WiseKwacker

I'm sure in this transition period there will be some transfers out. That's always the case--with some coaches over the years being infamous for running off many recruits of the predecessor. For both coach and player, "fit" is important. I'm just hopeful--based on what your Georgia contact described of Lanning's approach--that, after a few years in the job, Lanning instills that philosophy to the degree that his recruits generally know what's coming before they first arrive on campus, and that he flat out recruits kids who won't be butt-hurt by those kinds of remarks from the coaching staff when they hear them in person.

Wow! Great article, Charles. As a guy who was thinking Justin Wilcox would be a solid add as our next head coach, I'm getting more excited by the day about what Coach Lanning is going to bring to the table as head coach. The two points you highlighted in your article are critical, I think, to long-term success for this program. For all of us old guys, the showboating and huffing after plays gets really irritating, particularly--as you point out--when it's done after a play that wasn't even good. I can't tell you how many times I've wished the Duck head coach (going back before Cristobal) would bring none other than Barry Sanders into the locker room to give his "Act Like You've Been There Before" speech to Duck players. (Gotta say, Travis Dye always exemplified this humility ethic in my memory.) In my view, the most demoralizing tactic to crush your opponent's psyche is silence and an icy cold stare. The second point is one I've not given much thought in the past. Clearly, we all see an increasing number of athletes jump into the transfer portal when their actual playing time doesn't match up with their expected playing time. I'll be anxious to see if there's a drop-off in this kind of thing as Lanning's staff lets kids know from day #1 that ALL their teammates were high school stars and that it's what you do on the field NOW that determines how much and when you play for the Ducks. Obviously, it's not going to eliminate Duck players entering the transfer portal, but it stands to reason that it will likely curtail the trend a bit. And, those that DO transfer are more likely to be the kids you don't really want sitting on your bench as malcontents, anyway. That's a plus.

I am SOOO anxious to see Justin Flowe get healthy and onto the field. I also hope to see a big jump in Keith Brown's performance next year with a winter of conditioning under his belt.

I had a girlfriend many years ago. I ultimately dumped her, but she DID have a good personality.

Very disappointing game, to be sure. A couple of things struck me. 1) Don't know what Altman's record is against Tad Boyle, but I think it might be a losing one. Haven't looked it up, but I don't think Altman has EVER won in Boulder, and the Buffs always seem to play the Ducks tough. 2) When the Ducks sprinted out to that 13-0 lead, everything was falling for them including some wild 3-pointers. Frankly, I think that was too easy; they got a bit lazy after that. At best, this team is a streaky 3-point shooting team. After that initial spectacular scoring burst, there were too many possessions where they used up a lot of the shot clock running the weave 30 feet from the basket and then settled for a 3-point shot. Also have to give the Buffs credit for putting bigger defenders on Richardson and Young, and that really made some of their drives to the bucket more difficult, with a couple resulting in blocks. 3) Jabari Walker is the real deal.

October 13, 2018. Oregon 30, Washington 27. Overtime thriller at Autzen capped by Verdell TD run to end it. Hard one to forget. (Verdell's fumble against Stanford a couple of weeks prior led to a 38-31 loss to the Cardinal.)

To me, the big difference in the team from earlier in the season is that the 3 guards and Guerrier are all driving to the hoop frequently--WITH PURPOSE--instead of just standing around the 3-point line looking for the next chance to jack it up. So many good things happen when a team aggressively attacks the rim. (Of course, one of them is that you get fouled, necessitating the need to sink your free throws.) This team looked so passive in getting their a$$e$ handed to them by an aggressive Houston team. They've really turned it around and are doing to their opponents what Houston did to them. Very fun to watch.

It's probably just me, but, in all honesty, I don't feel I really have a good picture in my mind's eye about how good C.J. really is and what he can do. He's run in the pistol offense and he's run in the post-pistol offense. He's played while healthy; he's played while hurt; and he's missed games due to injuries. He's run behind an offensive line that's dominating the line of scrimmage in some games, and then he's run behind an offensive line that's getting no forward push in other games. I hope he does well as a pro, and that he can stay healthy. What will stand out for me in remembering this guy will be that Washington game that followed up the disastrous Stanford game.

"Oregon's success was BOUGHT by Phil Knight." Yeah, I've heard (and mainly read) similar comments for years. My response is always a shoulder shrug accompanied by, "So what? What's your point?" The Knights basically bankrolled Matt Court and the new Hayward Field. They've also funded the Law School and the university library. The way I look at it, Oregonians should all be thankful to the guy for donating so much for so many to enjoy over the years ahead. Is there any single aspect of the Knights' largesse that's "bad?" It seems obvious to me that the only reason somebody would be critical of the Knights' generosity is simple jealousy.

My feelings about Travis Dye are similar to those I have for Cristobal. Travis gave us 4 solid years of football. I remember when he played as a true freshman. At the time, I wondered what the coaching staff saw in this undersized RB who ran with these choppy little steps. I really didn't see much promise in the guy. Over the next four years, he made huge improvements in his power, speed and ball security. He became an excellent receiver out of the backfield, and I loved the spin move he used time after time to elude a would-be tackler. The guy had the heart of a champion. If it wants to use a bonus year to extend his college career rather than to end up on some NFL taxi squad, good for him. I wish him well. Even though I suspect the Ducks have traded up in hiring our young pup, Mr. Lanning, I don't hate Mario Cristobal for leaving us for Miami. He left the program in better shape than he found it in. Yes, he was way too uptight, and his white-knuckle management style seemed to suffocate any creativity his assistant coaches might possess. But, I believe he was a man of integrity, and I will always respect that. But now, it's the Danning of a New Era in Eugene, friends. The sense I get from our new guy is that he's not going to run guys out of town, but, if you don't want to hop onto the Dan-Train, he'll make an unscheduled stop for you to get off.

What a well-thought-out argument, Jon. Not surprised, though. Your contributions to FishDuck usually are right at the top. As another old coot--I'm ONLY 69--I hate to be one of those "fatalistic" guys, but, I'm afraid that, with regard to the NIL: the cat's out of the bag, the horse is out of the barn, the camel's nose is under the tent. As much as I agree with your vision, I don't see any "course correction" coming any time soon. I say this primarily because I don't have any faith in the vision of the "leaders:" NCAA admin, Congress, state legislatures, conferences. I don't think these various bodies are particularly bad--albeit pretty slow to react--at recognizing problems. They're just bad at putting together balanced, workable solutions. Yes, the NIL rules have helped "solve" a problem. I don't see the solution helping anyone other than a handful of "college" athletes, though, who are either the ultra-elite individuals or happen to attend a few of the most wealthy colleges. Hope I'm wrong, but I don't think I am. Nevertheless, I expect I'll keep rooting for the Ducks however things develop.

"It was the mask...the mask, I tell you. I was calling her 'Coach,' not 'B**ch.'"

Dang! I was kinda hoping that under these loosened NCAA eligibility rules, we'd get an extra "bonus" year out of Chad Cota. You know, under the recently-adopted "distinguished alumni exception corollary." Chad might've lost a step or two, but I'll bet he can still bang with the best of them.

Wow! The interesting--and sometimes humorous--discussion above just resulted in a HUGELY creative solution for FishDuck followers in my brain. Several years ago, the Trailblazers found the NBA's salary cap rules so challenging, they hired Tom Penn as their organization's salary cap expert. Charles, this is a great opportunity. You need to scour America for the foremost authority on the NIL, and then hire him/her/them to write weekly articles on the "ins" and "outs" of the NIL rules. To hell with football-related stuff; we all are pretty well-informed about the things we see on the football field during actual games. Let's hear more about the exciting new ways we're luring these kids to come entertain us on Saturdays. It's the dawning of a new era...and I'm embracing it.

If he DOES decommit from the Ducks, can we at least retain the rights to his name under some corollary to the NIL rules?

Looks like Lanning still wants to be able to tinker with the offensive schemes a bit.

Blah, blah, blah... I hear all the pros and cons about whether or not Travis should remain a Duck. Let me bottom line if for the kid: Does any other school play "Shout" at the end of the 3rd quarter?

As much as I despise the term, "the new normal," I think this is likely the new normal. I think it's primarily difficult for us "old guys." I'm really not interested in Kavon's NFT; I'm not even sure I really know what it is. (Good for him, though.) I like to root for guys on my team, who--according to my standards--play the game the "right way." With this new, increased level of player movement, I'll likely transition to just rooting for my team and a bunch of "nameless" guys who happen to be on the field on any given play. I'm not saying the transfer portal is a bad thing. It certainly proved beneficial for guys like Terry Wilson and Braxton Burmeister. But, there are also guys who came to Eugene with sterling high school credentials, didn't play for the Ducks, transferred to another school, and now aren't playing for that school, either. Maybe these guys will eventually end up with a college degree out of the process, but I'm not sure the transfer portal was any real benefit to them.

EXACTLY! Full agreement on both points. And, I'd add Kepnang's name to the points about Dante. Kepnang does some good things on defense, but the ball handling around the basket area needs LOTS of work. The free throw shooting is so important. How many games during the Pritchard years did the Ducks put away down the stretch by just making their free throws? Many, many. A team can stand one or two guys who are liabilities at the line, but not the majority of the team. I keep wanting to see more minutes out of Bittle. You can see the natural coordination as he moves about the court. Maybe Coach Altman needs to slap him in the face a few times and yell at him on the sideline before inserting him into the game. Some guys play better when they're playing "angry."

Good posting, Principal Duck. Lots to think about regarding these recent changes in our beloved college football landscape. Personally, I always look at recent changes--or even proposed changes--and try to play them out as I can foresee them playing out down the road. I'm certainly no sage, or anything resembling that, but here are a couple of my thoughts on this as-of-now cloudy college football future. First, like so many of the bargaining agreements we've seen over recent years in pro sports, I think we'll see the NIL primarily benefit the top 1% of college athletes in only a couple of sports. Second, as this act of freeing athletes to gain pay for their performance moves the bar downwards on the age scale, I think the percentage of "potential" stars who don't actually develop into "real" stars will go up dramatically. Accordingly, how will some of those fizzled investments affect potential sponsors down the road? Third, when a team loads up on players who have basically been lured to that school because it--errrr, their boosters--offered the best financial deal, how will that translate to the players' motivation to give their all for the coach and school on the field? In other words, will there be a higher percentage of opt-outs during the season for such teams? Fourth, if my third point indeed comes to pass, will teams begin to strike NIL deals with players that are broken down into game-by-game financial incentives to motivate players to continue to "opt in?" Finally, as others have pondered above, as this plays out over the next few years, if the college football landscape becomes further stratified between those offering lots of financial incentives to lots of athletes vs those who aren't, will new divisions form? Man, I truly want to roll with the changes and personally evolve with the changing times, but, frankly, I'm still kinda pi$$ed about the Curt Flood decision.

Two guys I recall fondly are Bob Berry and Chris Miller, who played for the Ducks about 20 years apart. Berry had a really solid career as a Duck under Len Casanova, and was named a 1st team All-American as a senior. As a pro, he was one of those guys--kind of like Dan Fouts later on--who was always gonna get beat out for playing time, but didn't. He hung around for 11 years, including three years as a full-time starter for the Falcons. Not a HOF guy by any means, but a real solid NFL career. Miller's career has some parallels to Justin Herbert's in my opinion. Both were Sheldon High School products. Both were excellent all-around athletes who were not highly recruited out of high school. Miller played on some mediocre Duck teams in the mid-80s, but he was a 1st round draft pick of the Falcons in '87. The Falcons were not very good for most of his seven seasons there, but he made the Pro Bowl in '91 as he led them to a first-round playoff victory. He retired after 10 seasons due to concussions. I think both of these guys are too often overlooked as guys with solid NFL careers.

Great trip down memory lane, WK. I was at U of O during the Russ Francis years. The guy was truly an athletic freak--in a good way. Surprised you didn't mention the thing that always come to my mind when Francis' name comes up: when Howard Cosell dubbed him "All World" on a Monday Night Football telecast. As was his wont, Cosell beat that moniker like a drum, and it stuck. Oh, yeah. Francis' dad was Gentleman Ed Francis, a pro wrestling legend.

Good for them. The PAC-12 is better when there are no weak sisters. The Ducks are better when the Platypus Punch-Out is a competitive game...with us winning, of course.

Okay, having read all the comments, replies and comebacks on my post above, I've gotta comment. Nobody wants to beat the Huskies more than I do. Hey, my greatest moment as a Duck football fan--dating back to about 1960--was the Kenny Wheaton pick. I just try to channel my energy into rooting FOR my team rather than AGAINST other teams...unless we're playing them head-to-head. Further, I guess I root in concentric circles, starting in Eugene. I want to kick the Beavers' a$$e$ in the Civil War--errrrr, Platypus Punch-Out--every year, but my animosity towards the buck-toothed brethren ends there. I root for PAC-12 North Division teams over South Division teams. I root for all PAC-12 teams over teams from other conferences--PARTICULARLY over SEC teams. So, when (or more likely, "if") the Huskies get into the Rose Bowl or CFB playoffs, I'll root for them over a team from another part of the country. I understand we all have our own way of sorting these things out, and, I'm sure many of you have a different way. That's fine. Obviously, our life experiences are all different. Just know that I won't "hate" on you; hope you won't "hate" on me.

"...we don't judge."