Drake

Wow…what a difference a few weeks makes. The conversation went from Mario is great, to now he has a lot of work to do… We have a good coach trying to get a very young team to play at a National Championship level. There are good things and bad things going on with this team. We have had both good and bad play as well. A great QB can cover a lot of bad play and errors made by other players. However, who covers for poor QB play? AB has been plugged into the QB position and had a signature win at tOSU. However, does he look like “the guy” to win it all? Too many bad QB decisions and poor throws with no improvement in sight. The next time we have an NFL caliber starting QB is when we will have a legit shot at something beyond a PAC 12 Championship. Until then I am on this rollercoaster ride with everyone else. BTW…MC is a good coach. We will see if he can be a great coach. I know a great QB would have made him look like a better coach then he was on Saturday.

Not sure that the team has deep structural problems beyond injuries on the defense where players are now playing out of position. Pretty sure we all knew that we weren’t the #3 team in the nation. I had really hoped we were, but our defense would need to be rated in the top 5 in the nation to overcome our QB play. A good QB fixes a lot of issues. We have some sitting on the bench that can’t do any worse.

Unfortunately, AB is not good enough to start on a team in the top 10.

My disdain for the once overly proud puppies, and some of their obnoxious fans, overrides the annoying rodent problem we have in this state.

Ducks 42 Tree 17. 2, 2 and 235 yds

Like it or not, game experience and time playing together does matter. These guys are good, and time will tell if they can become great. The person with the most experience on this team is at QB, and he is only starting his 5th game in a Duck uniform. AB doesn’t throw interceptions, but does seem to throw a bunch of passes that nobody can catch. He has the most important position that can overcome mistakes by the team on the field. He will need to play better going forward. The youth on this team is our future, and the future starts tomorrow at kick-off.

“What a long strange trip it’s been” pretty much sums up Bill Walton. Great player, and as long as you aren’t looking for a commentator that is full of “facts”...he can be pretty amusing. Even though he left the TrailBlazers, which stunned the fans at the time, he is still embraced by the fans when he returns to Portland. Love his prediction. That is pure Walton at his “best”.

Cristobal has the attitude that he will just outwork the guy next to him to win over the long term. Love that attitude and he also seems to connect well with the players. He might not have been ready for prime time when he took over the Duck program, but his work ethic and ability to recruit has many expecting his team to SOON be good enough to challenge for a title. The transition from “speed football” with a potent offense, to what we have today, has been tough on long time fans. However, Expectations are once again rising, and it will be fun to watch if the team can match those expectations. The Ducks are on the move and Cristobal is leading the way. I’m on board and look forward to returning to Autzen to watch this unfold. GO DUCKS

As long as orange, and purple are banned, I really don’t mind the different colors. The football team did wear orange socks a few years ago and I wasn’t too keen on that idea. I always wear green and yellow at away games and am immediately identified as a Duck fan. Everyone knows the Duck colors....lol

Herbert went from one of the best offensive lines in college to arguably one of the worst in the NFL. Luckily Herbert is very mobile and can get the ball out quickly when pressured. Herbert’s talent didn’t just happen because he worked with a different coach. Personnel makes a big difference at elite levels of play. I my opinion he was probably two very good receivers and a top running back from a legit shot at a National Championship at Oregon. Congrats to him for everything he has achieved.

Thanks for the info...was glad when they brought baseball back. They eliminated the team my freshman year at U of O. Maybe they can start to give the Beavers a headache.

Have always been impressed with Altman. The focused effort he gets from his players on the court not only elevates each individual, but even more important, elevates the team. His guys may at times seem overmatched talent wise, but when they play with focus, and as a team, they can play with anybody. A game always has ebbs and flows, he seems to have a very good feel on managing the team through both. His demeanor on the sideline seems consistent whether the team is leading, or trying to come from behind. He is a great coach and I hope to see him get to hoist the NCAA Championship trophy.

The newest collective bargaining agreement requires 47 to 48% of “football related revenue” be allocated to the players. Total team revenues range between $360 to $900 million depending on the team. Total annual revenues probably just shy of $15 billion. Therefore, the contracts being paid are inline with the revenues generated. The billionaire club that owns the franchises probably had $4 to $6 billion in lost revenues due to COVID restrictions. It was estimated that the Cowboys would lose $500 million per home game last year. The numbers are big, but the people that pays those $20 million contracts have big wallets.

For me, soccer is like watching a football game with a final score of 6 to 3. I know that many people enjoy the game. It just is not a sport that I really watch. I have never recorded a soccer game so that I could watch it later. Hockey can be entertaining.

The Rose Bowl is a great venue. Tailgate on the golf course, and then watch the game in SoCal weather. Tough not to like that set-up. The best game I watched was arguably Wisconsin, with Russel Wilson at QB. Who can forget DAT? The impact he had on the game with just a few touches of the football, and Chip Kelly jumping up and down on the sidelines when the fumbled football barely stayed in bounds for the Ducks to recover and seal the 45 to 38 victory.

The game has definitely changed. Difficult to compare different eras because of the shot clock and three point line. Remember Ralph Miller ball? Would Ralph Miller be a top coach today? Once Ronnie Lee moved on, Dick Harter was gone soon afterwards. He left just as I started my freshman year at Oregon. It took a long time for Duck basketball to recover, and get back to the point where they had a legitimate shot at a conference title. I have never have felt qualified to define one coach as better than another, but I do think Altman is among the best.

Maybe something like this?

To win a championship will require talented players, solid coaches, and decent luck avoiding injuries to key players during the season. Perhaps a schedule where our most difficult competition has to face us at Autzen Stadium. I think coaching is very important, but you must have talented players to coach. On offense, we will need someone talented enough to be mentioned as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate. I am not sure we have that this year. On Defense, the coach needs to figure out how to unleash the talented roster he inherits. Bill Belichick (good coach) didn’t forget how to coach last season, he just didn’t have the personnel/talent to make a run into the playoffs.

One point that you make that I think is important is that a “sexy” offense does attract talent. We probably would not have pulled DAT from USC with our sputtering offensive attack. He became a big part of the explosive offense that could score in seconds. Yes, I totally miss that offensive assault. Imagine the numbers that Mariota could have put up if he wasn’t pulled from most of our games early. Could have scored 100 points a few times.

I hope to see our Ducks win a championship as much as anyone. Remember, it’s not just about the destination, but the journey. New coaches , new players, all part of that journey. If I never see the Ducks win the National Championship I still have had a great experience. At least we’re not Beaver fans.

Resume building?...lol

3:26...Masoli takes off, delivers a shot and makes the first down...perfect!!!! Pivotal play on 4th down to decide if the Ducks or Beavers go to the Rose Bowl.

Older video, but thought I would post it since many of us missed attending games last season. The video has some nice highlights, but it does a good job capturing some of the reasons Autzen is “Home”. The footage of the walk across the footbridge to Autzen on game day...brings back nostalgic memories....sigh.

Historically speaking, OSU is generally our last game of the season. I don’t think that sequence will be the final schedule.

In his defense, Shough was running a new offense with little practice time and reps. Perhaps under different circumstances he would be our returning starter. He did seem to have tunnel vision, which i define as not seeing pass coverage that well, and lacked patience in Moorehead’s offense. It was apparent that his confidence took a hit and he started to look desperate to make plays. Unfortunately, when the team needed better play from the QB, he wasn’t able to deliver. A QB struggling on a team expected to win is not an enviable position for the QB, or the coaches. The coaches looking for better play at QB made the decision to state that the starting QB position for 2021 was once again going to be up for grabs. Shough didn’t like that statement and made the decision not to compete again for that role. Next man up.