cartm25

The Alamo Bowl presented us with the rare opportunity to see the Ducks’ offense directed by the OC hired by MC, but without MC’s influence. All I can say is, “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out MC!” It was both maddening and exciting to see this offense yesterday. Maddening because of how long we had to suffer through MC’s “Early 2000s Bama Offense”. Exciting because those young, talented WRs let loose was a sight for sore eyes. Yes, the 1st half was tough to watch, but IMO, that was more a function of poor play/decisions by AB and dropped passes than play-calling. Think about it, if MC had been coaching down 30-3 to start the 3rd quarter he would have run the ball three straight times. For that, and the revelation that he is the ONE responsible for the pathetic offense, I will not miss him.

No more timeouts called on the first play of the 1st or 3rd quarters.

Have no idea if it’s true, just the latest I’m seeing . . .

https://twitter.com/JHopkinsSD/status/1468011839137091584?s=20

Lot of coach-speak about Miami, but none of that bothered me the way this did: “We went in there thinking a certain game plan would give us the best chance, and that’s what we went with, so we stuck with that decision.” - MC Acknowledging something wasn’t working but, rather than adjusting, sticking with it anyway is the most revealing - and troubling - take-away from this presser. Why? Because . . . physicality?

While we wouldn’t describe the Ducks’ performance week to week as consistent, they are, however, very consistent at surprising us. Surprises are based on expectations, and expectations differ by individual. That said, some of you may or may not relate to my observation: For better or worse, the Ducks continually surprise me. They struggle/lose in games I fully expect them to win, and often win games I legitimately believe they’ll lose. Let’s focus on the good surprises. W against #7 Wash., 2018 W against #5 Utah, P12 Champ. 2019 W against #13 USC, P12 Champ. 2020 W against # 3 Ohio St., 2021 UCLA is unranked, but based on recent performance, I don’t believe the Ducks will win. Here’s hoping for one of those consistent surprises today; a surprise for me, anyway.