WiseKwacker

Saw him play one game in the Les Schwab tourney. Watching him move around on the court--with or without the ball in his hands--you can see the incredible cat-like quickness he possesses. Can't teach that or develop that through hard work. It is EXTREMELY rare, in my view. In game action, he mostly glides along at 3/4 speed (for him) and then just explodes with a quick move on either offense or defense. He's a pretty good shooter, but he'll need to work on his three-point shooting at the next level. A key factor there will be what is his work ethic? If it's anywhere close to Pritchard's, I predict great things for this kid. He's already a better athlete than Payton, and he seems to have that same kind of killer attitude. In the one game I saw, he was clearly the best player--by far--on his team, but was very unselfish while setting up his teammates for open shots. Yet, when the game was on the line in the closing minutes, he had the ball in his hands and took over. I love Will Richardson, and he can make some nifty close-in shots when taking the ball to the hoop. However, his lack of quickness is a real handicap when matched up with defenders who are quicker or have quick hands. How many times have we seen the ball stolen or stripped away when Will drives into the key? Shelstad will bring a quickness to the Duck offense next year that has been missing the past few years. As has been mentioned in other Duck basketball postings over the past few days/weeks, Ernie Kent's teams seemed to be totally reliant on having that great college point guard (Ridnour, Brooks) running to offense to have any sort of success. More recently, it seems Dana's teams have fallen into the same pattern. Because of that, I don't see much hope for this year's team. I think Shelstad will be the next great point guard for the Ducks.

Little League World Series 2011: Why Story of Cody Webster Cannot Be Forgotten BLEACHERREPORT.COM Huntington Beach's Nick Pratto has become a Little League hero after knocking in the game-winning single in the bottom of the sixth inning on Sunday in California's 2-1 win over Japan in the Little...

One thing's for certain in all this: Dan Lanning just got a few more gray hairs on his noggin today...

I'm with Charles on this. Clearly, the Ducks have had some outstanding QBs, DBs, OLs and DLs over the years, who've gone on to be outstanding pros. There have even been some LBs who've been better as pros (arguably) than they were as college players for the Ducks. The last great Duck receiver to go on to a solid pro career? Hmmmmm... I'm hoping Dickey can be a real breakout star for the Ducks. I love Franklin's potential--in addition to the skillset he's already shown us--but the kid hasn't put on much weight in two years. I'm afraid he's gonna be too light to make a difference at the next level. Dickey, though, is already at 210 on his 6'3" frame. He COULD be that guy.

Whoa! Not sure why you'd include Bittle in a list of "busts." Did he ever say he thought he'd be a one-and-done player headed to the NBA after his first year? The kid only played during garbage time during his freshman year. Did we hear him Jerk or moan about it? I sure didn't. This year, he began playing more from the get-go, and was making slow but steady progress when he injured his foot. Now, he's come back and has been getting more and more playing time with a last-minute starting assignment against Colorado. To my eyes, I can see the God-given long arms and legs and gracefulness this skinny kid possesses when he runs the court. He has a nice-looking jumper. Dana has said he needs to continue working in the weight room. Yes, that's apparent. But, can he develop into an excellent inside/outside big man over the next two seasons? I certainly think so. If he does, I'm not sure how his U of O career will be that much different than players like Pritchard and Richardson.

Yeah, I read that article this morning. It was a good one. What I got out of it was the idea that the best athletes--the flat-out all-around physical freaks--typically end up on defense. The guys who aren't quite as athletic will often be switched to offense at some point. From there, the ones who make it to the top are typically guys who are cerebral and/or have an incredibly strong work ethic. They mention guys like the Kelce brothers, Josh Jacobs, and Davante Adams--guys who weren't 5-star guys coming out of high school, but guys who worked on their craft until they became masters. It reminds me of a guy like Ryan Walk. And, how about quarterbacks? How many uber-talented kids have come out of high school with all the "tools" only to flop at the college level with the elite programs? Then a guy like Brock Purdy or Drew Brees finds success while apparently lacking those amazing athletic tools. Hard to put a rating on what's going on inside a person's brain.

Don't know the kid, so no judgments here about Bronny the person. I did see him play a game at the Les Schwab tourney last month, though. He hit a few nice outside shots and shared the ball with teammates in a game his team easily won. Gotta say, though, that he made a couple of athletic plays that really took my breath away. If he wants to play here and fit into Dana's system, I think he would be a GREAT addition based on what I saw.

Okay, Charles, you've talked me (shamed me) into it. Since I'm just a retired old guy living the "high life," I've got plenty of time on my hands to write FishDuck articles, blurbs, discussion starters. Here's a rundown of the ideas I'm noodling for this forum: "The Intersection of College Football with Modern Politics" "'What The fricken**k Are You Talking About, You Twit?!?!': A Debate Amongst Duck Fans on the Don Read Years" "The Sex Lives of College Football Boosters" "Secret Football Strategy Insights Derived From Scribblings on the Bathroom Stall Walls in Autzen" "Who's REALLY Behind the Halftime Snack Spread Along Press Row on Saturdays at Autzen" Whatya think? When do I start?

Enjoyable read, Dazed. I'm picking up what you're laying down.

Man, I love plays like this one. In my fantasy world, I have a job scheming up plays like this one with numerous options. (In this fantasy world, I've gained about 50 IQ points over my present intellectual status. ) Thanks for the analysis, Coach.

I appreciate the transparency, honesty and self-reflection, Charles. That's one of the reasons many of us are on here so often. I remember reading at least one of the posts you mentioned (and your quick response). Frankly, I thought at the time your comment was "right on" and an appropriate response to a negative rant. So you violated your own rules in chastising a person who REALLY violated your rules. Thanks for apologizing. I think these incidents are really becoming more commonplace these days--primarily, but not exclusively, on social media. In this case, I think it's a fair bet to say that everyone on this site is passionate about OBD. Yet, even though we may all share a passion for the same thing, that passion can come out in radically different directions. Some can only see Oregon sports through rose-colored glasses, and will not tolerate ANY negative talk about the Ducks. Others seem to react to any of the inevitable "failures"--either on the field or off--with an outpouring of negativism. Still others, try to navigate the territory somewhere in between. I've come to believe these kinds of occasional "blow-ups" are a part of the landscape. I hope you allow yourself the latitude to occasionally let your passion for OBD override your logical, rule-follower side. From my perspective, there's no better site around for us Duck fans hungry for the latest dope on OBD.

Saw Shelstad play for the first time earlier this week. Man, does he ever have explosive quickness. The ceiling on this kid is incredibly high in my opinion. Seems pretty unselfish, too. Much better natural athlete than Pritchard. Hope his work ethic is close to Payton's.

Hah! A Betamax reference; I love it. Yeah, I'll admit. I was one of those who bucked the overwhelming VHS wave. (Hey, Betamax was technically superior, I tell ya!) Hope your power's back on by the time you read this.

That game was SOOO bad. My buddy had it and we played it often for lack of anything better to do. Inevitably, on my first play, I'd line up my guys on offense and stick the dumb felt "football" into one guy's arm. Then, we'd flip the switch and let the vibrations begin. Sure enough, my ball carrier would be the guy with a bent piece of plastic underneath and the guy would just go around in circles in the backfield with me yelling, "Go, you idiot!!" We got some REAL enjoyment from a game his dad had. It was Foto Electric Football. The game just consisted of a set of offensive play cards and defensive alignment cards. There was a light bulb in the box under the "field," and you'd each put in your play card and then slowly pull back a reveal card to show where the ballcarrier/passer went. Wherever their path intersected with a defensive guy's position was where the ball was downed. It was a lot more satisfying when a play worked for you.

Good for him. I'll be rooting for him--wherever he lands--on Sundays (and Mondays...and Thursdays...and Saturdays...) I know of his two older brothers. Does he have any younger ones? Cousins? Kids?

The guy had a monster game. If he can avoid injuries, he's on his way to a great pro career. Watching him run down RBs from the opposite side of the field is pretty impressive.

This definitely hurts, but you gotta move on. In this new age of NIL/transfer portal football, I think you have to plan ONE YEAR AT A TIME. With Bo's decision to play another year, we've got our QB for 2023. Now, let's get some great defensive players to sign.

Interesting article, Alex. In answer to your question, my opinion is simple: "Heck, yeah, I trust Dan Lanning." My summation of this season is as follows: The team played way above my expectations after the opening game blow-out loss against Georgia. Then, Bo Nix got injured against the Huskies. The Ducks consequently lost that game. And, after an amazing win against Utah, the Ducks--with a still-gimpy Nix--lost a heart-breaker to the Beavers. From my perspective, if Bo stays healthy this year, the Ducks would've been in the CFP. I think their porous defense would've resulted in a blowout loss in the semifinals, though, so I'm happy with the Holiday Bowl as a building block for the new coach.

I always hated it when the Ducks had to play his Cougars. That's gotta be the highest praise you can have for an opposing coach. The guy had a fascinating mind; always a great interview. You never knew what he was going to talk about when he went on some tangent. Truly a sad day for the sports world.

Nope.

None of these transfers are particularly surprising to me, with maybe the exception of Flowe. Then again, I was generally disappointed with the lack of impact he had on our defense in the first half of the season. Then, his playing time shrank late in the season. I'm far from being a competent analyst of defensive schemes, but I know that size, speed and quickness are of little value if a player can't play effectively within a team's designed defensive plan. Maybe there's a connection there? Anyone? Anyone? Last year, when players like Pittman transferred out from Cristobal's program, I found it alarming. I felt players were recognizing what we fans were also seeing: a boring, sluggish offense. This year, when players transfer out, I feel differently. Frankly, I'm buying what Lanning is selling. I believe in the guy's sincerity. I assume he's had a heart-to-heart discussion with each of these guys. And, after this next recruiting cycle, I think we'll have a better idea of whether or not he's recruiting a different "kind" of athlete than Mario did. Certainly, that'll be a difficult thing to identify right away, but it should become evident over time. My hope would be that he would be able to recruit better athletes than teams like OSU and Utah bring in, and then have them perform as well as a unit as Willingham and Smith have done with their athletes. I wouldn't bet against him. And, hey, we got a pretty good transfer from Colorado this year, sounds like there'll be 60 or 70 of his former teammates ripe for the picking in a week or so...

As my dear grandmother used to say, "Oh, fiddlesticks!"

Can't say anything about his on-field potential, because I didn't see him throw more than two or three passes in his time here. I sure liked his sideline demeanor, though. As one of the taller players, it was easy to spot him when the cameras shot sideline reactions. The kid was always right there, seemingly the first person to congratulate Bo on a great play or great scoring drive. He seemed like a really positive teammate despite the fact that he wasn't seeing the field. I wish him well. (I wonder if Stanford is a potential option for him.)

Good read, Coach. Thanks for sharing your ideas. While we don't know whether there's any interest in either direction among these three, I think they would each make a more reasonable hire at OC for the Ducks than some of the other names that have been thrown out in the past few days. It'll be interesting to follow how this all unfolds from here.