Washington Waddler

That fairly persistent look in his eyes of a young man feeling cornered by the demands being placed upon him unfortunately appears to play out in that all too familiar adolescent drama of feeling threatened, and refusing to comply. I feel for Dana. Not easy being coach and mentor and dad.

In ‘77 I was finishing a degree at Portland State, and living in an apt. building full of students I never saw. Schonz’s broadcasts of that epic run opened every door, and you could wander in to just about any place, have a beer and enjoy the game. Long before Portlandia, it was the Blazers and Bill Schonely who gave the city on the Willamette its real sense of identity. Thanks Bill

Because the Troylets have for so long been the consummate masters of the meaningless whine, it fades into the background, no longer qualifying as noise pollution, but simply as white noise.

Ever notice all the advocates for dismantling west coast football seem to have been born and continue to live east of the Mississippi?

I’d like to see all the individual traits translate into team traits: being good at developing trust, pushing one another to achieve, and helping each other with sound advice, among others.

Green Bay may also be thinking it’s time to change direction.

It’s commits like this that tell me the heart beat of the college game hasn’t yet flat-lined. For all the NIL zombies, there’s still a few out there wanting to live the dream.

As much as I’ll miss knowing he’s on the team, I have to admit I admire the possibility of a ‘giving back’ by Cam in his choice to play for the coach who stuck by him. It’s a feel good ending for a guy who knows what it means to never give up. And anyway, there’s a touch of familiarity for Cam in getting to segue from the Oregon Duck to Miami’s sort of whatever it is kind of looks like a Duck? Nothing but the best pal!

It’s not easy being forced into the role of a bi-polar fan

The worst thing you can see from a first-year in any field is being afraid to make mistakes. What matters is seeing where they went wrong, making the necessary adjustment and learning that that will always be the key to achieving their goal.

Right. I guess one could look at Brandon Buckner and Bradyn Swinson as the canaries in the coal mine.

I certainly fall in the O-fricken category as well when it comes to ink. Tats were either the unintentional byproduct of a hard night’s drinking (Jimmy Buffett?), or on old sailor’s who’d try to convince you what the smudge on their sagging bicep use to look like. But I agree (and even admire) that tattoos have for younger generations evolved into a form of self expression that can encompass all the passions and longings of the human soul - somewhat akin to what many ancient cultures around the globe have been doing for centuries. And anyway, look at the bright side. Dan’s tat didn’t end up trying to attach a pair of Duck Lips to the mug of a bulldog.

Stars can dazzle and get in the way of what’s important: the heart and desire of the player behind those stars. The evidence suggests Mario was more about the dazzle, and while the jury is still out on Dan, it feels like his focus is on stars that go to work.

Yet again, you can’t help but consider what effect Tony Stubblefield had on both recruiting and player development. While he’s not killing it yet at DePaul, he did recruit 2022’s 3rd highest rated high school shooter in Zion Cruz. Dana is our coach, but he needs top level recruiting and input from his assistants.

Chip who?

The money interests (media markets, professional sports leagues, over-payed head coaches, agents, boosters, et al) that influence college football athletics have, over time, quit on the young people they should feel responsible towards, and morphed into a single purpose: that of diminishing the value and importance of the role of education in the student-athlete equation, and replacing it with the sole goal of becoming nothing more than a feeding tube to the professional ranks. With that purpose in mind, you can’t allow an archaic value system that prizes celebrating the joy and athletic excellence of being a part of the American dream of higher education stand in the way of cashing in on determining whose number one.

Pretty common for high schoolers to make uninformed statements about things they know nothing about: no life experience. Wait and see following a Eugene visit. I’m not a big fan of immature media darlings — no matter how talented they are — who are still heavily influenced by mom. That’s a whole lot of ego massaging to do while still trying to deliver the message as to whose in charge. Big balancing act with high potential to distract from what’s important — the team. On the other hand, 46 of the best programs have offered, and no one is backing down. Life is a risk.

There will always be an element of doubt to any situation requiring referee choice (was the helmet lowered intentionally or not?). The grounds upon which a flagrant (as opposed to a common) PI foul would have to rest on the referee’s decision as to wether or not there was a choice being made by the DB to intentionally accept the less costly alternative of a yardage penalty as opposed to the potential for a touchdown, which the play situation should clearly indicate.

When I saw their bowl game on the schedule, my first response was, “oh good, I hope they lose.” Then, I thought about the bigger picture of a PAC 12 win, and I thought, “oh good, I hope Texas burns their kennel to the ground.”

Agree. He’s learning to see and apply his athleticism and length to the disciplined requirements of each play. You just love to see someone as raw as he’s been beginning to put it together. He has the potential to be a monster. Now, if he could just master the art of intercepting? (I know, that’s why they’re DB’s and not WR’s) On a related note, I’m no longer tolerant of flagrant and intentional pass interference calls on DB’s who have been smoked and are just trying to save a TD. I think it was Franklin on two occasions where an NC DB just ran into him? (I recall the look on his face - the smirk - as if he’d just gotten away with murder) There needs to be a price paid by any DB for flagrant pass interference that reflects the value of what has been denied the opposing offense. Common PI should remain a yardage penalty, but flagrant PI should move the ball to the spot of the foul (if not the 10 yard line), and the offender given a warning after which another flagrant removes him from the game, and the 1st half of the next game. Just my opinion.

Give him a half healthy ankle, and Bo becomes unstoppable with the game on the line. What a competitor!

Who flipped the switch? Hope the D is on the same circuit!

Okay, but this invites the opposing view, so I’ll play devil’s advocate in order to help move this conversation forward and towards a relevant solution. Yes, games will often be tougher and further away without the comforts of home, but that’s the price you must pay if you expect to play for a contending team in a relevant league that contends for national championships year in and year out. Yes, you can choose to stay behind and play in the comfort zone of a league now being considered by national media as an afterthought, and take the chance (like a mid-major in basketball) that you’ll win the league championship every year and get their one invite to the play-offs. Or, you can step up and into the big leagues and have a real shot at realizing your dreams. What’ll it be? Something like this is what USC/UCLA coaches will be stuffing in the ears of elite SouCal recruits. What do we do, and what do we say to counter that?

In addition to a stronger run game in 2023 that could make the power/read formations out of the Tempro pistol more dynamic and formidable, it’s fun to consider how Franklin and Jurion Dickey could create mismatches both on deep and mid routes if defenses are forced into cover 1.

Bellotti would disagree. It’s his contention that we actually lost decibels as the result of the increased seating which forced the south side roof to be raised, thereby diminishing the rebound effect.