Haywarduck

Welcome Mr. Cota, back home. I welcome anybody Coach Lanning wants, until his recruiting proves worthy of question. Back in the day he was recruited, offered by Alabama, and Notre Dame, and decided on UCLA. After 4 years of schooling he sees the light!

Oregon is a coach maker, but the success seldom translates to greater glory. We have seen it repeatedly where a coach has success at Oregon, and turns it into a massive contract, opportunity elsewhere, then struggles. Chip is just, maybe, the best example. If I was a coach I would give anything for an opportunity to coach at Oregon. We can only hope Coach Lanning is a coach who both sees the opportunity, and is mindful of the pitfalls of leaving such a unique situation. Is Oregon the one hit wonder of the coaching world?

One word, speed!

It would be nice to see him as a thorn in sc side. If he can keep the 50/50 win record against SC then I will root for him to stay. UCLA is kind of the pullman to the dawg program. The cougs always look to beating the dawgs, and when they do it is a good year.

I actually think you are right, and that is one of Cristobal's strengths. He had a way of keeping the athletes believing almost to the end. The recruits buy into his schtick, and then keep buying it. That is a gift, few have.

Saban lays it out on why you need to be ready as the next man up. This will be another item which will make or break Oregon next season. Do we have the depth and is that depth ready to step up? Every player needs to be part of the process of being ready for tomorrow, next week, next month, next opportunity to become better, not just the outcome of showboating your skills. DJ Johnson is the poster boy for this mentality on the Oregon Football Team, and we will need more of it.

Some programs are leading the way for the Pac-12 to make more money with the next tv contract. Some programs are waiting until the money is in hand and they pay off some debts. UCLA is firmly in the camp of waiting to see the money before they put any more cash towards football. It isn't the haves and have nots, it is the will spend and those who won't.

Putting metrics to the season ahead is like chasing a ping pong ball around a table in an open warehouse. It can be a frustrating task. If you love the game you will still persevere and play the game. As I chase the ball to a far corner of the warehouse I still feel the offense will bring back the Autzen excitement. I still don't know what the total outcome will be but I am excited to get back to the table to see just what happens. After the first few games many will believe their predictions way off, or spot on. Then the games will really come alive and the precision will renew the enthusiasm for insightful predictions. Midseason the data will begin to roll in and everyone will be surprised. We will then know where it should have been all along. Which begs the question what bounce of the ping pong ball will be the most surprising? I think it will be our running game. Once again I think the running game will lead to passing production. We have the backs and with a good scheme they will run around and through the holes we use to see.

The great teams also have capable, dynamic back-ups. The SC-Oregon rivalry may come down to which team has the best back-up. Oklahoma certainly proved that the past couple years. The magic is can Caleb turn an amazing freshman season into a heisman worthy college career. He may just prove a one hit wonder like Rattler did before him, under Riley. They actually have similar situations, sophomores coming back after exciting freshman years. Rattler was the Heisman candidate, but replaced by Caleb. This year who is going to replace Caleb and keep the magic going, if needed? I doubt both Oregon back-ups will transfer, but the battle through spring, summer may create a casualty which could be damaging to Oregon's depth and strength at qb. I am not sure how Cristobal kept all the talent happy while putting a product on the field which didn't reflect what he promised, but Lanning will need to keep that contentment going. It will be a dance through fall camp to have a strong starter and capable, happy back-up or two. The portal does seem to be the new way to get qb candidates. Last year there were a few 5*, and multiple 4* qb's finding new programs. We need to show we can develop our qb's, but there seems to be a new way. The trick this season is to keep at least two top guys in the program so we can be ready for what develops as the season progresses. SC has a few backups, but nothing exciting, one is 5' 9" 170lb. senior who has never played. They better hope these guys never get see the field or it could be a long season for the trojans.

SC will have better scheme and better players. Oregon will undoubtedly have better scheme, kind of like limbo at 6', and it is looking like better players too. The bigger question is which program will have the culture to win big, and win when it should. Neither program has this culture established and it won't be a walk in the park to create this. Riley has proven he can get to the playoff, but not win it all. Lanning comes from a program which did it all. I would say the expectations at sc will be almost stifling from the start. With a qb who will be the favorite for the Heisman and Riley pulling in pretty much whoever he wants they have to win now. The trick will be establishing a culture which Riley has never done. Can he turn an ego playground into a winning unit. Also was the pattern of Williams putting in subpar performances at the end of the season a precursor to having the sophomore blues. Caleb was magic early in the season but then lost two games late. Might he be less than many think, and who is going to back him up? For Oregon it also comes down to the qb too. Might Nix be the veteran leader Oregon needs to lead the program to a culture change we all want to see. Suddenly Oregon is the disciplined scoring machine without the sophomore, freshman mistakes, or just underperformance seen with little talent behind center. Nix just might help indoctrinate this young team toward the winning direction only player leadership can. I tend to think it will come down to how these two leaders perform on and off the field. Don't forget Noah on the defensive side, a guy who Lanning has to be drooling over. So it is a little limbo party between these two programs. Which program is going to be able to continue to stand up as the bar is lowered on the programs week after week. SC has all the hype and really expectations. Oregon has a veteran in their back pocket who just might be the secret to making sure we don't fall down as the games get tougher and the season drags on. It all looks easy now, but as the season gets going the drama is going to become unmistakable, and measurable.

It sure seems like Coach Lanning has a plan and is putting it all together. I look forward to seeing more than just the outline of something special. He does seem to be putting together all the ingredients for a masterpiece, at least at this point. Now, how long before it all comes together?

A NFT is something people with lots of cryptocurrency buy. They buy something, which is actually nothing with something which is actually nothing. This is Haywarducks definition, which is worth less than cryptocurrency and NFTs, at least right now.

Steele seems like a very good assistant, well done Mario. Steele is also associated with one of the worst head coaching time management decision in the history of college football. This should cause Miami a little consternation, but it doesn't seem they are worried about game management, or really what the product is going to look like on the field.

Mario is an interesting one, he basically just communicates power and intensity. The intensity isn't over the top so he is a very compelling figure. His go to move is the clenched hand, intensity fist. I find it interesting because body language sometimes speaks louder than words, we are hardwired to see and read body language, although we don't often understand it's impact.

Great article!

Not to take anything away from your point, but Joey was born and raised in Oregon, his grandfather and father played qb at Oregon. Len Casanova Christened Joey into the Oregon faithful when he was born. Most Oregonians barely have Oregon plates on their cars when they start thinking their opinions matter more than those who were born and raised here. You then see groupthink based on too many people not understanding what makes Oregon great! Joey is reflecting many of our opinions about those who have moved here, and are going to make things even better. Many of the new Oregonians have made some improvements, but too many are like Cristobal all talk and know little about what makes Oregon special. I applaud Lanning for talking to somebody who has both feet firmly based in Oregon history. The first thing people need to do to become great Oregonians is the respect the past and try and improve upon the traditions and qualities we value. Lanning was getting it right by talking to Joey, even though Joey was giving him the skeptic sign. He just needs to prove he understands Oregon while enhancing the greatness which is Oregon! Until then Oregonians will question what is said, and applaud what is done.

I see Joey just being the skeptic. Oregonians aren't usually impressed with talk, or hype. That was one of the reasons Joey was so successful. He went into every situation ready to work and show how he could do it. I don't think Joey ever felt over his skis in any situation. So far I don't see Dan as being all hype. I think he is hyped up for the job, but he seems able and resilient. The body language is pretty funny, if you are into that kind of stuff.

If you had somebody analyze the body language that is exactly what they would say. Body language is an interesting thing to watch and read. Sometimes it is a better read than the words coming out of the mouth. I don't even want to begin to go over Mario's signals.

The hand sign Joey is giving Dan is called the 'handgun steeple.' It basically says screw you, and is an aggressive move. It can also be used in an effort to say I don't agree with you. Dan's hand signal is called the 'accordion player.' You see the a lot when people are speaking and trying to say 'this is deep.' Dan is trying to tell Joey this is good, deep stuff he is saying. Joey isn't buying it at all, if you believe what their hands signals are actually saying.

Aaron Donald was a wrestler, not a figure skater. I will agree a good wrestler moves extremely well, but I would never equate that to a figure skater. Figure skating is why I am not watching much tv right now. I would actually like to see more guys recruited on the line who have wrestling, jujitsu type training. We need big guys who know how to use leverage, and can get around guys. Remember the Fridge ran for a touchdown, because he knew how to, and could move.

I will be happy if he at least doesn't have to call a time out at the beginning of the game to micromanage. Actually I agree, I think Lanning knows how to delegate and manage outcomes, expectations. The coaches and players are going to enjoy the expectations and progression of outcomes created by the staff. They may struggle at times, but the great ones love the struggle. I also agree with Happytobe, the staff was mailing it in way before the Utah debacle. The micromanaging was killing more than the players. I have a feeling there were call being made out on the college circuit way before the season ended.

With a new coach, who has never coached, a new qb, who probably has maybe never started, along with a completely new coaching staff, Oregon has to be one of the biggest mysteries out there. It does beg the question, can you bet on next years game already?

Which would have more allure Oklahoma against USC or Oregon against Miami. Maybe this could be a double header, package deal? The college game needs to figure out how to market itself better. In the NFL games are adjusted all the time to get eyeballs on the games. Maybe a triple header Notre Dame against LSU? Passion on the sidelines, in the stands and with the tv ratings is what we all want to see!

Here's a coach O story about the lengths programs go to try to get 5* prospects. I have never heard of this kind of effort. Get out of jail card, I mean move to a different jail.

I have to believe, if Flowe is healthy, we will have a very strong pass rush. The D-line is only one part of the pass rush, and stunts and pressure will come from all over. Against tosu we had 2 sacks without Thibs on the field. We didn't have too much pressure otherwise, but that could change with a different scheme and more blitzes called. I do think there is the talent to bring pressure, it will just take a coach being creative while making that a priority. Hopefully Lanning sees the benefits of a rattled qb!