Washington Waddler

Certainly these things run in cycles. When one HC goes, it can feel like dominos — just the nature of the sport we all love. All’s fair in love and war? Another of those cycles though is that between ‘ expansion’ and ‘closed circles’. We went from years of a consistent, closed-loop program to risking it all with an east coast outsider named Chip. He took us to the doorstep, but what goes up . . . So, we found ourselves in uncharted waters, and we began swimming. That meant dumping Mark, and taking a chance on Willie and then Mario: expansion. We can blame that all on Mullens, or we can see it for what it is: the end of one cycle and the start of a new. Once again, we are faced with that feeling of being left high and dry, and in unknown territory, and looking for a safe port — that is to say, there is a general feeling in the community to return to the security of the known, hire from within, and close the loop once again. Can Justin and Bill get us to the promised land? Would they even try? I just know when I’m pouting, feeling unloved, and like life’s being unfair, it usually has something to do some choices In the past I’ve made that I’d rather not look at. We kinda did this to ourselves when we leapt for the brass ring with Chip? And that was a good thing: no risk, no gain. In this current climate of seeking safe port, we don’t want to lose sight of candidates outside our comfort zone who might be better choices than someone who will love and save us. Risk is still part of the game plan, like it or not.

It’s a lot easier to show less self interest when nobody is all that concerned with who you are and what you are doing. It becomes more of a problem when you become a hot commodity and everybody seems to care about who you are and what you are doing. Like many of you, I think of Mario as a straight shooter. He can’t please everyone, so he’s going to have to please himself. Pleasing himself will be a combination of what he feels responsible towards and his own self interest. But I also believe he’s the kind of person who has to be happy with the choice he makes because he has to live with that decision. I just wish him the best in that pursuit because I think he’s a good man.

Remember, it was the players that hired Mario in the first place; Mullen’s just accepted their decision. I’m just waiting to hear from the players and recruits. No need to jump the gun until then. But until then, we are creating an image of OBD that resembles a Conestoga somewhere on the Oregon Trail just trying to survive by dumping everything in order to ford a river. Hope we can survive our own misgivings!

Why did we kinda know this was going to happen all along? You can lead a Hurricane Duck to Pacific waters, but you can’t turn him into an Oregon Duck.

I can’t think of any Oregon head coach who has caused more extreme reactions — both positive and negative than MC. He’s like a classic case of can’t live with him, can’t live without him. Which makes me wonder yet again why it’s so hard to find a coach who can recruit AND coach? Anybody out there named Chip Cristobol looking for a job?

Watching the trajectory of a head coach from the view point of a fan when things aren’t going quite as well as we’d like is a bit like sky diving for the first time. The tendency is to jerk the rip cord before you’ve had the chance to dive. If there is one lesson I’ve learned with Oregon it’s to be patient with head coaches. You just never know what’s around the corner.

I’d agree that it’s hard to stay elite, but Chip was his own worst enemy when it came to recruiting. Not only did he have an aversion for it, but his original offensive approach played right into the hands of opposing recruiters who’d say it won’t prepare you for the NFL, and his tempo will breakdown bodies rather than build them.

One issue not addressed regarding JM’s Akron move is his health. Life in a familiar environment with plenty of leash where expectations are not too high should keep the stress level lower than had he taken a higher profile job. Either way, he’s in rebuild mode, so why not do it where it’s best for himself? And, isn’t ‘escape’ kind of a moot point, if not a forgone conclusion? You can argue the move as an escape, but wasn’t it clear from the beginning that his time at Oregon was very temporary? He made it pretty clear to me that he wanted to get back to his previous level. What’s not so clear is how much of this first move is colored by MC’s cramping of his style, or his own timeline.

I think Ken Woody got it right. Mental outlook is formed by what your focused on. If it’s on yourself, you’re on the right track. That’s why this is not a game of revenge, but a game of redemption. Thought I saw a glimmer in AB’s play against the Beavs that suggests he’s at least slowing the game down under JM’s system. Looking for that same confidence in Las Vegas. Go Ducks!

It is also a business adage (at least in retail) that competition is good for business, which is why you often see similar businesses grouped within blocks of each other, or in malls. The reason is it brings in more shoppers than any stand alone could possibly attract. The same wisdom applies to recruits and the health of conferences. Recruits are not only attracted by specific programs, but by the competitiveness within the conference that can promote and display them. Without that competition, there is no stage, and without that stage a conference slips into mediocrity. As good as Oregon can potentially be, it can’t make it as a stand alone. It needs the USC’s. Where do you think Alabama would be without the SEC? Competition is good for business. So, enough knashing of teeth and pulling of hair over Riley’s recruiting threat. It helps us. Anyway, we’re Ducks — we’ve been here before, and we know how to weather storms.

Afraid the beauty parlor can’t hold a candle any longer to the online chatter box cafe.

Agree with the SEC/ACC 8/4 scheduling argument, however what makes that work (at least for the SEC) regarding CFP ranking is that their league will just about guarantee a highly ranked contender following a cup cake. Can we say the same for the PAC 12?

The back of Utah jerseys? Oops, did I just get called for targeting?

As Trey said, “I tore everything up.” Anterior cruciate ligament recovery can be anywhere between 8 and 12 months. With Cardwell filling CJ’s role and then some, why rush it?

At the risk of soundly hopelessly naive and lacking the appropriate level of cynicism, where — if anywhere — should we hope (expect?) institutions of higher learning to draw the line between the message sent by the Free Market, and what their historic mission has always been: to promote a well-rounded education that not only prepares the student for the real world, but instills the ethical values that help balance unbridled human desire with trustworthiness?

Yo, Darren, dat wuz bootifull!

While you can’t compare Herbert’s and Brown’s passing talent, you can compare their running ability, and capacity for taking a hit. Both have the height and weight to neutralize an lb and run over safeties and corners. You could argue that MC correctly preserved JH for the passing game while utilizing AB in the run because of his passing deficiency, but it felt like a waste of Justin’s (until the last two games) Senior year. Whatever the reason, it’s nice to see this change in how MC is using his QB.

Be wary of the word you choose to define what you want to be. Mecca is the one place all Muslims attempt to see once in their lives, but it is also only Muslims who are allowed to go there. Not sure Riley understands the nature of the ‘true believers’ attracted by his invitation.

Canzano’s pretty astute on this one. The question remains whether the Trojan horse is ready to ride for a hit the ground running type like Riley, or requires the disciplined retraining of a Fickell.

Whether the Riley hire makes you nervous or not, it’s a great move and will be a big factor in west coast recruiting, but not the only factor. Location and vision play a big part as well in the eyes of recruits. The disadvantages of being in the LA basin as compared to more inviting and livable environs like Eugene, plus our new indoor training complex that will specifically target warming trends that affect air quality are equally important, especially to parents. We’ve got our advantages too, and MC knows that.

The ‘blind bid’ idea reminds me of that family fairness teaching tool where one kid scoops the ice cream but the other gets to choose which bowl. Guaranteed to drive some coaches nuts

Especially when his priority was converting on 3rd. Great read progression!

Seen this to many times before. Stars matter more on Hollywood Blvd and Trojan resumes. Anyone coming in there better understand that appearance is just as importance as substance. If you can’t be a field general AND an acting promoter, you’ll fail.

Nice insight HD — and great article FD. MC’s coaching outlook has been influenced by his playing career in the trenches. And, priority one for a lineman is to protect. A child’s identity (ie, his/her self confidence ) won’t emerge until the parent takes off the training wheels and gives him a shove down the drive way. The trouble with toughness is not in being that, but in how it is focused. If that focus is primarily on the defensive, protective, then your not risking enough to succeed, to find your confidence — your identity. It takes that to score points. We saw that with Herbert. After all, it is the reflex of a lineman to protect his QB. That said, MC appears to get that, and has freed up AB (maybe because he’s had no other choice) to move about the cabin. I still feel Mario is a work in progress, and worthy of our support because he learns from his mistakes. Will he ever be able to take the training wheels off? Only time will tell.

I can still hear “More Than A Feeling” ringing in my head,