Kurt Rambis

I can understand going for the grad transfer if the QB room is bare...there's only one great recruit and he's not ready...injuries have some guys in doubt...etc. But we have two guys who were high-level four-star recruits and a third who was borderline four/five stars (depending on the recruiting service). It's hard to believe all three are disappointments. High-level programs like Bama, Oklahoma, and Clemson have star QBs starting and 2 - 3 more waiting in the wings to take over when the star goes to the NFL - lather, rinse, repeat. Sometimes that doesn't work out so well, like this season with DJ UganowayIcanspellthis who wasn't able to step up and be the next star. Sometimes the next guy up is SO good that the star even gets pushed out, like Jalen Hurts at Bama. But it's hard to believe that all three backups for the Dux were so bad that Brown was the best option every single game, all game, and that Brown II is the best option for next year. If we have Nix starting, that tells me one of two things: 1) there was so little QB development that three different high-level recruits all are not ready to go, which speaks volumes about the former staff, or 2) Lanning is afraid to turn things over to a lesser-known/less-experienced guy, which would not be a good start to the new regime.

I'm one of them...

As a Pepperdine alumnus, this one is annoying!

Hard to blame MC for going after recruits in whom he and his staff invested a lot of time - particularly when some of us are hoping Lanning manages to bring some UGA recruits with him. It's unfortunate the recruiting situation we're in at the moment, but let's focus on the long game. If this guy is as good as advertised, we'll stay in the same recruiting neighborhood AND have actual coaching and player development. And if he's not, losing a few of these guys won't matter much anyway.

Simply playing up to the level of our ability, rather than down to the other team's level of ability.

"Lanning should have taken the job..." One paragraph later, "Lanning did his time at Georgia, but it should have been one more season." Huh? The best part of the article was, "All we’re getting at is as good as Lanning is — he could still get better and learn more. No one is too good not to learn more about their craft." Well, under that reasoning, a guy who has been a DC in the SEC for 40 years should stay longer, because no one is too good not to learn more about their craft. Forty-two years would mean he's more prepared to be a HC than 40 years. Mike Tomlin was a DC in the NFL for exactly one season before becoming the HC of the Pittsburgh Steelers and not once having a losing season. Other long-time assistants like Buddy Ryan, Romeo Crenell, Hugh Jackson, and Jim Caldwell flamed out quickly as pro head coaches despite YEARS of experience. Experience is only one part of the equation - ability, smarts, desire, work ethic, and personality also factor into it. So does going into the right situation. Not saying Lanning was the right choice or will be a great HC, but this article is...well, dumb.

There's a lot of he said/she said here, but I thought this was interesting: In a story released by the Tampa Bay Times Wednesday, Lambo says the incident occurred during warmups of a practice leading into the final preseason game. “I’m in a lunge position. Left leg forward, right leg back,” Lambo said. “… Urban Meyer, while I’m in that stretch position, comes up to me and says, ‘Hey (expletive), make your (expletive) kicks!’ And kicks me in the leg.” Lambo went on to further characterize the event. “It certainly wasn’t as hard as he could’ve done it, but it certainly wasn’t a love tap,” Lambo said. “Truthfully, I’d register it as a five (out of 10). Which, in the workplace, I don’t care if it’s football or not, the boss can’t strike an employee. And for a second, I couldn’t believe it actually happened. Pardon my vulgarity, I said, ‘Don’t you ever (expletive) kick me again!’ And his response was, ‘I’m the head ball coach, I’ll kick you whenever the (expletive) I want.’” In a statement to the Tampa Bay Times, Meyer denied that the incident happened the way Lambo described it. “Josh’s characterization of me and this incident is completely inaccurate, and there are eyewitnesses to refute his account,” Meyer said. “(General manager) Trent (Baalke) and I met with him on multiple occasions to encourage his performance, and this was never brought up. I was fully supportive of Josh during his time with the team and wish him nothing but the best.”

Not only that, but I have no interest in getting into the playoffs only to lose 45 - 3. Frankly, that would be worse than not making the playoffs at all. That's why it didn't disappoint me much this year that we didn't make it. Even had we beaten Utah twice and gotten in, we probably would have faced 'Bama, Michigan, or UGA in the first round. And I don't think any of those would have been pretty the way we played much of the year. tOSU was lightning in a bottle, but given the youth, injuries, and coaching, we just were not a playoff-level team this year, IMHO.

Okay, so switch to another QB if that was the problem. With three very high-level recruits waiting in the wings, at least TRY one of them.

Control the things you can control. Nobody at Oregon - not Mullens, Lanning, Knight, or anyone else - can control what happens in South Central. So why are we worrying about whether this is good or bad for Oregon? If Riley makes SC a better program year in and year out than Oregon, then SC deserves to go to the CFP or the Rose Bowl. Simple as that.

I didn't have to see this video to know why he left. I don't blame him at all for leaving. What WR - NFL aspirations or not, realistic or not - wants to play for a team where the leading receiver often would have something like 48 yards? However, leaving mid-season was weak. If you don't want to commit to the team, don't - but don't decide that halfway through the season. Finish what you start, or don't start it. Another reason I have no problem with Lanning coaching UGA through the CFP.

He's a little bit like Mike Leach and the dude at Oklahoma State, Mike Gundy- strong coach but sometimes verbally his own worst enemy. I actually like when coaches aren't all buttoned up like Saban and actually show a personality. If Kiffin weren't quite so mercenary, I might have been more excited about him as the Dux coach.

If Oregon takes care of business, it won't matter a lot how the conference is rated. Is Cincinnati from a great conference? No, but they are in the CFP because they took care of business. Is the WCC a great conference? It's no ACC, but Gonzaga is a national power, so the league doesn't much matter. Had we not lost inexcusably to Stanford, and not gotten blown out by Utah, Oregon would be in the CFP - conference or no conference.

Frankly, if he's a coach who can take us the next step, I'll take a year with NO RECRUITS AT ALL. With a really young roster, the transfer portal, some guys who are uncommitted/undecided, maybe a smaller class, some guys who'll look at Oregon who weren't going to before, some guys who may follow Lanning out west, and maybe a few 3* recruits who have potential...we'll be just fine.

I also respect the fact that Lanning wants to finish what he started and honor his commitment to UGA. That was one of the things I hated about hearing some people wish for Urban Meyer - it would mean he'd have to pull a Petrino and jet out of J'ville midway through his first season there. It would be hard to respect someone who would do that.

B But given the situation, I think that's probably all we could expect. The hire had to be done quickly or the whole recruiting class could be lost, along with current players. The job opened after a lot of the coaching movement was already done or guys like James Franklin had gotten locked up with new contracts. And yes, he's really young, a defensive specialist, could bolt back down south again in a few years, and has no HC experience. All gambles. Of course, consider some of the other options that were discussed... Urban Meyer - huge previous success, but huge baggage and health problems Wilcox - would probably be a lifer if he had success, but not exactly a tremendous track record at Cal Lane Kiffen - great recruiter and coaching mind but a known mercenary who was highly unlikely to stay long Chip Kelly - great history at Oregon, but hates recruiting and has a mediocre-to-poor record post-Oregon Aranda - looks real promising but only a couple of years experience as a HC, so still a bit of an unknown factor We could keep going. Basically unless we hired Saban there would be questions (and even with Saban, with his age how long will he keep coaching?). So yes, it's a gamble, but everyone we could have hired would have been a gamble. It's just a matter of what's the potential upside you get from the gamble, and what factors are you willing to gamble on?

Lots of guys are looking to be a head coach, not a coordinator. The chance to run your own program - and not have to go to Akron to do it - is a HUGE appeal. Far more than being an assistant, even on a top team. Of course, therein also lies the challenge: lots of coordinators become head coaches and prove that, as head coaches, they are great coordinators.

Didn't Oklahoma - which has been in more playoff discussions than Oregon over the last decade - just hire Venables as the head coach? Not saying that will turn out to be a good decision, but they're a program at this level and they just hired a first-timer...

WHAT? Did Bridgeport die?

I'm not aware of anyone in any country that actually serves warm beer (unless they literally lack cool places and refrigeration). In places like England, they often cellar their beers, serving them at the cellar temperature, which is commonly around 40 - 55 degrees. Good beer should not be served ice cold, as it suppresses the taste. A good IPA should be around 42 - 48 degrees; a good porter or stout probably 50 - 55 degrees. But it is much less cold than we're used to in the States, which is why people commonly say beer is served warm. It's really not - just seems that way in comparison. But to answer your question directly - they serve it cold. At a good tasting room, they serve it at the proper temperature for the style of beer. The lighter and weaker the beer, the colder it should be served. Which is why Bud and Miller should be served somewhere around absolute zero.

Unfortunately I wouldn't know - haven't been back to Wild River in a few years. Used to love their pizza, too.

I miss Oregon beers (actually, I miss many American brewers like Avery, Stone, and Wasatch), but fortunately I found a brewery here in Portugal that is the equal of anything I've ever tried in the States. It's Dois Corvos (Two Crows), started by an American brewmaster, and I am constantly amazed at the variety of styles they have and how good most of them are. I'm used to each brewery having 1 - 3 real winners and then a bunch of fairly decent brews, but this place has at least six I've tried that are absolutely world class, including a Mexican chocolate stout, a fantastic porter, and a cream stout brewed with custard tarts (pasteis de nata in local parlance). Sadly, they're four hours away in Lisbon, but they have free shipping throughout the country even on fairly small orders - just got a mixed case this week!

Yes! Great to see props here for Wild River (although personally I'd go with their Cave Bear Barley Wine and/or the Russian Imperial Stout). Love the place in Grants Pass!

I look at this the same way as a job. If you work at Ford and you really like the company but your boss is a complete jerk, are you going to stay there? No matter how loyal you are to the company, you're probably leaving because you can't stand the person you work for directly. Same thing with a HC and a position coach. You're a run-blocking guard - are you going to stick with your commitment if the next guy wants to throw 60 times a game? You're a traditional nose tackle - are you staying around if the next guy switches from a 3-4 to a 4-3? And not just play style, but also coaching style and management style. These factors are all entirely unknown to all the commits and current players. The current players are at least already invested in the program and the school - for a commit, there's nothing keeping them here, at Oklahoma, LSU, etc. When they're choosing a school, I'm sure a lot of things factor in - culture, academics (for some), facilities, coaches, location, conference, etc. If any one of those things changes, it can change the whole picture. I absolutely don't blame any commits for taking a second look, as they have no clue who they might be playing for for the next 3 - 5 years.

To be fair, USC had three things Oregon doesn't. 1. a premier recruiting area in SoCal. 2. a blue-blood name (may not be important to 18-year-old kids, but still carries weight with 40-70-year-old coaches). Third, and most important in this case, is that they had a huge lead time to discuss, strategize about, contact, vet, and hire a coach, because they dumped Helton relatively early in the season. We're probably trying to hire a coach in a few days in order to try to salvage as much of this class as we can, and even if that's not top-of-mind for the administration, a bunch of big names (Venables, Riley, Kelly, etc.) are already locked down. It's like coming late to the dance and finding all the pretty girls are already paired off with someone.