Drex Heikes

Thing is….that list is mostly a testament to what Oregon once had. If you look closely you see just one name since Mariota. It’s Herbert. Before Mariota and for three decades, every regular starter went on to play professionally. I’m trying to break this all down in next piece for Charles. A look at what happened to Quarterback U. Runs Aug 23.

With you 100, Charles. Well said. The biggest surprise may be yet to come. If Justin Flowe stays healthy and is the beast his teammates say he is, he may end up as the star of that star-laden defense. And then where would the Ducks be? Can't wait to see them against Georgia.

Nevada Dawg... agreed with the changes to the game. Maybe it isn't possible again for a first-year head coach. Many teams started running Oregon-like spreads after Kelly, and teams learned how to defend it. Kelly landed in Oregon at a magical moment. To start: he had a great HC willing to pluck an unknown OC and gave him free rein. And Kelly inherited immense talent--speedsters tailor made for his uncanny mind. By the time he became HC, the team already believed. Who wouldn't after that blowout in Ann Arbor?

Good grief, Slurpers and Mopes. At least Duck Nation can disagree without launching into civil war. Terrific take on things, DC. Cristobal had fairly run his course at Oregon. He did the right thing for himself and for Oregon by heading home. Hoping the best for him but seems clear he won’t have a honeymoon period. The Mopes have their pugios at ready, which is understandable given the money they spent to get him.

Tasteful photos of cheerleaders seem just fine. They are part of the Oregon brand. For what it's worth, I've had more than one person say they got into Oregon football after tuning in to see the cheer squad. Back in the day, cheerleaders had maybe a half dozen fairly tame routines. Today, Oregon has athletes in skirts tumbling and flipping and throwing each other around. Many have gymnastics training. It's quite a show.

Nevada Dawg, your description reminds me of something an Autzen mate said watching Kelly his first season as head coach. He said: Watch when the team huddles around him on the sidelines. The kids hang on every word. They love playing for him. They did--and it was a big part of his success. Living in LA, I see a fair number of UCLA games. Kelly has never quite achieved the same degree of player devotion here. He came to UCLA after failing to make his thing work in the NFL. When he didn't have immediate results here, his players had reason for doubt. I think he's slowly building the mojo but it's taking a long time. If Lanning has an immediate connection with players, he could get on a roll.

My first toe into the FishDuck writing pool and I must say, the water feels just great after reading your responses. Thanks for the kind words. This community is special and Charles works hard to keep it that way. I'm sure you'll find reason to take my legs out now and then, which I invite. I love mixing it up with my Duck pals, Autzen seatmates and all. They're always wrong.

Excellent work O Dazed One. I feared what you uncovered was true but after the Anthony Brown experience, I couldn't bring myself to dive into the question. Sunny side: If Nix turns into 40 miles of bad road, we will have a chance to grade our new coaches on two levels. First, we will see if they have the courage to pull him from a game and try someone new--as Rich Brooks, Mike Bellotti and Chip Kelly would. Second, will Thompson or Butterfield be ready to roll...has the new staff done a better job of developing their immense talents than the coaches under Cristobal. Cristobal stuck with AB beyond all reason, arguing that neither backup QB could do better. Cristobal also was risk averse. Compare that to, say, Bellotti. He developed quarterbacks. He took risks. He yanked A.J. Feeley, who went on to more than a decade in the NFL, and put in Joey Harrington, who promptly led a heroic comeback to beat Arizona State and became the starter. The coaches had developed two future NFL quarterbacks on same team--and Bellotti wasn't afraid to pull the terrific veteran for the promising kid. That's a head coach.

Nice piece, Jordan. Yes, Charles Fischer is an Oregon treasure. He’s enriched us for years. I remember his start as he broke down the dazzling Chip Kelly offenses. He lifted the curtain, demystified the sizzling play. It was a revelation. I’m out of my lane here, but: if any of you reading the site haven’t given money, please do so. It’s a labor of love AND it costs money.

Two measures for success this season. 1) Obviously W-L record and 10 wins would be fine season. 2) But…I would take fewer wins if the team shows improvement under the new coaches. It would be a sea change from the last two years under Cristobal, when the coaching staff couldn’t turn out a team with focus and consistent play. The one truth about the Ducks was that they played down to level of competition. Games, even Stoney Brook, were frustrating, often nail biters. Then came two blowout losses to Utah. Cristobal’s staff clearly wasn’t getting Oregon to the next level. Maybe the new coaches will produce teams that race past inferior opponents and play every game with focus and passion. And use Oregon’s immense offensive talent to produce explosive plays. I would take those indicators over W-L record this first year.