Gizmoduck

I disagree. I don't think the Ducks got outcoached at all. As a matter of fact I think our coaches did spectacular! As a coach you make a gameplan, theirs was solid, the players just didn't execute to start the game. Down 20-3 it's coaching and execution that got them back in the game, and allowed them to take the lead. After Penix threw the interception, we had a chance to put them away. Instead, they intercepted it right back. (I don't blame Bo, when the ball left his hand that defender was out of bounds.) Washington executed just a little bit better than us in all three games since Lanning and Deboer took over the progrums. It is also true that the doggone Fuskies have had lady luck bounce their way in all 3 games as well. We'll win our share, these three really hurt because we know how special this team is, and what a magical season it could have been. We watched those young men put their hearts and bodies on the line for OBD and came up just a little short. Sometimes the fairytale is just real life where our heroes don't defeat the villainous Huskies. They move on to the rest of their lives and we regroup and put our hopes into a fresh batch of ducklings cheering them on until they finally reach that mountain top. I believe in coach Lanning, I think He has the makings of a Legendary Ducks coach...just not yet.

Oregon 38-17 1 5 323 Go Ducks

I think DJU would be a perfect fit here. Remember Bo when he first came here? He wasn't a 60% completion passer, and he had never thrown for more than 16 touchdowns. He was a former 5 star who had the talent but not the development needed to maximize his production. Sound familiar, I think if Will Stein could do for DJU what Kenny Dillingham did for Bo, it would solidify his status as a great coach, and not just as a door holder that didn't wreck what Dillingham built. I don't think that, (I think Stein is a genius) but I think it would be fair to say it could be said that he had an easy job this year with Bo and the offense. Plus Matayo is here, the story just writes itself. I want to see Ty Thompson next year, but if DJU can beat him out then that's on him.

I'm probably going to say something on here that will alert the moderators. If I do I apologize in advance and will take my punishment accordingly. I am not trying to purposely offend anyone or intentionally break any rules. Now that I have said that, on to my point. I think a lot of us forget the real takeaway from the Mark Helfrich era. Oregon couldn't recruit, or develop players at a championship level. Our brand was going international, but the football program had a glass ceiling on it for recruiting. As much as I hate to admit it, Willie Taggert blew through that glass ceiling. He understood that the brand was nationwide and went after recruits no other Oregon coach before him would have dreamed of landing, Chip included. Now that was about the only thing he did that was of some use to the university. Coach Lanning understands the mass appeal of the brand and he is a relentless recruiter, as well as being an awesome teacher of the game of football. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I think his most critical hires to date are Marshall Malchow, Wilson Love, and Jawarski Beckum. These hires are why he is able to implement his overall vision for the "progrum". As fans we still might have a bit of PTSD from the previous staffs. We need to implement the same growth mindset that coach is always talking about and judge them by what they do, and not by what former staffs did. Oh how I love to share ideas about our beloved DUCKS!!!

Goal 1A: Win The Game, Goal 1B: Play To The Standard. Do that and 70 is within reach. GO DUCKS!!!

What a game! What an atmosphere! The Navy Leapfrogs parachuting into the stadium with the game balls, the Duck losing his head! Every moment felt electric even before kickoff. The stadium being striped out was awesome (don't know if I can get used to it though) Ducks fans were hyped! Easily the best game atmosphere I've ever been to. I know every fanbase says their live experience is better than watching on tv, but the Autzen experience is hard to beat. I left my heart in Oregon after the 1st quarter always gets the home crowd pumped, the Duck doing his thing like no other mascot in sports. And to top it all off Shout at the end of the 3rd quarter just blows the energy through the roof. The Ducks winning in such dominant fashion was almost a foregone conclusion.

I'm sorry, Ted Robinson...awful.

Petros is the worst!!!

The truth is these are just rumors. No named sources, or anything from Baker himself. If we miss out on him it will simply come down to relationships, and that's ok. That's what Dan Lanning has been preaching since day 1. Adrien Klemm brought a lot of clout with him on the recruiting trail, and although I am a firm believer in A'lique Terry and everything he brings to the table, It may take him a while to really establish himself as an O-line guru. Until then we may miss out on some big targets in the near future, but I'm willing to bet that changes sooner rather than later.

In todays world of NIL and Portal availability it seems inconceivable that coach Lanning has guys buying in to the concept of selfless play. But I think that may be exactly what's happening. I could be totally wrong, but think about it like this. Not only is there depth, but there is blue-chip depth. I think this IS definitely something coach Lanning brought from Georgia, where stars on their defense didn't necessarily play an overload of snaps. They played (key) snaps. Now how this is determined, and how he gets young men to buy into it is why he's making millions of dollars at 38 years old, and coaching OBD football team. Just my two cents anyways

I'll try to keep it short. I'm a fan of coach Prime, and I'll agree it may not look good from where we're sitting. But if you go back and reread everything he has ever said as a coach, not a player, but as a coach, he has always said "I'm old-school." Not to condone what's happening in the video, but what he's saying is old-school. But anyone that has ever heard of Deion Sanders knows he knows how to manipulate the narrative. Case in point, a lot of people immediately concluded that his team will most likely be undisciplined and incohesive. (I'm paraphrasing, not saying you're right or wrong) but as a master manipulator He only let us see what he wanted us to see. Maybe I'm wrong but as a coach myself I might say something similar to drive home the point that as a team we have to stand up for each other. Now if the combatants are teammates (which happens almost every camp, young men tend to get testy after repeatedly beating on each other) after the fight is broken up there is a level of punishment that we didn't get to see. WE DON'T FIGHT EACH OTHER!!! I think coach Prime is using every little negative comment about him and his team as motivation, and when he feels the energy ebbing, he releases a video like this, and there is a fresh new level of motivation and unifying material. Also, I could be wrong so who knows?

Quack Quack!!!

You may be an old fart Mr. Fishduck. But after watching that 80 yard highlight at least a dozen times, all I can say is I think the photo you have, is taken at a point after a celebratory low-five. And just before a full upper body muscle flex.

Stay the course Charles. Heavy is the head and all that. Better to be a little overprotective and offend a few sensitivities, than "loosen" up and allowing a cascade of trouble down the road. I know it, you know it, we all know it. Given an inch, most of us (myself definitely included) will take a mile and run with it. Then claim bias if called on it, and leave this forum in a huff. You do good work nipping it in the bud. I may not like it, but I know it's necessary to keep this haven as free, and pristine as it is.

That's a bigger question than you might think. First off, I think Dan Lanning is absolutely not just a home run hire for Our Beloved Duck, he is a GRAND SLAM!!! As a former player and coach (at much lower levels) The things he has done for this program in this short amount of time is almost miraculous. As fans we can take for granted the amount of time a coach actually has to influence a player. Dan has had a very short amount of time to mold these players into the type of players that fit his vision. Balance that with the time Coach Cristobal had with these players. To instill a mindset that fit his vision. To mold them into the pieces that fit his undisciplined, plodding offense, and his sieve - like defense. Physical, yet injury prone. Tough, but uninspired. I don't say these things to disparage coach Cristobal, this is just what I observed. In contrast coach Lanning wants players to be at the forefront of inspired play. This can often be misinterpreted by young people as boastful. (how many of us as young people would have been accused of making wise and calculated decisions) Remember, the vast majority of this roster was not recruited by this staff. It takes at least 3 solid years to fully instill the culture you want to bring to school. And that's if things go perfect. The fact that the on field product is so fun to watch is testament to the level of skill of this staff. It feels like it's been forever since we could talk about offensive efficiency while actually holding our heads up. Do I want to see Noah Sewell wiggling his hips after being beaten in pass coverage, only to be saved by a qb overthrow? Of course not! But I can guarantee you, if we hate seeing it coach Lanning and the rest of his staff hate it more. Some aspects of culture can't be instilled in the first year. Some guys just won't buy in. Remember in his introduction speech coach Lanning asked us to judge them by what they DO I think what they've done is just this side of amazing. They've also got a long way to go, but they've only been here for 8 or 9 months as a complete staff. The season isn't half over, and if they can continue to get better (which they have consistently done so far) I think this can be a really special season. Not because of their record or accomplishments, but because of what they will learn about themselves and teamwork. About the standard that's already been set for Oregon football. Anyways...that's just what I think.

I bet DL lets em know! The standard is far from being reached, no matter what the score is. I bet the 2nd half is much better. Let's go Ducks!!!

I hope they have packages where all four are on the field at the same time. Put seven in the backfield and give defensive coordinators fits. Rotation rotation rotation, that's my mantra for this season. Lot of players to make lots of plays.

I see no advantage to telling reporters and fans who is starting week to week. If I was the head coach I would never announce starters. The players know who is going to play, that's who it should matter to the most. Fans have game programs to see the roster. The fan experience should not expect to gain insight to the innerworkings of a program. We can disagree, it's ok if you think different than I do. At the end of the day it's Dan Lanning's name on the "progrum". Nobody is going to cut him any slack if the team doesn't perform up to snuff. I don't blame him for trying to squeeze every single advantage he can legally get to make this the championship caliber team he has envisioned. Is that a little frustrating for us as fans? A little, but will we accept it if we get the results desired? You bet, and we'll call him a genius and defend him with our last breath, and ask why other coaches don't do the same. The tradition of not being traditional is what makes Oregon so special, it's hard to accept at first, but when we see spectacular results, it all makes sense. Is it gameday yet?

My biggest what if is what if Helfrich plays Justin Herbert starting game 1? Is he still the coach? I wonder how things would've changed.

Great article Charles, with valid ponder points indeed. Remember coach Lanning said to judge them by what they do, not what they say. From the spring game my eyes told me that they want to be fast but efficient, explosive yet calculated, and overall exciting. None of the coaches strike me as the "Let's do it in the spring, but not in the season" type of guys. So far I believe my eyes, it's just coincidence my ears heard the same thing.

I understand the frustration with our younger QB's but we really have to take their age into account. If I was a nineteen or twenty year old playing in my second system in two years, I would be lucky to get the snap right. Now add to that a completely new set of terminology, protection calls, route trees, and add to that that this is a hurry up no huddle system (Which is not easy to implement under the best of circumstances let alone in 4 months. Did our 5 star look shaky? Yes, but I think the game is still slowing down for him. I seen some very good ball delivery and quite decent footwork under DI defensive pressure. I think time is on our side in this one. Both our young QB's have to know the starting spot hasn't been won OR lost just yet. As fans in general we want to see high level QB play. As Duck fans specifically we want to see Mariota 2.0 (Hey I'm in that group as well.) I think playing the long game will serve us well with our QB's. Or I could be totally wrong, but oh how we love to ponder...

Great article Charles, lots of stuff to chew on. I absolutely agree with your hits and misses. However I think this staff is even smarter than we think. Stay with me here, these coaches see these young men on a daily basis. They are constantly grading and evaluating their performance and effort. They know who is bought in and who isn't. While I totally agree with you about the way our O-line has been recruited and built. It may also be a process of tearing down some of the old regimes techniques and ways of thinking. This line has to think faster, and move faster. Scheme plays a big part in how protections are structured, and coach Klemm may have the toughest job of all the coaches in gaining complete buy in from his group. Coach Mirabal (However we may feel about him and his allegiances) was a great motivator and trusted mentor to these young men. As a former lineman myself, and a current O-line coach, I know that even though you might say the right things and be teaching correct technique, if the players don't believe in you as a person, if they don't TRUST you, no progress or growth will be made. Between now and the fall is when these coaches will earn their money. Film study is key in showing the truth behind what he and all the other coaches have been saying. Can they get total buy in? I think a lot of the misses yesterday can be attributed to lack of buy in. I mean as much as we are impressed by this staff, these young men have only known them as their coaches for a few months. And they may interact with them completely opposite to the coaches they were recruited by and coached just months ago. So many great positives yesterday. I seen everything I wanted to see on the field. Great potential for explosive offense and lockdown defense. I didn't expect perfection or even for it to look as clean as it did. Very few penalties, and no sense of confusion or indecision that I seen. Now we find out why Dan Lanning was such a fast riser in the coaching ranks. Now we get to see if this staff is truly elite. Can they get total buy in? As you always say...Oh how we love to ponder about our beloved Ducks.

They're going fast. I missed it so much! Is it perfect? Not by a longshot. But is it a great foundation to be built upon going forward? Absolutely, I've seen everything I needed to see from both sides of the ball. Can't wait til the fall.

Oregon Recruiting: Ducks in the hunt for late flip of OT Josh Conerly DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM 5-star OT Josh Conerly reportedly took a last-second visit to Eugene this past weekend, raising some eyebrows ahead of his...

Bold move. Could be great. I'm glad there's outside the box thinking going on.