Mike West

FAST HARD FINISH Usually, I'm verbose. Not tonight. Those three words sum up our brand. It's not "battle in a phone booth" Edge of the Universe Mario. Go where no man (you) has gone before. That's the mental battle going on.

Oregon 35-31 0 TOs 2 Sacks 200 yds Passing

Nobody's talking about the next two games. Impressive wins will turn heads. Especially if Moorhead is leaving. The business of recruiting elite players starts with winning the conference, then taking in Ohio State again (doubtful since the Big will want OSU to beat the likes of Bama or A&M). If not, a huge margin over Iowa will still make a statement. Mind your business ( impressive wins) and your narrative carries more weight. Yep, I'm venting. My eyes are on 42-17 twice. That shuts up tons of negative hype coming our way.

Right now, the key to maintaining excellent recruiting is to win the next two games. Two score wins solidify it all the more. I'd do everything in my power to spank Utah. And I mean Tick them off if necessary( humiliate them like we did two years ago). Follow that with a win versus a likely rematch with Ohio State ( again two score victory) and all this booster about the blue bloods will include the Ducks. Win big. Now If there ever was a time MC could alter the discussion about college football, the next two games are the perfect opportunity. Don't know if MC is ruthless enough. But with all the uncertainty around this changing landscape ( in college football), impressive wins will raise some eyebrows ( everybody expects Utah to easily win this game, and nobody expects the Ducks to beat anyone in the top ten).

Four programs. Four ten win teams will change the narrative about the conference. Would help if the Ducks pull another stunning upset in September and follow that up with run away wins the next two games. USC will be good next year. Ten win good. Four me, I just want OBD to know the game of football. In other words, be able to adjust immediately to ANY game plan, turn the heat up, and take control of games FAST HARD FINISH (that is the best football theme Eva!!!). Keep the division format, but clean up the schedule ( early games, nuke ALL Friday games - title game Saturday before the SEC, and his refs from around the country so play on the field determines championships).

I'm digging it. Ten months to elevate the program to elite status... Nothing like starting that journey tomorrow!!! I'll take the job if he leaves LMAO

I think Brian Kelly recognized ND needs to join a conference and refuses to. Give ME 500K. I'LL GLADLY BUILD ON THE BRAND AND ORCHESTRATE THE EXPERTS. I want a title (and Cristobal has the components in place). Pay me for the title. And I'll "slave" for that pursuit. I know exactly what I'd do too. Boy...I am arrogant one aren't I lol.

What impresses me most about Jon's take on MC is it is clear MC isn't a complete coach yet. The little things are hindering the ultimate goal. There's this frustrating " reversion to the mean" thing going on. Yet I see fingers emerging from the grave he's dug for himself....

Maybe guaranteed money is the reason only three active coaches have a title. Structure the contract with bonuses for achievement. Division title, conference title, NY6 bowl appearance. NY6 victory. Natty appearance. Natty. Four Mil turns to ten, maybe eleven. Show me the title, I'll show you the money. I obviously think coaches make way to much money. And they get "go away" money to boot. NFL players are no better. I don't see the will to win anymore.

Why would you waste your time on starting over somewhere else when you've got the squad you've assembled the past four years? I myself salivate over the talent he's got at his disposal. I envy him, and I'm just a fan. And the things I conjure up in my mind with that talent? Are you kidding me? Only a fool would waste the opportunity to hoist a trophy and finish what Rich Brooks started. I tell you what, I'd be glad to take what he's got if he decides to leave (man I lick my chops at the thought of it lol).

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.