latracey

You hit the nail right on the head HappyToBeADuck. A simple statement about his ongoing commitment to being Oregon's head coach was woefully lacking in all of the coach speak blather from his interview last night. Given that connected people like Colin Cowherd and others have heard from their sources that there indeed HAS been communication between Miami and either MC, or his "people", says to me that where there is smoke, there is fire. I get the pull of Florida and the fact that, just like in Taggart's case, Cristobal is from there and has family and close friends there, and played football for The U. I'm sure Florida is a wonderful place unless it's hurricane season. I won't be surprised if he, like the prodigal son, returns to try and make good there. I get it. Oregon is my home and, no matter how far and wide my travels take me, my heart is always in Oregon. Although Cristobal is still learning how to be a great coach, he has been a very good coach for Oregon. He isn't like Bellotti, Kelly, or Helfrich who all had skilled offensive minds and had Aliotti backing them up with "gang green" defense, but he wins A LOT more games than he loses; 10 wins is a pretty great season that 10 other Pac 12 schools would love to have had this season. I really liked, no LOVED, watching Kelly's basketball on grass offenses. Even in close games, you never lost hope knowing that your offense could score in under 2 minutes. That's not and probably never will be Cristobal's thing, but Cristobal's thing could still be a good thing for Oregon. He is learning and his team is very, very young this year. In spite of how terrible the game was last night, I see a huge upside with MC and with what he has started to build at Oregon. I truly hope he fights the urge to go home and signs the juicy deal Oregon has laid at his feet. I hope he finds a great, innovative OC, and that he finds a way to step back and let that person make Oregon's offense truly great again. Oregon has been blessed to have MC as their head football coach, and we would be blessed to have him continue coaching the team that we love.

“I don’t know what to tell you. I can tell you this, if I had any plans, if I had a decision to make or if I had something to report I would and I wouldn’t keep it one way or the other. We know Mario is a great recruiter and that he isn't so great with certain aspects of game management and the Xs and Os; but is he the kind of a guy who bends the truth here and there to fit his narrative? Time will tell.

Oregon played tonight like a team that knew their coaches were leaving. MC to Miami and JM too Akron. Talk about a distraction.

Cowherd definitely has connections, just like he says in the video. Of course Miami has billionaire boosters that want to see their school back in the college football thick of things. Of course Mario's buyout and king's ransom bigger and better salary is chicken feed to a billionaire. I have to say I've had a funny feeling about Mario and his coaching commitment to Oregon for a week or so now, and I know I'm not the only person around here who has had these funny feelings. Then tonight, after the game, when asked a couple of times outright about the rumors linking him to Miami, he used the same kind of use words to say absolutely nothing coach speak that Moorhead used last Tuesday when also asked outright about Akron. Did he outright deny that he was leaving? Nope. Just like tonight's game against Utah. We've seen and heard this all before.

The whole picture makes sense with this news that Cristobal to Miami is going to happen. Moorhead leaving for Akron now makes sense. As Charles said in his article today, the game tonight went to the team that was mentally stronger. It's hard to be mentally strong when you are wondering who your coach is going to be next season. Talk about a distraction.

Ducks win 34 -31 2 turnovers 4 sacks 250 yards passing Mario proves he is a GREAT coach tonight

https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/john_canzano/2021/12/canzano-miami-may-be-waiting-on-mario-cristobal-but-oregon-has-its-arms-around-him.html I certainly empathize will all of the above comments made by those of you who are not crazy about Cristobal. As Charles stated, the style and output of Oregon's offense has not changed much from Arroyo to "offensive genius" Moorhead; and that seems to indicate that, regardless of who the OC is, MC has his fingers in the mix of the offense. Having been a former lineman has definitely influenced the kind of offense he prefers. It seems certain that Moorhead is heading for Akron. I'm sure Akron will pony up and figure out how to pay him at least as much as he makes at Oregon. It's a curious move, but Moorhead is a complicated man who keeps his cards close to the vest. Trying to read into his decision is pure speculation, but former head coaches are rarely satisfied being anything else. Looming in the background, as stated in the article I posted above, is the fact that Miami clearly wants MC. In spite of the fact that Oregon has given MC complete control of the football program, MC has strong ties to Miami. Riley and Kelly had complete control of their programs as well, but that didn't stop them from bouncing to what they perceive as better situations. Love him, or not, the threat that Miami poses is real. Seems like a lot of the problems we have with Mario are what my wife would call "first world problems". MC is currently at the helm of a young team that is riddled with more injuries than most that has figured out a way to win 10 games and is ranked in the top 10 teams in the nation. He is certainly one of the most successful coaches Oregon has ever had. It's easy to say that we'd be happier to see a more wide open offense that was more exciting to watch, even if it meant more losses, but is that really true? It's obvious that MC is under a lot of duress with his OC probably leaving after the game tonight and the severe illness of his mother hanging over his head. I'm interested to see how he has prepared Oregon to play in a game that almost NONE of the "experts" think Oregon can win after a 31 point loss to the same team 2 weeks ago. Great coaches find ways to inspire their teams to true greatness. We know MC is a good coach. Tonight we find out if he is a Great coach.

Cyrus Moss, a defensive player that is coveted by Oregon, attended the game with Oregon State as one of Cristobal's guests, and who seemed to be leaning toward committing to the Ducks was visited by Lincoln Riley and his DC at USC yesterday. Moss Tweeted that he is very interested in the conversation they had and wants to hear more. Although USC wasn't in his top 3, rumor has it that they now have the inside lane. Not only are most of Lincoln's Oklahoma recruits pulling their commitments in hope of following Riley to USC, but I'd expect that he will make it a point to try and change the minds of every blue chip Los Angeles blue chip player committed to programs other than USC. It will be interesting to see how many he gets to flip. Cristobal has had his way with players from the Los Angeles area during his tenure. I'm thinking that that is about to change in a major way. "Sco Ducks" could be a thing of the past. There's a new sheriff in town who is aiming to make USC the college football mecca. https://www.oregonlive.com/recruiting/2021/12/cyrus-moss-nations-no-4-edge-rusher-and-key-oregon-ducks-target-meets-with-uscs-lincoln-riley.html

Playing the game on a neutral field was one of Larry Scott's hair brained ideas. Playing the game on the home field of the higher ranked team guaranteed that, instead of costing the conference money, the game was a money maker in what most likely was a packed stadium. I remember when Oregon played UCLA at Autzen for the Championship. That was a fun game.

Another problem/misperception that I see is the notion that a skilled coach should posses super special qualities of moral character beyond just being a really talented person who knows how to collect the best Jimmies and Joes and inspire them to execute a really ingenious plan with the Xs and Os. I'm sure that some of these coaches are truly extraordinary men who exemplify the qualities of honesty, trustworthiness, loyalty, and great character; but most are just people like you and me with the same, or different, human flaws; as well as the same aspirations for financial success in a world that puts the highest premium on wealth. Who among us would not jump at an offer to get paid 2 to 3 times the amount of money to do our same job somewhere else? Does it make a person bad to want to make as much money as they can to do their job? Is it bad to want to do your job at a place where there is a higher likelihood of success than at the place where you presently work? Admittedly, you would want to see people treat their employers and the people they work with with loyalty, honesty, and respect, but how much respect do coaches get? Let's face it, they live in a world where their job security is only as good as their last season's win/loss record and has very little to do with the quality of the relationships they have with the people around them. They live in a world where their job is done in a fishbowl where few are satisfied with what they see, where mistakes are magnified, and where the better job that they do, the higher the expectations and the less satisfied people seem to be. I don't admire what Taggart, Riley, Kelly, and heaven only knows who else, have done to further their careers, but I certainly understand it. They are doing what they think is the best way to look out for themselves and their families in a Free Market world where the end justifies the means, money talks, and you'd better take it while you can because you are only as good as last season's win/loss record.

As far as coaches' salaries go, it's clear that Jon Joseph has his finger on the pulse of the reality of the situation: In a Free Market, coaches are free to take the offer of the highest bidder and, while Joe Moorhead likes to divide the decision into 3 considerations (personal, professional, and monetary), it's clear that Money outweighs the other two... by far. The sobering fact is that there is now an unbridled passion to win at any cost. In a Free Market, money rules. Washington Waddler wants institutions of higher learning to draw the line between the hard, cruel realities of the Free Market and a more noble ideal that promotes a well-rounded education that not only prepares students for the real world, but instills the ethical values that help balance unbridled human desire with trustworthiness; but institutions of higher learning are caught in the trap of ever increasing costs and successful athletic programs supply desperately needed resources. Far be it for any university to stop wealthy boosters from paying ridiculous coaching salaries if said coaches bring the kind of success that promotes enrollment and additional donors. It's a win win that trumps things like loyalty and trustworthiness. DuckFan93 suggests that we go back to a system where universities pay coaches salaries in a hope that it makes things more equal. Even if universities could be coaxed into doing that, we've pretty much already been there and done that and bigger schools have more resources that make things anything but more fair for smaller schools; not to mention that this brave, new world of unbridled money storm genies has been let out of the bottle. Good luck getting them back in.

"The three criteria I use are personal, professional, and monetary. How does this decision affect you and your family, how does it benefit them? Professionally, a chance to go somewhere and either sustain success or rebuild, and like you said, the monetary part. Everyone likes money." ~ Joe Moorhead when asked about the Akron head coaching job. I think it's clear that Joe is most definitely gone. As far as he's is concerned, Akron beats Oregon in all three of his criteria. He is from that general neck of the woods and feels more at home there, he is familiar with the challenges of coaching at Akron, and he will make more money there. If he has aspirations of being a head coach at a bigger school, it's easier to get there from a head coaching position; although, given his health, he also might be happy hanging out as head coach of the Akron Zips where the money is decent and the stress level is much more manageable than at a bigger program. It's too bad. I never really felt like he hit his stride at Oregon. His first year was the Covid season, and this season was effected with his health issues. While he may indeed be an offensive guru, I have to say that I never really saw evidence of it in Oregon's offense. Frankly, what I did see was more similar to Arroyo than different. Maybe if he'd have stayed longer and had the chance to work with a better quarterback, that would have been different.

It truly must be tough when the coach who recruited you takes off for a better offer. Sadly, that is the nature of the college game, as well as society, these days. The whole notion of loyalty takes a back seat to the mighty dollar.

Frankly, I'd be happy with a 12 team playoff.

The word on the street is that USC paid 500,000 dollars over market value for each of Lincoln Riley's Norman, Oklahoma homes. That's one way to sweeten a deal. Forget what your thoughts are about money. It is no barrier to the people that happen to have most of it.

The reality is that there is a level of wealth that exists these days that is beyond the comprehension of most of us "normal" people. We all know about Phil Knight's generosity and how it is the foundation of Oregon's success in all of its sports programs. The fact is that there are many other more anonymous wealthy donors just waiting in the wings to help "make it happen" for the Ducks. I love you 30Duck, but I disagree that MSU's boosters have more money than Oregon's boosters. Phil Knight alone could easily easily easily fund a deal equal to, and even sweeter than, the deal MSU just handed to Tucker; and Phil isn't the only one-percenter who wears a Duck hat on Saturdays. Given MC's success at Oregon and the new standard of renumeration for successful coaches that has been recently set, it would be wise for Mullins to sweeten MC's contract (even though they just did that) and increase the buy out amount. The deal that Cristobal currently has IS NOT enough to stop Miami if Mario Cristobal is a man who can be bought. That said, as was proven with the leaked details of Lincoln Riley's USC deal, no amount of money will stop a top school that is motivated to get the coach of their dreams.

I'm with you David Marsh. Moorhead is the leading candidate, and reporting on it seems to indicate that he's interested in the job, but it hasn't been officially reported that Moorhead has accepted the Akron Zips HC position.

The thing that gets me about all of these new hires is the incredible amount of money being thrown at college coaches. Tucker at MSU gets a 95 million 10 year deal, which has become the new ball park figure. Kelly is reported to be getting a 100 million 10 year deal at LSU on top of the cost of buying out his ND contract. Riley is getting a 110 million 10 year deal from USC on top of buying out his Oklahoma contract, buying his two homes in Norman, Oklahoma, buying him a new 6 million dollar home in Los Angeles, and 24/7 personal use of a private jet. And that's only what is known of his deal. It had to be a sweet deal as Oklahoma was in the process of sweeting Riley's deal to something on the order of Tucker's deal at MSU. Anyone who thinks money is a barrier is not paying attention. If Miami really and truly wants Cristobal as their next head coach, I'm sure they will be prepared to pay something in the ball park of the new "standard" described above. If Oregon really wants to keep Cristobal, they should be thinking of renumeration along the same lines. The crazy part is, given who some of Oregon's donors are, don't think for a second that they couldn't do it.

I was there in 2015. I wasn't aware they renovated it. My bad.

Strangely enough, Mark Helfrich was fired exactly 5 years ago today.

The competition for the entertainment dollar in Los Angeles is fierce. The coliseum was rarely filled back in the Pete Carroll heydays. It will be interesting to see if Riley can achieve his dream of filling the coliseum. The current capacity is 77,500. It actually would be cool if he manages to do it, but I have my doubts. He's going to need to get it renovated if he wants a place suitable to be called "The Mecca" of college football. Right now it's kind of run down, and it's located in a rather scary neighborhood.

I read today that it is expected that as many as 500 football players will be entering the transfer by next Monday. WOW !! That is a lot of unhappy campers. It's a great opportunity for lesser programs who wouldn't get a look see from the top high school recruits to fill out their rosters with talent in the second go round. Given that it wasn't working out for him at Oregon, Pittman really was wise to hit the portal early and beat the crowd. Things will be a lot more difficult to sort out with 500 + players all vying for attention.

That's a good hire for Washington. DeBoer has done a great job with Fresno State and has the skill set needed, as well as the resources, to fix what needs fixing in Huskyville.

It's pretty clear that this guy along with a bunch of other Southern California highly rated Oklahoma commits are going to bail on Oklahoma and join Riley at USC. Recruiting in Southern California just got a lot harder. The thing about Riley is that he is like Cristobal in that he recruits and has connections nation wide. He will get the pick of the litter in the Los Angeles area, as well nabbing recruits from Texas, Florida, and everywhere else.

Actually, Moorhead has a history there. If he wants to be a head coach at a power 5 school again, it's probably an easier leap as a head coach as opposed to an OC.