EastBayDuckDad

This NIT run may be a bit of a blessing in disguise. With three starters out, an NCAA bid would likely have been brief. Role players and limited minutes starters like Guerrier, Ware, Barthelemy, Soares and Bittle are getting major roles and elevating their games. Legs are fresher and there seems to be a lot of energy and motivation. Inside-outside ball movement is as good as it's been all year. Defense has been aggressive and tenacious. Bittle is growing by leaps and bounds (sorry for the pun), Ware finally seems engaged and Soares has discovered a bit of his inner Chris Duarte. Not his game by a long shot (mea culpa, another pun), but Wur has even hit a couple of timely treys. Getting Cousinard and Dante back would help at the point and rotationally inside against Wisconsin and beyond. The added depth would be an advantage for sure. Even if they don't return, the development and opportunity for the other guys has been worth taking the NIT bid. Lots to like with who Altman has coming in next fall.

Funny that Chip left Oregon and the opportunity to take MM and the Ducks to the NC game to take the job with the Eagles. I remember at the time some comment that if the Eagles could draft high enough that they would have taken Marcus. Woulda, coulda, but almost ten years later it comes about... This is a great landing spot for MM. The offense is already geared to a QB that can run and he will add much to the locker room and team culture.

Reading a bit about the background of the legislator that introduced it reveals they are the parent of a walk on UO football player. The abusive behavior it is meant to curb includes boorish comments hurled at players and coaches of the home team. So maybe the heart is in the right place even if the execution is badly flawed. As a general rule: One thousand 18-21 year olds + Sunny September Saturday + five Jagerbombs apiece = Stupid behavior If by some wild stretch of misguided legislative fancy this bill moves forward and passes (hey, it's Oregon, it could happen), it almost certainly would not withstand judicial scrutiny. 1st amendment, free speech and all (then again, Oregon, so who knows). Punishing the head coach for crowd misbehavior does have one amusing recent historical context. Could Mario have been suspended for a game, along with his offense, when the crowd booed him so vociferously?

Wasn't Crow the same guy that staunchly supported Larry Scott to the bitter end? Take anything out of his mouth with a grain of salt

"My dog ate my paperwork. It just happened to be my mom that smeared peanut butter on it and fed it to him."

I think Graves can coach. Just look at the Gonzaga teams he had before coming to Oregon. He does seem to be more hands off during the games and has his assistants do more. The best Graves coached teams have had a strong leader-floor general. None was better than Sabrina. For any program. There is a reason so many NBA greats thought she was special. She could run the floor, elevate all the players around her and wouldn't let anyone give up or let down. TPP has never quite brought her game to that level. Rogers has had flashes of it, but the supporting cast hasn't elevated consistently as shooting woes have plagued the Ducks two years running. Leadership by committee seems to be an issue for Graves coached teams. The good players that have left the program may indicate some internal issues, but Graves continues to brings in great classes. While we'll never see another Sabrina, I believe there will be great teams in the future.

MM as a #2 could be a stabilizing factor for a younger more talented QB. I don't see a team building an offense around him as the #1, but I would like to see him stay in the league a few more years as a backup I know he has been playing hurt the last few years, but NFL secondaries have exposed his relative lack of arm strength and he has had the snot beat out of him when he used his legs too much. Silly idea, and the offense that Moore will put in place for JH is not one that fits Mariota's skill set, but I would love to see the two on the same sideline in LA. Otherwise a team like SF or KC would be a good landing spot. Regardless, Duck fans will never forget what Marcus meant to OBD, the blur offense, the Heisman and the incredible run of victories he engineered. He helped build the Oregon brand that has resulted in the success we have enjoyed in the past and should enjoy in the future.

Oregon a different team when TPP has her groove on and makes 3s. Better late than never.

Oregon Football: Traeshon Holden reinstated at after charges dropped DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM Wide receiver Traeshon Holden has been reinstated at Oregon after all charges were dropped... Now confirmed by multiple sources. Lanning has essentially said that new information dictated the reversal. “Following the release of new information from the Lane County District Attorney’s office, student-athlete Traeshon Holden has been reinstated to the Oregon football team,” Dan Lanning said in a statement. “We will always take allegations of this nature very seriously. However, when new information is provided by authorities, such as in this instance, disciplinary action will be reevaluated and adjusted, when appropriate.”

Any Apple+ deal is likely DOA. Unless you can get Ted Lasso as a color guy for games. Or maybe be guest coach for one of the teams every Saturday. Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket!

I guess the lesson here is that you can let Taggart fiddle around under the hood of the Ferrari, but don't let him have the keys.

That would be a very awkward presser by DL. If there is overwhelming proof that Holden was not at fault in the encounter and the firearm component was lawful (tough to imagine), then maybe, just maybe, there is an avenue to reinstatement.

The gun issue is likely the deciding factor. Even if all charges, including menacing are dropped, and the legality of possessing a registered firearm not in question, it is a toxic atmosphere for the team. DL's response the morning it all happened was swift, uncertain and appeared to be final. There is obviously more here than has been aired in the media. I don't see a viable way back to the team for Holden that doesn't involve bad optics for Lanning and Oregon.

Well, that's one way to trim a scholarship. Damn shame though. Young man had a chance at a freeh start and threw it away before he even unpacked his bags. I can't find evidence of this but I wonder if there was an inkling of this at Alabama and DL gave him a shot at Oregon based on 'one strike, you're gone'. Kiko being given a second chance after a stupid alcohol episode was somewhat understandable, as was Blount's punch. Both young men, with help, were able to salvage their collegiate careers and play in the NFL. No wiggle room with a gun felony, drunk or not. Lanning made the swift and final decision.

I'll take an optimistic view here. The hiring of Terry was not just dribble-leaked out. It was blast announced by Oregon with incredible praise from former Ducks, mostly on NFL rosters, that were coached by him on a day to day basis: Sewell, Hanson, Lemeiux, Throck, Big Sala and Forsythe. Technique and hard work were the recurring themes along with player development and relationships. Lanning wanted to hire him as an OL assistant last year before the Vikings offered him a DL assistant job. Perhaps Lanning saw him as heir apparent to Klemm a year ago, anticipating that Klemm would be a short timer. One can lament that there is little loyalty in the coaching ranks to any one program. Here is an example of someone with some Oregon roots that decided to come back 'home' to coach. Say what you might about Cristobal, he knew how to coach O-line, and Terry was a part of that success. In Lanning we trust.

On the surface it looks like coaches have used Oregon as a stepping stone. I argue that Oregon isn't unique in this. As folks have noted in OBDF before, results speak to the success, or lack thereof, of coaches at their next destination. Kelly to Philly (fired) to SF (fired) to UCLA Helfrich (fired) to Chicago OC (fired) to broadcast booth Taggart to FSU (fired) to Fla Atl (fired) to Colorado QB/OC Cristobal to Miami (4-8, fate TBD) Even the college football bluebloods like Michigan, Texas, TA&M, LSU, and (I hate to admit this) U$C have been coaching destinations with spotty success. Alabama, Georgia, tOSU and Clemson seem to be the exceptions, but even tOSU had Meyer go on to create one of the NFL's biggest dumpster fires at Jax. Position coaches and coordinators will use any program as a stepping stone and that is true across the board, particularly at Alabama and Georgia. It isn't a matter of loyalty, just upward mobility. Oregon under Brooks and Bellotti was a long term coaching family that was unique then and would be an absolute unicorn now. We will never see that again. It's possible that DL does well at Oregon and is gone by 2026. It's also just as possible that he stays put and builds a west coast juggernaut ala Kirby Smart/Georgia or Saban/Alabama with repeated playoff runs. Oregon then becomes a similar program that populates HC vacancies nationally because of quality and success. Either way, coaches will come and go. DL needs to find a good replacement for Klemm. I'll stay optimistic and continue to buy stock in that process.

Top 5 in order, including the transfers: 1. Burch 2. Cornelius 3. Dickey 4. Pleasant 5. T. Johnson

Pleasant is a tremendous athlete. Looks like another Ifo, Ugo or Demo but with better wheels. The DB room is now stacked for Coach Meat. And U$C gets stiffed again by the Ducks. Bonus!

James Crepea tweeted that both Harbor and Pleasant will announce from 10-11am. Then DL holds a press conference at 11. Why would Lanning hold a presser at 11 if there were only bad news to talk about?

Bittle made great use of his minutes beyond the stats. Even shots he didn't block were altered by his defense, contributing to Utah's poor FG% and lack of production in the paint. And a couple of treys to boot. He is starting to show his potential. Ware is a big 'yawn' right now and seems to have mailed it in. For his own sake I hope he re-engages and has a strong finish to the season. Not sure where he gets the minutes at this point, though. In spite of some of the mock drafts putting him in the first round, how can an NBA GM look at his attitude and work ethic and want that in a locker room?

The Knights have been very supportive of OHSU over the years. I agree with Charles it may not be much of a factor. Particularly when compared to a Nike NIL deal. Medical school and pro sports are a tough mix. The best example was Eric Heiden, now an orthopedic surgeon in Utah. He 'cycled' thru Olympic skating and bike racing before med school at Stanford. There have been 5 NFL players that made the transition, one who earned their medical degree in Canada before playing football. Another, Myron Rolle played for the Chiefs and is now a neurosurgeon after Harvard training. JH was a slam dunk premed at Oregon and may be the next to make the transition, but he's staring at a potential half a billion $$ contract that would tie him up for a decade or more. He would be 35 years old. On the other hand, at that point he could buy his own med school, name it after himself and be the first graduate with that kind of coin. Harbor may be serious about becoming a surgeon even if he has that kind of an NFL/Track future ahead of him. Point is it is a very tough row to hoe. Then again, you gotta do something when your playing days are over. If you had to rate Harbor's potential landing spots based on academics, med school reputation and prowess alone: 1. Maryland (Johns Hopkins) 2. Michigan (UM) 3. Oregon (OHSU) 4. South Carolina (MUSC) If his doctor dreams hold up, odds are pretty good he could waltz his way into medical school at some point after his football career was over.

MC changes OCs more often than a runway model changes outfits. How someone like Gattis goes from being a Broyles winner at Michigan to getting canned in one year at Miami reflects much more on the dude at the top than the OC. MCs insistence on pounding square pegs into round holes seems to doom these guys. If they are smart they bail to places like Akron at half the pay just to get out from under the thumb of Coach Muay Thai. These disasters don't happen in a vacuum. Gattis will land somewhere that makes him successful again. My bet is he had his bags packed. How many of that top 10 2023 class were recruited by Gattis and staff and will be now reconsider their destination? Good luck drawing a young innovative OC to Coral Gables. Day one will be a lesson in 'physicality', inconsistent direction, abysmal in game management and displacement of blame for failure.

Great addition by Lanning. Impressive bio, particularly the player development component. I believe he will get the best out of the 4☆+ talent and resources he has at Oregon. Beating U$C in the Cotton Bowl is just icing on the cake. Hampton has schemed and coached against Riley and Williams, and come out on top. And I like that he has a criminology degree and graduated with the highest GPA in his class. Accountability and no nonsense.

Looking at JPJ's 24/7 recruiting profile highlights, he played both sides of the ball but took almost all his offensive snaps at center. If I recall, his Oregon recruitment cited him as a center/IOL. He strikes me as a natural field general in the center of the o-line. He has been able to work behind Forsythe and Walk for two years and I imagine he will be #1 center on the spring depth chart and will the next great center in the mold of Forsythe and Grasu.

The article states that it was a one car accident on an isolated road at 2:45 in the morning. What a tragedy. After a career of taking care of the victims of this type of trauma, I can't think of one good thing that ever happens after 1am in a motor vehicle.