Photomatte

I think Herbert was a special talent who chose Oregon over other schools because he grew up a short walk from Autzen, and because the Ducks were a phenomenal program when Herbert was in high school. It was a win-win. Cristobal was lucky to inherit him. Herbert wasn't as lucky to play for Cristobal, who's coaching philosophy seemed to be "let's emulate the boring ground-n-pound offenses from the SEC during the 1990s." As SEC schools were evolving their offenses to look more like the modern PAC-12, hiring multiple PAC-12 coaches and offensive coordinators, Cristobal was dismantling the premier offense in the PAC-12, an offense Herbert had looked forward to playing in; had, indeed, developed his entire skill set around. Yes, a lot of the offensive regression had to do with Arroyo's playcalling, but it was up to Cristobal to fix that and he didn't. It was the innate talent of 4- and 5-star recruits that kept the Ducks together. Tyler Shough's decision to leave Oregon after the Fiesta Bowl was a big one, as was Oregon's decision to bring in a one-and-done graduate transfer at the QB position, then create a quarterback controversy during the Bowl game. 2021 will determine if Cristobal and the Ducks are for real or if Herbert was the last great quarterback to play for a school that has led the country in NFL draft picks (at the QB position) over the last 20 years. I'm hoping the Ducks are for real.