WiseKwacker

Read your article, Charles. My reaction? Yeah, but... Yeah, but... Yeah, but... Okay, got that out of my system. I'm all in, baby. Thanks for the opportunity, Charles.

Absolutely! Charles, please get in contact with Steve Kornacki to diagram all the possibilities for us on who could/will get 1st team snaps at quarterback for the Ducks.

Although I always want to kick their a$$e$ (or trip their cheerleaders) when we play them in basketball, I've got no personal animosity towards the Beavs otherwise. Hey, my son and daughter-in-law are OSU alums. I actually rooted for them in that amazing run they had during last year's March Madness. So, when they hired Tinkle, I first thought he would be a solid hire after the Craig Robinson disaster. And, Tinkle started out with a gangbuster recruiting bang, bringing in his kid and Stephen Thompson's two kids. But, then, he never has recruited any other high school kids who are at that same level. Yes, he's had a few high school recruits (Lucas, Eubanks, Reichle, etc.) who've played solid basketball for the Beavs. But, those guys weren't recruited by any of the major basketball schools. Since those first 3 guys, he's mainly pulled in high school kids who had to be developed along with transfers. Tinkle, in my view, is not a bad bench coach. He just can't recruit. And, to fire Thompson, his longtime sidekick, says that either he's panicking or he's under orders from the OSU Athletic Department admin to clean house because they can't fire him. Either way, I'll be really surprised if they do any better next season than they did this season. Let's just hope they don't go all crazy and talk Gary Payton into becoming their next head coach. I've seen enough of that guy over the years...

Looking back, the Ducks have had several exceptional defensive linemen over the past 20 years. The problem has always been that we have never had a continuous flow of DL stalwarts into the program. Let's hope Dan-Lan can break that pattern...in a positive way.

Well, of course Phil supports the John McKay Courtyard at USC. McKay was a Duck.

Interesting idea, David. I like it.

Really great topic, Alex. I think you and the other writers in Charles' stable of talented contributors are doing a consistently great job of effectively presenting topics that lend themselves to lively discussions. Keep up the good work! Now, on to my reaction. Trying--as always--to look at myself in the mirror as I reply, this will be another "old coot" response, I'm afraid. I mention that not as an apology, but rather with the feeling that the changes in college football are just harder for us seniors (at least those of us with most of our memory cells still intact) to accept. When I look at the current situation in college football, my mind goes back to the root of the problem IMO: the NBA. It's been quite awhile since the NBA and the networks carrying them sold out to STAR POWER. Fabulous TEAMS like the Pistons of Ben Wallace and the Spurs of Tim Duncan were "boring," and team basketball with strong defense was not appealing to the masses. (Not saying they were wrong.) So, the focus of games promoted shifted to LeBron, Harden, Russell (Triple Double) Westbrook, Durant, and Steph. And, of course, the salary structure of the league has grown to support that notion. Today, LeBron basically runs the NBA. The NFL, with their different collective bargaining agreement, has avoided some of that problem, but not entirely. With so many more players involved in the game, it's inherently more of a team sport than basketball. Even so, the league has slowly, steadily evolved into one that features star players to try to attract fans. The salary disparity between the star players and the marginal talent in the league has never been greater. I think we're now seeing a trickle-down effect from those two pro sports to their college counterparts. A couple of college athletes will make a bunch of money; a lot of other college athletes will make a little bit of money. I don't see NIL really solving anything. I think the ones who make a lot of money in college will generally have shortened college careers, turn pro as soon as they can, and then make a whole bunch more money. The transfer portal, I think, is entirely different. Players want to play. High school kids (and college coaching staffs) don't really know how well a kid's performance at the high school level will translate to the college level. A lot of factors contribute to a pretty substantial "miss" rate. The transfer portal just allows for a course correction in that process. As a fan, it's usually tough to lose a kid from your program, but it's often equally good to gain a kid from another program. While most of us old-timers long for the days of kids sticking with the program through thick and thin, those days are gone. The best ones leave early; the worst ones transfer out. Oh, well. I'll still watch college football. What else am I gonna do on a Saturday?

No personal hatred here for Mario. I appreciate the good things he brought to the program during his time here, as I think the good far outweighed the bad. HOWEVER, it definitely stings to be jilted for a second time in just a few years. In the case of Taggart, the outrage was greater because of the unique circumstances of the hasty exit. The beauty of passing time, though, is that we can now see that we dodged a bullet in that exit. Now, there's a real possibility that, when you mention the name, Willie Taggart, to an acquaintance, the response is, "Who? Oh, THAT guy. Whatever happened to him?" Maybe in a couple of years, we'll get a similar response when Cristobal's name crops up in a conversation.

Yeah, Charles, I heard a beautiful girl in a bar say that same thing one time while looking in my direction. Then, I realized she was looking a some dude behind me.

Ducks played 'Zona pretty tough this season, and only lost by a couple of points. Seeing the Ducks playing Houston earlier in the season, it was clear the Cougars played tenacious defense as they absolutely crushed the Ducks. While I was hoping for a Wildcat win, I was fearful of Houston going in. Wouldn't be surprised to see Houston go a long way in the tourney this year.

QB discussion aside, Jon, you've moved from The Guess Who to...Jimi Hendrix? Bob Dylan? Back to the topic, may the best man win. And, may the other two have some patience. ("Dude, injuries happen...")

Those benches in the student section were kinda hard...unless you "numbed" yourself up a bit beforehand.

True. I was there when we beat the Fuskies 58-0 in '73, but I was also there when we lost to them 54-0 in '77.

Wow, thanks for that one, Charles. YEE HAW!! Gotta say that, as much as I love reading about DanLan's impact on players (already), I'm not terribly surprised. As others have said, there's just something about DanLan's demeanor and delivery in the interviews I've seen so far that says, "This is a guy I'd like to be around. He's a man with a plan, and I'd like to follow him to the promised land." Having said that, DanLan will no doubt have some critical moments where his reputation as a leader will be shaped--think Chip and LaGarrette Blount. There's something about this guy, though, that gives me confidence he'll pass every test that comes his way. Now, I'm already starting to worry that we'll lose this guy in a couple of years to another, richer program. (That worry may come from those years I spent in the near-empty stands during 2-9 and 3-8 seasons under Dick Enright, Don Read, and early Rich Brooks.)

Nailed it. My reaction exactly. Watching our beloved Marcus for those glorious years, I saw a college quarterback who was a phenomenal runner and an above-average passer. Watching Justin a few years later, I saw a college quarterback with a phenomenal arm who was an above-average runner. Which of those two skillsets translates best to the modern NFL game? Justin's. After his relatively disappointing Oregon career ends (albeit with two solid outings in his final games as a Duck when a few of the "shackles" were removed), he goes on to win the MVP of the Senior Bowl against arguably the best players from around the country. He follows that up with an impressive showing at the NFL Combine. Oh, yeah. He also won the "academic Heisman," reminding us that he's a very smart cat. No surprise here that he's become a star as a pro. Wellllll, I guess it's kind of surprising that he's done it so quickly. I think he got very lucky to be drafted by the Chargers as opposed to the Jags or the Fins. That part of the equation was out of his control.

Christian?

Good for Eric. I think he's done what he can as a member of the men's team here. I wish him good luck on his next basketball stop.

Webb, Ferguson, Moliki, Herbert... Each one of these guys has a skillset that makes me drool. (Sorry, no video available.) Even though Mario's staff recruited this position very well, they weren't really involved much in the offense--other than for blocking. Webb certainly has shown he has excellent pass catching skills, if not great blocking ability. In the new Dillingham offense, I'm looking forward to more passes thrown to the tight end. Maybe Webb will be a breakout star. Maybe Herbert will get healthy and become a breakout player. Or maybe either Ferguson or Moliki will continue to develop beyond the promising consistency they showed as true freshmen last season to become stars. Maybe we'll end up just saying that the "tight end group" became a breakout star in 2022. Frankly, I'd be good with that. BTW, I always make sure I have a solid TE on my fantasy football teams (Kelce, Kittle, Waller...). Frankly, as an old Baltimore Colts fan, I've loved the position since John Mackey first burst onto the scene. And, as a fan of Air Coryell a few years later, I loved me some Kellen Winslow. Sorry about the old man ramble...

Absolutely. I'm not saying Dan-Lan (and staff) can't pull in some highly-rated recruits. I guess I'm just saying that those he DOES get will be coming here based on their belief in him and the vision he shares with them. I think it'll be an uphill battle until he has actual on-field results as the head guy. No doubt, he knows that.

Thanks, Charles, for staying on top of the recruiting wars for those of us who tend to focus more on the present day than the future. I truly appreciate the time you put into tracking the recruiting process. Regarding the Duck staff's efforts to recruit kids in either the 2022 class or the 2023 class, they're at a really competitive disadvantage since they're a completely new coaching team. Sure, there are quite a few other schools with similar new staffs, but there are also big-name programs (Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, The OSU, Michigan, Texas A & M, etc.) who have an established coaching staff to show a high school kid what to expect on offense or defense. Even programs like USC and LSU have a new head coach with a demonstrable record of performance as head coach at another school. Thus, I think anyone Dan-Lan can convince to become a Duck before his team plays a single regular season game is a huge plus for him. At this point, all he's really able to share with kids is his personality and his vision of the future. For the top H.S. players in the country, I think it's a big ask to expect them to take a relatively blind leap of faith to come to Oregon instead of an NFL factory like Alabama, Georgia or Clemson. Having said all that, I get more confident every day that Dan-Lan will get us there. There's a charisma about this guy that I think will become infectious over time. First thing, though, is demonstrating those game management skills on the sideline in some actual games. Can't wait to watch.

Ah yes, the "Canned Wheat" album. It was a classic.

I've never met this kid. But watching him play, and following the sacrifices he's made to get on the field to PLAY SOME FOOTBALL, I gotta say I love him. I agree with Haywarduck; I think D.J. is really going to be a positive contributor in the years ahead--whatever he decides to do with his life. We need more guys like him.

Uhhh, I believe the medical term for that is "upchuck."

Thanks for another insight-filled article, Charles. Good read. And, I'm looking forward to seeing how Lanning's philosophy and approach to practicing pans out on the field. I think that oftentimes us fans are distressed when highly-rated players transfer out of the program. When you look more closely at the reasons players are leaving, though, it makes a difference in how "concerned" you should be. When a guy like Pittman leaves because he feels the offense is not throwing the ball enough to the wide-outs (my simplification of the situation), it's one thing. For me, it was kind of concerning because I could see his point. But, when another kid transfers out because he can't keep up with the pace of conditioning expected (which, of course, a kid will rarely admit), it's quite another thing. Frankly, you're not going to miss those kinds of kids. Lanning seems like the kind of guy who's really going to set the bar high. I'm good with that.

Excellent article, David. Thanks for the effort. In addition to the points you made, what really frustrates me about the current interpretation of "the rule" is when a targeting call is made and then reviewed. When we, as fans, see the replay, it becomes obvious that the hit was not truly an intentional targeting hit (see Thibs v. Stanford). Then, the officials come out of the review and "confirm" the call. As that happens over and over again, it says to me the rule needs to be changed and/or the officials need to be better trained to differentiate between intentional targeting and incidental "targeting."