Wrathis

I do think we're getting out ahead of our skis here and yet still have a lot to look forward to. I see a lot of similarities between the situation (and our expectations) on Lanning and Thompson. Both are highly touted with tremendous upside. Both appear to have the talent and desire to do huge things. That being said, I think we need to temper our expectations on both, or we might stand to be disappointed and start preaching knee-jerk reactions before the season has even concluded.

I really wish we had Kingsley here still and can't help but wonder if he would have stayed for Lanning/Klem...Did anyone ever find out what caused his transfer? I assumed it was playing time, but being prior military I know what happens when you ass-u-me...

I agree with most of this: When speaking of a blue-chip recruit, I can imagine they want several things. Undoubtedly they want to play and they want to win. I doubt the degree aspect as much b/c in reality I think it was 30% of these guys go to the NFL. (it was in a previous post and I'm trying to pull that from memory) I'd have to imagine "scenery" plays a part, as does NIL dollars. I don't at all doubt that proximity to home also played a major part in this also. Again, it's all speculation but I doubt the field of study matters as much when $$$, "scenery" and NFL aspirations are the driving ambition.

In the interest of being honest, I can't talk down on Riley b/c had he ended up with us, I'd have been thrilled about it. While it's true he didn't topple the SEC, he did dominate the B12 which included a good Oklahoma State, Baylor, Iowa State and a dangerous West Virginia team. Given the talent and financial backing of the University of Spoiled Children (and our lackluster conference), it would be foolish in my estimation to overlook him...

As someone that has lived in Oregon, Arkansas and (currently) in Texas, this is 100% accurate. Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas etc don't have professional teams to rally behind, so college athletics rule the day. Here in Texas people can rally behind any number of professional programs, but having spent time in Arkansas, the Hogs are all they have...and that leads to a fanaticism that is unmatched almost anywhere. The same goes for Mississippi and Alabama. I suspect Oregon is similar in that we have the Blazers, but aside from that it's our Ducks or the River Rats. That alone allows a fanaticism in Oregon that doesn't extend to Washington, California or Arizona...

Phenomenal read, one of my favorite in the relatively short time I've been a part of this community. Thanks for sharing this!!!

I fall somewhere in-between on this. I couldn't bring myself to donate money directly to incentivize a recruit, but I have zero issues continuing to buy Nike (and Columbia although I don't know their donation status) and let Uncle Phil direct my money to the school as he chooses...not to mention buying jerseys, shirts and other apparel which supports the program.

I must say, I find myself very grateful to have a Bulldog here on our board. Your opinions and insight are very much appreciated by this Ducks fan

Just to state the obvious, there's something to be said for getting your millions now if it's available. For every Kayvon Thibadeaux who's a projected top 10 NFL pick out of high school, there's a Thomas Tyner who gets hurt and misses the opportunity to get paid for the work they've already put in. We all know football is inherently violent and dangerous and your future in it can change in the blink of an eye, so one in the hand is worth two in the bush as they say...

Was it any more a slap in the face than Kelly leaving ND for LSU? I get Kelly was running to the SEC while Riley was running from it, but to me the situations look very similar. I'm curious on your take comparing the two situations.

I have a hard time choosing a favorite, but Maehl is certainly in the running and without a doubt in the top 3...I think it's probably bc he maximized his talent and buttressed that with an unwavering work ethic.

I grew up splitting time between various parts of Texas and the armpit of Oregon (Prineville). I must admit that while I now live in Texas, I do consider Oregon home. Every year about mid June, I start pining for the Sisters area and contemplating what it would take to get me back among the mountains and trees and much cooler weather. At any rate, I ended up Active Duty Air Force where I saw my first College football game between UNLV and Air Force (1998 - they were giving away the tickets for free to those of us on base at Nellis AFB). I greatly enjoyed the game and the thrashing the Falcons put on the Rebels. That started a mild appreciation for College Football that I carried for several years. Years later in January 2005, I found myself at Spartan College of Aeronautics smack in the middle of Sooner territory. They were some of the rudest, snobbiest fans I'd ever met and b/c of that, I decided that I needed to pick a team. I'm typically an under-dog supporter but I had to have ties to whichever team I supported. I considered the 'Pokes just to thumb my nose at the Sooner fans, but ended up going back to my roots with the green and yellow and my fanatical love for the Ducks was born. As fate would have it, that very same season ended up with Oregon vs Oklahoma in the Holiday Bowl. It was a close game, but we fell short and all sorts of ribbing and insults ensued. The next season shared a rematch mired in controversy that almost cost me my health! The Ducks won on two horrible calls, but given the grief I had been subjected to the previous year, I was glad to take the win and rub their noses in it. At any rate, it's been a passion and love affair ever since. Anyone who knows me knows that my closet is green and that everything I do, somehow Oregon is involved. Hell, even my wedding cake and the mini football her garter went around before being tossed were Oregon themed! Even our vows were that she had to cheer for Oregon as long as they weren't playing the Aggies (and vice versa, lol). Anyway, I'm glad to have found this home and have all of you to help keep me informed and entertained. CHEERS!

I tend to prefer the white/green, grey/green or black/green combinations. I get some of the old heads (complimentary of course) prefer the old school green/yellow only, but since this is just a personal preference post and there are no wrong answers, I don't at all mind chipping in my opinion Cheers!

1000% this! Sportsmanship above all else, but it's my hope that Sewell and Flowe crack on him all day. Truth of the matter is, if it were someone else I wouldn't mind so much...but this is Dye, and it's like being betrayed by a family member. Speaking of, I now more understand how EWU must have felt when Vernon Adams transferred here and why they were so rough on him on the field. Perspective anyone? Just now realizing this was a tough look in the mirror...

100% MC took the fun out of watching, even when we were winning. I mean, how do you go into the 'Shoe and beat OSU and then get beat by Stanford, only beat Cal by a score and get blown out TWICE by Utah?! I was constantly infuriated by our inability to put away lesser competition...and that's 100% on coaching.

Seeing Herberts skills shown off in the NFL against THE BEST competition he's ever had to face only makes me more disappointed in MC's inability to see what we had and utilize it. I'm completely convinced Justin just refused to lose that game against Wisconsin, and despite whatever plays were called, he decided to keep the ball himself and carry the coaches to a win. What an absolute squandered waste due to hard-headed coaching and style!!! It's like having Barry Sanders in the backfield and deciding you're only going to run an air raid with slants and quick outs! At any rate, I consistently cheer for all of the Ducks in the NFL but Herbert being in LA has me watching/researching the Chargers in much the same way I do my Ducks. Here's to Onward and Upward with Herbie!

I find it funny that last season there were 3 position groups I couldn't wait to see: the linebacking corps (Sewell/Flowe/Thibodeaux), the quarterbacks (Thompson/Butterfield/Ashford) and the receivers (Williams/Pittman/Franklin/Thornton). The funny part is that the LB's couldn't stay healthy (except Sewell b/c I'm now convinced he's super-human), the QB's I wanted to see didn't play and the receivers were non-existent in MC's lackluster play-calling. It was disappointing to say the least. Now this upcoming season I find myself in a similar position. I'm expecting HUGE production from the defense, I'm still wanting to see Thompson/Butterfield and the receivers are a big question mark. Will Franklin/Thornton stretch the field the way I'd hoped they would last year? Will we have a QB and play-caller willing to take those shots and push it? Funny enough, I have almost no questions concerning the O-line and Cardwell and just hope they stay healthy. If they manage that, I have no concerns about how productive they will be. So what are your thoughts? Will the defense and skill positions play to their talent level? Are you expecting great things or are your expectations more tempered knowing we have a brand new system with brand new people? I'm genuinely curious what your thoughts are on where we'll exceed expectations, where we'll show steady improvement and where you think we'll struggle...how I love to ponder OBD!

I also like this take. Last year teams KNEW we couldn't throw the ball down the field and still they couldn't stop Cardwell. He reminds me so very much of the Rolls Royce Freeman and as you so aptly pointed out, with us (hopefully) pushing the ball vertically through the air, there should be great running lanes for him to blitz up the field! While I'll miss Dye (it feels akin to being cheated on, but I get it), I expect great things from Byron this season. However, if I'm expecting someone to make national headlines that didn't last year, I'm going with Flowe...

My only complaint about this Shakespearian piece of perfect prose is that its creator and perfecter doesn't post more persistently. 15 thumbs up for you sir!

I have really wanted to see Spencer Webb break out but given Ferguson and Moliki, I doubt he gets that opportunity. That being said, I'm gonna piggyback off of Haywarduck bc he said it first and I can't improve upon that...

So my friend (and also ex wife) are Aggies. My friend seems to think they are playing with a rather large chip on their shoulder right now and will blow us out of the arena. I'm really hoping he will have to eat those words as I don't want to hear about it for the next 3 months. Hell, if I had known this was going to be how our season was going to turn out, I would have made plans to go down and watch the game...

In regards to the "SNAKE", I have nothing positive to say and I'll join you in celebrating his downfall. In regards to MH, I respectfully disagree. I believe he was a likable guy, an intra-organization promote and was handed the keys to the Ferrari Chip built that he promptly wrecked. Granted, I wouldn't have wanted to follow the Chip Kelly act either but he most certainly wasn't up to the task. Time will tell if MC has what it takes to be a head coach instead of just a great recruiter (I'm inclined to think not), but under his term we were brought back from the 4-8 fiasco of MH's final season and the disaster the Snake left. Did we underachieve based on the talent we had? Sure. Did he get the talent here so DL can succeed? I believe so and will give him credit for doing so...

While I understand (to some degree) the vitriol directed at Mario, I still remain grateful for what he accomplished here. Essentially he proved that you could recruit to Eugene and that the expectation can be consistent top 15 recruiting classes. Granted, I do say that he "accomplished less with more" than Chip did, but he DID help change the recruiting culture here and for that I'm thankful. He was the only real substantive coach since Chip, as Helfrich and Taggert were absolute flops. With that out of the way, now on to "what we do." I'm not going to lie, I'm extremely excited about the future. Lanning and Co has me chomping at the bit for the season to start. He has a roster that despite some depletion, is LOADED with talent. I hope the rest of the conference is as scared as I am ecstatic to see what this defense is going to look like. I imagine Aliotti daydreamt about having this kind of talent and I expect Lanning/Tosh to absolutely smash all expectations! While my expectations for the offense are somewhat more restrained, we still have blue-chip talent all over the place. With a host of 6'4+ WR's, a QB room primed for competition and an experienced OL, I can't help but feel like we should be scoring (almost) at will...and don't let me forget to mention Cardwell who seemed to break off a 15+yard run about every 5th touch! Yes, the expectations are still high! So with all of that being said, I'm waiting...I'm waiting to see "what we do". Will we still fail to put our foot on the throat of lesser competition? Will we let games drag out into the 4th quarter where chance/circumstance and referee's can still affect the outcome? I hope not b/c if that's what we do, then it's what we'll become. We are watching Dan, and while excited, we absolutely will be judging you on "what we do..."

Sounds like she blew it on an expensive vehicle and is now an Uber Black...consider it an investment

I have to admit, I really like this. Peer pressure is a strong force, and if you can convince one or two to commit, then others might likely follow. Success breeds further success and if we can just get one of those guys excited and wanting on board, then it's quite possible we end up with 4-5