Charles Fischer

Free for the first year, and for us Baseball fans, and other non-revenue sports--this is fantastic. Yes, it is nearly $90.00 a year after the first year, but what great hook to get us started in this next year. I got my B1G+ going!

Look...I am not a big fan of everything Canzano writes, nor his coverage of the Big-12, the Pig-2, etc. But he is covering Oregon well, and is worth the subscription over time, IMHO. You just have to hold your nose when he sucks up to Oregon State. He does bring value to our discussion of Our Beloved Ducks, and I am very relieved to see some of the quotes below. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Oregon's football coach is talking with purpose. Dan Lanning is entering his third season as Oregon’s football coach. He’s got a 22-5 record and a positive trajectory. But the stakes have never felt higher, particularly for a program that aspires to win a national championship in its first Big Ten season. I’ve talked frequently with Lanning since he arrived in Eugene. We’ve discussed movies, his childhood, family vacations, and his football team. There was a shift in mentality this summer as Oregon’s head coach approached what will be his most significant season ever. How has his thinking changed? What resources is he drawing on? Where is his focus? I’ve collected a series of things Lanning told me in 1-on-1 conversations and my analysis. In his words: “It’s football — you’ve got to go out there and win. The formula to win hasn’t changed. You have to adapt, meet your team where they’re at, figure out what their strengths are, and lean into your team’s strengths. We’ve got to lean into what our hedgehogs are, find out what our strengths are, and attack the things we need to improve.” Lanning is leaning into an ancient Greek parable here. The poet Archilochus wrote: “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.” It knows that it needs to stick to its strengths to survive and thrive. I don’t think Oregon is interested in curling into a ball this season. But when Lanning said this to me, I wrote it down. I wondered if the coach left last season — one that came with a 12-2 record — thinking he didn’t lean with a singular focus into his team’s strengths. Oregon’s coach read Jim Collins’ best-selling leadership book “Good to be Great.” The book dives into the ‘hedgehog principle’ as a strategy tool for business leaders. Collins studied the characteristics that cause companies to go from good to great. Lanning knows he needs to take the next step. “You bring in a guy and know ‘Ok, this isn’t going to be Bo.’ Dillon has done an unbelievable job of being authentic and being himself, getting immersed in the team really quickly, and taking on some of those leadership traits.” The development of Bo Nix was fun to watch over two years in Eugene. The quarterback evolved immensely in his second season at UO and became a much better player. Lanning knows Dillon Gabriel can play (69 percent completion percentage and 30 passing TDs last season) but he only gets one season at Oregon. He’ll only be around for eight solid months or so. Gabriel’s ability to acclimate quickly, pick up Will Stein’s offense, morph into a leader, and find his talent ceiling is one of the biggest keys to the season. “We’re going to be the best version of us if players are holding each other to a higher standard. Those aren’t just words — those are actions.” Oregon’s transfer class is incredible. The recruits were not just limited to Gabriel, who starred at Oklahoma, either. The Ducks have former Alabama safety, Peyton Woodyard, former Washington corner Jabbar Muhammad, ex-Michigan State defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, and former UCLA quarterback Dante Moore, among a host of others. I’ve thought a lot about team chemistry in this transfer-heavy era. Coaches value older, more experienced, players but does going heavy into the portal come with a sacrifice to team culture? Lanning is talking about player-led leadership here. He knows that Gabriel and the other transfers are going to have to quickly find a healthy culture. They may be able to get through the first five weeks of the season on talent, but if the Ducks are going to make a deep run into the College Football Playoff, they’ll have to find unity. “Everybody’s got ice cream in front of them, whatever your favorite ice cream is. What I don’t want to do is get caught looking at everybody else’s ice cream while mine melts.” Lanning showed up to Big Ten Football Media Days in July armed with this quote. He used it in a variety of settings, including a 1-on-1 interview with me. Keep in mind, that Oregon’s coach had spent a couple of weeks being asked about the buying power of his NIL collective. Division Street, Inc. might have the deepest pockets around. The Ducks have terrific resources and the support of Phil Knight. Lanning isn’t running from any of that stuff, but he showed up to media day interested in shifting the narrative away from program-to-program comparisons and, again, talking about fostering a singular internal focus. “I’m continuing to grow and learn as a coach. There’s risk involved in every decision I make. Mine affect the entire organization. It’s important for me to be aware of that. That doesn’t mean it has to change the mentality of the team and what I believe in. I’ll tell you this, if we’re not good at converting on fourth down, we’re not going for it on fourth down.” Lanning and I were discussing his ‘go-for-it’ decision-making in the regular-season loss at Washington last season. He says he regrets not kicking a field goal before halftime and taking the three easy points. I didn’t mind that Oregon’s coach went hyper-aggressive at the time. It’s on brand and shows a deep belief in his players, but he can’t afford to misfire with strategy as the stakes rise, particularly this season. Will he go for it on fourth down against Ohio State? I suspect he will. But I’ll take note of what Lanning does as he makes those calculated assessments this season. It sounds like he’s been doing some deep thinking about it.

Funny...how could I misread it! Wowsa...got get my eyes checked. Thanks for the correction.

Could he be a LIFER at Oregon? Lanning said. "And my family and I made a decision a long time ago, this will be, for us, the last place that we coach .... That means I have to win." Graham said. "I wouldn't worry about Dan going anywhere else unless he wins three or four national championships or something, and then he might want to go win a Super Bowl."

GREAT article... Lanning's youth is matched by his confidence, variety of experiences and ability to draw people in. A former coach he worked with said he's "as comfortable in a room with a $20 million donor as he is with the third-string linebacker." "He's got a lot of experience for a 38-year-old," Todd Graham, who first hired Lanning when he was the head coach at Pittsburgh, said. "[Oregon has] a synergy with him and he's just getting started. This guy, he isn't even close to reaching his potential."

It is from The Athletic, and thus cannot copy the article, but below are some tidbits that raise some eyebrows... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Big Ten got a lot bigger. I don’t know that it will actually be better, though, in 2024. Ohio State may be the national title co-favorite, and Oregon is on the cusp of contention. B1G Prediction: Ohio State 12-0 and Oregon 9-3 Ohio State: The Buckeyes are loaded, and there’s not a close second in the conference. An offense with TreVeyon Henderson and Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins in the backfield and Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith on the outside seems unfair. An Oct. 12 trip to Oregon figures to be the big test, but I don’t see the two on the same level. Oregon: Don’t expect much of a drop-off from Bo Nix to Oklahoma transfer Dillon Gabriel, who could have a field day throwing to Tez Johnson and Texas A&M transfer Evan Stewart. He’ll benefit from an offensive line that allowed just five sacks last season. The defense needs to take a step up for the Ducks to win the conference. Dan Lanning made some nice adds in the portal. Mr. FishDuck: Recent preseason AA teams have put a chunk of the Buckeye defense on it. They truly are loaded, and I did not realize how much they are stacked this year.

Agreed. That is when it happened... But nobody even knew Pat Kilkenny existed until he showed up an Alumni function prior to the Rose Bowl...something Beavis doesn't understand--"Winners want to work with winners." That rules them out...

Continuing to use the Pac-12 name...

Don Marsh asked that these questions be added to the discussion... Of course, the biggest “What if” is…well, there are three. “What if” a skinny young kid named Phil Knight doesn’t decide to run track for the UO. “What if” UO doesn’t have an innovative head track coach named Bill Bowerman. And perhaps the biggest “What if,” “What if” Mrs. Bowerman says, “Hell no, you are not using my waffle-iron.” I would never not want to acknowledge the contributions of Coach Bill Bowerman and the incredible generosity of Phil Knight. Without them, none of this happens, or at least it is hard to imagine it. When Phil Knight asked Coach Bellotti, “What do you need to succeed?”, a commitment was made that changed the fortunes of Oregon football for forever. The Moshofsky Center was the first piece in what would soon become state-of-the-art facilities for Duck football. In addition, it’s important to acknowledge all those folks who make the NIL thing work. It’s a new era in college football and without the generosity of lots and lots of folks, we would not be where we are today. Go Ducks.

My FishDuck Friends, in the first full football season, (2022) the number of violations on this forum averaged 16 per month, with the worst at 34 one month. We averaged a violation of rules percentage of about 4/10ths of 1%, of which I was delighted with. (Even if it created a lot of hassle and my time taken) Good gosh...we only have 20 violations for the year after seven and a half months in 2024! I LOVE this community!

Different sports, but former Ducks showing their love...

It is a slow time, and so fun to see former Duck Spencer Steer doing so well...

Steven A.....all those scenarios...makes me want to get the Pepto Bismal!

I love this article, and the thought of Wheaton dropping the ball--makes me sick. How would things have been different?

I agree with who has been selected above, but my massive surprise this season is transfer Brandon Johnson from Duke. Considered the best athlete on his prior team, he has the speed and aggression to play the very-difficult STAR position on defense. This is one of the three positions that requires a freak athlete, and while prior players in that spot were good, I believe Johnson can really move our defense up as a fifth defensive back on the field who can cover like a corner, but hit like a linebacker on run-support.

A Rivals 4-Star who was offered by Penn State, Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee, but most contested with Washington and USC. 😝 Kodi Greene | DuckSportsAuthority N.RIVALS.COM Kodi Greene - 2026 4 Star Offensive tackle for Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA) on Rivals.com

Good for you. Obviously, I've dealt with it for years and it is too bad for the fans. The press conferences--the write-ups are a waste of time for all involved.

Just saying... Remember when Cristobal first came here and we were delighted with all the true "inside" stuff he gave us from scrimmages and practices? Remember how that all changed over time, as he learned the ways of being a top-20 program? It all became mush later, with nothing informative from his press conferences. Lanning has learned the same thing. See the thread below concerning practices, and see the what he actually stated in his press conference about the scrimmage. What did he tell you? Nothing. So, he has learned his lesson well, and this is why we at FishDuck do NOT have a writer at the silly press conferences. 1) Because there are already 20 sites there, and 2) because the coaches rarely tell you anything beyond the "blah-blah." Charles Fischer "fishing" for information over a dozen years ago... (Wasted time) Been there, done that. If you read it carefully with years of experience...what do you take from it? 1) Did he laud ANYONE in the scrimmage? No. He is not happy. 2) Did he specify either the offense or defense on anything? No. You have to look, not just between the lines, but what he did NOT say. Did he praise anyone? Either side of the ball? "I want to watch film first." When did that ever stop him from praising players or the offense/defense/special teams before? Bottom line? That was a ton of feel-good, blah-blah about a scrimmage he was actually displeased with. But the typical fan would not know it. You guys know I love Lanning and what he is doing here, but that....sucks. For the Readers...

It was a backlink order to help pay the bills, while the rest of the article was sincere--as it is something I've been thinking about for a long time. BTW...the SEO company that contacted me is in the island nation of Cyprus, and site they are promoting is in Australia, and I am in Eugene. Pretty global! And I don't think many fans realize just how experienced this 2024 team is...

One thing that stands out to me...is the incredible number of young defensive linemen and linebackers. Quality depth and more!

Makes sense…we’re already playing a Mountain West team in Corvallis…

I am the first one to say, "Take the damn points," but you also cannot ignore how losing ONE corner in a game against such a skilled passer is a killer, but BOTH? Blaming the FG decisions is an opinion one way or the other, but the injuries are simply bad luck that I do not believe should be held against a coach. But we both agree on the upside to this year, and now that the "Analysts" can now be coaches? Maybe one of them will be on the headsets advising him in key situations.