Charles Fischer

While last night was a great win for Oregon, it bode well to me in terms of the team moving to where we thought they could become at the beginning of the season. Dana was messing with the media recently when he said that they was no timeline on the players injured returning to action. I let out a big groan reading that, thinking that perhaps Bittle's injury might be for the season, and the others would be prolonged long enough to where the season was lost before the players returned and got into game-shape. Then both Jermaine Couisnard and Nate Bittle played at Colorado, and against Utah really helped the team. I love the hustle plays and rebounds Bittle gets, and he is showing more athleticism under the basket already. Frankly with the poor shooting of Soares, I would prefer seeing Bittle playing more--agree? Now I understand what was explained early on when Couisnard was signed; he truly can play the point well and allow Richardson to be in a better position to shoot threes and drive. And Jermaine can shoot well himself. To me, this is going to expand the offense enormously, and thus gives the team a chance to flourish in time to make the 'Dance. Thoughts? Jermaine Couisnard

This was already posted by Pennsylvania Duck, (thank you or I would not have known of it!) but I wanted to start a separate thread for your thoughts about it. I have a few... --No surprise, that as an old-fart, I do not care for 'tats at all. But I understand the cool factor associated with them for young men. A connecting element with the players? --It is an inspirational theme on his own life, and that is cool. --He has a bit of "curves" on his wife that I am surprised to see him include. --The Oregon part of it is exceptionally large; is this a sign of his longer term commitment here? What do you make of it? Oregon HC Dan Lanning Gets Elaborate Tattoo Of His Entire Life WWW.OUTKICK.COM Oregon head football coach Dan Lanning recently got a new, profound tattoo that represents his entire life from start to present day.

I am working on an article for Monday explaining how Oregon will get to the 85 scholarship limit...

If they have been exploiting the athletes...why have they been doing so? Is it to fund more teachers, or buildings or funneling into the endowment? No. The money earned from football supports itself, and 17 other sports at Oregon, and right now--it isn't even doing that. If athletic departments were being an evil empire with the money--I would be more sympathetic, but when it is being used for noble purposes such as supporting scholarships for so many women and men of other sports, it is easier to accept. And we have learned in the past that the benefits of playing football at Oregon total nearly 2 million dollars worth of value to the player. (Before NIL) That doesn't suck. Pac-12 Football Players: All for Them, and NONE for All FISHDUCK.COM Do Pac-12 football players really get it? While that may seem to be insulting to them, it is a question that many of us who do the donating and buying of...

I am still so amazed at what he has done. Talk about catching fire at the end!

This was on another board and you can read the full article right here. I will be first to say that the writer was overly harsh and over-the-top at times, but much of what he writes is true. Yet NFL Draft Buzz had an analysis that was hard-hitting, (Poor pass defense, overruns plays, etc.), but still has him as the 6th best LB in the draft (4th best on consensus) and a potential 2nd rounder. But this guy below disagrees, and much of what is below--we saw as well. So with subpar linebacker play, a poor pass rush, and a lack of mixing up the defenses....I wonder why the defense regressed this last year? Game Film Exposes Noah Sewell January 4, 2023 | Daniel Kelly | Articles Oregon linebacker Noah Sewell got bad advice when he declared recently for the 2023 NFL Draft. What he put on game film in these documented (and embedded) games during the 2022 season was some of the worst linebacker play I’ve seen in 40 years. Sewell looked identical this season as he did on his 2021 game film when I wrote, “Former NFL Scout Calls Noah Sewell A Soft Football Player.” Before any team in the NFL even thinks about drafting Sewell – – they need to watch these six games in these two articles. The three main problems this Oregon linebacker put on his game film… 1. Reluctance There’s a saying, “The game is won or lost from the neck up,” and with Sewell this is the main issue. Sewell played some of the most uninspiring and heartless football I’ve ever seen He looked downright disinterested most of the time. He looked like he was going through the motions. Jogging and giving half-hearted efforts on plays were all over my scouting notes. Point blank – – he was a liability on the field. If you don’t believe me, watch the game film. It speaks for itself. All I did was write down what he put on his football resume. It’s alarming. 2. Slow reactions There were an additional number of times he was noticeably slow reacting to the play flow in pass coverage and on running plays. I can’t even imagine how this will translate to the faster NFL level. Against UCLA, there was a play he looked absolutely lost. Sewell’s read and diagnosis is poor – – and that’s saying it nicely. 3. Blockers tossing him around like a rag doll This was another HUGE issue. Time – – and time – – and time again he was handled by blockers. It didn’t even look like he belonged on the field (nor did it look like he wanted to be out there). Awkward is the word that comes to mind. It looked plain awkward at times. Sewell additionally often showed poor shedding technique “taking on blocks.” There were a few right-place right time tackles. Make no mistake – – Sewell got it handed to him on game film. #1 Noah Sewell 6-foot-2, 253 pounds Daniel Kelly’s Final 2023 NFL Draft Grade: Undraftable Free Agent (I would not select him) First Round Mock Draft Board: TBD Bust Probability: High Projected by 62.7% (down from 84.5% on October 5) of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of January 4, 2023 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com) 2022 game film reviewed: UCLA, BYU, and Washington (click to view games watched to form this evaluation). Level of competition: High 2021 stats: 114 tackles (53 solo, 61 assists), 5 passes defended, 4.0 sacks (34 pressures on 98 pass rushes duckswire.usatoday.com) 2022 stats: 55 tackles (24 solo, 31 assists), 3 passes defended, 1.5 sacks, 1 interception 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report Strong thick muscular frame with rigid movement and a poor motor. Looked best in passing situations dropping into shallow zones and covering short in man-to-man coverage. Marginal in pass support as he often only ended up by the pile after the fact. Had a number of half-hearted blitzing attempts. Flashed ability to run in full speed and hit the quarterback as he was throwing once (BYU). Showed he is capable of more, but refuses often to give it his all. Not explosive and couldn’t get movement at the point of attack. Stalemated. Couldn’t beat blockers on blitzing attempts. Didn’t get movement. Hesitant and reluctant against the run too often. Can be slow to react to play flow. No real fight. Easily blocked. Struggled to take on and shed. Sometimes didn’t even try. His heart wasn’t in it. Final words What more can I say, that I haven’t already said? Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and jerk Haley. He currently writes for Sports Illustrated New York Jets and he is the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.

In a recent article by Dazed, where he describes the new Will Stein Offense, we will see power running with a ton of pulling linemen and TE/HBs. As soon as the defense puts more in the box, that leaves the outside receivers in one-on-one matchups, and Stein loves to throw the ball deep to them. (And often) To me, leaving Harbor at WR makes sense because it takes 30 yards for him to get his top-end speed going--so send him long on the streak pattern and let him go up with his athleticism and 6'6" height to bring down the long balls. Or--just the threat of that will clear out the middle crossing passing zones as the safety runs deep with him. It's good-or-good.

For those who want to check all the other articles about him...we have two other threads about him and include him, such as this one, (the article linked above is already in it) and this whole thread about him, and an article about him below where the author suggest a Track event choice not presented by other media sources. Should the Ducks Fly With the Freakish 5-Star Athlete, Nyckoles... FISHDUCK.COM By now most Oregon fans have heard about a new Oregon football recruiting target for the February 1st signing date in Archbishop Carroll High School... In the above article he makes an observation about his body weight and choosing a sport....

It will be hard to target the CFP when we play at Utah, and at Washington. But fun review Alex and thanks.

Oh....details! (Kidding!)

My FishDuck Friends, I am taking a late lunch break while I keyboard this, but Wowsa....some big new prospects entered the portal in the last couple of days, and a few could be game-changers for Oregon. I know we have a separate thread for this, but thought I'd start another for discussion. Post on either or both! You've heard about Evan Williams at Fresno State, the younger brother of Bennett Williams at Oregon. He is 6-0, 185 and a two-time All-Mountain West safety, someone who is savvy, experienced and could help us in 2023 incredibly. (he was an unranked player at Rivals) The one that has me frothing is Jordan Burch, and edge rusher at South Carolina who has two years more to play. My friends, he was a Rivals 5-Star, is 6-5, 275 and had 60 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, and 3.5 sacks last year. This guy still has a high upside, and is someone Dan Lanning recruited hard to Georgia. Oregon has contacted him, and the Ducks have a legit chance with him. Another edge rusher is Anthony Lucas at Texas ATM, who was a Rivals 4-Star and is 6-5, 285 and while Oregon is in it for him--this might be a tough pull. The Kentucky defensive tackle, Justin Rodgers, 6-3, 311 has a ton of suitors in primarily LSU and Miami, and this player was a Rivals 5-Star as well. Oregon is pursuing a couple of linebackers from LSU, Bowling Green, etc. but not much information on whether they are coming for a visit. Whoa Baby! Oregon is in on some good ones, and is going to get theirs, and that doesn't count the LOIs the Ducks are chasing yet. Lanning is killing-it at recruiting! Jordan Burch

You are very kind, and I appreciate your reply. Two of the three mentioned in the top post wrote publicly that, "Charles, you are breaking your own rules," and they were right. Just because they break the rules does not excuse my conduct; at the time, (because of all I go through dealing with people) I felt justified in my response, and then later--a cooler head tells me to stick keeping things private, and don't ruin it for everyone else. And there is another component involved for me; I HATE the hypocrisy that exists in the current media, in politics, in social media. I do not want to be "one-of-them" who tells everyone else how to behave, but will not do it on my own. A third element is how unusual this all is....a GREEN REFUGE, where tough rules are enforced immediately, and dealing with people in a way I never have before. At times I am stunned at the range of human behavior, and the logic/reason or lack of it present at times from some people. We had a new member recently break our rule twice about not getting personal in his posts concerning current coaches or players. After the second email--he left the forum for good. Not banned, but since "he can't have it all his way," he left. Such is the selfish culture we have these days. Thanks again for being a part of this wonderful community.

You nailed it. It is entirely a leadership/guts issue.

How can any recruit feel confident beyond this year playing at Michigan? (Harbor....are you listening?)

Boy...we could have a completely experienced offensive line, but boy--I don't know if there is a scholarship for him.

"I thought Austin Novosad, the Oregon signee, continued to look very solid at quarterback. He was comfortable, seemed to be able to handle pressure and got the ball out on time accurately. He has pretty good arm strength and was the top QB in the morning session."

I don't think we will get that from freshmen; portal transfers--possibly, but I think this is a longer term overall then we would prefer. (But it will be worth it) I have some theories I will be writing about in the off-season...

Actually that was taken by the FishDuck photographer immediately after Cota caught the winning touchdown. It was more of his own personal celebration, but I don't have a problem with that. Over half the people who read this forum are on mobile, and do not see the background pictures I line up due to spacing issues on mobile. It is a shame, as there have been some dandy ones and will be more in the off-season.

Some sweet highlights.... 6'4 240LBS DEFENSIVE END WWW.HUDL.COM 6'4 240LBS DEFENSIVE END

After reading many articles--it is becoming clear to me that players take all five visits to not only check out the schools and make sure they have made a good selection--but to have portal options later as well. Coaches that players have relationships with at other schools really matter if their first choice of school does not work out. I am getting the impression that players take the full five trips even if they know where they are going--a free trip is nice, but they are also building a safety net for later. Boy does this add to the workload of the coaches!

If anyone sees another recruit to add--put it in this thread. I've taken off Porter, since he is in the house! Thank goodness he doesn't have to wear orange!

Looks pretty good to me!

This moves Oregon into the Top-Ten in the nation with Rivals. (And yes, it has been consistently harder with Rivals for over 20 years) Ashton Porter is a Rivals 4-Star, who was offered by four SEC teams, and Oregon beat out four B1G teams, including primary competition of Michigan State. The Ducks pulled him from other Texas schools that offered such as SMU, TCU, Texas Tech and Texas. You can see the full list right here, as this is a big recruit for Oregon.

My US Web Developer felt that I could become a consultant for civilized discussions on bigger forums. But the truth is--they don't want it.

I wish I could run Facebook...as I've lost control of my own account, and they will not let me prove I own it. Bizarre stuff.