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

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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. 

As a bears fan, it sucks he's coming back. As a sports fan I am so happy. He deserves to go out on his shield unaware of father time catching up to him.

I was born to it. My Grandmother Mattie Reynolds was one of the first black women to work on the U of O campus. She was a cook. She loved the Ducks so much that she made my uncle Sam go there, where he was among the first black graduates from the UO law school.

My mother graduated with a degree in psychology, and worked there as an academic advisor until her retirement in 2012. The Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center was named in her honor in 2019. My family, like many, many others has a long and proud history of supporting our beloved ducks!

Great article coach, can't wait for more of the new offense to be revealed in the future. I hope the players are excited to be in an offense that will allow them to release their talent at the highest levels. I'm so excited for spring ball.

An unfair question as some are favorites at different times for different reasons. When I think about football movies a few come to mind. The first is of course Brian's Song. 

 The second is Remember the Titans, but we can't forget about The Waterboy. Both Longest Yards are hilarious in my opinion, and I just watched a great movie called 12 Mighty Orphans.   It got a tear or two out of me.

It's time for a change and I'll tell you why. In the hyped up world of results driven college football you get a very limited amount of opportunities. I love Anthony Brown, I have been a supporter of his since I heard he was transferring in. I wanted him to start as soon as possible. He has actually been solid, and I think his numbers will bear that out. The problem is we need better than solid play from our signal caller. Mario Cristobal is definitely a better coach than I think we are giving him credit for. 

 

However if I was in his place my line of thinking would be like this. Tell Anthony Brown I don't care what your numbers are as long as we win. As soon as we lose we have to start thinking about the future and start developing the young fellas. Be upfront in saying it's a tough row to hoe, but this is the pressure cooker of big time college football. With a loss the playoffs are a longshot so let TT get a start and see what happens when he is QB1. My point is any offense will stall with only average qb play, and any offense will succeed if the defense at least respects the qb to have the ability to make a play. 

 

Maybe I'm a little harsher than most, but in today's game these are the decisions dynasties are made upon.