WiseKwacker

Charles, your GIF says it all.

Ahhhh, Air Coryell. Those were some fun years to follow the Chargers. And, that '82 playoff game versus the Dolphins is still my all-time favorite.

For me, it goes like this: If the Ducks win against Georgia, that's their biggest game of the season. If the Ducks lose against Georgia, then it's the game against BYU, a team that "owned" the PAC12 last season.

Welllllll, maybe not Jody Allen. But, that is a different matter...

So saddened today to realize--ONCE AGAIN--that greed has won out over loyalty and honor. I'm now assuming the Ducks and Huskies (wonderful to have such a fabulous bedfellow, eh?) will be the next to bolt to "greener pastures." I guess we won't have to worry about re-naming the Civil War Game for "rivalry week." Maybe we can play the Beavers in a non-conference game during week 1 or 2. Fun, eh?

Patience...patience. Have faith in Dan-Lan.

I have a lot of confidence in Coach Graves. I think he's making the necessary adjustments in light of the changing landscape in college sports.

Okay, Charles, this posting has me really fired up! I have only ONE THING to say to you, mister: "Go Ducks!!"

Reading blurbs like this one makes me hopeful, optimistic. Yet, I think patience is the key to my personal mental health. Looking forward to seeing how this all works out for OBD.

Good article. Thanks for sharing, Charles. When I think back to Elijah Molden's decision to play for the Huskies, and Duck fans' disappointment at his "betrayal," it reminds me of the similar sentiments when Kevin Love headed to our dreaded basketball rival in L.A. (Same with Chase Cota, kinda.) Anyway, looking back now, it seems those betrayals were indicative of having the wrong coach running the respective programs. I think we've got the right guys in place now, though.

The inside linebacker group...the tight end group...the running back group...the wide receiver group... Man, I'm getting excited to see what each of these groups of players--with lots of young, relatively untested guys--will bring this fall. Where's my "fast forward" button?

Fun article, Darren. While only time will tell, I took the liberty of checking with my Magic 8 Ball. The answer was: "Outlook Not So Good."

Wow! I think that's a pretty surprising list. I would've guessed Utah, Washington State, Cal and Oregon State would be at the top. Maybe the key is that the rating was based on the number of 3-star players that are drafted by the NFL. I'm not sure there's any other way to actually quantify "player development," but I think the 4 schools I mentioned above typically do more with "less" than the rest of the conference. Thanks for sharing.

Great post, Jordan. I read about Carr's signing a few days ago, but had no idea about any of this grade retention business. In this case, since he comes from a family that's so deeply steeped in college football history, I've gotta believe they made these decisions in a careful, calculated manner. I imagine it will work out just fine for this kid, i.e., he'll go as far as his talent will take him. It sure makes you wonder, though, about the impact it will have on other kids who have less well-informed families and have parents who are delusional about their kid's "special" talents in a given sport. There are some times when I'm thankful that my two kids kinda sucked at sports. It allowed them to just get on with their lives. Just playing sports for fun is a lot less stressful than trying to make it your profession when so many elements of that process are entirely out of your control. Just my opinion.

The way I look at it, we'd likely have both Will and Dior for one season. Will should be ready to play effectively from Day #1. We've seen with previous "one-and-done" guys at Oregon that they are usually not ready--at least in Altman's eyes--to start or play starter's minutes at the beginning of the season. Thus, I think we'll get more out of Will Richardson than Dior Johnson this season. Plus, Barthelemy also plays point guard; he should be ready to go from Day 1, also. Thus, if this takes a disgruntled voice off the bench, I think it may be a "plus" for the Ducks. Nonetheless, I'll be interested to see where Dior Johnson ends up, and to watch his results on the court. I think there's a pretty good chance he doesn't become a player who will be taken in next year's NBA draft after one year of college, but, we'll see.

I watched a bit of that game, too. Was wondering if any of White's former Duck players who transferred to Texas with him were still on the team. Just as I tuned in, they're focusing on Miranda Elish in the dugout. For my money, she was as good an all-around player as he ever had. Was sad to see her transfer. Anyway, it took me a minute or two to realize she'd transferred again--to Oklahoma State--and was playing AGAINST Mike White's Longhorns. Ahhhhh, THE PORTAL strikes again!!

I was kidding. Hence, the winking emoji.

Doggone it! This NIL deal is turning out just like I KNEW it would. Initially, the notion got lots of support (even bipartisan political support, if you can believe that) as a way to give all these poor college-age kids some much-deserved cash to reflect their contributions to the big-time college sports money-making machine. What a noble, democratic undertaking. And, in a few cases, a college booster has stepped up to offer an equalized payment plan for an entire team. But, predictably, the big deals mostly go to a couple of the most ballyhooed high school kids at the most glamorous positions--principally, quarterbacks. In contrast, the pro sports leagues have figured it out by structuring salaries to require that you demonstrate your value on the field for a couple of years before you can really demand "the big bucks." Okay, enough of the old codger rant. We have what we have in NIL. Hearing about this stance from Duck Central--thank you, Charles, for the posting--I really like it. Even though it often seems like funds from the high roller boosters are unlimited, they aren't. I'd rather spread the available dollars out among numerous incoming players than to give it all to one "bonus baby." Thinking about conversations within Duck Central, I think of Dan-Lan's most recent experience with a national championship team. He had J.T. Daniels, who surely would've been a big NIL guy coming out of high school (if the NIL ruling had been in place at that time.) And, then he had Stetson Bennett, who ultimately beat out Daniels despite the fact that he started out as a walk-on. Anyway, I like what the Ducks have apparently decided to do.

Most recently, Terry Baker and John Huarte.

That's what I'm hoping happens. It remains to be seen if Dior Johnson is ready to step into a starting point guard role right away, but I hope he is. As far as I've seen--on the court only, of course--Will has all the tools EXCEPT next-level quickness. Regardless of what Johnson is--or becomes--I think Will's going to have a great season #5 with the Ducks.

Fun read, Joshua. Always great to look back on some of the flashiest stars of years past. One quibble with your comparisons, though. I see Byron Marshall more as a true running back from Day 1. He lacked the speed and shiftiness of the others you mentioned. What he did have--better than ANY Duck running back in my memory--was an uncanny ability to follow his blockers to decide when to make his cuts. I guess that has to do with field vision. Whatever the case, it was always a pleasure to watch that guy run. Thanks for bringing back the memories.

Yeah, I suggest you just do what I do: ask your grandkids to explain the significance.

Charles Fischer, aka "The GIF Meister." Just one of the many reasons I click on OBD every day.

This trial is one of those instances where you have two parties (the U of O and Taggart/Oderinde) who would normally be on opposing sides forced to work together to defend themselves. As mentioned above, Mullins and the U of O need to accept responsibility for turning the football program over to Taggart. And, from all those statements former players have made about things Taggart said about trying to weed out players who were coasting and not pulling their weight in the Helfrich era, we can be pretty sure Willie heard those things from Mullins, his staff, or Oregon boosters. Having said all that, I'm sure it absolutely grates on the U of O defense team to have their fate pretty closely interlocked with a notorious pair of Eugene refugees.