Charles Fischer

I am simply stunned at the four big-men playing for Dana Altman at 6'11" or taller. And they all have talent, and we are seeing more of it already. Frank Kepnang: Still raw offensive skills, but has developed a few shots in close and provide a little closer-high-percentage baskets in the paint. I love his passion for rebounding and motivating the team. Nice rim protector on defense as it seems he is getting more blocks and contested shots now than last year. Nathan Bittle: The Oregon star show really fluid movement for a 7-footer, and flashed some good passing and shot-blocking. Fun to watch his growth! Isaac Johnson: The biggest surprise in this last game as he did a sweet no-look pass to set up a teammate for a lay-up....while running a fast break! Smooth inside moves near the basket, and the upside is apparent. N'Faly Donte': Hasn't played much, but boy the talent just oozes. He makes it look easy at times, and then you remember he is 6'11"! I am NOT a basketball expert, but just a passionate fan and would love your thoughts. We have NEVER had this many talented posts where the upside on all four is TALL!

I was surprised in the telecast last night to hear of how Dana Altman had been interviewed and asked about how his teams always improve significantly in February and take a jump in production in the last half of the season. He explained that he teaches the same concepts throughout, but it takes that long for each team to "buy-into" what he is coaching, and when they decide as a group to embrace it? Things improve and take off. He said this team has a lot of talent, but he is waiting for them to buy-in this year as they do in other years. So--the reason for the late blooming is the players believing in Dana--wow.

Boy....no kidding! Stability of Cristobal's Culture to be Put to the Test this Week by Erik Skopil of Duck Territory 247 Sports

It has taken me a while to understand, but the article I found helps more than that Tweets. Pretty innovative idea... Oregon Student Athletes Will Rotate As Airbnb Hosts in New NIL Concept by Kristi Dosh of BCS

Jon Wilner (below) is suggesting it. I find it stunning, since whatever Cristobal has in Eugene is what HE CREATES! *** Oregon Coach: Mario Cristobal State of play: The magnitude of the loss in Salt Lake City cannot be understated — and we’re not talking about the margin of defeat, folks. That was a trajectory-changing, tenure-altering result, one that could very well make Cristobal reconsider his future in Eugene and his options elsewhere. What’s next: In our estimation, the likelihood of Cristobal leaving has increased substantially, for two reasons: 1) The loss at Utah will undoubtedly make him question the ceiling in Eugene; 2) The options in his home state. Florida just fired Dan Mullen, and Miami, his alma mater, dismissed its athletic director — the presumed first step toward the firing of coach Manny Diaz. Combine those developments with the shellacking in Salt Lake City, and Cristobal could cast an eye homeward. Chance of vacancy: 35%

(Press Release from Oregon Athletics) EUGENE, Ore. — Kayvon Thibodeaux has been named one of four finalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award, while Verone McKinley III was announced as one of three finalists for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award. The Bednarik Award is presented annually to the top defensive player in college football. The first Bednarik Award finalist in program history, Thibodeaux is also a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, another prestigious national defensive player of the year award. The Thorpe Award goes to the top defensive back in the nation. McKinley is the second Thorpe Award finalist in program history, joining Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (2015). The other finalists for the Bednarik Award are Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama), Kyle Hamilton (Notre Dame), and Jordan Davis (Georgia). The other finalists for the Thorpe Award are Coby Bryant (Cincinnati) and Jalen Pitre (Baylor). The winners of both awards will be announced during The Home Depot College Football Awards on December 9 on ESPN. DE Kayvon Thibodeaux – Chuck Bednarik Award Finalist » Tied for No. 3 in the Pac-12 with six sacks this season despite missing multiple games due to injury. » No. 5 in the Pac-12 with 10.0 tackles for loss. » No. 12 among FBS edge defenders with a 90.8 pass-rush grade by Pro Football Focus. » Dominated at UCLA with a career-high nine tackles and 4.5 TFLs, plus two sacks and a forced fumble. » First Duck since 2007 with at least nine tackles, four TFLs and two sacks in a game. » First Oregon player since 2017 with at least four TFLs in a game. » Recorded his second multi-sack game of the season with two in Oregon's win vs. WSU. » 37 total quarterback pressures and 24 hurries, according to PFF. » Tied for 10th in program history with 18.0 career sacks. » 33.5 career TFLs, fifth-most among active Power 5 players since the start of 2019. » Walter Camp Player of the Year Semifinalist. » Chuck Bednarik Award Semifinalist. » Two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player and Defensive Lineman of the Week. S Verone McKinley III – Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Finalist » Tied for the national lead with five interceptions. » Second among Ducks with 61 tackles, third-most among Pac-12 defensive backs. » Four of five INTs came in a three-game stretch in September. » Two interceptions vs. Stony Brook, the second multi-pick game of his career. » First Duck with an interception in three straight games since 2012. » Tied for fourth among active FBS players with 10 career interceptions. » Two interceptions away from cracking the UO all-time top 10. » Game-sealing interception in Oregon’s historic win at No. 3 Ohio State. » Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week after Ohio State game. » Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week following two-interception game vs. Stony Brook.

(Press Release from Oregon Athletics) LAS VEGAS –Behind 14 second half assists, Oregon took down Chaminade 73-49 in the first round of the Maui Invitational on Monday. How it Happened: A slow start for both teams saw the Ducks play most of the first half with a slight advantage. Oregon got their first double-digit lead following a Franck Kepnang dunk that put the Ducks up 15-5. Eric Williams Jr. carried the team offensively in the first half, hitting three three-pointers, but slow shooting overall left UO with a seven-point 29-22 lead heading into the halftime break. Despite shooting just 29 percent in the half, Oregon maintained the lead over Chaminade by holding them to just 24 percent shooting on the half. “I did like how hard we played. I thought we were a little more physical in the second half, took the ball to the basket a little bit more like we wanted, had more assists in the second half,” said head coach Dana Altman. “So I thought our ball movement was better. We've got a long ways to go, but I thought we made a step in the right direction tonight.” A 9-0 run got things headed in the right direction in the second half, the Ducks pushing it to a 38-24 lead to force a Silverswords timeout. Strong defensive play and teamwork were the stories in the second half, with the Ducks shooting 61 percent on 14 assists, holding Chaminade to 34.6 percent. De’Vion Harmon played a key role in stabilizing the team, netting 10 second half points. The Ducks pushed the lead to 20 and never looked back, giving some reserves a chance to see valuable minutes. Sophomore Gabe Reichle scored his first points of the season with a second half three-pointer, while Isaac Johnson finished with a career-best eight points on the night. Who Stood Out: Eric Williams Jr. led the team with 14 points, followed by Harmon with 13. A balanced effort all around saw 10 Ducks score in the contest, seven of which scored eight or more points. Richardson dished out five assists to lead the team. Up Next: Oregon awaits the winner of Notre Dame and St. Mary’s, the matchup taking place at 5 p.m. tomorrow at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Welcome Orduck, and do post often!

OK...now that is funny.

I don't have that yet--sorry!

McDuck....that is an outstanding post with tons of research done. For a first post? You really helped the community, so I welcome you and thank you!

My friends....we went through quite a bit on this last year--let's not start those battles again about the rivalry game name please. I like "Willamette War."

Confused, I am concerned that you are not getting the message I've been trying to convey. The accuracy is not the issue, the opinion itself is not the issue as everybody is allowed to post their opinion, the topic is not the issue, but the redundancy, the extreme redundancy of extreme negative and effectively venting on fellow Duck fans is the issue. To all OBD members; this forum is not your therapists couch; do not use us for your healing with your venting. Negative opinions are welcome, venting is not. If you cannot tell the difference, then perhaps you need to ask yourself how many times in the last week you have posted the same thing? If it is more than three times? You are venting on us...

Already been discussed in other threads. Cougs win the north in your scenario. If Washington and Beavers win....Beavers win the north. Ducks beat the Beavers and we win the north no matter what happens in the Apple Cup.

You know...if people had not posted that 30 times in the last day and a half....I may not have got it. At some point the constant barrage of negative, of stating the same things over-and-over is not just discussing the negative, but becomes venting on other people. I want to see all opinions, but I get weary seeing the same things over-and-over. People check out and don't come back, and our numbers are down already because....who wants to read this stuff?

I am not a fair-weather fan; even if we go 9-3 with two more losses....I will be here discussing our Ducks. I will be critical, as I've been over the last three years--but even when disappointed I will remain a loyal fan. For those who want to post and read here regardless of the number of wins? It is a good thing I feel that way, because you will have a platform no matter what. Besides...you never know what will show up for discussion.

Nobody said we wanted that long-term on this forum, but some of us are patient and hopeful that it will get better from this level. Firing a 9-3 coach at Oregon is insane, in my humble opinion. How many other teams in the conference would trade places with us right now? In ALL conferences? The majority...

deschutesduck....that is awesome! Painful, funny and true.

Great post, as we all need some encouragement and a break from all the obvious negative. THANKS.

Jon, we got it. You have told us your view three times....today.

People wrote about it on FishDuck before the season and I said nothing, but was shaking my head in private. Yet we were in the running...smell the roses!

Nothing good happens after midnight for football players or the OBD forum. Drive-by Trolls I've had to get up several times in the middle of the night in the last month, (last night again) and not only delete posts, but immediately ban the new member who signed up to Troll-us. I call them "Drive-by Trolls," as they like to strike at night knowing that the forum is heavily watched by moderators during the day. It happened again last night as someone wanted to rub salt on the wounds that Duck fans have right now. Since I have Sleep Apnea, have a C-Pap machine and go through a process for going to bed--it is unpleasant to have to deal with these people, but I do not want you coming into the forum in the morning and reading that garbage. Awful stuff from awful people. Spammers We have had two instances of Spammers penetrating our defenses recently and because of the quick action of the moderators--few saw the damage for very long. The web developer and I are installing some new protocols in the registration process that should catch the few robots that penetrate the first level. (And yes, this costs money and time to protect everyone on a free site) You Are Being WATCHED.... I do not mean that in a creepy way, but to remind you that there are four moderators and I who are checking posts. EVERY post is read at least once, and this is all meant to protect all of you from the nasty stuff that exists everywhere else. You would not believe all the stuff you have not had to read because they were caught immediately by our wonderful volunteer moderators. Use Good Judgment... Ask yourself before you post..."was that polite and respectful?" Don't give into your impulses, and give thought to others when you post and reply. This forum is special because of the people in it, and the discerning way they behave. Don't Just Sign-Up....Post Your Thoughts! This is the only place to post opinions that are out-there, because everybody still has to be nice to you! So jump in, as the water is fine for Ducks at the Our Beloved Ducks forum! And do refer us to your friends, as good people are always welcome here. My thanks, Charles

Well, that's just GREAT,... DUCKED....in a few sentences you summarized my next article, and frankly did it better than would have written it. So, I will throw that topic out... This really is a compliment, as I think you nailed it precisely for so many of us Duck fans. Not all, but certainly a good percentage and I thank you for a concise viewpoint shared by so many!

Thanks! That saves us all the hassle of looking it all up!

The UO has to look from the top down, and evaluate their Coaching Staff & AD , MC has to go!!!!!, could never understand extending his contract???? The AD has to go, he's let this go on for 4 years now??? so that tells you he sits in his comfy chair and says FI. Cristabol go South, and be the POSITIONAL Coach you are. Not a Head Coach which your NOT! The Team Lacks energy, urgency, pride...…. and the list goes on. I am so disappointed on the self implosion of this Team, Just an FYI ALL, this team won't be prominent again for a while. MC you maybe a great person, but you Stink at Coaching!!!! What you see above was posted by someone and I want to use this as an example without embarrassing the OBD member. Stating the negative is fine, as that is what a forum does, but what you see above is just venting,....is that really something anyone wants to even read? We can discuss the same points without going over-the-top, and yes....it takes some impulse control. And BTW everyone? Put in some fricken reading spaces so people won't skip reading your post. If it is too hard to read with continuous lines of text--people won't read it, as the attention span on the web is so short. Every three sentences...hit the "Enter" key or the "Return" key on your keyboard twice. Can't be any easier than that...