though I doubt anyone is listening to the pundits about the best way to do this to apply it to a game. I am also of the opinion that NFL teams should have a larger roster for the health of the players. If the rosters were bigger there could be more player substitutions and rotations throughout the game. Leading to fewer hits and better post-game recovery. I do know that I am probably in the firm minority in this opinion... And it doesn't really relate to your topic Charles.

I would just like to shameless plug my article from a few weeks ago where I say USC is NOT Oregon's Equal in Football. The air raid is going to hold usc back!