Haywarduck

In as few words as possible describe what you expect the difference between this year and last. It might be fun to read what is expected. I expect the offense to try and create separation instead of focusing on contact. It seemed like Mario was all about hitting people without understanding what putting people in space did for an offense. I think we will see the polar opposite with Dilly and Lanning.

If you try to please everyone, not offend, you know what happens, right. I won't post the answer as there are plentiful quotes to reference.

Tillman came in as a track guy playing DE. The young man ran the hurdles in high school and has speed. Seems like an incredibly shrewd move for a staff which, unlike the previous staff, expects our TE to run a route, not just block, and run with LB's. We need guys who can outrun LB's.

I also think it comes down to showing fans enthusiastically cheering for their Ducks is awesome. Showing a cheerleader man, or women cheering for their Ducks is very appropriate. The cheerleaders also do moves which can put them in compromising positions when caught in static photos. Showing photos which highlight positions which are suppose to be dynamic moves, and inspire shouldn't be shown. That is ok and inspirational at the game, and if there is a particularly amazing move the cheerleaders are doing show the video. I would add these cheerleaders work hard at their craft. Showing videos and pictures shows respect for what they work extremely hard at, when done respectfully. I think we can also find fans in the stands in compromising positions and in outfits of poor taste. Just keep it at photos showing enthusiasm without the compromising positions. This is a fan site, show fans, cheerleaders and supporters exhibiting, revealing their love of the Ducks, and nothing else.

I just got back from Hawaii, pictures of the young lady's on the beach would be inappropriate for most on Fishduck. I think the outfits most young people wear now don't fit into what we are used to. I think it is just a generational thing, and no I don't have any pictures to post!

Sad to think our TE's never really worked on speed, but it makes sense. I suppose our RB's never worked on finding the open holes too. It would seem our WR's never really worried about catching a pass more than 15 yds. downfield either. Should be fun to watch a real offense again!

The Manziel 2.0 may be the best guess. Hopefully he will have a better O-line, a few go to receivers, and make Nix magically become the Bo Throwing and Going Show! We deserve it after the Brown Downs and Out show. At least I won't have my wife being able to predict the next play coming from our sideline.

Thanks Dazed, all we have now is a high floor on Butters, a high ceiling on Ty and the rug pulled out from underneath us on Nix! I thought we had a nice little wall to wall carpet with Nix, with everything covered! Now I have to think he may not even be an area rug extending out from the bed I was sleeping so comfortably on as I dreamed of the season to come. It actually sounds like he may just be a little runner carpet which may take us to the next room with the high floor, and or high ceiling. We definitely don't have the nice wool carpet that will last a long time, and make us all feel good like we were hoping. The analysis you did was pretty impressive, once again. That type of writing is why it is always enjoyable to wake up and ponder what has been written by the Fishduck staff. Sometimes that pondering wakes me up from some rosy dreams, which it is probably good. I need to realize the season I am pondering now may just be a fantasy best understood before we walk into it, expecting something which just isn't there. No carpet, not even some soft padding to help us at qb, just a cold hard floor, and we have no idea where it will take us.

One of my wishes for the season, Flowe and Noah on the field for every game. Could be the greatest defense Oregon has ever seen, and set the stage for the defense Oregon has going forward. I am having a hard time not expecting so much that the season can only really be a let down.

There is also the entertainment value relative to the fanbase numbers. You may not like Tiger Woods, but if he is in the hunt on Saturday you are paying attention. If Brooks Koepka, rated higher over the last decade, is in the hunt, few care. If Oregon regains their brand, they will pull in number much higher than any comparable program. We just need to make sure we are in the hunt on Saturdays, and in the New Year. The rest will take care of itself. UCLA, even with Chip, is more like Brooks Koepka, maybe their basketball team pulls in numbers, but the Bruins aren't a compelling program. Oregon with speed on offense and a defense is more like Tiger.

Chip seems to be a miserable human being winning or losing. Maybe I just don't understand the northeastern mentality, and continual negativity, but I am glad we moved on. That attitude doesn't seem to sell well to recruits, but administration seems to have no problem writing him checks. I suppose it helps having an AD who is from the East.

All I know is he won't be stepping down to the dawgs when he leaves, warms my heart, and give me great comfort!

The BIG question is will the new travel expectations in the larger BIG create more losses for all teams. Will the Cali schools lose games they should win because they have to travel so far. Will the old BIG schools lose more because they have to travel to Cali now? If so all of the sudden Oregon dominating and not losing is the team which can't be denied a playoff birth, while the BIG cannibalizes their chance. Just another scenario to consider. These are student athletes with more expectations and less maturity than the professional leagues with these expectations. This is uncharted territory, and nothing is guaranteed.

Who Lanning is at Oregon and Cristobal is at Miami will soon be crystal clear. When that happens recruits will have an even easier time making their decision. I will say if it comes down to money, we don't want the recruits. Team and the young mans long term future need to be priority number one.

It is all good. A great O-line, a passing game, and coaching is what is critical going forward! We just have to continue the trend line.

Looking forward to more football, less conference discussion!

I Don'te' doubt will see a ThornTon of our 6' 5" speedster. At RB it will be interesting to see who wins out, and I have no doubt we will soon forget Troy's little brother. What may be most interesting is how many times we see Seven on the highlight films, not just on the scoreboard. What I look for isn't the breakout, but the lack of breakouts through our D-line. Our D-line may be what breaks other teams, much like the gut punches are what wears down a fighter. There will be plenty of flash on both sides of the ball, but the breakout group just might be the D-line. The O-line is already getting some love, but the D-line may be the secret to the season. So my breakout players will be the D-line, but many may not notice, and that is ok.

Much of this has been said before, but the players on the field led Helfrich's team. Mariota didn't just win the Heisman, he won over the whole team, and he had Grasu snapping him the ball. Nobody wanted to let down Marcus, and there was strong leadership under Marcus too with Lowe, a stacked O-line and a young Royce. On defense with Buckner and Armstead along with Balducci and Ifo it was formidable too. After many of these guys left the culture which had been nurtured was gone. Helfirch's genius wasn't and isn't in creating a culture, and that is one thing we are excited to see develop under Lanning. It isn't just about the X's and O's. It is about the culture the coaches promote and the players who buy in. The players seem to be buying into team Lanning. It will be interesting to see what that buy in gets us. With Helfrich there wasn't buy in from the players, just within the amazing group of players at the time. Helfrich was much like Ernie, only as good as the strong, on the field, court leadership was.

I would say it is preparing the qb, and then designing an offense to highlight a qb's strengths is the magic. I would agree Helfrich was the master at this, but he is damaged goods at Oregon, and I doubt he will ever sit on our sidelines again. Developing a qb who, undoubtedly has had massive coaching before he hits college, especially a 5* or 4* qb, isn't what I see as critical in coaching a college qb. One needs to layer on the expectations while dialing up the offense to fits a qb's skills. A qb coach also looks brilliant when you have wideouts who can get open and catch a contested ball. We haven't been great at giving our qb's targets for a while, and that also needs to change. The good news is that has changed, and I look for that to help greatly this season. With our previous coach he layered on one layer of expectations, a couple simple throws. He never dialed up the offense, and there just wasn't any qb offense, at least what we have come to expect. After the Stanford game I was shocked more teams didn't take advantage of the all too predictable sideline throw. Why we didn't see multiple pick sixes I will never know. With Dilly I think he knows how to put in plays for certain qb's. There are only so many things a qb, or really anyone, can deal with at any one time. Dilly will design a qb offense which has just the right expectations, and then push the qb just enough to again have Oregon looked upon as a qb destination, not just transfers.

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You bring up, what I think will be, the biggest questions of the season, who will be the leader on the field? With Troy Dye and Herbert you knew the team was going to bring it. Who this season can bring back the great onfield leadership we have had in the past? Every team needs on field leadership, but with a brand new coach it will be all the more critical. I suppose that is why they brought in Nix, and he had better provide it on offense. On defense it will be interesting to see if they all get on board with the amount of care, and emotion Noah puts out there each week?

Is the NIL process just another big Willy Wonka test? Other programs got commitments from Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, Mike Teavee, and we got Charlie?

And hopefully he won't be affected by the money while in college. A focus on the team, coaches and program is a good start, well done Mr. Moore. The money will come, the development and wins will take attention and effort. Seems like the first student athlete who has really addressed the money and how they have dealt with the whole NIL discussions. As the qb it seems like this was an amazing first step in becoming a leader on the team. Other recruits and players are watching every step he takes, this was a great one. It will be interesting to see how a Rashada, and others do as compared to Moore. One qb seemed focused on the money and bright lights, the other an opportunity within a program where football is his number one priority. I also hope the Oregon Program learns from this experience. There are amazing young men out there who put program first, keep them coming.

Ouch, that one hurt, agreed!

I would say the Utah games defined the season, but the past is behind us, and so is that coach, thankfully. To the players the tosu game defined the season, much better way to remember that crazy fall.