EastBayDuckDad

Good take by FD Fearless Leader. The overall look and coverage skills in the DBs is significantly improved by the influx of portal talent. Bo wisely threw a couple passes away when the target was covered or about to get blown up for a loss. The bookends in Burch and Brandon, Mase and Matayo at the edge provided a lot of pressure to hurry those throws. Middle of D-line was solid. In a true game there would have been several sacks. The LBs didn't have their names called out much, but the paucity of rushing yards was a statement to how effective they were. I'm perhaps less concerned about the relative lack of offensive production. When fall rolls around and the O-line has it's starting 5 + 2-3 rotational players, Oregon will be OK. Ditto for WR and RB. Dowdell is a load and may replace James as the short yardage guy. TE needs depth and it looks like they were underutilized in the spring game due to that. Getting TFerg back will be a big help and PHerb is bigger and better this year. Sadik will be very good with some work. I see Tez as a Charles Nelson kind of receiver, but with better wheels and Holden as assuming the Cota role. So much talent has been added to that WR room on top of Franklin and Hutson, with potentially more to come. I agree the Ducks are in big trouble without Bo. TT is still just too mechanical and lacks anticipation and field sense. He got better in the second half once he had some success, but his receivers were open when he hit them and he threw no one open with touch and anticipation. Should have been picked at least twice. Portal in, portal out at QB in 2024?

The only team to join Oregon in the PAC with 5+ NFL draftees was........Stanford? Not U$C or the Fuskies. This will likely change for the 2024 draft but I gotta agree with Jon J's post on another thread, it's a pretty sad state of affairs for the Conference of Champions.

Stunner in my mind why Gonzo dropped to the Pat's at #17. Good on them though, they got a steal. The Sea Squawks passed on him at #5 and so did Washington at #16, taking other CBs. Their loss. The knock was that he wasn't 'physical' enough. What I saw on film was him 'nudging' WRs along the sideline and getting into position to get the pick or PBU, or outmuscling them at the point of the ball. At Gonzo's speed and size he will improve his run defense and tackling as a rookie. He'll be the most talented player in the 2023 DB room for the Patriots. Home run hit for Belichick.

Reports: Oregon OLB Anthony Jones enters the transfer portal 247SPORTS.COM Redshirt freshman Anthony Jones entered the transfer portal on Wednesday. Not surprising I suppose as the OLB/Edge room is now loaded and we all figured that there would be more attrition. Would like to see his HS buddy and teammate Sir Mells stick around for DL depth (and the cool name).

Let's also guess that it wasn't important for whatever recruits they had at the UW spring 'game' to see an empty stadium. Said one recruit to another "Wow, nice echo in here from that traffic on I-5 and the 520."

I agree! Slightly off topic and not to dredge up bad memories, but if Stanford hadn't dropped the MM pass that would have resulted in a TD, putting Oregon up by two scores early, tOSU's game plan to dig out of that hole would have been much tougher. Throwing the ball was not the skill set of their 3rd string moose of a QB, but he could run like a Southern Pacific locomotive. Oregon absolutely missed not having Allen, Carrington and Pharaoh Brown in the NT game. Not to mention the loss of Ifo in the d-backfield. Oh, well, at least we have the 2021 smackdown of tOSU in the Horseshoe to gloat over. I only wish Oregon could have wiped the smug smile off sub-Urban Meyer's face instead of Ryan Day's.

It's now pretty telling that all of the big body, run stuffing but one-step-too-slow-at-covering-the-crossing-route LBs from the Cristobal days are gone. Brown leaving surprised me since he is an Oregon kid and one would think he'd have been in line to start or get extensive playing time. The pattern of bulking up speedier players, safeties like Hill and Bassa, and bringing them down into the box now seems to be well established by DL. The two LB system whittles the needed box guys by a third. Jacobs must be the real deal and Soelle a viable option to instigate losing a promising player like Brown. A little surprised by Ma'ae leaving as well. I figured he would play a significant role setting the edge for runs on downs one and two and occasionally be called upon to pressure the QB on passing downs. There must be a lot of other very promising and quicker talent in that DL/Edge room. Of the two Ja(h)lils, Florence always seemed to be a step ahead of Tucker in the DB room. With the transfer in of Tysheem Johnson and Khyree Jackson, Tucker entering the portal is not that much of a surprise. In the wake of the first spring scrimmage there may well be others that find themselves lower on the depth chart than they want and opt for the portal. I don't fault Tucker, Brown and Ma'ae, they want to play football and it appears Oregon won't be that place. Best of luck to them. They are quality players and hopefully will land somewhere outside of the PAC. There is comfort for Duck fans in knowing that there are better players on the team nudging them out.

With TFerg out out for the rest of the spring, I'm sure there is a DL portal wish list for another TE. I wonder if they are considering having Matayo U as a backup plan, àla DJJ a couple years back. Matayo was a monster at TE for Bosco and if he is not going to be utilized much on the edge as a true freshman, the offense could sure use him.

Rogers and Prince were off to the WNBA, then not, and now not coming back to the Ducks. Pao Pao is in the portal. Along with the extensive losses of several 5 star players last year, there may indeed be a major issue with the program. It's of interest that Prince is following a former Duck assistant back home to Texas and TCU. Has the appeal of Oregon been more with the staff than the coach at the top? Maybe we were all spoiled by the Sabrina era, but it sure seems like things have slipped from those heady times. Let's hope that the promising young players stay, and with the new recruits and a quality portal entry or two, Oregon will have a NCAA tournament level team next year. I'm not taking off my glass-half-full hat yet, but if one or two of those players bolt I'll need to reconsider.

Oregon basketball involved with three of the Top 10 Transfer Portal Prospects 247SPORTS.COM The Oregon Ducks are recruiting three of the top 10 best players in the transfer portal this... I'll bet I'm not the only one who would be interested in seeing and hearing "Bamba inside to Bittle to Battle at the corner.....three!"

Not much surprise here as I always had the impression that Ware came in thinking he'd be one-and-done. That turned out to be true, just not the way anyone wanted. He seemed to lack the court smarts and work ethic to go along with his size and talent. Once Altman called him out mid season for effort, the handwriting seemed to be on the wall. He'll have a lot of interest in the portal and perhaps some other coach will be able to develop him. For Oregon the development came too little and too late. It would be nice if he left the PAC altogether but he could land with a rebuilding team as a kind of worse case scenario. Other than that, Ware leaving just isn't that big of a negative Personally I like Bittle's upside a lot more. Altman can build around him at the post. Maybe Dante will return and develop a nice 10-12 ft jumper that gets him into the 2024 NBA first round draft. There will be some quaity big men in the portal willing to come to Eugene and put in the work. As this year's NCAA tournament shows, experience and a sense of team still matters in MBB. It sounds like DA wants to get back to that style of Oregon basketball.

Altman is a throwback to an earlier era. Coach young men up for at least 2 or 3 years. Push for accountability and personal work ethic. Demand that the student-athletes (yes, I said that) expect more out of themselves and put in the extra work to excel. And have one or two true leaders to hold their teammates to task. He named them: Pritchard, Brooks and Ennis. This new era of NIL, social media, transfer portal, one-and-done and 5-star egos is not Coach's forte. Grinders that have talent that can be developed is. It's possible he'll join the list of old timer coaches that end their careers, like K, Boeheim etc. I understand why he was frustrated. He tiptoed around it but laid some of it back on the team. He may lose someone to the transfer portal or an ill-advised early NBA exit. Hopefully it will sink in and both he and the 'dog' core of the team will return in 2023-24.

I agree with Charles and Darren's take on the NIT observations and with the role that NIL could have to keep Ware another year to help him develop into a legit first rounder. One of the Duck podcasts noted that keeping two of the three big men in Ware, Bittle and Dante would be a major plus for 2023-24. Bittle at the 5 and Ware at the 4 hasn't been used much in this post-season, but could be a 7ft tall inside-outside juggernaut if Altman coached it from the start of next season. Guard play and outside shooting is the big 'what if'. Soares seems to be hitting his stride as perhaps a small forward instead of a guard. Maybe Cousinard at the 1 or 2 with one of the newcomers at the other guard. Shelstad may only be a shade over 6ft on a low gravity day at altitude, but he could slide into the 1 spot on day one, like his mentor PP. I love Luk Wur's defense and attitude, but watching him launch a three is a "Nooooo!" moment that turns into a "Yeah!" only 2/10 times. The fact that he even attempts the shot means the cupboard for shooters is bare. Too many Duck three pointers had that same level.of apprehension this year. That dead eye SG or SF (think Duarte or Dorsey) was lacking this season and isn't on the current roster. Guys like Guerrier and Soares could get hot but weren't consistent and Richardson was simply asked to do too much trying to be a PG and SG at the same time. Altman just added Jadrian Tracey, 6'6" JUCO transfer from Florida who averaged 14.4 ppg and shoots +40% from beyond the arc. He could be a plug and play at the 2 position and fill an immediate need. More shooting help and a good PG could make next season something special.

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.