Haywarduck

The reality of 2020-21 is that we have Cristobal for the longterm and, as stated, the team is one voice, one heart beat. Contrast that with what you see at sc and we are very lucky. Cristobal brings players in, keeps them moving forward and in tune. The other item is he brought in the best class we have ever had, and still has a chance at one of, if not the best player in the class. Top that with 3 4* recruits, already, for the 2022 class and pipeline to the playoffs is primed. I love the picture of Cristobal sitting on the field with his player. Contrast that with, what I remember was, Helton chasing after his players, tying to get them to behave and get off the field. This is Cristobal's team, program and family. We do indeed have a lot to be thankful, but questions do remain. There is plenty of time to discuss and answer those questions. This doesn't take away from our ability to be grateful, and still ponder those points. This is what is so nice about Fishduck, which we should also be grateful for. Thank you Charles, and bring on Spring Ball!

Great point, the whole Covid-19 thing has to help keep kids closer to home and lean toward smaller school populations, I would think, as a parent. Bama, and tOSU are bigger schools and, of course, further away. Would you want your child in a larger school further away, with this risk, not me. tOSU is closer to 50k students, Oregon is closer to 20k. This is all conjecture, but seems to make logical sense. Bring him, Cristobal!

All the indicators seem to show Oregon has done pretty well during this extended dead period. I would also say the questions he has with the other programs will go unanswered, so that helps the known, Oregon. The big question is can Cristobal seal the deal, we all know that answer. My bet, Oregon, sooner than later with the latest news.

I think the Herbert, Tua question is, does it makes sense to draft a college qb, who has NFL receivers, higher than a qb with little support? Tua, Burrow and Johnny Football all had guys who would catch anything and get open against anyone. This seems to be missed by the scouts every time. This also can answer the question about how important it is to recruit elite talent at WR. A qb can be made with top talent at TE and WR. A qb can also look questionable without support. We still don't have an unquestionable elite receiver on our active roster. Who is going to develop into one, or who is the freshman phenom? We need elite talent to help our new qb. Maybe JTT can be the go to guy for our next qb? The whole Brady to Gronk thing, in my opinion, is underrated. Every qb needs a go to receiver to help them, and make everyone else look better. In the NFL it always seems like the elite qb has an amazing TE. This position, in my opinion, is underrated in the college game. Most college teams, Oregon a perfect example, look at the TE as a blocking guy, who might catch a few. We need a guy who is a threat and that will change our O for the better. Great topic to ponder, thanks!

The defense has to come together and help the offense. If this happens then the offense can grow as the season progresses. The problem last year was evident in our game against OSU. Shough struggled and the defense wasn't there to help him out. Next year we need the defense to be there when our qb struggles. If this happens then next season could be a fun one. We could also have a qb rise and take over with authority. We could then have a season to remember. I am not counting on this, we need to the defense to lead next year in every game.

It is defense that holds a team together and wins games. Eugene had an off night, but was a force on the defensive end. This is what Altman teams do as the season comes to a close. Now if the offense comes alive and the defense stays tight, we might see a decent run. Monday's game will be telling. Can the Ducks put the O and D together against the top team?

Everybody has a lucky color, fortunately Oregon knows their lucky colors, green and yellow. Why would anyone, when you know you need luck, not where their lucky color(s)? I mean really, why would you go out of your way to wear, what many consider not even to be a color, grey. When I see Oregon line up for a competition without green and yellow I just shake my head. Who would try and win anything of value without all the luck you can get. You need science, but most importantly you need luck! I don't care about statistics, this is just common sense;).

I hope he also has a Master's program picked out. His strength and almost all players end game is academics. He also has this as a priority so he will undoubtedly end up well. I also wish him well on the field, unless he is playing against the green and yellow!

Another item is if you are a back-up to a dual threat qb, you are one play away from being the starter. The real question is do the athlete's think they are getting developed well at Oregon? In the past we have turned out a Heisman Trophy winner and the NFL ROY. If we see too many transfer's then maybe they aren't getting developed? I think the support is there, the competition is just getting more fierce. Also the O-line is extremely good, the RB help is improving, the WR's talent is elevating too. If I was an elite qb I would stay, and work hard for the opportunity. Something special is about to happen at Oregon!

I doubt too many 18 year olds are thinking about what is sustainable. They are invincible and the world is theirs for the taking. The wisdom you speak of comes from experience, and the saying goes, experience comes from bad decisions. I also applaud the young for taking the opportunity to take a chance and make some bad decisions! I would also say there is no experience like being the guy, qb, on a D1 team with a chance at glory. Just about every teen I have known is looking, maybe, at tomorrow, not the next ten plus years. Go for it, Mr. Ashford, live the life you dream about, no regrets!

I don't think Brock Purdy beating him for the 5th straight time helped either. I hope Tyler is able to move on from his high ratings and make the impact he wants. Oregon went with the highly rated qb, and let the scrappy kid go to another school. Actually most schools looked past Brock, Alabama wanted him to walk on as a preferred. They saw the talent, but Oregon just went with the ratings and didn't see the potential. Who is going to be the scrappy gamer out of who is left on the roster? We need somebody who has 'it.'

Nice article on how a student athlete who wants to play two sports is supported at the University of Oregon. He isn't the first and hopefully will joined by another two sport athlete soon! If you have a dream come to Oregon to make it come true.

Justin and Marcus should help in our recruiting. The Heisman and then NFL rookie of the year is a good track record for a program going after qb's. The question is does our recruiting of these two, 3* diamonds in the rough, help us in how we recruit. I would love to see us recruit a fastball throwing baseball pitcher, who is a 6' 2" point guard, that also lead his team to a unexpected deep run in the football playoffs for his high school. This is, of course, a made up scenario, but I love the multi-sport athlete, who plays under the radar, no recruiting camps. Can we find the 'Brock Purdy type,' who is a gamer, and doesn't have all the exact measurables? Do we recruit the kids who aren't highly touted anymore? There have to be plenty of Vernon Adams, Masoli's, or Josh Allens just waiting to be discovered, right? These are the kids who make every program better. We need the kids who outwork everybody and knows how to make everyone around them better, they are just gamers. Bill Musgrave was probably my favorite gamer, weak arm, not fast, but knew how to win. We need to at least bring in a gamer to push the elite crowd to new heights.

I hope he gains those tools elsewhere, but I agree with this assessment. The problem with some of these highly rated kids is they may not want to hear about their weaknesses, or those around him may not be able to see them. I hope he does and the Chris Boucher article would be a good one for any athlete to read to better understand what it takes to make it.

I look at the Chileduck depth chart all the time, love it, grateful!

I also think we are seeing this happen to multiple positions as the talent level rises. How are you going to keep Justin Flowe off the field? What if JTT signs on and wants to play TE? When the talent level rises, expectations increase and some just walk away. The receiver position is especially ripe for this happening. We have a lot of WR's and only a few are going to get the rock. We will see TE's and WR's walk away and look for an opportunity to play. The competition is going to be extreme, unlike anything we have seen in the past. The transfer portal offers a different opportunity than in the past. I hope they all turn out positive and this option is something which benefits the student athlete. I do think staying with your decision, and competing is the best lesson a guy can make longterm. I also know things aren't always the way you thought when you signed up for something. The transfer portal is a way for the student athlete to have more control, a good thing.

Interesting take and some say Bellotti did the same with Chip ready to take over. Seems like the Oregon way when there is somebody better, move on. Both the these situations led to some pretty good times for Oregon. While you hate to see a guy replaced, with this perspective maybe it is the best thing that can happen for Oregon. I do hope it works out better for Tyler than it did for DT. Tyler needs to find a situation where he can start over and be mentored better. I have a feeling, like with DT, the world is full of tough competition and it won't get easier. Neither of these guys has the pension Bellotti had to fall back on.

That is why they lace up the shoes and get between the lines, to show what you got when everyone wants the ball and only you, and the center are assured of touching it. The qb position is a reflection of almost every position at Oregon, full of promise, short on experience. Soon it will be time to lace them up, but until then the training, studying and relationship building will happen. Who will come out of that process with an advantage. I don't think there will be any time that won't hurt or help in this process if left unused. Can a kid just out of high school lead a team, some guys 4 years his senior? How about Butterfield, the under appreciated, talented player. Then there is the dark horse many look fondly toward, as he reminds many of a combination of many of the past greats, will Ashford win it? Stay tuned as guesses are free, but the competition will prove costly for those involved, should be fun to watch.

I think our schedule needs to be considered when thinking about who the starter will be. With Fresno State at home, as our first game, this gives us a chance to try out a new guy, and give him an opportunity to see what he has. Best case scenario is one of our new guys leads the team to a win against Fresno. If he struggles then AB steps in and leads the team into the game against tOSU. We then play Stony Brook, at home, this again gives us an opportunity to give a young gun some game time experience. Maybe AB leads all the way through fall, but I doubt it. I think somebody is going to get an opportunity to lead who hasn't started a D1 game. AB will be a back-up, safety valve in case the young guys struggle. This was the same thing that happened last year. I just hope we have a different outcome with our qb development. It is time for a new beginning at the QB position at Oregon, exciting times!

When the article stated, "The Ducks reached the Pac-12 title only because Washington couldn’t play" I about choked on my coffee. The dogs could claim they might have won the Pac-12 title because they didn't come to Eugene to play the Ducks, end of story. Washington only played games at home, and lost to Stanford at home. I love it when the pundits pick the dogs preseason, but they didn't reach the Pac-12 title game because they didn't play an away game, and didn't play our beloved Ducks. I am just glad they may have a Huard lining up at center again. Every time he throws the ball it and I hear, 'Huard steps back to throw the ball,' great memories will poor over me.

Ty has been on campus for just a few weeks and already multiple qb's have headed to the exit. Could be good news as it, often, becomes evident quickly when somebody is just a bit better. I do wish Tyler all the best. We didn't see just how good he will be in the future. We do need at least 3 good options, and hopefully we don't lose anymore.

Agree the data is incomplete and our evaluation of Tyler isn't anything close accurate. He is a young man whose future is a road yet to be traveled. I hope he reaches all his goals. The problem is most goals worth reaching are paved with failure. Most, I bet even he, agree he, at times had disappointing outcomes. The question is will this define his time at Oregon. I doubt it and wish him the best. I would argue that any rating of a players season in 2020 isn't consequential to their career. Time will tell who will lead Oregon and the league going forward.

If Marcus was the missing piece then maybe. Seems like NE is missing too many pieces for Marcus not to become another attempt to stop a death spiral for a once storied franchise. I am not sure what happened to the franchise and their cap room, but they didn't have the players last year. If Belichick is able to put together a formidable roster then I could see a Marcus trade. I just don't want to see him become another guy expected to save a franchise.

It is a what if poll. What if Oregon beats tOSU? What if Oregon plays up to their talent level. What if Oregon wins the Pac-12 again. You have to have the talent, play competitive teams, and have a decent track record to get into the what if poll, but we have those what if factors. I will say what if's don't matter one bit. You kind of get into the could have, would have, should have dilemmas when you get the preseason rankings. I actually detest programs that are preseason darlings and end up failing. I guess it is my Brooks era foundational fan mentality. I would rather have us work our way up and earn a spot based on what is, and what was, as we build a championship program. Throw the what if's into the garbage, along with the preseason hype of players and big games. Coach each player up to their potential and most importantly get them playing as a team. Going off of preseason hype is like going to a movie because of a great preview or trailer. Often you have already seen and heard about all the good stuff. What is left is just a let down.

It wasn't just the short passes that won the game. The fact that Brady has limited athleticism also wasn't a determining factor. The factor is the 'it' factor, and so far we haven't seen 'it' at Oregon. Brady has 'it' in spades and leads teams and men to victory. The invisible 'it' factor is something few can see, but is the most important item on the field, and off. Off the field Helfrich did't have it, he just wasn't a leader, and when Marcus left that was becoming painfully obvious. Cristobal has 'it,' kids sign on, and want to perform for him. What we saw last year was Shough, seeming to have a bit of 'it,' but when push came to shove he faded. It is not over for him, but he needs to toughen up and get it right. I look forward to seeing who is the next great Oregon qb. I hope Moorhead can develop and identify The Guy, with the help of Cristobal.