Kurt Rambis

After Helfrich face-planted as HC and then the Taggart fiasco, I'll remember him as a great recruiter who brought stability back to the program. In no way would I equate him with Taggart. But the Mt. Rushmore of Oregon coaches is still Casanova, Brooks, Bellotti, and Kelly - Cristobal isn't even close to that level.

Yeah, been trying to finish massive remodeling on a house and then moving in. Still surrounded by boxes and dust, with a bunch of stuff not working properly (new washing machine, range hood, window shades, etc.). It's been a little busy 'round here...

First, Haywarduck, my post wasn't specific to your comments - there have been various comments I've found unfortunate. Nothing too bad (this isn't a normal board), but in some ways equating our last two coaches, etc. I just don't happen to agree with them. Second, honestly, I didn't get that yours was meant to be humorous. Just misinterpreted it, I guess. The line "We don't need another salesman selling us something that sounds amazing, but is really only lining his pocket" I interpreted as a shot at MC as a slick salesman. Maybe he oversold his coaching abilities, but every successful coach and athlete has supreme confidence in his/her abilities, and I wouldn't exactly expect the job interview to be along the lines of, "I'll get you the best recruits in the conference and still manage to lose multiple games to teams with inferior players." Nothing you said was offensive nor even remotely close to crossing any line (none of the other posts have crossed any lines, either). Even if one does, I don't get offended easily. I just know (as someone else put it somewhere else on the board) when some recruit flips, there's inevitably a chorus of "Yeah, he wouldn't have cracked the starting lineup anyway" from a few folks. If people want to say that about MC's coaching, those are (IMHO) legit comments. I was one of the ones expressing concern about underperforming, close games against bad teams, etc. I just don't think it's fair to infer anything similar about his character because of the decision he made.

Pretty good article until they brought up Jeff Tedford...

Sorry, I want to win, but not at all costs. I'm not an alumnus, but a fan since the mid-70s, and I'd prefer to be proud of the team I'm cheering for.

Not a big fan of some of the comments I've seen on various threads directed at MC about departing. Criticizing his coaching is legit, but the dude pulled an entirely classy move doing the Canzano interview when he absolutely didn't need to. I can't blame someone for wanting to coach in his home state at his alma mater. Also can't blame him for promoting his abilities - how many of us go into a job interview and say, "Yeah, I'm not real good at these important things"? MC and Slick Willie both left Oregon for Florida, but the entire situation with the two of them is thousands of miles apart. Now, what Miami did to Diaz, and not even giving our AD a courtesy call? THAT is entirely classless. I'm going to be torn from here on out - would like to see MC succeed in his next job because I truly believe he is a good guy, but would like to see "the U" go 0 - 12 for a few years after what they pulled.

Yeah, I hate to say it, but I'm not on board with any nascent "hire Chip" movement. The "lightning in a bottle" comment in the article is spot on - he took the Dux to an amazing place when he was here, but time has marched on and I certainly haven't seen anything revolutionary (or even particularly different) at UCLA. At the same time, I'm not on board with Urban Meyer. First, problems follow this guy wherever he goes. Say what you want about previous head coaches, but RARELY were there serious off-field or in-classroom problems, nor recruiting problems, in previous regimes (yeah, like everyone we had occasional issues, but those are unavoidable with 150-or-so players and coaches). Second, he's older, has a history of health problems, and is probably a 5 year coach. I just don't see it. I also tend to think Brady is another case of the "lightning in a bottle" situation with an unreal class with Burrow & Company at LSU - before or after '19, was he ever special in any way? Not sure what to think about Sitake, Aranda, or any of the other candidates who've been thrown around in the media. Just hoping they get the right fit.

Well, but wouldn't that mean no coach could ever leave his job? Even to retire? There will always be a new class of recruits placing their success and development in your hands, and keeping you in place for the next 4 - 5 years. And position coaches would be in the same place - as an O-lineman, you probably rely more on your O-line coach than on the head coach - so if the O-line coach or the offensive coordinator get a HC offer, don't they have to stay for the kids they recruited? And what about the coach on the hot seat who recruits a great class, only to see them enter the transfer portal or flip at the last second? Ugly as it may be, it's a business. Coaches, players, and the administration all have the right to move on. Throughout my career, I've had bosses and clients who really depended on me - but at various times, I've taken better positions (at least, better for me), even if it hurt my previous employer and/or clients.

I do, too - but it's a JOB. As fans, we love the Ducks because...well, because we love the Ducks. Some of us grew up there, some attended school there, etc. We love the Ducks even if they go 2 - 10 or if the star RB punches some dude or the QB steals a laptop - and we do it without pay. By the time they get to UO, most of these coaches have already coached at three or six or ten other schools, working their way up the ladder. And with every single one we hire away from another school, that fan base could have exactly the same complaint we have when Slick Willie or MC leave. If we re-hire Chip, UCLA should feel just like we feel now. If we hire Arana, Baylor should feel just like we feel now. And it's hard to have a lot of loyalty to an employer when that employer can fire you at will. As with any other job, both the employer and the employee can move on, subject to the terms of the contract. Now, the WAY Slick Willie left was putrid. But I don't even blame him for leaving.

I can't blame a guy for leaving for a better job - no matter how he defines "better." In this case, it's in his home state, at his alma mater, and with his elderly mom nearby. Anyone on this board turn down a job you would have found preferable because you wanted to remain loyal to your employer, employees, customers, and/or co-workers? Yeah, me neither. The timing sucks but he didn't control the timing. I hope this all works out for him...although I sure wouldn't want to work for an administration that hired a new coach before even firing the old one. What a clown show. Now it's time to get the right guy in here. Knowing, of course, that he may eventually leave for his own alma mater...or to go back near family...or because someone threw an obscene amount of money at him. It's a business.

Nary a peep about this whole subject on O-Live or CBS Sports.

Really, really mixed emotions. I want stability in the program and great recruiting, but also great coaching. I've lost a lot of faith that MC has the third of those three. Yeah, it's a young team, but no way they should get pushed around like that by Utah - twice. So he stays and we keep the recruiting pipelines he's built and I worry every year about underperforming, or he goes and we start over...again.

No way this list is valid without Haloti Ngata. He, Ahmad Rashad/Bobby Moore, and Patrick Chung all deserve to be there before Kyle Long and Stewart. And Van Brocklin should be much higher. FYI, NFL.com lists their top 10 as Fouts, Renfro, Van Brocklin, Zimmerman, Wilcox, Ngata, Russ Francis, Rashad, George Martin, and Fred Quillan.

If Oregon and tOSU both finish with 1 loss, I'm not sure how voters could justify ranking the Buckeyes #2 when we'd have the same record and have beaten them head-to-head. Not saying they wouldn't, but it wouldn't be justifiable. That said, that would be a good problem to have. I'm undecided how I feel about reaching the playoff this year. With our youth and inexperience, I'm not sure the Ducks are a legit threat in the playoff even if they get there. Plus the injuries (heck, even the OC has been out). So would I rather make the playoff and maybe get pummeled by UGA, or win the P12, face a B10 team in the Rose Bowl, and wait for this team to mature a little, heal up next season, and hopefully get superior QB play before setting my sites on the playoff? (Not that my desires matter in the slightest to what will actually happen, obviously.) Of course, one more loss and it's a moot point anyway.

Actually, Joe, I don't believe Manziel was ever "on campus" except for recruiting visits. He was a verbal commit who flipped to A&M once they offered him. So it had nothing to do with him playing with Mariota, because he never did. And I doubt it had much to do with Mariota at all, since Mariota was ranked the 123rd best QB recruit by ESPN. Mariota was a nobody, just like Justin Herbert was. Great history on this from Bleacher Report: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1794499-if-he-stayed-with-oregon-would-johnny-manziel-have-beaten-out-marcus-mariota

There has been some great discussion about the SC job on The Dan Patrick Show. One of the perspectives is that the 40 - 70 year-olds running the campus and athletic dept and paying the bills as boosters are still seeing SC as a glory job; a top 5 job in the nation. They're still living in the days of OJ Simpson and Charles White and Reggie Bush. Eighteen-year-old kids, on the other hand, look at SC and they couldn't care less about the history and the championships from the 1970s. Former SC QB Sean Salisbury had an extensive rant in which he took the SC boosters and administration to task for looking at the job through maroon-and-gold colored glasses, rather than recognizing it for what it is: a mediocre program without any flash or anything that will particularly interest teenage recruits in a mediocre conference (you know, like FSU, Nebraska, Arkansas, and Miami mostly are now, although at least Arkansas and Nebraska are in the SEC and Big 10). So the idea that SC can get someone big-time like James Franklin may not be realistic. The only advantage for SC over PSU is recruiting the Southland rather than PA and NJ, but even there it's not like Franklin's recruiting area right now is the Dakotas.