Charles Fischer

Well, my friends....I am going to have hits and misses as posts. THAT was a miss... Way to go Charles....

This is a chance to "get-right," but the Cardinals are 17-9, and we are 18-10. Even after the tough weekend in Westwood...the batting averages are below: (EIGHT players over .300?!) Whew! Drew Cowley .467 (Returning from injury next week) Colby Shade .379 Josh Kasevich .348 Brennan Milone .336 Jacob Walsh .328 Gavin Grant .312 Tanner Smith .304 Josiah Cromwick .302 Anthony Hall .299 Sam Novitske .270 Jack Scanlon .150 Whoa! New starter is Jace Stoffal, and I have not even seen him pitch once as a reliever!

My gosh! He can throw the long-ball, fire the missile for the first down, has GREAT feet in eluding the rush and has tremendous pocket-presence. Just watching the first two minutes makes you wonder about how last year's Oregon football season would have gone with HIM at QB? Same team, same injuries, but I bet.... The way he gets away from LSU rushers at 3:50, and the sweet lofting passes at 5:40? Try,...try to watch that and not get excited! And this was only from 2021...brought to us courtesy of "Nevada Dawg," and I thank him!

Sorry, but I don't know if this is a positive; he was part of the problem this year and we have plenty of shooting guards coming in and returning. If he doesn't start...is he going to pout and hurt the team chemistry? If he does start...are we going to see a player who puts the time into the gym, and is a positive Alpha-Male for the team? Streaky shooter, and not great from the three-point line. He is a reason why we needed change, IMHO.

By John Canzano Former Washington State coach Mike Leach had a successful run in the Pac-12 Conference. He took the Cougars to six bowl games in eight seasons and elevated the profile of the program. But it’s something Leach said to me after he beat Oregon in 2018 that I woke thinking about today. “I beat them with my guys,” Leach said after winning his fourth straight against the Ducks. “Imagine what I could do with their guys.” Leach is a savant as a play caller. He wins a lot of chess matches on the field. But I keep thinking about what might happen if we gave all the offensive coaches in the Pac-12 the same talent. Who would produce the best results? I asked a couple of Pac-12 Conference defensive coordinators to help rank the best offensive play callers in the conference. It’s a subjective exercise and there are a lot of new faces in the Pac-12 this spring but I was intrigued to see what they’d come up with. Here are the consensus top-four: 1. Chip Kelly, UCLA 2. David Shaw, Stanford 3. Andy Ludwig, Utah 4. Brian Lindgren, Oregon State Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Washington State and USC will all have new play callers this season. The defensive coaches I polled noted this while making the rankings. UCLA (36.7 points per game) and Utah (36.1) led the conference in scoring last season. Oregon State was fourth (31.2). Stanford was terrible last season (20.4) but the defensive coaches polled both thought the anemic output had to do with a talent deficit and not Shaw’s game strategy. Said one defensive coordinator: “Shaw is deft with his adjustments.” I wanted more depth so I reached out to Dave Bartoo, one of the partners at Matrix Analytical. He spent the last seven years gathering data on all the football coaches in the country. They use it to help consult with a variety of college programs who are filling in an offensive or defensive staff. Bartoo said he did evaluations of “all 11 headsets on every team in the country from 2010 forward.” That’s more than 25,000 individual reports that he’s plugged into the database. It helps shape a clearer picture of what is going on right now in the Pac-12. “The database is designed to help answer the all-talent-being-equal part of the question,” Bartoo said. " Here’s how Matrix Analytical currently ranks the play callers in the Pac-12: 1. Lincoln Riley, USC 2. Chip Kelly, UCLA 3. David Shaw, Stanford 4. Andy Ludwig, Utah 5. Brian Lindgren, Oregon State 6. Kalen DeBoer, Washington 7. Mike Sanford, Colorado 8. Eric Morris, Washington State 9. Glenn Thomas, Arizona State 10. Kenny Dillingham, Oregon 11. Brennan Carroll, Arizona 12. Bill Musgrave, Cal There are some striking similarities in the two rankings. Bartoo, however, included Lincoln Riley as his No. 1 pick because he had available data for what the coach accomplished at Oklahoma. Bartoo also offered, “Lincoln is going to be brutal to prepare for and his offensive support staff is ranked No. 1 in the conference.” Bartoo noted that Lindgren’s performance as a play caller wasn’t as impressive before he was paired with offensive-minded head coach Jonathan Smith. “I think there’s a big-time Jonathan-effect going on with Lindgren,” Bartoo said. There are a line of questions surrounding the bottom six of Bartoo’s rankings. He called Dillingham at Oregon, “a massive experiment.” Bartoo offered, “They’re asking him to roll out a new offense, 80 plays a game, and he’s never done it by himself before.” I’m not as bothered by that. A coordinator has to start someplace. Remember, Chip Kelly had marginal proof of performance at New Hampshire before Mike Bellotti hired him to call the plays at Oregon. Still, it’s a valid question and Dillingham also got no love from the sitting defensive coordinators. I’m left thinking about Leach, though. In that four-year sweep, he beat Mark Helfrich twice then followed it up with victories over Willie Taggart and Mario Cristobal. WSU won games played home and away. It won, day and night. Leach went 4-0 against Oregon in that span despite having a glaring head-to-head talent deficit. Said Bartoo: “Leach is a different animal.” RING IT UP: Here’s a fun trivia question: Which NFL player has the most Super Bowl rings over the last five seasons? Answer: Kenjon Barner. The former University of Oregon running back has three Super Bowl rings. One each with the Patriots, Eagles and Buccaneers. Two of those were spent as Tom Brady’s teammate. Barner joined me on Thursday on the statewide radio show and I asked him what makes Brady special. “His preparation,” Barner said. “Both in practice, his film study and sitting in meetings with Tom. We have these player-led meetings. He leads the meetings. He’s a coach, he’s a coach on the field. He has 20 years of experience in the NFL… His knowledge is endless. He’s seen everything. “There’s nothing new that he hasn’t seen.” Barner was terrific in the interview. He talked about growing up as the youngest of seven children. He talked about his own kids and what kind of dad he wants to be for them. But he was especially good when the discussion turned to his time at Oregon and why he thinks coach Chip Kelly flopped in the NFL. Barner on Oregon: “Every corporation, every organization, every school has a golden era. That was the golden era at Oregon. We changed the way college football was played with speed, uniforms and tempo. It was special.” Barner on why he thinks Kelly struggled in the NFL: “I believe Chip put people in place in leadership roles that didn’t really have his back. I think there were different agendas. I don’t think Chip had too many people that were loyal to him around him at that particular time… it’s hard when you don’t have people around you to do and say the right thing when your back is turned.”

My understanding is that our new RB coach is very serious and has attracted good talent...to where there are a number of Western Kentucky RBs in the NFL is what I read.

He was a Duck for three years, and will never be one again. That is MY view! Travis Dye and Oregon Fans...

Even more than Utah? Pac-12 Football: Analyzing Returning Starter Data for 2022 - AthlonSports.com | Expert Predictions, Picks, and Previews ATHLONSPORTS.COM Examining returning starter data and its potential impact on the Pac-12 for the 2022 college football season.

Kinda cool to hear his story about coming to Autzen as an opposing coach....and I did not know he played for the Patriots and has Super Bowl rings. He has a very compelling story to tell recruits! Oregon Recruiting: Ducks have a leg up with college town atmosphere DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM According to Adrian Klemm, the Ducks have a recruiting sell that other Pac-12 teams don’t — the ultimate college-town atmosphere.

I know this is not popular, but when I look at like the fifth angle in this video below...it seems to me that Mykael Wright is pushing the receiver in a direction away from where the ball is going to go, thus interference. Or do you see it different?

This short video is fun!

Looks like some speed!

That is GREAT!

Every year.

Well done, because they all make me want to hurl. Axel's post making fun of Travis Dye's announcement was epic; using his words and attaching them to traitors in history--awesome. This post of yours Kurt--in the same vein, but a different form of humor that was a riot as well. I'm glad others are feeling what I am when they announce...

I think this interview told us for certain....Ty was not ready.

Axel, I do not know how you come up with such great material...but when it comes to humor....your mind must be a raging torrent...

EUGENE, Ore. – The University of Oregon athletic department will host an equipment Surplus Sale, presented by Fanatics, on Saturday, May 7, at the Moshofsky Center next to Autzen Stadium. The sale will run from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., or until all product is sold. As an exclusive benefit, current University of Oregon season ticket holders and Duck Athletic Fund donors are eligible for priority access to the Surplus Sale and may start lining up at 7:30 a.m., with the sale starting at 9 a.m. A random line drawing will be held to determine which customers will enter first. All season ticket holders or donors with a priority Surplus Sale ticket in line by 8 a.m. will be entered into a lottery, which will determine the order of entry. Season ticket holders or donors may not line up prior to 7:30 a.m. The priority access line will begin at 7:30 a.m. at the northwest doors of the Moshofsky Center, near the Duck Store entrance. General admission fans will be admitted at 10:30 a.m. As with season ticket holders and donors, a random line drawing will be held to determine which customers enter first. All fans in the general admission line by 9:30 a.m. will be entered into a lottery that determines order of entry. General admission fans may line up beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the southeast corner of the Moshofsky Center, facing Autzen Stadium. The lottery process ensures that all fans who arrive prior to the listed deadline will have an equal chance of gaining the first entry. Lois wears a former jersey... Priority access tickets can be secured by current season ticket holders and DAF donors by logging into their account HERE. The deadline to claim a priority access ticket is Monday, May 2 at 5 p.m., and each account holder will be able to claim two (2) entry passes into to sale. Tickets can be shown on Oregon Gameday app and will be scanned at the door. Season ticket holders and donors who claim a pass may view, and forward their pass, through the Go Ducks Gameday app. Only one entry will be allowed per pass, and no re-entry will be permitted. Additional Surplus Sale Rules and Information » NO CASH. Only Visa, MasterCard, Discover or Debit Cards are accepted. Please have ID ready. » Some items may include a purchasing limit and will be designated by signage inside the venue. » Camping is strictly prohibited and is of no benefit due to the random line drawing. Campers will be asked to leave. » Only small personal purses will be permitted inside the sale. Bags will be provided for shopping. » Parking is available in the east gravel lot of Autzen Stadium. Vehicles parked in other lots are subject to ticketing and/or towing. » Shoplifters will be prosecuted by UOPD on site. » Hoarding of items is prohibited. Only take product from tables you intend to purchase. » Line tickets will be used for entry into the sale and may not be transferred to others. » Individuals with line tickets will be admitted in the drawn order before those without tickets. » Only one line ticket per person age 16 or above. » No food or beverage will be permitted inside the Moshofsky Center. » All sales are final, no returns or exchanges. Follow @GoDucks , @Ducks_Equipment and @OregonDuckTix on Twitter for further information on the Surplus Sale.

Geez, those stats and that picture are impressive! Future Oregon Duck Kel’el Ware to play in Nike Hoop Summit WWW.OREGONLIVE.COM The annual basketball showcase will give Oregon fans the chance to watch a future Duck in action.

Some very good stuff here... Oregon Ducks show another first-team QB in 11-on-11 drills DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM We got to watch more 11-on-11 drills Thursday. There was a new QB taking the first reps, and a potential wrinkle in the offense we got a glimpse of.

Thanks. The hours that went into it--whew--and the probability is that few will ever look at them is something I try not to think about, but I had to do it.

By John Canzano Nate Costa played and coached at Oregon and is now at Nevada as the quarterback coach. Nate Costa has seen some stuff over the years in Eugene. The former University of Oregon quarterback played for Chip Kelly, helped coach Marcus Mariota and Justin Herbert, and found himself inside Mario Cristobal’s program last season working with the Ducks’ quarterbacks. Costa, now at Nevada as an assistant, joined me on Wednesday for a wide-ranging interview on a variety of subjects. Our conversation was candid, authentic and helped answer some questions about what we saw — and didn’t see — last season in Eugene. UO went with Anthony Brown Jr. as the starter in 2021, but Costa said the coaching staff had extensive discussions and debates week to week about whether Oregon should be playing Ty Thompson more. “I think Anthony did just enough — just enough — to hold onto that position,” Costa said on Wednesday. “He won us a lot of football games. The quarterback standard at Oregon is very high. It’s a high bar for a guy to try and reach. I don’t think Anthony reached it on a daily basis and the fan base let him hear it from time to time.” How close were the Ducks to giving Thompson more playing time? “We had those conversations. We had them early on, we had them midseason, we had an extensive one at halftime of the bowl game against Oklahoma,” Costa said. “We almost made a move (at halftime).” Thompson, a five-star recruit, now finds himself in a spring football battle with Auburn transfer Bo Nix. If you’re looking to identify Oregon’s biggest sin of the last decade it is the failure to recruit and develop a quarterback. After the wild successes of Mariota and Herbert, UO turned to a line of transfers, experiments and stop gaps. Costa has been there for it all. He said first-year coach Dan Lanning’s decision to bring Nix to campus creates a “sticky” dynamic for a position group that includes Thompson and Jay Butterfield. “They essentially shot a round across the bow of every quarterback in that quarterback room,” Costa said. Still, Costa understands why Lanning did it — Nix has played in 34 games in his college career. He has extensive game experience in the toughest conference in the America. “Bo has seen those things. He’s seen it at the SEC level and has a better feel for the speed-of-the-game challenges,” Costa said. “It doesn’t mean Bo is going to be the guy, but it’s a slight advantage for Bo Nix.” I spent a lot of time last season observing Cristobal’s program, wondering about scheme, and wondering how the head coach’s personality might grind on his staff. Also, I wondered why we weren’t seeing more of Thompson in games. Said Costa: “Anthony did a serviceable job.” Costa helped answer a variety of other questions… On Ty Thompson’s strongest skills: “Big arm. One of the biggest arms I’ve seen in a quarterback. I used to do a thing with the QBs at Oregon where I put them on a radar gun like an MLB prospect. It gives you a general understanding of arm strength. He was putting the football above 60 mph. If you look at the NFL combine numbers that’s an elite number. For a kid that is 18-19 years old to be able to generate that kind of velocity is impressive.” On where Thompson struggles: “Speed of the game. He played at a smaller level in high school in Arizona. Adjusting to the speed of Pac-12 football is an adjustment for anyone and he’s still working on that.” On quarterback Jay Butterfield: “Butterfield is a coach’s son, understands offense and has a photographic memory and can build plays in his head. What Ty (Thompson) has in arm strength, Jay has in accuracy… he’s one of those guys that you don’t notice in year 1, 2 or 3, but in year 4 and 5 you’re going to be ‘Oh my gosh, who is this guy?!?’” On the impact of offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead missing the Stanford game: “Massive… I was the quarterback coach for that game. But ultimately I’m not the same as the coach you have there every day… Anthony’s play that game struggled a little bit because of Joe not being there… we were in the game and we weren't sure Joe was going to make it.” On the toughest defensive match-up in the Pac-12: “Cal — I think Cal is probably the best coached team in the Pac-12. I think year in and year out Justin Wilcox does more with less. Overall they recruit hard-nosed, intelligent kids and get them to play really hard. They play a sound scheme and the coaching staff in general puts players in position to make plays. They beat us in the Covid year, beat us in 2020 in Berkeley. That never should have happened but they did it with superior scheme and coaching.” Costa on what he learned from Mario Cristobal: “Work ethic, he’s one of the hardest working men in college football. He wasn’t just sitting behind a desk, guarding his desk. He was constantly working; text messaging recruits, Face Timing recruits, hitting me up about what game plan I liked on third down, hitting Joe Moorhead up and asking about the install for spring football, he was constantly on top of everybody in the building.” On defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux: “I have text messages and missed phone calls on my phone every day after practice from NFL scouts — 49ers, Eagles, Tampa Bay Bucs — every one of them asking me questions about Kayvon… I think he’s a dual threat. I think he’s a very intelligent young man and he’s going to align himself with the right people off the field. He’s going to make himself a boat load of money both on the field and off the field.” On the questions about Thibodeaux’s motor: “I get the questions about his motor. I think he can take plays off from time to time. But when you’re in a position being like him and you have a 320-pound left tackle trying to rip your face off I think everybody can take a play off from time to time. I think he’s a sensational player. I hated matching up against him in practice because he made it hard for my quarterbacks to get a pass off.”

Some fun memories in that short two minute video!

It is people like you that we want to attract here--the community is that much stronger. Great to hear that USC did not like something our coach said!

He "shouts" future head coach someday, at somewhere...