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Principal Duck

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Posts posted by Principal Duck

  1. My first game was the 1992 season and it was a home opener loss to Hawaii. I was able to put my elbows on the bench behind me my feet up on the one in front of me. Prior to graduating in '96 from Oregon I was able to be a student during that hinge point when the Ducks made it to the Rose bowl. I went to that game and it was after that, as we all know, that Uncle Phil and Nike got involved and things changed forever.

     

    All of this has led to a perspective that we are living in blessed times even if there are some jagged pills to swallow here and there. I am so excited about the current coaching crew, the players the recruits, the transfers, and the positive trajectory. I am so hopeful to be able to visit some of the most storied venues for football now that we are in the Big 10.  Go Ducks! 

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  2. Both quarterbacks are great candidates. I'm thinking we still have some time ahead of us to see how things pan out before we get into this conversation too deeply as there is still data to collect. Nix and Oregon have a final conference game tomorrow and hopefully a conference championship.  LSU has TaMU on Saturday.  Let their play the next couple of days settle the matter. 

  3. How many four or five star defensive ends and tackles do we now have?  And I'm talking from prior years recruiting, incoming high school recruits and transfers? I don't think I've ever seen this many defensive line recruits come to Oregon like this. I feel like our offense will be our defense because they are going to lineup, punch somebody in the face, take the ball from them and score. Rinse, wash, and repeat. 

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  4. So much we don't know about his decision.  I for one will not fault anyone for making a life changing decision and there has to be a lot going into his decision besides just scorning a fan base.  Much respect for DM and hope he thrives until he plays the Ducks. 

     

    In the meantime, we can all agree that the dynamic nature of college football has changed so much that the likelihood of having a favorite player commit and stay committed for their entire college career is waning and we have to be a little more thick skinned and positive in nature and enjoy the drama.  Are you not entertained?

     

    I do very much trust DL and his coaches.  I can not imagine the 5D puzzle that it is to build culture, run a practice, have a winning scheme on offense and defense, navigate the media; AND, deal with NIL, transfer portals and the age of social media recruiting.  Tip of the hat to you coaches.  I have a hard enough time running a school, I can't even imagine how challenging their job is and I don't want pile on any couch coaching when they're in the muck each day.

     

    They will win some of these recruiting battles and they will lose some.  Players will have more mobility and seemingly selfish decisions than ever before...but again, they have to do what is right for them.  I am highly entertained by all of this...that's a win right? 

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  5. Up here in Portland the air is very similar to what it was during the terrible forest fires a couple years ago. The sky is dark and the air quality appears to be in the unhealthy category. This will be the first game I've gone to in a few years and I'm bringing the kids, so I'm wondering does anybody have any live reports of what it looks like in Eugene or how this may impact the game today?

  6. My first game was at Autzen and a loss to Hawaii in '92.  I was in my first year and put my elbows on the bench behind and feet on the bench in front and lots of space was still available as this was before it all took off.  Back then I may have described Oregon as back water.  Now The only backwater around there is some excellent kayaking up at the North fork of the Willamette, the Mackenzie, and Fall Creek heading towards the coast.

     

    I get what you mean though because I think most people can't locate the state of Oregon on a map if they're from the East Coast. I do love the energy around the new coaching staff and I'm hoping that it translates into an exciting product both on the field and off. So far I feel pretty good about it! 

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  7. As a fan base I believe we've become a customed to a top 10 recruiting class. Having this group of coaches come in and with less than a month to secure a top 25 class and in the fashion they did, I feel ecstatic and don't need what we've had the last few years to feel good about the outcome. I believe we have brought in some very talented and exciting recruits.

     

    I believe we covered almost every position. I do see a little lull in regards to the tight end position this year, but to supplement the recruits the transfer portal brought in support. This coaching staff had a few recruiting coups from programs that are very competitive. Having a top 25 class, with most major positions covered, with the exciting recruits they brought in, and beating out those other teams... I'm feeling pretty excited.

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  8. We're all familiar with the concept of risk versus reward. When I think back to what led to the most exciting time for me and Oregon football, it was the risk taken on hiring an unknown coach named Chip Kelly. Lots of reward came from that gamble. I am still uncertain about the risk taken here with many of the new coaching hires, but I am definitely thrilled about the reward that could be experienced and I believe it fits the fabric of what Oregon football is. I am excited to see what this coaching staff can do and I give them my support as the drama of this risk and potential reward plays out. Should be fun.

     

    On a different note, I've been thinking about this idea of coaches being able to recruit players on one school's dime and then should they take a job somewhere else have those recruits follow them to their new school. That falls under the category of things that make you go hmmmmm.

  9. You have all hit on exactly the thoughts that have been going on in my mind. The one thing that I would add that I believe is another contributing factor to the changing landscape is the ever-increasing salaries paid to coaches that can lead to jumping ship. The days of having a Bellotti and tenured coaching staff who recruit athletes that stay at the school, play in their bowl games, and become names that we really root for may be coming to an end.

     

    Imagine if an NFL player could simply say I'm going to play for a different team next year?  The inequities in the system that exist may devastate all of this even if it is well intended for the athlete.  What tools or governing bodies even exist at this point to regulate some of these factors?  

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  10. A friend of mine often used the phrase norming, storming, and conforming.  We interpreted this to understand that there are three phases that occur whenever there is change. I'm not going to worry about all of this too much either because at the end of the day this is all just a fun hobby for me. It just seems like there is so much right now in the storming category that could irrevocably change what this sport is. Someone above said that these athletes do deserve more compensation than what they've received before.

     

    Another person stated that the NCAA has essentially become ineffective in regulation. Charles you brought up the fact that the bidding price has now been set and other teams will need to want to match that to be competitive. So it's that delicate line between what is good for the athletes and where this eventually ends as something that we can all continue to enjoy. For example, the new defensive back coach ringing with him the player from Colorado.

     

    As a fan, that's great! If you're a fan of Colorado though how does that feel to you?  It seems like between coaches getting big money and pulling players with them, the transfer portal, and now this compensation package that is going to create so much inequity, this storming stage could be long and end in a product that is concerning. I simply hope for some stability at some point as we get to that conforming stage.

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  11. As a school administrator I know one of the best levers that I can pull to increase opportunity for all students is to make excellent hires. I don't know why, but I just have a daunting feeling about some of the hires that coach is making here. I hope I'm wrong as I make this statement from a lack of knowledge about these individuals; however, I've just seen some flags about some of these guys on other sites regarding recruiting violations or poor treatment of players or inability to coach them up. I sure hope coach is pulling the right levers here.

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  12. The way I see it, early signing day is going to have to receive some additional consideration from the NCAA. It was a good notion to implement an early signing day to alleviate the stress placed on recruits and coaching staff; however, with the rampant and extravagant salaries being offered to coaches (who are then leaving teams adrift), plus the NIL factor (essentially a salary), plus the transfer portal (essentially free agency), we now have a landscape that has changed from the ESD early implementation.

     

    I think walking away with seven recruits yesterday with all things considered was an excellent haul. I trust that the coaching staff will coalesce and by February 2nd will have the right additions in place and that may very well include plans for student athletes in the transfer portal (this is a factor all coaches will have to begin planning for moving forward).

     

    All of it is way more dynamic than it ever was before. That being said, I feel good with the recruits who signed yesterday and have hope in what will happen over the next month and a half. 

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  13. I turn 50 this next year and I have definitely gotten to a place in life where I appreciate a good cup of coffee and some mellow music. In my younger days I related a lot more to high energy, high risk kinds of activities. All that to be said, maybe there's something good about this youth movement with our coaches.

     

    There's a part of me that is nervous about these up and coming guys that don't have a totally proven record, but again, maybe they'll have all that great energy and risk taking mindset that is necessary to win over the hearts of recruits and team members and take us to the promised land. 

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  14. I am loving the way this forum helps gather information and present it in such a positive way. I am so excited to hear he is a man of great character as well as a great coach. I think the point that many of you brought up regarding finishing what he started resonates well with that idea of excellence in character. Thanks for the great information everyone.

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  15. The way I see it, our new coach has four jobs all at the same time.   He's got to finish his current role, hire a new coaching staff, make sure early recruiting is in full effect, and finally maintain all current players on the roster. That's a lot of hours! Not sure there's enough in a day.  I'm excited to see progress in all of those categories but I'm mostly on pins and needles about our current players and recruits. 

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