Jon Joseph

Anthony Brown in 2021 is playing at a level he has played at his entire career. 1 big exception, in 2021 he won his 1st game as a starter versus a top 25 team. Ty Thompson, 6'4", 223 pounds has upside the Brown does not have and frankly, never had. But with the system Oregon is running on O, does it matter? Caleb Williams was the number 1 QB recruit in the country. He is a far better runner than Rattler and Williams being a run threat opened up the entire OK O. Williams running ability allowed running back Brooks to break off big runs on counter plays. Plays that worked when the D had to account for Williams. And an average OK OL, now able to play in space with favorable angles, started making blocks. I watch Mario's O and often shout at my TV: Run the other play! Can a new OC make a difference? Look no further than Dave Aranda's Baylor team that struggled in 2020 and is 5-1 in 2021. Why? Because Aranda brought in Jeff Grimes from BYU. The OC that jacked up Zach Wilson's game. Aranda, the DC at LSU before taking the job at Baylor, turned the O 100% over to Grimes. Baylor with mostly the same personnel is lighting it up on O. A fascinating game this Saturday? 5-1 BYU at 5-1 Baylor. Mario wants a game manager at QB. A guy who can control the ball. A guy who is not a risk taker. Thus, I'm not really sure the starter at QB for the Ducks matters all that much? And I am puzzled by the emphasis in bringing in quality WRs? Under Mario we will be watching grind it out games. What material changes on O have we seen since Joe Moorhead arrived? What I hope we will not see after this season is a whole bunch of Ducks flocking to the transfer portal? If it is frustrating to us fans it has be very frustrating to the young guys including Ty, in the QB room. Due to the style of O Mario prefers to run a whole lot of talent is being kept under wraps.

Steven my friend, the truth hurts! I just saw the list of entertainers for this year's Super Bowl halftime. Who are these guys?

Spot on. But it is getting close to decision time on whether to continue to pledge media rights to the Pac-12 and whether to agree to take the same slice of the pie as the 11 other teams? Pledge those rights for the new media deal and you are locked in for at least 4 years? SC is obviously down. But the LA market is a big draw for any media company. And even when down, SC football draws many the eyeball. I think the reconstituted B12 would open the wallet large for SC, the Arizona schools and CU? Bowlsby, snubbed by The Alliance, which I understand, might be willing to give SC a bigger piece of the pie? I think OK/UT to the SEC and BYU. Cincy, UCF and Houston to the B12 will not be the final moves in this round of conference restructuring?

Great take. The all-time bad move may have been Mike Price from WAZZU to Bama where he ended up never coaching a game. Kiffin from Tennessee also did not work out too well. Although perhaps the worst AD in history, Pat Haden, should never have knee-jerked fired Kiffin. If Haden is not the worst, how about Lynn Swann who gave Helton a big pay raise and a huge buyout?

Great points all Charles. BTW, my bad, the Prez of SC is Carol Folt, not Ford. I hate to think of myself as a coward but if I could make close to the same money I think I'd prefer competing in the Pac-12 S compared to the SEC W? Ditto the B1G E? But then again there is the financial security of the B1G and the SEC to consider? Hayward could be more than right about Jack del Rio? I have no idea what Jack is up to these days? Has he kept his hand in coaching? I am often in error and I hope I am in error when even considering a move by USC to becoming an independent? That would not be good for Oregon or the conference. He later walked it back but not so long ago Bohn brought up the idea of SC doing its own deal with NBC. And you are right. These are crazy numbers! In many states the head football coach is by far the best compensated state employee. I wonder what was the apogee of Knute Rockne's compensation?

Here is my off-the-wall pick to be the next SC coach? Mel Tucker. (Of course having raised Tucker as a candidate, MSU probably loses at Indiana Saturday?) Mel was an excellent recruiter in his stops in the SEC. Before the in-your-face Buffs, he was bringing in a good class at CU. He has MSU ranked in the top 10. His use of the portal, becoming more and more important in today's CFB, has been masterful. 12 MSU starters in 2021came out of the portal. He has no taint, other than bolting CU after a year, but for twice the money who can blame him, on his record. Like Franklin he is an African American which could be influential in the SC's president's decision making. Unlike Franklin his salary is not to the moon high. He is making less than is David Shaw. However, Mel may be off to LSU before SC puts its oar in the water? I can't believe LSU having won the Natty 2 years ago is +10.5 at home vs 2L Florida? I think the other question regarding the next SC coach is whether SC will be a member of the Pac-12 or an independent? SC might be able to score an NBC/Notre Dame deal and a Notre Dame/ACC scheduling agreement with the B12 for the other sports? This would include 5 football games a year vs B12 teams. Notre Dame is staying on the SC schedule. So, SC would have to find 6 other games. If a 12 team PO comes to fruition, SC as an independent would be like ND, in the mix for a PO spot with only having to play 12 games. Unless GK can pull off a media miracle deal, is SC going to be content with sitting way behind the B1G and SEC money wise and giving an equal share of a smaller pie to WAZZU? 2 schools move the viewer #s in the Pac-12, SC and Oregon. If NBC wants to go deeper into CFB, the LA media market would be the logical choice. I'm not sure a committee per se will make the SC coaching decision but the SC prez will be involved as will financial fat cats. I very much doubt that Mullens hired Mario without first obtaining the Oregon prez approval and checking in with Uncle Phil?

AMEN. Great research. But I don't think Bohn will screw this hire up? And I am fairly certain he will not be making the decision on his own? Too much is at stake. SC is not Idaho or SDSU. Who knows what the budget was at those 2 schools at the time of the hires? Fickell, who had a tough year as the Ohio State interim coach was an outstanding hire. Quite something to go toe to toe with UGA in the 2020 bowl game and to have a G5 team ranked #3 in the country. As to the job itself? Bama had many the tough season before Saban showed up. Bama pre-Saban, was recruiting nowhere near today's level. SC was down between McKay/Robinson (both Ducks) and the hire of Pete Carroll. Get the right guy on board and studs in the western footprint, especially So Cal, are not heading east. I do expect that the hire will move the PR needle. Plenty of wealthy SC alum are invested in the football program and in this hire. I'm torn. SC is a hire away from being ultra competitive with Oregon. But like it or not, SC being a player on the national scene is a boon to the Pac-12 conference.

Ducks/CAL follows Clemson at Syracuse game that kicks off at 7:30 EST. This game will likely cut deep into the 1st Q of the Ducks game.

Thanks Charles, the ranking seems right to me? I do not want to put the jinx on for Friday night's game, but what in the heck has happened to CAL athletics? Is the administration at CAL the least bit interested in sports? I guess I could ask the same about many programs in the conference.

Thanks Coach. Glad you mentioned Lincoln Riley along with Coach Swinney and others. Kennedy Brooks broke Texas back on counter plays in the 2nd half of the RR Shootout. The play was not working in the 1st half. Why, because Spencer Rattler is nowhere near the run threat that is Caleb Williams. Williams ability to effectively run the ball opened everything else up for the OK O to make a historic comeback. Brown has nowhere near the athleticism of Williams but Oregon runs AB like he was the 2nd coming of Lamar Jackson at Louisville. Good call on the Oregon play calling not getting proper angles for the OL. Oregon is playing in a phone booth. I thought that with Moorhead on board the O would get smarter? What I am seeing on the field is not the O JM ran at Penn St and at MS ST. Mario, bless him, has to get out of his own way and get the Oregon O into the 21st century.

The SC, AD, Mike Bohn hired Luke Fickell at Cincinnati. I believe he has a much better than average hiring record as the AD at other spots. He arrived at SC too late to pull the trigger on Helton before this season. I don't think he'll screw this hire up? Del Rio? Too much of the same old have to have SC ties to be hired? How about Reggie Bush's idea? Hire Deion Sanders? How about NO!

Very good article up on The Athletic today by Andy Staples regarding Oregon having to carry on despite the L at Stanford and the injuries. Staples, somewhat impliedly, calls out the refs for the 3 questionable calls on Stanford's game winning drive. Yes, David, let's hope we see a rested, pumped up Ducks team? Of course, with the wonderful 10:30 right coast kickoff time, will anyone east of Idaho be watching?

Ohio State? Reason enough to leave? Great point Charles, but Franklin is a limelight guy and would be a fit in LA. At SC he would not be looking at the gauntlet that is the B1GE year after year. But, like Leavitt, Franklin's record is tarnished by the incidents of rape that happened under his watch at Vanderbilt. I think SC Prez Carol Ford, who was hired in part to clean up the admissions mess at SC, will not hire anyone with a hint of scandal surrounding their name? BTW, up today on one of the SC boards is a take on Va Tech HC Justin Fuente coming to LA to be the Trojans OC? I expect that prior to SC actually making the new hire the speculation will include every half decent coach in the USA? So glad you posted this Charles. Lots of fun to speculate. Considering the upcoming media negotiations, this HC hire by SC will have an even greater conference wide impact.

Before Friday's results are in I think you are selling the Ducks short? I completely agree that had Sean Clifford not been hurt PSU defeats Cincy. The Committee takes note of injuries such as happened tp Clifford. And if Ohio State defeats Iowa in the B1G champ game? No reason whatsoever that the Ducks cannot win at UCLA and at Utah.

Indeed it can happen. A 12-1 conference champ Oregon will be in the PO over a 13-0 Cincinnati. A 13-0 UGA is in. An 11-2 Bama is not. Both at 12-1? I still like the Ducks chances considering that neither SEC team would have a big OOC win. The W at Ohio State is playoff gold.

Bama and UGA run the rest of the table and Bama wins in Atlanta? You'd have a 1L Bama + a 1L UGA but only 1 would be a conference champion. Bama would finish 12-1 as would UGA. But both teams would not have as good an OOC win as Oregon at putative B1G champ Ohio State. The B1G E is about to eat itself up. 5 B1G teams in the top 10 today. 4 from the B1G E. And if Ohio State wins out it will have a SOS that will really bump up the Ducks SOS. A 12-1 conference champ Oregon is in the playoff or all heck breaks loose. Keep on rooting for ASU to keep it keeping on. ASU finishes 11-1 and it will be a top 10+ team coming into the Pac-12 champ game.

AMEN!

Before the 2021 season kicked off my guess is that the majority of fans would have had the team after 5 games ticketed at 4-1? With a W against Stanford and an L at tOSU. As Puddles sat back and relaxed ASU cleared a path to the Pac-12 N title and into the champ game. The Ducks have played pretty darn well in the champ game, zero Ls to date. I have to remind myself of THIS! The Ducks has a roster that even with the dings, is equal or better than any team on the schedule. The Ducks won in Columbus, something that has not happened in many a moon. I also have to remind myself that Stanford is the Ducks nemesis. And the L at Stanford? Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. 1 hankie stays in pocket and the Ducks win the game. We can all and I cop to being guilty, bemoan close Ws against inferior opponents, but they are still Ws. Just win baby. It may not be stylish, it may not be exciting or pretty but at the end of the day it's all about scoreboard. 1 more point against the opponent like Ole Miss' 1 point win against Arkansas last week is still a win. Ducks run the table and the early games, except the W in Columbus, will be long forgotten come game 12 vs the Beavers. 'The evil that men do lives long after them, the good is entered with their bones.' BEAT CAL Friday night is as of now, all that matters. It may be ugly but a W is never ugly. Especially against a division for and any conference foe. Keep on winning. Unlike the Coaches and AP Polls, the Playoff Committee is not going to overlook that W in Columbus. Especially when Ohio State wins the B1G title. A 13-1 Ducks team is in the playoff.

Jon Gruden, long rumored to take the TN job is now CFB and media kryptonite. I don't think with his emails going public that he can be hired anywhere except as a consultant at Alabama? IMO, he would be a Pete Carroll like hire at SC.

Make it happen Captain! Let's get more hurry up on O and far more aggressive on D. I feel that sans Columbus, the Ducks O and D is waiting for it to happen and not making it happen.

You're a sunshine pumper and I love it! 4-1 and an open path to the Pac-12N and the champ game and then"? Nothing to sneeze about. Let's go Ducks!

Browns vs Chargers - Browns 1st team in NFL history to score 40 points, commit no turnovers and lose.

My thoughts on Gruden resigning border on or cross the political line so for once I'll shut up. Except, if Mario is the best guy on the practice field and not injured he will start. NO favorites are played in the business that is the NFL.

Charles my friend, I think you have nailed the ultimate ponder point? FWIW. I just got back in from the driving range. When I first got there my mind was filled with swing mechanics. I wanted to make the 'perfect swing.' What was the third thing? The ball was going nowhere and definitely not in the intended direction. After 10 minutes of garbage, I took a deep breath and said to self, 'Self have fun! Eye on the ball, relax and finish your swing.' All of a sudden the ball was going where I aimed it and at, for me, good and proper distances. I took another deep breath asked self, 'Self, is Mario having fun? Are the players having fun? Are the fans especially the future financial lifeblood of the program, the students, having fun? It's supposed to be FUN for players and fans, no? I know Mario works from dawn to dusk and beyond. He seems to be attempting through this regimen, perfection on the field of play? If this is the case, is this what is being translated to the coaches and the players? And to the fans watching the product on the field? Like golf, perfection in football is unattainable. In golf, analysis leads to paralysis. On the golf course you just have to be an athlete, do your best and live with the consequences. Not swinging well on a given day? 1 billion Chinese could care less so grip it, rip it and smile. In CFB, young men are not going to 'get it right' on every play. If you constrain their athleticism in order to obtain perfection, if they can't have fun, robotic football will be the result. You will be teaching them to paint by numbers, instead of allowing their artistry to flow on the field of play. With all due respect, in the immortal words of Sergeant Hulka, 'Lighten up Mario!' Enjoy the process and let the kids and the fans have fun! FWIW, that's 2 cents from an armchair shrink. Now, if I can only make this putt?????

Thanks Charles. Spot on regarding the lack of pass rush. Ducks is 105th in sacks and 81st in QB hurries. Hard for any DBs to hold up in the face of these kind of numbers.