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Joshua Whitted
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Posts posted by Joshua Whitted
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To answer my own question, I'd argue the BYU game is up there with the Utah game in terms of importance. The Utah game is big, as another loss, especially in a blowout, would really be a bad look for a program that should be in contention for a conference title. The BYU game is important for the course of the season. Going 1-2 to start would be a rough way to get Lanning's debut season kicked off, and the Cougars are definitely going to be a tough out.
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On 6/29/2022 at 4:53 PM, Quackerbacker said:
Yeah JDuck, you had to bring up Herbert. It makes me a little sick just thinking how Mario wasted that young man's talent.
Just think how explosive this offense would be with Herbert running it. With his talent, OMG we would be putting up some ginormous numbers.
I'm just hoping Bo can be the best Bo possible. Cuz if he is we gonna take some people out behind the woodshed this year!
One of the biggest travesties in recent college football history is how badly Cristobal and Arroyo stifled Herbert...
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On 6/29/2022 at 2:50 PM, Charles Fischer said:
If things on offense do not explode...then Lanning/Dillingham will have a serious credibility issue with the fans. Cristobal lied to us from the very beginning, but hid it well in nuance. Even when presented the precise words he stated in his press conference--many Oregon fans still carried his water for him, and attacked me for even suggesting anything untoward.
By contrast, Dillingham has come out almost shouting about "explosion plays, and creating space for playmakers with one-on-one matchups." In fact, if I were a coach trying to announce my intentions of returning to a high-scoring offense again--the way they have done it is how I would do it!
I too, had been wondering about the direction of the offense, but found proof of Dillingham's intentions in the Spring Game...right off the bat. (Oh...these FishDuck writers!)
Coach Dillingham's Offensive Attack Philosophy Confirmed with...
FISHDUCK.COMOregon Offensive Coordinator Kenny Dillingham has explained how he prefers a fast-tempo offense and in particular—taking advantage of one-on-one matchups that...I agree that this staff, at least very early on, appears to be very genuine in how they plan to approach both sides of the ball. We're going to be aggressive, for better or worse, and I believe that's the best approach.
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On 6/29/2022 at 11:58 AM, David Marsh said:
Short answer... Yes.
Longer answer.... Yeesssss.
First off the scheme is going to be better because Dillingham is going to be allowed to do his job. It has become all too clear that MC tied his OC's hands and forced up the gut runs.
We all bemoan the pistol as a "bad" formation but the truth is that it was used wrong and the most effective use of the pistol we find from other teams is using it as a change up to attack different parts of a defense... Not just a lazy attempt at making a "spread" offense with a power game. It always struck me that what Cristobal wanted was a Stanfordian smash mouth lots of i-formation runs that uses the quarterback under center.
However, that is not Oregon and I am sure there was pressure to keep a spread offense so we got a lazy and terrible pistol. Because all you need for a spread offense is the quarterback in the shotgun, or at least not under center right? (Yes, that is some sarcasm...)
Another major factor is defense. Fir some reason Cristobal only had one, maybe two, good years of defense. 2019 being the high water mark, which also corrilates with his peak offensive production.
I wrote an article a while back going over how Dillingham's ambitious 80 plays per game can work.
80 Plays Per Game is More Than an Offensive Goal
FISHDUCK.COMBack on National Signing Day in early February, Offensive Coordinator Kenny Dillingham said that his...I do feel Lanning's defense will support the Dillingham offense. The Dillingham offense will also get players into space to make plays.
It also doesn't hurt that whoever the quarterback will be that they will be an improvement over Brown. Especially with a scheme that can stretch the field.
Very good points, and I'm a huge fan of the increased tempo. More plays per game means more chances to score!
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On 6/29/2022 at 10:39 AM, cartm25 said:
The offense MUST be better.
With the talent the Ducks have, and given the P12's "weakling" status, if Dillingham's offense isn't better than Mari Cristbal's then I don't want to keep Dillingham for a second year.
All the red/orange (not good) below is clustered around Mari Cristbal's tenure. MC's offensive output should be the new pass/fail standard. If you come in less than 31 pts./game, you're out; no questions asked.
This is a TERRIFIC graphic and it really does a great job of illustrating how our offense has regressed in recent years (look at that 7.5 ypp in 2013!) thank you for sharing it; this is gold.
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On 6/29/2022 at 9:24 AM, Haywarduck said:
I don't really need it to improve, that was the problem with what MariØ was selling. We just need our offense to return.
We may have metrics which we will use to judge if the Oregon offense is better under Dilly, I won't be following any of them. What I say is, using one of the great phrases ever produced, we will know it when we see it.
I also think we saw it in the spring game, so I can comfortably answer the question yes, if what we saw in the spring game continues.
Very true, but at this point, getting the offense to return to what it once was would take significant improvement. I do agree; the offense that we saw in the spring game will be an improvement if that's what the actual product looks like.
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On 6/29/2022 at 8:58 AM, Duck 1972 said:
I'm expecting immediate results. The difference in philosophy should be dramatic. Just the idea of not playing a "prevent offense" will be interesting to see.
An attacking offense will have more risks but will be a more enjoyable product on the field. Returning us to the Ducks that the rest of the country fell in love with will be a blessing and not happen soon enough.
I am hoping and praying you are right!
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On 6/29/2022 at 8:20 AM, Notalot said:
We will only know as the season plays out, but we can make a few assumptions based on facts that can conclude an opinion.
Beforehand, I do not believe that Cristobal was the heart of the problem as the Head Coach. I see him more at fault for not intervening in the offense, and for faulty in-game decisions and poor clock management.
1. Dillingham has a history of leading prolific offenses.
2. There WILL BE a reliable passing game that was absent in 2021.
3. The offense will be multi faceted getting the ball quickly to playmakers.
4. There are more highly skilled playmakers in 2022.
5. Tempo will be used as the weapon it can be.
6. The O line is big, talented, and experienced.
7. The D will provide plus takeaways.
8. More too.
GO DUCKS!!!
I think point No. 2 is the most important one. We need a passing attack to take the next step forward on offense.
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On 6/16/2022 at 6:15 AM, SoGaDawg said:
As to this article, I agree for the most part. It’s always best to temper expectations when major changes take place. It might take time for everything to find proper direction. Although, I firmly believe Lanning will be a great HC sooner rather than later. He is already a great recruiter, and that will pay enormous dividends on the West Coast very quickly. And likely the rest of the country soon after.
I was sad to see CDL leave UGA, but it was inevitable. I was glad that he accepted the Oregon position though. With the exception of a few tough years Oregon has had a very strong program for quite some time. Lanning will lead the Ducks back to national prominence and to playoff contenders and maybe sooner than you think.
I’m very much looking forward to a reinvigorated Oregon-USC rivalry with Riley now at USC. I’ll be pulling for the Ducks every time.
As for Sept. 3, I’m not sure. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve every reason to be confident in this game. Any true college football fan can clearly see that GA has the advantages this time. GA has more talent across the field, and is much deeper with talent. Has an an established coaching staff as opposed to a first year staff. But wait, the games on a neutral field Lol, nothing neutral about playing GA in Atlanta. Sure, it’s a bit easier than coming into Sanford Stadium but it’s far from neutral. Having said all this, you never know. We are filling many holes from that dominating defense. Albeit with great talent, but some unproven as of yet. I think GA wins, but I predict it will be closer than many think.
Welcome SoGaDawg, always love hearing from the opposing fan bases. I'm with you on the opening game; UGA's just in another tier as far as talent right now. You guys, Bama, and Ohio State are on your own level. But the good thing for us (the Ducks) is that we get you early. If you were breaking in a new QB, I'd say there's at least a 30% chance we could pull of the upset. As things stand now, I'd be very shocked if we win, but wouldn't be surprised to see us keep it within a couple of possessions.
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On 6/15/2022 at 5:22 PM, MaiTaiDuck said:
Great stuff Josh. I do find myself not fully agreeing with you on most everything you usually put out there. Lets start with Oregon will never flounder at the bottom end of the PAC 12 ever again or shouldn't ever. Phil Knight has made Oregon to me just in everything he's had built here Top 10 school W/O a doubt. Nike will more than likely be the top shoe sports apparel for the forseable future. Yes it's not gonna happen this year but not so fast.
Oregon has 7 Five star players coming to Oregon for officials in the next two weeks. 12 Four star players and 1 three star. That's massive recruiting being done right there. I remember looking at Georgia's classes the last 3 years and they were always 5 and 4 star classes pretty much full. If Oregon gets just half of these players to say sign in December that would be Oregon's best class to date trumping Mario by leaps and bounds.
Do I think Oregon wins it all this year? No but is there enough talent to get Oregon to the promised land? Yes I believe that. Its really up to Bo to show out this year and bring that 5 star ranking to the forefront. Oregon is finally getting close and I do except that fans should expect Oregon to take that next step and good for them to want this. I'm an old fan and I'm not certainly saying ancient either just old enough to know where it started with me and where we are right now.
I expect Oregon to be putting themselves to the top and I mean the top of the PAC 12 not SC.
Well I think we're probably pretty close to agreeing with each other on this actually. I don't think Oregon's very far from a championship run, and I think the recent recruiting uptick has been encouraging. I also don't think Oregon was going to fall into the Pac-12 gutter, just in the heart of a very crowded Pac-12 middle tier.
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On 6/15/2022 at 4:16 PM, Nevada Dawg said:
I'll keep this short and sweet. I think that this article is right on and says precisely what I have said on the forum before. Championship rosters simply take time to assemble.
Kirby Smart also inherited a decent roster and had everyone dialed in by year two. That team was IMO the best team in the country but lost in overtime to Bama in the natty. Yet, though that team should have won that game, Georgia's roster was not persistently championship class yet depth wise, and had the Dawgs won that game, the achievement would have had a bit of flash-in-the-pan quality to it.
Currently, the Dawgs have that kind of roster after four or five straight years of top five recruiting classes. Alabama and Ohio state also have that kind of roster. This is why they start out every season ranked in the top 5. And sorry, I got windier than I'd planned. Cut CDL some slack in the earlier years. If you do, then any notable achievement will be that much sweeter.
Great input, especially appreciate the perspective from an opposing fan base.
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On 6/15/2022 at 3:22 PM, DUCKED said:
We really don’t know how successful Lanning will be as a head coach. We know he was an excellent defensive coordinator at Georgia and is an outstanding recruiter. That much is clear.
But so was Cristobal (an offensive line coach) before he got the Ducks’ head job. And look how that turned out. He recruited a bunch of 4-star players, and a few 5-stars……and coached them down.
But Lanning will be a first time head coach, and never has had the responsibility of overseeing an entire program. There will be
growing pains, of course, and that it to be expected.
But I’m with everyone else on this board….very much looking forward to the new season and a new regime, and hope that Lanning turns out to be the “homerun” hire that he appears to be.
This is a very good, measured approach. I am high on Lanning, but we absolutely don't know for sure how he's going to be as a head coach. I am cautiously optimistic as well, but we'll obviously have to see how he does before we call it a homerun hire.
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On 6/15/2022 at 2:00 PM, JDuck said:
One thing about Lanning, while they had talent on the roster already, he took them to a historically #1 rated Defense in just a couple years. As much as I disliked Tosh when he was with Cal, and even less with the perpil pooch mutts, he's a top recruiter and smart D coach, and the rest of the D coaches will DEVELOP players, something as Joshua points out, was a weak point under Mari Cristbal.
KD and the offensive assistants will be great in all these aspects as well, development, recruiting, scheme...a couple top classes (which seem to be brewing already) and a Natty may be like the stupid right side mirrors on cars...closer than it appears. I hope so of course!
The combo of Lanning as a schemer and Tosh as a recruiter is really a gamechanger. (Lanning's an ace recruiter himself, too.) Their combination is easily the biggest reason why I believe we are going to get back to being a consistent CFP participant down the road.
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On 6/15/2022 at 10:42 AM, Annie said:
When DL came to Daisies he told about the Chinese bamboo tree, which takes 5 years to grow. It has to be watered and fertilized in the ground where it has been planted every day. It doesn't break through the ground for five years. After five years, once it breaks through the ground, it will grow 90 feet tall in five weeks! While he didn't say that was how the Ducks' path was going to go, I sort of concluded that's what he might have meant.
Very, very awesome story, and I assume that's exactly what he was talking about. Maybe not exactly 5 years, but the point is it does take time to develop a championship culture.
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On 6/15/2022 at 7:57 AM, Log Haulin said:
Oregon won 10 games last year with a coach that had no idea what he was doing on game day. Oregon finishes with one loss (Ga) and they are in the CFP. There is a lot of talent on this team.
Ducks have done more with less and lost by a FG. I think every kid on this team is fully bought in. So it will come down to execution and game management. A healthy Duck team can play with anyone in the country. Proved it last year in the Shoe with a horrible game time coach.
It took Ga 40 years to win another title. So yeah... Ducks aren't Ga. Ducks are still looking for their first. When, not if, they get that first, it will come in a way none of us can predict. So why not now?
Well the big problem is I think most people assume progress is linear (i.e. we won 10 games last year so this year we'll win 11 or more), but that isn't always the case. Lanning may be an upgrade (as Smart was over Richt), and we could still struggle to accumulate at first, just because that's the nature of the business.
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On 6/1/2022 at 12:06 PM, WiseKwacker said:
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.
Man, I'm about to fire up some Byron Marshall highlights right now. That guy was a blast! I agree he was more of a running back than a receiver.
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On 6/1/2022 at 9:23 AM, Just Ducky said:
I think we pretty much all agree with you Josh. This element is a huge advantage in college football. I think our new staff realizes his talent and will make sure Seven gets his chances to display that ability.
Best thing that could of happened for Seven was when MC walked out the door, thank god. You can’t coach speed and quickness and he seems to have both. Must of been frustrating to have talent only to use it keeping the bench warm.
Yes this new offensive staff suits him much better!
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On 6/1/2022 at 9:15 AM, Haywarduck said:
Seven is a weapon at this level and the next as a Tyreek is used. After seeing Hill sign a $120 million dollar contract Seven would do well to stay out of the backfield, and work on becoming the same type of weapon Hill is. Seven should work on catching the ball and getting open. He has the other skills already.
The mistake with DAT was letting him become the everyday RB his senior year. If he had worked harder at becoming a WR he may have had a career more like what we see with Tyreek.
Little guys who are quick are an incredible weapon. The jet sweep, quick screen, but he needs to stay out of the backfield. I just hope the staff didn't sell him on being a RB like DAT was promised. I have a feeling this staff knows exactly how to use Seven. The reason he was transferring is he knew the previous staff didn't.
Yeah I agree that it's a very fine line. I'd like to see McGee get SOME touches at RB, but nothing too extreme. Just a wrinkle here and there.
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On 5/18/2022 at 11:08 AM, 1Funduck said:
It has occurred to me that there has been a strong focus of Winning being the gage of a successful season. Under normal circumstances, that makes total sense. We have used the metrics of New Coach, new scheme, new...etc..etc.
Now, we have 'low' expectations of winning the North with an outside chance of winning the PAC and a playoff berth. Yes, winning should be the focus, of course. But, with so many unknowns this year, I get the feeling its more of a transfer year.
Getting an offensive and defensive scheme with your own QB takes time. There are powerful rosters across the nation with NFL talent that have floundered due to lack of continuity and coaching. With that said, I'm going to go out on a limb and categorize this year a transition year.
My view of success is a strong growth of scheme implementation. High discipline. Focused assignment completion. Getting these guys to buy in from the 5* to the walk on. All the other stuff will take care of itself if the right foundation is laid.
Thats what I'm looking for this year. The caveat is, do we drop to a 6/6 season? That would be a catastrophy. I want a NC as much as anybody. But, even Georgia took 3 years of Lanning to get its NC.
I do think you bring up a good point about expectations needing to be tempered a bit. It's just hard because most teams that undergo a rebuild are retooling their rosters. Ours, conversely, is pretty well-tooled, which makes things even more interesting.
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On 5/18/2022 at 10:54 AM, Haywarduck said:
Two things we don't know about are critical. How good will our qb play be? How good will our head coach match up against his competitors?
The qb play is critical and we aren't winning any preseason heisman press in this area right now, maybe a good thing. If we are going to compete for the playoff birth then our qb will have to be mentioned for award winning play.
The next item is how will Lanning match up against J Smith and other very good coaches in the league? These guys aren't just going to lay down because we have more talent on paper. There are going to be some new rivalries for Lanning, and how this first season goes will say a lot about where he fits in the hierarchy of Pac-12 coaches.
How Lanning defines himself against the Pac-12 coaches may be the most important element to watch. Does he dominate lesser competition, pull out some stunning wins? This will be a huge question mark I want to see answered. Many say the first impression is the most important, and it will be a tough one in Atlanta. He then faces WSU and Staford, a couple team Oregon has struggled again in the past.
I would love to see us get back to blowing out lesser opponents. We should be rolling through teams like WSU and Stanford. QB will be a big factor in that one way or another, as you stated.
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On 5/18/2022 at 10:18 AM, Vandownbytheriverduck said:
Win the north, win the pac12 championship, play in a good bowl and recruit recruit recruit.
This is year one for DL and staff, and it already looks better than any year under MC.
I was with you on winning the North, until today's news broke!
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On 5/18/2022 at 9:45 AM, fred flintstone said:
New coach, new schemes........10-2......but......I really think the Ducks should win the conference and head to the playoffs. The talent level at Oregon is supreme and the coaching will be vastly improved. So I'am really thinking 11-1. Georgia...down there.....early.....with a new coach.....is a tough climb for anyone......but the new coach is from .......Georgia......he'll know a few things about Georgia that will help.
Playoffs are bold, but 10 wins is certainly doable.
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On 5/18/2022 at 9:28 AM, Krsmqn said:
There are varying degrees of success, but to put it simply, winning the Pac-12 (an improvement from last year) without serious injuries, or serious "drama" on/off the field, would be successful.
Also, success on the recruiting trail.
Although, a dream season where we win it all is also acceptable.
Go
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I would LOVE to win the Pac-12, but personally, I'd be satisfied with at least making it to the title game.
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On 5/4/2022 at 6:52 PM, Lucca0923 said:
I agree with several of the comments about how stretching the field with long balls opens up the running game, and how an intercepted bomb is basically the equivalent of a punt. (Few interceptions of bombs lead to pick sixes like a short down and out.) But also remember that long balls require the offensive line to block longer which can increase the frequency of either sacks or holding calls, both of which move the team backward.
This is a good counterpoint for sure. It's all risk/reward.
How the Ducks Can STUN the Bulldogs
in Our Beloved Ducks
Posted
Love the input from everyone in this thread. There are so many factors that could determine the outcome of this game; turnovers are definitely going to be a big one. I apologize for not responding to each comment directly, and for this being a little light from a research standpoint. I'm still getting back in the swing of writing articles again after some time off, but I'm so excited to get this season kicked off and contribute another round of articles this season!