Drake

Many reasons to leave. ($$$$$$) A sport, college football, that I do enjoy, has an ugly side. All football coaches talk about teamwork in someway, shape, or form. I guess that teamwork only goes so far when large $$$ donors get involved.

Thank goodness my work output was not scrutinized by thousands on a regular basis. It would be annoying to be second guessed by people that have never done your job, but seem to know just what you should be doing at all times. I don’t think I would demonstrate the patience that some of these coaches show after the loss of a game. So many variables go into winning a National Championship. I am pretty sure that the teams winning it lately are recruiting within the top 5 on a regular basis. Pretty sure that variable is one of the most important. What’s our highest ranked recruiting class? Wasn’t our best recruiting class ranked #6? Cristobal is coaching the youngest team in college football and is currently ranked in the top 10 at the end of the regular season. He has my respect.

I think some of the younger fans may have a different view of the Ducks football “prominence “. They weren’t born when the Ducks football team struggled in the early years of the Rich Brooks era. Those years made me appreciate where we are today. I understand that 2 losses are a tragedy when you have your sights set on a National Championship. Try 2 wins for an entire season a few times….ughhh However, most fans know that we have been very close to winning a championship, and being grumpy about a loss that knocks you out of championship contention is part of being a football fan. I am far from being a spoiled fan

We were not the #3 team in the country this year. We are a young team that has been hit with injuries, and have a QB that struggles. For Oregon to have a shot at the National Championship it will be with a QB in the Heisman trophy chase, a couple great RB’s, and a highly ranked defense. We will also need a favorable schedule and avoid injuries to key players. Everyone wants to win the title, but realistically you need recruiting classes in the top 10 on a regular basis to consistently compete at that level. If you think a “better coach” is the answer, they will also need to recruit better than Cristobal.

Pittman wants a path to the NFL. The AB to MP connection just never materialized. MP wants to be “the guy”, but he isn’t. Not so sure the coaches, or players were going out of their way to “disrespect” him. I guess disrespect in his case means that the ball isn’t thrown to him. He is a solid punt return guy, but we have had better.

Seems that the controlling powers are a little…well, controlling.

Never have had a problem getting good seats at the PAC 12 Championship game. I usually buy them much later.

Caldwell (cardwell) will be a good one. He will hit the hole fast, but also is patient to wait for his blockers, and look for cut back lanes when necessary. His last touchdown was a great example. Made it look easy.

There will not be a quick fix for either USC, or Washington. Both of those Universities want to crush the Ducks, but they will need a good coach and recruiter. I am not so sure well known names want either job. However, money can move a mountain. Should be interesting to watch.

The puppies really need leadership from an AD that sets standards for behavior for coaches. Kids may not pay attention to some of those details, but I guarantee that parents of the athletes will. Happy recruiting doggies.

Not many QB’s can make those types of throws. He can make that throw off his back foot. Herbert is a great athlete. I am sure he would have done well in baseball, basketball, etc. He has made me a Charger fan.

This is the team that gets no respect. I have to admit that I am mildly surprised to see them at 8 -1. I am sure that we are a good candidate for an upset alert for the rest of the season. This team is resilient. With the youth, and injuries that have occurred requiring the coaches to fill positions with walk on players, I have to give them a lot of credit. Keepit going Ducks…Prove all the naysayers wrong.

I think the coaches stay with AB because he can run the ball. Not like Mariota could run, but he will run. We know AB’s shortcomings when it comes to passing downfield, so the coaches know that as well. Moorehead will still have him throw a deep ball, but percentage wise, it’s seem like a long shot for him to connect with a receiver in stride. Moorehead has game planned this year with AB in as QB. I think the offense may change somewhat from this years play calling if the QB’s strength is actually passing vs. running.

“Scratching the surface on the passing game. “ I would like to believe that statement. After watching AB throw 4 interceptions(two overturned by defensive penalties), I am nervous anytime he throws to a receiver beyond 10 yards. Can AB improve? I certainly hope so…

Not a hater at all. Replacing coaches is not an exact science. Many say Chip Kelly is a better “coach”. Problem with Chip is that being a head coach involves more than X’s and O’s. Chip’s record is not endearing himself to UCLA alums. I attend games and will cheer and grumble like every fan. I never have felt entitled to a winning team, or championship. A lot of pieces would need to fall into place for Oregon to win a National Championship. One of the main pieces is consistently recruiting high caliber talent. Another big piece will be a QB that is in contention for the Heisman Trophy. If Oregon doesn’t have those components, in my opinion, all the complaining is just “white noise”. Cristobal has a good chance of accomplishing at least those things. Will he win a championship? I don’t know, but he has a better chance than most coaches in college football.

Gone are the days of having a comfortable lead.

This team is capable of playing better.

I do believe that the offense has the ability to score more points with better decisions from the QB. Better reads on when to keep the ball would be a solid start. I will be optimistic that it starts Saturday. While AB does have some success running, too often, it is obvious that a pitch to his RB would have resulted in a more successful play. QB runs should result in easy yards and the QB should not be consistently getting pounded with little or no gain. At least I think that is what should happen.

I really can’t say I am disappointed. We have been hit hard with injuries this year. Key starters and backups have not been able to play and coaches have actually inserted walk ons to fill in some gaps. I do get very frustrated watching AB as our starting QB. He has thrown 7 TD’s this year against some pretty easy competition. He is a “running QB”, but only averages about 3.5 ypc. Thompson has played two meaningful quarters and has thrown 2 TD passes. Hmmmm. Oregon fans rarely boo at their own players. I know that people in my section of the stands were booing at only one person, and it wasn’t anyone on the coaching staff. That’s not disappointment, that’s frustration.

One huge difference. AB as a senior is far from the talent of Herbert. Pretty sure Herbert would have thrived under Moorehead’s offense.

On defense we always seem to give up big plays with younger defensive backs in the past. As they gain experience playing together, and hit the weight room we usually have seen them play much better together. We are burning redshirts every game now. You give these guys a different QB, and two more years of playing time, we then we have a team that has potential to win against anyone.

I think part of the blame for the empty seats after halftime is not only the product on the field, but the #&@ing 7:30pm kickoffs. Many season ticket holders, like myself, drive down from Portland dealing with a huge traffic jam on the way to Eugene, and then end up driving home at midnight in a traffic jam going home. I don’t blame any of those fans for leaving…I totally get it.

This team will struggle to win games the rest of the season. The reason that I am not overly excited about being 5 - 1 is that I know what a top 10 team looks like. I have a tough time truly believing that we will be that highly ranked by seasons end. I guess the bright spot is that we are 5 - 1 with a QB that many want to see sitting on the bench. I do applaud a few of the catches made by our receivers last night. I also think that after a bye week and playing at home against Cal, who we lost to last year, we should not need a last second stop on our goal line to win.

I think a lot of fans that post comments will post a few negative comments and then just give it a rest after awhile when their favorite team is losing. After reading a rumor that Anthony Lynn may be a possible candidate for the USC job, Cristobal seems pretty solid to me. Cristobal has proven that he can recruit, he has won the PAC 12, and Rose Bowl…and is the only Duck coach to beat tOSU…at the shoe. Getting to that next level is not that easy, only a handful of coaches have been able to do it. Those coaches all have one thing in common, they recruit top players each and every year. I think I will let Cristobal do his thing for awhile longer.

In the world of sports, you are only as good as your last game. The fans want to see a team that comes out and crushes a struggling Cal team. Hoping to make a few first downs to run out the clock in a close game is not where Oregon football should be this week.