1Funduck

I thought the article was spot on. I don't like it but it's the truth. First off, if you can't beat'em, join'em is a horrible strategy. It's consolidating most of the high prowess programs thus guaranteeing that an SEC team will most likely be in the playoffs with a higher than average chance of winning it all. Oklahoma, Michigan, Texas, USC, tOSU, and Clemson all have the horses to compete, but just haven't got the coaching to rip the reigns from Saban. LSU had a nice run and Georgia looks incredible this year. I guess what I'm saying is that the SEC does get the players and Alabama tends to win the recruiting wars, however, Saban is the King of Coaching. Not only does he get the recruits, but he gets those kids to 'WANT' to run through walls for him. Pete Carroll was that at USC. The top shelf recruits combined with a Top shelf Coach. The second point I feel is spot on. Oregon is NOT in the article. Should they be? The article is about who is dominating the CFP. I want the Ducks to win it all. But, I'm not blind either. We are just now starting to get the horses to look like we can compete year in and year out for a spot at the playoffs. Our previous runs were not based on players so much as on scheme. We wore teams out with the sheer number of plays thrown at them. It was tempo and speed. Yes, we should have won a game here and there, but the argument is whether we have given a body of work worthy of this article. I have to concede, no. Oregon has NOT looked like a Championship caliber team for about 7/8 years. Shoot, we even had a losing year in there. That doesn't happen with a top tier program, a consistent championship program. This is why Oregon wasn't mentioned and quite frankly shouldn't be. But, I believe that is all about to change. The dream team of recruiters mated to an SEC defensive mind should start to reap a harvest of dominate wins and respectable entries into the CFP. This is the strategy that I think college football should employ. If you don't like losing, get better players and better coaches. The SEC tolerates NO losing. Coaches don't last with an 8-4 record. You know why all the other conferences are mediocre? Because they don't put a premium on coaching. Case in point, Oregon has notoriously had professors complain about how much the athletic department gets and how little academics get. It's only been very recently that Oregon has committed their pocket book to winning. It's only been the last 20 years. I'm not here to argue the finer points, but this shows the commitment to winning that a school has. You can have a winning scholastic program, just hire the best minds in the field you want to dominate. The smartest minds in the field of study should be the mantra if you want to be the best school for producing the best minds. Now, what we need is the same mentality and commitment to athletics on the grid iron. I believe it's been growing and we have finally gotten the right combo for it. We don't need more schools in our conference. We don't need to bolt from this conference. We NEED to commit to winning. I believe Oregon just proved they have done just that with the coaching hire and the team just assembled. Oregon has/can/will get the players. Now, all Oregon needs to do is get the Rings.

Looking West

Thankfully AB didn't throw the deep ball often, because when he did...... ugh.

I'm still trying to understand why anybody believes DD and his grades? Pure Click Bate. Reminds me of all the pundits saying Justin Herbert wouldn't pan out in the NFL because he's never taken a snap under center. WhaaaaaaAaaaaaat?!!!!!

Stunned isn't even the word. You all know what's coming next. A full roster of millionares. Yep, count on it. It's coming. You want the top player at every position? $1 million gets him. It's only $85 million a year to support that roster. Yeah, I'm being facetious, maybe, kinda, well?

I definitely do NOT want expansion. At this point it would bring nothing to the conference. We had a chance with Texas and Oklahoma schools but couldn't make that work. What school this side of the Mississippi could you call a Pacific School and be worth integrating? Nah, let's just keep it the way it is. Numerically its perfect. We play 1/3 of the South every year thereby playing them all every 3. Get 4 games in non con with one of them a high profile game. If the PAC is good then they will win. We don't need more schools to get better, we need more wins in the bowl games to be perceived as better and that in turn brings in more recruits.

I think he gives a serious look at USC since he has 3 years of play left and SC can get back to relevancy by then. But, Georgia is the Natty move.

You touch on a beautiful point and thread. Continuity in coaching is linked to mediocrity over the long term. Eventually, if you have great position coaches then somebody wants to promote them at another school. It's actually a complement, although I want excellence forever. Saban's coaches are constantly getting new jobs everywhere. Why? Because they are getting promoted, because they are good at what they do. It's the nature of the beast. Do really well and everyone wants to replicate you. But, if you have been a perennial loser for 100 years with a good year here and there then keeping a coach from leaving over 15-20 years isn't hard. And when said coach starts bringing winning seasons in succession, well now. He's the best thing since sliced bread. Brooks and Bellotti, I was more during the time of Bellotti, brought average up a notch. Bellotti took above average and labeled them 'Potential'. Still, Oregon has been above average these past 10+ years. How so? It was an outsider that did it. It was not from within. Two Natty runs followed by a losing season and then some 10 win seasons makes me grade them out as 'Above Average'. Elite? No. Coaching consistency is important. Head Coaching consistency is important. If any of the coaches would have left sans Mario Cristobal, then we would most likely not have had the Exodus for our 2022 recruits. But Mario goes and so does 2022 recruits. If we don't get a solid HC then we turn into SC. Great players but no leadership. I truly hope DL considers this a long term stay. If he does, then I believe that his stability will produce playoff runs, yeah I said Runs.

Loving all the POV's in this thread, lot's to ponder for sure. I for one don't blame MC for leaving. nor do I look ill on any person moving on, player or coach. But, since we are talking coaches, the tenure of the coach is directly Reflecting on the AD. The AD has a responsibility to identify the right person for the job. Character, discipline, knowledge of the game, application along with results is mandatory. Money along with destination is a factor as well. Let me clear with my opinion. Coaches do Not, and we should Not, expect exclusive devotion to any said school beyond what fits for both Coach and AD. We have a responsibility to give it our all when we are hired. Be the best you can be. We should expect no less from the Coach. But, if any or all the metrics don't change, then you have the right to ponder options. Loyalty goes both ways. And, it's a business. No one is coming to Oregon because of pure loyalty, except the kids who are "paying" to come here. If you are getting paid, then your loyalty is clear. It's to yourself and your family. This isn't a cynical outlook, it's simply a reality. Every single player wants to win, not lose. Every Coach goes to work trying to win every single game, not just most of them. And, every team should aspire to greatness! A National Championship should be every team members dream. If it's not, then why are you playing? My view of loyalty is not a losing season. As a fan I want a winning season. If the Coach takes us to an 8-4 season, are we loyal? How about a 10-2 season? Are we still loyal? If we are being honest with ourselves, our loyalty is in segments. Loyal to the school. Loyal to the team. Loyal to the Coach and players. We can be loyal to the team but expect greatness from the players and Coaches. If not, then they are hurting the team with their contributions. Replacing them becomes necessary. This is loyalty to the team, and be extension loyalty to ourselves. We demand a winning program. So, if the Coach wishes to stay or go, he has that right according to what he's loyal to the most, himself and his family. We should not expect any more than we expect from ourselves.

Junior Adams Appears Set to Join Oregon Coaching Staff - Sports Illustrated Washington Huskies News, Analysis and More

That QB knows how to throw a receiver OPEN!!

Anthony Brown was average at best in Q1. After throwing a pick in the first quarter, I was done. But, it wasn't entirely AB's fault. I still was muttering 'next guy up'. Q2 wasn't any better. The only thing I was muttering was 'Ty Thompson, Butterfield, anybody'! Then Anthony Brown stayed inside his wheel house. It became a beautiful thing. Q3 happened. AB owned his mistakes and lack of play making ability and then.....tuned out the noise. He ...flat...out...shredded OU's defense. His errors were nearly nonexistent. He had only one overthrow. That is quite acceptable. His other throws were on target and his receivers did their job. AB had a clear TD and our receiver decided he wasn't going to lay out for it in the end zone. I was floored!!! AB should have another reception AND TD to his stats. Oregon with 3 points in the 1st half and OU 30. But the second half? 29-17. And it wasn't even THAT close. Oregon should have 1 more TD due to a missed effort in the end zone. It should be 36-17 in the 2nd half. WELL DONE AB! I saw very good QB play from AB. And I would say that AB and Caleb Williams played about equal last night. 1st half goes to CW. 2nd half was owned by AB. What would have happened if we had anything resembling a 2 deep roster on defense and a receiver lay out for a TD catch in the end zone? Man, we are going to be real good next year.

Our offensive line is no slouch! We ran all over OU. AB actually had a good game and aired it out with some nice consistency. 2 TD's that emphasized Oregon is stinking good in the receiver dept. But our defense was running on a shoe string. They played TREMENDOUS!!! Holding OU to 6 points, and on a turn over no less, in the first quarter was a beautiful scheme to watch. I loved it! Caleb Williams is an incredible freshman QB. But he wasn't a world beater. AB played about the same. Our defense just didn't have the horses to keep up. A ding here and a stinger there and we see players we have never seen before. I have a question. How on earth did Oregon put 30+ points on OU and keep OU to 17 points in the 2nd half with all those newbies? We...Are.....Stinking...LOADED on defense with high quality players. And we have some receivers with glue and magnets on their gloves. Crocker? Oh boy!! Thornton? Good night! Yeah, I'm very stoked about this squad come next September.

Oregon 38-31 1,1,250

The beauty of writing. Thx for the reply HD. This is why I love coming here. Express your POV and have a civil yet spirited discussion. I will agree, how the coaches handled the offense over the last few years is a head scratcher at best. Our production slips over that time and one should be looking at the Coaches. Coaches develop players by identifying strengths and weaknesses. For example, if a kid is recruited to Oregon as a mid distance runner, but once arriving here is found out that he excels at long distance but never really tried it, then do we slate him in the 400m? Coaching can ruin an athlete. But the athlete has a responsibility as well. That said athlete has limitations that are exposed through practice and the season. If the athlete keeps making poor decisions, regardless of reason, then the Coaches have to make the hard decision to put the team first and reassign the athlete. I believe there is criticism to go around with our offensive play this year. In actuality, it's a 3-4 year sampling that has been adding pressure and finally come to the top of everyone's attention only after MC left. We saw the product but were hopeful with the high quality roster. And, maybe that is the rub. We have never had such talent on our roster, never. But, this roster was set up for power. It's not set up for stellar offensive numbers, at least not yet. I loved seeing the transformation and didn't second guess it even last year with a bizarre back door entry into the PAC championship game. But, this year saw a roster that was primed with enough experience and talent that everyone expected a reasonable run for the PAC. But, every game seemed to be too much of a struggle. Stony Brook was an eye opener. Fresno State I was shaking my head in the 4th quarter. tOSU was a beautiful game top to bottom with only one seeming weakness. I truly believed we were going to lose that game by 10+ at kickoff. Then over the next 9 games we saw evidence of weakness spattered through the year. Was it the run game? No. Run game did well until Utah. What is the common denominator? Overthrows, missed open receivers, not throwing receivers open. Maybe this QB play is rooted in poor schemes. I'm not smart enough to identify a team in such depth. But when the play breaks down or a receiver breaks loose, can the QB take advantage? Tonight, I sure hope so. If AB is the talent that some believe he is, then he will tune out the noise and showcase his talents for one of the best interviews for an NFL job. His play depends on it.

What am I looking for? I'm looking for the playbook to be opened. I'm looking for a masterful usage of Anthony Brown. Coach his strengths on the field. Allow him to finish his career at Oregon standing on the strengths of his game. He can win this and he can win big if the coaching staff will let him. I'm also looking for a defense to test Oklahoma. I remember some 20 years ago how some 2 and 3* kids struggled to be effective until they were juniors. Now? We have the Beef and the Gazelle's to play with anyone. Specifically, I'm looking for defensive line play and serious penetration thereby disrupting timing of OU offense. I'm not worried at all with backfield play. Noah and company can mitigate Caleb well enough to slow the offense. I personally see this game as being a very good product on the field. Both are high quality and caliber programs with high quality athletes. I'm stoked about the game. 38-34 Oregon

Haywarduck; My fellow fan. You mention a point of view that touches me as a Grandpa. One day my grandchild will display his efforts in any given task at school and I will be there to root him on. I'll be first in line for the recorder presentation. I'll take off work for all the graduations. I'll enjoy imparting my experiences in life to any willing ear. After all, my grandchild is learning in life, and family should be there at every turn. But there comes a time in life when we are held accountable for our actions. This isn't an angry point of view, nor is it some demented viewpoint where winning is everything, because it's not. Children are required by law to get a 10th grade education. They are also not even close to developed mentally, emotionally, or physically. Up to this point, they have had little choice in life about their life. But, by the age of 18 they have a choice to make. Do you wish to lend your talents to a school in exchange for a full ride education? The cash value is somewhere in the vicinity of $40,000.00 per year. $200,000.00 for the full ride scholarship is the payment for bringing this kids services to the great school of Oregon for 5 years. This is a choice. His choice. To accost a student athlete is not right. To accost anyone is not right. But, that's not what anyone here is doing. I would like to think that everyone who has an opinion about the abilities of any said player can express them at will. So far, I have seen, read, or heard no reason to think that Anthony Brown isn't a fine human being. An excellent man is a phrase that comes to mind. I do not know him. But, he seems to be gracious and polite. He clearly has his team behind him. But, Anthony Brown entered the real world where life has consequences for your actions/abilities. He's getting 'paid' to play. If he can't meet the challenge then what are the consequences? Let me ask it a different way. If you hire me to mow the grass and I struggle to mow it all each week, would you be concerned about my feelings? 2 out of 4 time a month I mow it real well, even very acceptable in your eyes, but two of those weeks I don't. Do you keep paying me? But, you had an important dinner party at your house and I mowed your lawn but it was substandard, I missed around the side but nobody goes back there anyway. Your clients didn't notice because they were a bit inebriated. You still won the contract. How much longer do we take a chance that my skills that I brought to your house are going to cost you? Is this unfair criticism? No. It's life. Nobody said I was going to be a great yard guy. There is always someone else who can do better. The choice you have is, do you continue to 'pay' for someone's services that you can't trust, or do you try his competition? The beauty of Anthony Browns situation is that he doesn't lose his job. He's still getting paid to be on the roster. Calling the man names is wrong. But questioning his talents is another and especially since he's getting paid. Oregon invested money into the abilities of AB, so did I. I'm his boss. I buy the ticket. When I see a glaring weakness then I get to mention it. Same goes true when I see extraordinary play then I mention that as well. I'm an equal opportunity mentioned of ones abilities to play. I don't see it as mean spirited or anything resembling it. It's not elementary school any more. You want to get paid? You better bring a game worth paying to watch.

SEC this year it isn't. It's the BIG's year as a conference. Who wins remains to be seen

My heart and my Principles are at odds. My heart says you build relationships and the kids should be able to have their friends come and enjoy the festivities. The player helped the team to get to the Bowl game. It's one final hurrah!!! They put in their sweat equity. It's a bit of a reward for a seasons worth of work. My principled side says that if you opt out, then you 'opted out'. It's the choice that the player makes not the Coaches. If you chose to not contribute to the game why would you travel with the team during the season? Then why during the Bowl season? I do believe principles win the day here. No play? No travel with the team.

Sounds unprofessional to not have NC State in the loop and on speed dial.

This! Is my viewpoint! An extremely high character player put in a position that wasn't his strong suit. San Francisco 49'ers offense of the late 80's would suit his style with a bit of run option in the mix.

Oregon has a punchers chance against OK. While I believe AB is an average QB at best, that doesn't mean he can't beat OK. This is on the Coaches, period. Oregon can flat out move the ball on the ground. And AB is lethal inside of 10-15 yards and especially on a slant pass. He can also run effectively. Our defense is nothing to sneeze at. It beat tOSU without KT. I'm not worried about that. As long as we play within our abilities, then I see Oregon putting a good game on the field. We can win this. Their D line starters are being replaced. I'm licking my chops with our run game.

My response isn't to you personally Haywarduck, just a response to the ether world. Yes and no. Effort and development are two different things when evaluating personnel on the field. You can give it everything you've got and it's just not enough. The very next game you develop and your 'best' garners an additional 25 yards. Case in point is, AB should have developed over 6 years. He didn't. I'm not saying he wasn't our best option. I'm simply expressing that his QB play was average at best and all of us should expect more for Oregon. Is this unreasonable, or unattainable? I don't think so. The PAC from top to bottom wasn't even average in quality this year. WSU coach, gone. UW, USC, Oregon coaches, gone. Arizona was a joke. ASU can't put it together. UCLA finally had a winning season. Do you see any team other than Utah that puts fear in your heart? Any? I don't. With that said, Oregon should have pounded every PAC opponent by 17-24 points. Their defense did well, except that over the middle soft spot. Oregon was late to the game every game largely due to average QB play. Sure, Oregon found ways to win. Defense found lots of turn overs and its just a law of averages at this point. tOSU struggled in Defensive scheme. AB played a sub 50% game. Let's be honest. We were fortunate to win that game with a QB play like that. I'm glad I witnessed this monumental win. It was a solid win. Hanging my hat win. But, AB wasn't the difference make. And No. AB will struggle at best in the NFL. I'm still trying to see how he even has a shot in the draft. I'm not sour grapes, I hope he makes it. I hope he lights up the NFL. But has anyone seen anything that makes you say....wow? Objectively, I see nothing that says NFL in his play. My standard is high. It's winning. AB has done that. Some because of play, but most in spite of it. That's just me looking over my green and yellow glasses for an astute look at the product on the field while sighing a gasp of relief for a 10 win season.

I don't believe this has a place in this context of being critical of coaching, players, play calling, and the like. If you don't care, then are you a fan? I know thats an absolute statement, but the principle applies. Everyone that pits their 'Talents' on the field is getting paid. I expect performance if you expect me to buy a ticket and a Bellotti Sandwhich.

Seems like a lot of defensive quotes in this article. Let me preface my conclusion with, I struggle to say AB is a good QB. A game manager? I think so. But, when you have receivers with nothing but the end zone in front of them, how do you consistently overthrow them..... all year? Thats not a route run issue, that's a clear depth perception in finding an over the top pass to a full speed runner. It was all year. You can't use the argument that AB had defenders in his face when throws like that were taking place. Tons of QB's face the same environment within passing plays. So, from the standpoint that the fans weren't happy with his play, is quite the understatement. Another point, our defense was set up dominate. Us fans knew this. So, when you see an offense sputter like it did, then the optimism for a Natty run is tampered. But, let me be clear, it's not all AB's fault. Coaches have a responsibility to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their players. Put the strengths on the field and mitigate the weaknesses. AB's solid games came from wise schemes that fit his strengths. Short passes, QB designed runs, and the like. So, I put the lions share of AB's performance at the feet of the coaches. Which brings me back to a point I would like to share with the team. Fans don't just blow $100+ per seat each week to watch a team play and give the players a pass when they struggle in their assignment. We 'Invest'. We invest our resources, our time, our heart. We know there are 85 players on Scholly, so if a player is consistently struggling then you need to bench him till his play gets better. Jonathan Smith benched his QB early in the year, Beavs went Bowling first time in years. So, do I get to gripe? Yep. And I'll sing your praises as well when your play is praise worthy. We get that right. We paid for it. Players are getting 'paid'. No longer is the player just there for intramurals. Your 'investment' paid dividends with a full ride Scholly. My investment should pay dividends as well. Uncle Phil is investing and not for a cellar dweller. We expect excellence from a 6th year senior. We got average with a side of real good. AB doesn't get to defend himself to the fans. His should be, 'it's on me'. The coaches say it, Ans so should the players. It's one of the signs of a Great Player, self accountability.