Charles Fischer

Canzano picks us...does that worry anyone?

Why Do We Keep Discussing Mario? 1) Because it is fun. 2) It is very entertaining. 2) It reminds us to be grateful-as-hell that he is not longer here. Whew!

More good vibes for Oregon and Eugene with that pick. Love it!

Great stuff coach, and it will be great fun to watch for this play. People dwell on the negative; we got shut out of some touchdowns in the first half of the WSU game, but people forget that we only had the ball four times in the first half of the BYU game and scored on all four of them. (24 points) Even Brock Huard admitted that was pretty efficient. Which reminds me of what Coach Dillingham said before the season; when asked about how scoring he wants, his answer was that he wanted the offense to be efficient. To score when we have the ball as often as possible... Will be fun to watch!

A Reminder to All Who Are Referred to This Thread Later After it Was First Published: We had a very notable poster who was banned in May of 2022, (he is the major questioner above in this thread, and is now gone) because he could not control himself; he had to tell us a couple of times a day how bad it will be from every angle, whether NIL, the portal, conference realignment, etc. I even created a rule for him, No. 31b and c where "if you have told us your excessively negative opinion on a topic three times in the last week? We got it....understand? We got it." After this thread was published and between the article linked in the first post and my extensive answers in Post No. 15...it was still not enough for that individual. He broke this new rule twice within three days of it originally posted despite my extensive explanations, and thus why he is banned. Some people cannot overcome compulsive tendencies... This rule application actually applies to very few people, but if you have been referred to this thread--please take note. Read the article linked in the first post, and then read the other posts carefully. (Especially No. 15) Got a bad prediction for Oregon, or the future of CFB? If you have told us in posts three times....we got it. You do not have to repeat over-and-over and be the ultimate buzz-kill for us all. As I told this fellow...."if it is all going-to-hell....can I enjoy the last few years of CFB before it does?" "And if you are wrong about it being so dire....that means you spoiled the last couple of years for nothing?" Let's embrace the changes when they actually happen? It may not be that bad for Oregon and the portal for the 2022 season is an example; we lost a great running back in Travis Dye, a starting corner in DJ James, a backup QB in Robby Ashford, but we picked up QB Bo Nix, RB Bucky Irving, RB Noah Whittington, WR Chase Cota, Corner Christian Gonzalez, and three great defensive linemen in Taki Taimani, Casey Rogers and Jordon Riley. Sounds like Oregon came out ahead in the portal after all the dire discussion and hand-wringing! Let's refrain from incessant, excessive negative, and savor these moments while we can? Thank you. Please note I am NOT telling you that you cannot share your negative opinion...I want all opinions. But if it is excessively negative, and you've told us three times.....WE GOT IT.

I think the order and rankings of a few of these are going to change! I cannot complain about the grade given Lanning, as the reasons make sense, but I would like to think the team will continue to improve (especially on defense) and his ranking will rise.

Good one! A Rivals 4-Star, which is better than the prior two, and he was offered by Florida, Miami, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio State and....Washington! Love it! Looks pretty studly to me! No. 2 Offensive Tackle? Whew!

It makes me ponder a ton of things relating to his four years here versus 4.5 at UCLA, but it does not change how difficult this game will be.

I thought this was pretty good, and thanks to ChileDuck for the sign, sentiment and picture!

In some respects....he is taking a Chip Kelly tactic of "the faceless opponent," in that we play hard every week regardless of who it is, the size of the game impact, etc. But I also agree that he has not experienced a frothing, frenzied, fanatical Autzen crowd whose noise will lift you up on explosion plays.

It is similar to when Mariota left...the program declined under Helfrich. Nobody on the team wanted to disappoint Marcus, and thus listened to the coaches in 2013 and 2014 when Helf was in charge and Marcus was QB. But Graves was a good coach at Gonzaga, creating good teams with one star surrounded by great role players. Can he coach a team of five-stars? Can he do it without Mark Campbell or Sabrina? It will be a very interesting drama to watch play out...

We have had a number of parties get offended/annoyed with this thread and I've been in communications with many. Let's move on, and I will lock the thread.

Oh Geez. This is another myth that I've written about many times and need to save it--since it comes up every year. In Tua's sophomore year in HS...his grades were not good. Oregon wanted to offer, and Tua wanted to be the ONLY QB Oregon took that year. But with the bad luck he had been having at recruiting QBs...Helfrich could not go all in a QB with shaky grades and end up with nothing. If he could only offer one scholarship for QB the following year, Helfrich had to KNOW that the grades are fine, and I agree with Mark on this. So he told Tua he would offer when the grades got better, and the Ducks continued to recruit other QBs. When Tua got the grades up in six months--he gave the finger to Helfrich. Helfrich can be blamed for a ton of things, but this was not one of them.

OK...this is too funny about UCLA attendance.... It's been SO LONG for Vol fans...but it is still funny-as-hell... (Below) Is this SO FLORIDA or what? (Below) C'mon Vols...this is what BEAVER FANS would do! +

I am not hip, cool, chill or anything so I do not know how to interpret this celebration by Terrance Ferguson and Bo Nix after his 80 touchdown run against Stanford. What is this? Is he imitating a mesh? Geez... I was spending another couple of hours working on photos for the FishDuck writers and this photo by Jerry Thompson of Ducks Illustrated fascinates me. Thoughts?

That is well done!

This discussion about Helfrich comes up on a regular basis; sometimes you just have some bad luck at recruiting at a position, and that case could certainly be made for Lanning and the offensive line at this moment. Are you going to blame him? Let's also address the real issue why Helfrich got fired: 1) he did not analyze and recruit good assistant coaches, (Brady Hoke as DC) 2) was not a great recruiter of players, and 3) he was not a leader. (He lost the team once Mariota left) While it is another discussion...his skills of building a game-plan and play-calling were superb under Chip Kelly as OC, and then as HC himself. As for quarterback recruiting? Let's look at an article written in 2016 on the eve of the Washington game... (Shouldn't recruiting two 4-Star QBs and two 3-Star QBs to follow Mariota be enough?) Mark Helfrich's Quarterback MESS at Oregon FISHDUCK.COM Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich has been accused of failing to plan for the quarterback position with Oregon football. This article is a offers a rebuttal. Remember that identifying Justin Herbert was extraordinary by Helfrich. Oregon was his only Power-5 offer? Montana State? Portland State? Is there any credit to Helfrich for that?

This is a subject we have discussed extensively in the past. Not sure going all-out negative on him after only half a season is fair, especially when we have such a limited view of their reality. I am not going to count him out until he gives me reason to....and we have only seen the opposite to date. And no...the quarterback thing is not a reason. Again...we are not in the QB room, and don't know what is there and just how good the No. 2 recruit in the United States (Donte Moore) is. I am not trying to be argumentative, as I want to see all opinions. But this is such a negative topic without any evidence--do you see how you might have jumped-the-gun a bit? You know...an offense like ours will become attractive to every portal transfer QB there is out there. We will be fine...

I wish this had happened after we played there...

That was 12 years ago, and both Saban and Kirby Smart implemented drills for the defense to have them ready for the hurry-up. Lanning knows those drills and as will Lupoi, IMHO. If Chip owns Lupoi...it will not come from what we know, but what Chip surprises them with, I believe.

Isn't it everywhere? How good would OSU be if they had an experienced QB? As you know the Ducks have had so many seasons destroyed when the QB get injured, such a disproportionate burden of success placed on one player. Recruit well at that position or the rest doesn't matter as much. As my ol' favorite Viking Coach Bud Grant once said when asked what it takes to be a winning coach? "You need a good wife, and good huntin' dog, and a good quarterback. And not in that order...."

I stand corrected; I mistook his entire time versus being a head coach. Good to know--thanks!

Well I do invite you to post your thoughts often. Welcome!

Not my title...it was Drex's, but if he had an "F" in the title, and then switched to an "A-" then it would have been click-bait. But he meant an "F!"

My thoughts precisely!