Mike West

I'm sure it appears I'm making excuses for MC. I'm still miffed. But DeRuyter has his hand in both losses as much as Brown. And Brown truly missed some beautiful opportunities. I'm a history buff. Hence I saw the THIRTEEN package Utah ran so effectively. It was a tribute to Oregon's talent on defense. And yes, Iowa State did the same thing (again, so did David Shaw in 2012 on Buckner and Armstead and crew). Three on two? On the edge Yep. And it worked. Few teams, if any, are going to win one on one matchups against our front seven. In addition, DeRuyter blitzed nearly every play of Stanford's last drive of regulation, and Shaw made him pay for it. DeRuyter got stuck in first gear both of those games. Nonetheless, DeRuyter got maximum performance from a depleted corps on defense. And they aren't nearly as elite as Georgia's defense. But those guys ( our defensive line) dominated running teams this year- including Ohio State. That WAS coaching (until the Utah game that is- then they mailed the Beavers...a strong running team). On offense, I think Brown was a strange version of Russian roulette. You never could tell when the bullet (his accuracy and confidence) was in the chamber. My train of thought: You have to walk on the field and throw passes for Brown to all those wide open receivers (all year) to prove he could complete them. I could go into detail, but that would take about ten analysis articles. I don't have that kind of time this year. Now I'm going to "vent". I want to see the talent on this team play as mean as the 1970s Oakland Raiders. The only game they would have struggled in would have been the Utah game, but I'm my opinion that nasty attitude would have worn down the Utes. Chip got that out of all four of his teams. Mental toughness. Focus and fierceness unrivaled at Oregon. For all of MC's talk about physicality, brutal fierceness is missing from the equation. Along with lack of urgency. Put em out of their misery early would be my motto. Force them to raise the white flag. When MC instills that in his players... Hello Natty.

Just about everyone thinks the players should perform better. The most important position on the filled is QB. Do you think Ohio State would be 10-2 with Brown? I don't. And they sure wouldn't have dropped 16 Giga Ton bombs on half the Big Ten either. If Brown were as good as even Georgia's QB, we'd be undefeated. It's that simple. Now if I had my hands on Brown I'd be experimenting with petri dishes if necessary...lol. But the guy is inconsistent, and this year my grandma (dead btw) could get wide open. Every game. My only complaint is unforced errors... Way to many. Right when it was time to put an anchor on on our victims' legs and dump them in the Willamette. Yep. The gorilla in the room is lack of killer instinct. And that my friend is coaching. But last week, Brown took care of that didn't he? I saw improvement this year from Cristobal. And I'm quite sure most didn't see 10-2 with a title on the line... Even with the talent. MC is Rich Brooks redux. If he keeps recurring well, he's going to deliver a title.

Couple of things: Your couch AND the player waiting for the ball to bounce to him saw the onside kick coming. I'm not sure you've seen it, but I've seen plenty of wide open WRs Brown failed/refused to throw the ball to. Not a few, but quite a few. In my mind, the only WRs leaving are those not getting playing time, because those dudes are burning rubber, leaving smoke in the air, and waiting for a QB willing to throw them the ball ( and we have three very capable and willing kids waiting for their opportunity to hit those wide open passes).

My homer hat says Ducks rout Utah. My analysis hat says this is a nail biter. We should have obliterated the Beavers yesterday. We let them if the hook with too many unforced penalties. At least down points off the board, and I was hoping the defense wanted to shut those "bums" out. This game is a blowout if Cristobal gives his boys some killer instinct. Man I long for that Natty attitude Chip's team had. They were ferocious.

Now we need a great his for the Fuskies. I know people will hate me for saying it, but we need at least three power teams. If Herm and Chip won't develop them, brand name will suffice.

He's better on the run. I've been saying this for awhile... Roll Brown out. He has the arm strength. It's about giving him the tools ( technique, scheme and mental training) to make him successful. That's called making things happen. No excuses. Just do it

The key is to be prepared. As long as Mullens is proactive, and reaches out to candidates, I'm fine with what happens. I like Cristobal. He is a Rich Brooks in the making ( and is on that type of arc developmentally). I'm talking to Chris Petersen if I'm in that position, with a mandate to hire a Chip Kelly type OC, and Dave Aranda type DC. Peterson will be able to take care of the rest. It's about the right "management at the top". Cristobal laid the foundation, but he won't complete the mission anytime soon. He has much to learn. I'd rather have Miami make that mistake and pay us for it. But I can be patient as long as I see enough development from MC.

Now if we can get these kids to finish off mediocre teams by mid third quarter... They got better. Now they need to get the knife out quickly and guy teams they're better than ASAP. That is the next level I want to see MC get to. Nine thousand points on offense a game, three points on defense. LOL

The kid didn't go for the ball he waited. They were prepared, just didn't attack the ball

And what have I said about Brown? He has a strong enough arm to complete deep throws, and he should roll out more ( he did both on that 50 yard TD pass). Brown reminds me of Daren Thomas. He throws better on the move. I hope we see more passing schemes that feature the skills Brown excels at.

It took them two efforts, but OBD FINALLY are putting a team in the grave early. Let's see if they finish the job in the second half ( and end this in the third quarter).

Oh, it used to be 25 minutes. Now it takes an hour to drive five miles in West LA alone. Traffic is awfully horrible down there.

If that kid figures it out, he is going to be easy better than his Dad. He is an exceptional athlete. We best hope he doesn't, because he is more athletic than our backups. Yes, I'm saying this guy has more upside than all of our backups. When I watch this kid, I see Michael Vick with more accuracy. He can be that good. He is more than legacy. This kid could become an extremely dangerous QB. We'll just have to wait and see

My dear MaiTai, Good to see you back. I feel the Stanford game was by far the tip of the spear when it comes to rage. So allow me to present some pondering thoughts for all: Haven seen the backup QBs last spring, and last year, are there ANY you feel would have garnered a 9-2 record so far ( my take is definitely not)? Did you believe AB would defeat tOSU? Who in America believed that? Which backup would have defeated the Buckeyes in your opinion, THEN continued the momentum and stayed undefeated? Not to defend Brown whatsoever. From what I've seen, the talent behind him isn't wise enough to lead this team to said record. They just aren't ready. As to Utah, the Ducks are absolutely more talented. MC, Morehead and DeRuyter aren't excellent "in game" adjusters. They practically live and die by their scripted plan for each opponent (this is too common in college). Utah pulled a "on David Shaw on Chip Kelly" move. Utah is not able to block the defense one on one. So they went numbers advantage. DeRuyter didn't counter that scheme. Brown wouldn't throw downfield. Morehead couldn't find an answer. Brown hasn't demonstrated he can't shake off an ineffective start. From what I've seen of the backups, they can't either (this is a mental process as much as anything else, but far too few coaches teach the mental aspect of breaking momentum, not to mention imposing it). Another aspect of this is too many coaches rely on physical ability. That won't fly against equal player talent. Or coaches "in your league" or above. Cristobal is no different than any above average coach. And frankly, two, maybe three coaches could handle the dynamics Oregon walked into last Saturday. Even David Shaw can't handle a David Shaw. Whittingham is probably the best coach in the conference. He had the perfect storm going his way. His players are peaking, he was at home, and he had nothing to lose. Cristobal, like most doesn't fully evaluate his capabilities. From my perspective, these guys (college coaches in general ) get paid too much because they show little ability to adjust immediately to "conditions on the ground". I've mentioned the one coach I feel is capable of replacing MC. Chris Petersen. I'm not sure he'd come back to coaching. But even Petersen has weaknesses. I need to evaluate more prospects, but I'm not Mullens. MC is a work in progress, and shows signs of being a Rich Brooks guy over the long term. He will get there. It's best he stays ( cause he will get drop kicked in Florida with any of those three marquee programs). I think he's way smarter than the Snake. Yes, I'm peeved. The Big picture isn't as bad as it seems. We will always contend for a conference title with MC. And I believe he would develop sooner if he was challenged by two or three high caliber coaches (because he to has an ego, and he won't accept being outdone). Find us a real prospect (one that would take Oregon seriously), and maybe I'd change my mind. I want a title, but it is going to take time at this point. No matter who is at the helm.

One of the constant things I've observed about fans is their lack of patience. Casey Brooks (Rich' daughter), was a dear friend of mine in college. I can't repeat the things she told me fans said about him back then( this was just before Brooks turned the program around the corner). Look at the Texas, Miami, Tennessee and Nebraska ( much less so) fans. Not to mention the Fuskies. None of those programs have been contenders more than ten years running. Look at Michigan. About the same. If a coach is thin skinned he won't make it. Yet some fans clearly lack the ability to discern the direction a program is headed. Some people just aren't intelligent enough to add their two cents. Doesn't mean they don't have a right to demonstrate that though. And even those that are, provide comments that are pure epic fails. Nobody's perfect.

What if Moorhead surrounds himself with a team of recruiters like the Snake did? What if Moorhead is a better CEO, especially after his lesson in Mississippi? It may be better to part ways with MC while we're ahead. If Morehead isn't the answer, perhaps there are others. We need a combo of someone like Chip that can take the talent MC has assembled and convert the players into champs, while maintaining the recruiting prowess the Snake started. In any event, we've seen the best MC can offer at present. And while MC brought the level of talent to playoff caliber, we still have difficulty snagging the kind of physical defensive talent that can handle MC's demolition of the brand Chip elevated Oregon to. Trying not to write too much, but Bellotti advanced what Brooks built. Oregon's brand went stratosphere when Chip transformed football for good. The missing piece is bringing a title to track town. There should be a coach out there with the chops capable of recognizing where we've been and what we ultimately want. Believe it or not, I think Chris Petersen is that guy. It is my belief UW pushed him out because he "peaked" too soon. He no longer has to follow Chip, and the guy develops tough players. Mullens seems smart enough to convince Petersen to come out of retirement. Petersen is a West coast guy that recognizes the vital aspect recruiting is to winning, and the guy could use a Moorhead type OC to restore the Oregon brand to its iconic place in the college football world. What do you think? If MC moves on, would Petersen (or someone like him) be the answer?

That ASU loss was all Justin Herbert. He had a terrible game. Yet, they still came back. Saturday was a display of giving up ultimately. A good deal off this is on Brown. The post month, he just won't execute downfield kill shots Morehead has given him. He's a streaky guy. I thought the defense fought for awhile, then tanked from fatigue. You're not going to win many there in two matchups on the edge, and you certainly aren't going to take seven down when you're only four strong. Utah can't block that defense without those types of numbers in their advantage. But the more concerning issue is the lack of killer instinct. This team should literally Ohio State the conference with so much talent. But they don't have the will to do so. Maybe Mario is to nice too these guys. They truly don't show much fight in them, unless they get embarrassed. At least they didn't showboat last night. These kids need to be left in a junkyard with a doberman and one plate of meat. They're too comfortable.

Wow. People are going to say the same thing they said after the Iowa State fiasco. Scheme won this game. It wasn't muscle. What I mean by that is you don't put four men up against six or seven. You will not win that battle. As for the offense, I've figured Brown out. He will not go through his full progressions of he is feeling pressure to make a play. And when Utah started to blitz, Morehead wouldn't Max protect ( keep a TE and RB as blockers). Oregon's WRs we're open downfield, all day. You could see it on the replays. Cristobal needs to look at tons of film. That is the best way to learn the complete game of football.

Because they still are at a numerical disadvantage. They are out manned on the first level. That fact allows the offensive lineman to block and shed to the second level while double teaming the most effective defensive lineman. This is nothing more than what David Shaw did to the very best defensive front Oregon ever had. That is how you out muscle the more talented team.

, I have to laugh at that. We will survive this. After all, most of us expected this performance a few games ago. This team is fair weathered. They don't have killer instinct, they don't put teams in their place. They WAIT until goods things to happen instead of making things happen. There isn't a single team in this conference good enough to beat the Ducks. The only team good enough to beat the Ducks are the Ducks.

And put five men in the line of scrimmage. Utah is stacking the LOS, for easy numerical advantages. Why is this so difficult to adjust to? Stack the damn box if they're going to stank the LOS FOR INSTANCE: Inside the ten Utah has RIGHT guys on the line. We had four. If they're going to run a goal line formation, counter it. This is exactly what Stanford did to Chip the year we lost 26-20. If they want to stack it, pack it up yourself. Don't run a regular defense if they're running goal line fronts.

Another penalty on offense stalls a good drive.

This has been a lot demonstration of controlling the edge on defense. They put THREE TEs on a side, and we didn't have the numbers to neutralize it. Remind me of the list Stanford drive of regulation when DeRuyter kept blitzing and Stanford kept throwing slant routes. Squeeze inside from the edges and this game is over. Doesn't take a full quarter to see this. And if Sewell is going to shoot the QB in pass plays, somebody's got to cover the area he's been leaving wide open.

We're possibly looking at no points for the whole half. Guess it's time to start thinking about the Rose Bowl. Anything less than a the TD victory is not going to cut it. November is showcase month, not ugly win month. We're going to win this game. This is not going to impress the committee.

Well, Ohio State and Cincinnati sure put pressure on the Ducks. A skin margin of victory is out of the question. Stomp the Utes or stay home. And no, a ride Bowl against Michigan State is no silver lining. Cinci got the memo. Ohio State got the message. STYLE POINTS ARE GOING TO MATTER.