Haywarduck

This!

Way to early to believe we are getting into either. There is too much football to play. The Rose and Playoffs are just the best options right now. We could play out of those options really easy, and the meltdown which would follow. I think the best way to think about it is a football isn't a normal ball. Most balls are round and bounce predictably. A football is egg shaped and you have no idea where it will end up until it stops bouncing and rolling, and that is what the season is still doing.

My favorite recruit, track speed and track star, we need the speed! Ok, they are all my favorite recruits, but he checks all the boxes.

What was the title of today ponder point? I expect a toast to the team with your favorite beverages tonight, not too much though were not done! Oregon Becoming the Team We Expected

Wish him well, loved seeing coach O win a national title. That had to hurt.

Love the lettermans' jacket, old school. Letterpersons' jacket I suppose, sorry! I hope she gets all 4 stripes, for those who understand.

The great thing about the rivalry Cristobal had with tosu, is he lost the recruiting rivalry, but won on the field. The man is learning to win in both situations which is critical. We have a great recruiter who is becoming a savvy coach, not sure what the dawgs have? Hard to tell with his foot in his mouth.

Talking about books, you are quoting an author of the thriller, not the killer. Joey loves the genre he comes from and authored so many times. He comes from the underdog, comeback, thrilling game where the outcome is in doubt throughout. I totally get he wants to see a reflection of himself, his understanding of what the Oregon Football Program stands for. I struggle with the same emotions when I watch the current Ducks. They aren't the comeback kids, the underdogs, nor are they the killers of the Kelly days. They are, well, we are still trying to figure out what they are. I like the underdogs of Joey's day, really relate to this. I also enjoyed the Kelly days, and the explosive plays. I also learned to relate to that kind of football, was maybe a little skeptical of an assistant becoming the coach. After the Boise State game many were wondering. What I am now trying to appreciate is just what the Oregon Football Program is becoming under Cristobal. He doesn't want to be any of the previous coaches, but what is he creating? All I know is in the end, I will learn to love it, Go Ducks!

I agree and the injuries and penalties come across as good coaching to me. The coaches are showing their strength with their ability to impact the players. One need look no further than how the team has been able to overcome injuries to see how student athletes are being coached up. There is talent on this team, but players are being groomed to take over positions. The tosu game was the first example as players went down, Thibs the big one, and players were ready to step up. Kudos to the coaches for having players ready to fill gaps and execute. The other is penalties, and the coaches seem to be cleaning this up. This again is either a focus of a coaching staff or it isn't. This staff seems to have the culture going the right way with the penalties being the canary in the coal mine. Cristobal getting after a player, and the intensity seen on the sideline is paying off. Players must complete their task, and stay focused on the team. We aren't the sc of the north at all! We have the talent to go a long way. The question for me has always been can the coaches create the program to compete again. These two areas are encouraging me to see a path to where we want to be at the end of the season. It will be fun to see if they can keep it going, or will they stumble. Either way the direction is reassuring me we will get there with time, Go Ducks!

Agree, but it is when a coach or individual comes up with excuses they cross a line for me. The refs impacted the Stanford game, but we let it become a factor. Lake seems like he is in panic mode when he starts making excuses like the academic one above. I do think it helps us because players eat this stuff up. Some of these guys don't have the rivalry intensity needed, but a coach basically calling them dumb, bring it on.

It is not where you go, or what you get, it is what you do with what you got. The dawgs are stuck on the first two, where I went and what I can get. I will also say this is what use to be called bulletin board stuff. If the players needed something else to fire themselves up, here it is.

Reminds about the joke about Volvo's Click and Clack use to tell. A Volvo owner believe three things about their car. One it is the safest car, two it is the most reliable car and three, theirs is the only exception to the first two rules. A dawg alumni believes three things about the uw. Their football team is the greatest, their academic experience was the best, and their time at UW was the only exception to the first two rules. Delusional dawgs fans abound.

We ponder the why while they have to figure out the why. Fortunately they seemed to have figured out the why. Hopefully they keep it going through the end of the season, or we will have to ponder the why, and hope they figure it out next season. I suppose that is what each side, the fan, and the coach do. The pressure is on the coaches, we fans can be wrong all the time, kind of nice.

I agree the pass play creates more yardage, like in the infamous Rose Bowl 2015, 338-301. The play calling by Helfrich was 45 runs and 36 passes and under Kelly, again run heavy. My research comes up with different results, but maybe I am wrong? Last week again passing created more yardage, but it was 50/50 pass to run.

A deep threat probably wouldn't be the threat I would like to see, so I agree.

Within that offense should it be 50/50, 60/40 or 40/60 pass, run? I would like to see maybe about the same we have with more downfield passing, the long ball threat. With Chip Kelly we were a running offense, around 40% pass, sometimes less. With Mario we are throwing more around 45%, but less downfield. I suppose I would just like to be forced to see more of the field. Right now you can get away with just looking at around 20yds or less from the line of scrimmage. To answer the question I just want a team you know is going to win the game. With the recruits we have it is hard for me to think we shouldn't dominate. In the past I always thought we were going to win, but thought it was going to be interesting. I think if we are playing inferior competition we should dominate both sides of the ball. If not I want the offense to win the day! With that I want the explosion play to become an integral part of the offense again. I love the defenses aren't stacking the box waiting for the inevitable anymore. I now want the defense to be afraid of something exploding from anywhere on the field, once again.

Still on the Titans roster, but I always wondered what if with that guy.

Another item is it could be said we reacted to Helfrich in the same way. His downfall was extremely rapid. From leader of a Heisman winning qb, our lone college championship game to being fired in a short time. I suppose starting with a win at the Alamo should have sent up warning signals if we really knew our history. In the end we lost The Alamo and it wasn't a pretty ending.

My problem with 2021 is where is the identity. With 2019, as stated, you had Dye and Herbert two of the all-time greats. With 2021 we have had to learn to love the team. In 2019 we saw 3* recruits grow into and will a top 5 ranking, this is Oregon Football to me. Few things excite me about Oregon Football like a walk-on getting into the starting lineup, or a 3* becoming an NFL talent, and their often time difficult road there. In 2021 I am learning how to accept a transfer leading our team, or maybe being a significant part. This may be a trend I need to accept. It is also a team full of exceptional talent which needs development. This is also a trend, and process I need to trust and welcome. Both these, like learning to like like beer I suppose, are an acquired taste. We can all learn and grow into the new Oregon Football program and learn to love it!

I would add expert management of the qb position. With so many criticizing, hedging their support, and just questioning the whole process of qb development this might be his best job of all. When you have a Justin Herbert come into the program it is easy to discount the development of a qb, but it is a tightrope few can do well. Maybe Moorhead should get most of the credit, but we also have three capable guys developing behind AB and all seem(?) happy, well done! I do think this could use some more discussion, but will save that for another thread.

Kind of interesting with Scot Frost. What do you do when you hire your dream coach, who has had massive success, and he fails? Do you just drop football because they aren't going to do better than Frost? He is Nebraska hero, National Coach of the Year, kind of won a national title, and can't win at Nebraska, who can? The same kind of story is happening at Michigan, but not quite the train wreck Frost is. I suppose the excuse is Frost can't recruit in Nebraska? This has to shake up Nebraska fans to their foundation, right?

All I care about is taking care of next week. If we can't take care of the next few weeks it really won't matter. I also think Oregon needs to think about how we look winning, the point margin. Oregon just doesn't seem to care Colorado couldn't score against anyone, but our defense. Those things matter to the committee. We need to put fear in other teams, which creates respect, we have little respect, other than the win in the shoe. By the time the committee votes for real, the win in the shoe will have been a couple months gone by. We need to start building our resume for the end of the season, or there will be even more whining. Remember we were the ones booing our program a couple weeks ago.

Good for him, the Cincinnati game should be interesting. You wonder what he was thinking when he left, but he will always be a Duck, unless we meet, both teams 7-1, hmmmm.

Don't forget what a husky is!

Chico love to hear your take. To me he just seems special, and I can't articulate it, but just say he has something going on. You articulate specifics so well. An NFL level stiff arm is extremely exciting. I also know there are times it seems I could make that pass or run through that gap when a talented player makes a play. I also know it isn't as easy as an elite talent makes it look. I look forward to your astute views on coming topics, even qb's, if we ever get enough footage!