latracey

https://mobile.twitter.com/B_Kamerman/status/1467623150741385218

Like I said in another thread, the interesting thing about the Alamo Bowl is that by game time we could have two teams coached by interim coaching staffs. When has that ever happened before?

Another interesting dynamic is the coming projected Alamo Bowl where Oregon is predicted to be playing against Oklahoma. It could be a game coached by two interim coaches and staffs.

The really cruddy thing about the timing of all of this is the proximity of it all to Early Signing Day for recruits. I'm guessing we are about to experience a cluster mess on the order that Oklahoma just experienced. It will be interesting to see which recruits stay the course, and which ones bounce. It will also be interesting to see which players stay and which ones decide to hit the portal.

Where there is smoke, there is fire. Andrew Nemec has been a dependable source of Oregon sports information. In spite of the fact that there are so many loose ends Miami needs to tie up ( like not having an AD, and not firing their current coach Manny Diaz), my gut is telling me that Mario has already, or is very close to bouncing. Joe Brady, the just fired OC for the Carolina Panthers is an intriguing candidate. The guy is great with Xs and Os, and he has had proven success working with quarterbacks. Justin Wilcox would also be intriguing. He hasn't had major success at Cal, but Cal has made his job there very difficult. The Oregon environment and resources are a game changer.

The one thing that is fishy about this report is that Miami hasn't hired a new AD (the guy from Clemson just got hired by Oklahoma), and Miami hasn't fired Manny Diaz. My sources in the know are saying that Mario's leaving is NOT a corroborated report. So everyone just hold your horses. Here is what Matt Prehm from 247 Sports says is the current situation: Well what a way to wake up on a Sunday morning. There is a lot to get to. First and formost, there is a lot of buzz coming out of Miami right now about Mario Cristobal getting the job. Clearly there is a report that is out there right now that says he's taken the job and will be paid in a big way. You can read that report here. Our Miami site has not reported it is done yet. David Leake of our Miami site has reason to believe Miami is confident Mario is in, but they didn't want it to happen this way at all. In terms of order of hiring Mario before Diaz separation and AD hire. I do believe there is some questions in the reporting right now from those outside our own network. First of all, I know there hasn't been a team meeting by Oregon for the players to gather and learn what has happened. Second, I spoke with someone I trust who didn't say the reports of him to Miami are true, but instead said they could be but he has major doubts a final decision has been made and this is more so Miami feeling like they've got him when he's one step into the pool and trying to decide if he wants to go all in still. But the fact of the matter is that Oregon's head coach is generating more and more buzz about landing in MIami than staying in Oregon. Oregon's side also doesn't believe a final decision has been made one way or the other. We've also got a few reports that say this isn't done yet. https://twitter.com/dennisdoddcbs/status/1467538164571115525 https://twitter.com/ESPNRittenberg/status/1467535898703110145 And for Rittenberg's part, Mario Cristobal was in different states the last two days recruiting with its coaching staff in hand. Ken Wilson and Joe Salave'a were with him to see Cyrus Moss and then Ben Roberts. Right now we're all in a holding pattern. Oregon will be accepting a Bowl Game bid later today and that's expected to be the Alamo Bowl, which would require Mario Cristobal to do a press conference. We'll see if he shows up, and if he does, we'll be asking him about these reports once again. Buckle up. It's gonna be a ride. I do not believe this is done, I expect Oregon AD Rob Mullens and their biggest boosters to put their heads together and either up the ante on Cristobal's contract or continue working with Mario on details of what he needs. Oregon won't go down without fighting this, and we'll have to see if we get closure here in the next 24 hours.

Given what he said at his post game interview on Saturday night, it's now clear he was just feeding everyone a load of subterfuge and dishonest crap. This didn't just get sprung on him last night. He's been in talks and negotiations with Miami for over a week now. Now we know why Moorhead bolted. He knew Mario was leaving and he either didn't want the Oregon job, or the feelers he put out told him he wouldn't get the Oregon job. Oregon played like they were unprepared to beat Utah because they, in fact, were unprepared. As one person described him, Mario can sell ice cubes to Eskimos, but if this is how he conducts his business, I would have a hard time trusting him and anything he considers a "real relationship". We know what kind of a coach he is, and now we know what kind of a man he is. What is it about coaches from Florida? 8 million a year will set him up for life, but as the Beatles so wisely pointed out, money can't buy you love. * Added Note: It appears from information I just posted in the comments below that Mario, in fact, HAS NOT officially agreed to be Miami's coach. Miami has not hired a new AD and they have not fired Manny Diaz. It appears that the reports coming out of Miami are more wishful thinking than actual fact at this time. Please read the information I posted a few comments below from Matt Prehm of 247 Sports.

Awesome find and post 81DuckAlum. I will sleep a lot easier tonight.

I read an article a couple of minutes ago that Ole Miss just renewed Lane Kiffin's contract. He is signed, sealed, delivered and off of the table. Hiring a new coach is such a hard thing to do at this point in the time with so many openings having already come up and been filled. I can't imagine anyone already on the Oregon's existing football staff being promoted to head coach. That said, given the rumblings about Miami, I hope he's started at least considering candidates. Especially given the news reported today by ESPN that a University of Oregon official familiar with the situation puts Cristobal staying or leaving as a 50/50 coin toss.

One of the red flags for me is the fact that Moorhead is leaving for Akron, of all places, to be head coach. Is he feathering his landing knowing that MC is leaving? Perhaps.

Nope. In spite of what MC is saying, Miami has contacted him and he is considering his options. That much has been reported by Colin Cowherd who was told as much by his friends in The Know. Cowherd says his friends who have details regarding the likelihood of Miami getting MC are telling him, "It's going to happen". In addition, ESPN is reporting the following in an article they posted today about Cristobal: "A university source told ESPN that it's "a coin flip" as to what Cristobal decides, noting that Clara Cristobal's health and returning home -- not financial reasons -- would be the driving factors if Cristobal were to consider taking the Miami job, if offered."

I've never seen two terrible Duck performances against another team that were more alike than what we saw last night. It was the kind of deja vu that defies logic. Water boarding would have been more pleasant. Utah's game plan was exactly the same, and Oregon's inability to respond was also exactly the same. The poor officiating didn't help matters. Something was up with the Ducks last night. There was definite evidence of distractions, and there is much that we know along those lines. Oregon had a short week to prepare which meant a break from the normal preparation routine. Moorhead is leaving, which meant offensive players are concerned about the changes ahead. Cristobal takes off for Florida giving him at least one less day to prepare his team, plus his mind is distracted with worries about his mother's health. Finally, Miami has been in touch with Mario. He is considering his options. If his option is to stay, then it's less of a distraction. If he is seriously considering leaving then the distraction is HUGE to the point of debilitating. He must figure out all of the details to make his departure "graceful", as well as figure out the logistics of moving his family and starting a new and challenging job. I was at the Oregon State game and it was, for the most part, masterfully coached and played. The game last night, 6 days later, was a completely different Duck team. Something was definitely up.

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.