OregonDucks

I believe that it’s more than just depth. When I’m watching the top programs (e.g.. Ohio State, Texas, Georgia), they still have bigger and faster athletes across the board. Their players look like future NFL players. Oregon has increased its size, depth and athleticism on the defensive and offensive lines (still not sure what the heck happened to them in the Rose Bowl) but not at linebacker, safety, wide receiver, etc. For example, at wide receiver, Oregon is still relying on the smaller, faster receivers (E-Stewart is listed at 6’0” and Tez is listed at 5’10”). How many Oregon receivers have been drafted high and/or had a lot of success in the NFL?

I couldn’t open the link but I would put Oregon even with Ohio State and Penn State (maybe even Michigan?) heading into next season. It seems like all the top teams will lose a lot of players to graduation and the NFL Draft, after this year. The above teams are the ones that have recruited the best over the years, so they have the highest likelihood of winning the conference. I’m not sure you can put one of those teams ahead of the other until you see how they look on the field against good competition. If Dante Moore is able to play, as well as many of us hope he can, Oregon could be as good as any team in the country next year (and we have a really favorable schedule to get the new players up to speed).

I believe that we’ll have to wait and see what the long term impact of Coach Prime is at Colorado. Yes, he has turned the program around and brought significant interest and revenue in over the past 2 year. However, most of the kids on the roster committed to Coach Prime NOT the University of Colorado. If/when he leaves, will players follow him out the door en masse? If so, Colorado could be in a very bad spot and will need to act quickly (they may want to hire one of his coordinators right away to try to prevent decimation of the roster). As much as I didn’t like Coach Cristobal as a head coach, he left Oregon in a really good position with the talent he assembled in Eugene, especially the offensive line. Like Chip Kelly (at UCLA), I don’t think Coach Prime will do the same.

Ohio State, who had been up and down this season, might not have come out with their “hair on fire” like they did against Tennessee (coming off a loss to their rival, talk about their coach getting fired and a takeover of the Shoe by Vol fans) and Oregon (chance to revenge loss against B1G Champ earlier in the season). Texas also has better athletes and defense than Oregon does so that could have kept them in the game.

I don’t know who would want to coach under Cristobal. They should talk to former coordinators on what it’s like working for him.

Hahahaha!!!! I can’t wait to see this play out!

"I don't remember the last time I had a technical," [Coach Cronin] said. "I had enough. I'm sending a message. I'm tired of it. I know we're the outsider and all that -- us, SC and Oregon -- but that was ridiculous. LOL. Notice anyone missing from the new B1G teams Coach Cronin mentioned?

I guess you are a bum unless you win every single game. Josh Pate had a good point that every coach is now compared to the greats. I’m sure that even Saban had some wacky online fanatics when he occasionally lost or didn’t win a championship at Bama.

Maybe USC and Penn State can come to terms to trade coaches. Who else would you need to throw in or would it be straight up?

Do any states, particularly in the SEC footprint, have non-extradition laws to California? He’d fit right in at the Florida schools.

Or learn and leave. I know that Coach Lanning likes young coaches, who can recruit. They can relate better to the players but is he willing to get out coached in big games against more experienced coordinators?

I wasn’t impressed with Beck or Ewers (Texas) and would rather give our current QBs a shot, as the upside is much higher, IMHO.

Perhaps not having Oregon’s best deep threat hurt here, just as much as anything Ohio State was doing? Evan Stewart absolutely torched the Ohio State defensive backs in the first game. Or maybe it wouldn’t have mattered because Oregon’s offensive line was so bad.

With Penn State’s talent and resources, you’d think he’d be able to pull off at least a few Ws, especially at home. When I saw his goal line playcalling against Ohio State, I understood why he lost all those games. Coach Franklin and by extension his team get tight in big games. It’s hard for me to feel bad for Penn State given the easy path they had to the championship despite losing the B1G championship and a game to Ohio State at home.

I love the optimism on this board!

Is this because he lost his starting spot to the younger QB who started the playoff game?

No, thank you. We are breaking in a new starting QB and so many starters on both sides of the ball, I’d rather give them the room to gel and work out the kinks. Oregon would have lost any game 0 this past season the way they played and that was with an experienced QB. If we can go through the B1G with 2 or fewer loses, Oregon should have a great chance at making the playoffs. Strength of schedule no longer matters.

Most NFL mock drafts that I have seen have him going mid to late first round. I think going to the NFL is the right decision for Conerly. He has nothing else to prove at this level and, while he may be able to improve his draft position a little, it’s not worth the risk of injury and a year’s delay. I’m sure that he’ll be a heck of a player in the NFL for years to come like other Duck O-lineman who came before him. So glad that he came to Oregon. Godspeed. Once a Duck, always a Duck!

Maybe he had a falling out with someone on the coaching staff (e.g., his position coach)? Please report back if you learn the reason because this one is puzzling. Just more reason for you to hate Ohio State and root for the Ducks!

I hope so but I’m hesitant with certain position groups like wide receiver which seem to be hard to predict at the next level. Marvin Harrison, Jr. was supposed to be a generational talent and he had less than 1K yards this season (5th amongst rookies in the NFL this season). Perhaps he kicks it into the next gear in the future. I hope that Dakorien can come in and have an immediate impact but I’m not counting on it. Does anyone know if he’ll be in Eugene for Spring ball? If so, that could certainly help.

The 2010 team was the closest but the 2007 Oregon Ducks football team was, without a doubt, the best team in the country that year. Until Dennis Dixon crumpled to the turf in the desert…

This one doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. By all accounts, he would be the projected starter next year for a team that puts a lot of players in the NFL, for what I would assume would be a national title contender. I’m sure Georgia pays as much NIL as any team. He’s also from Florida, so it’s not like he’s transferring to play closer to home.

Pair of Oregon Ducks declare for NFL Draft WWW.KPTV.COM Defensive tackle Derrick Harmon and running back Jordan James made their respective... I wish them both the best and hope they can achieve their dreams. Once a Duck…

Chip really put UCLA’s football program in a hole with his lack of recruiting. Terrible hire. Sure glad that Oregon didn’t try to bring him back.

The only times I saw him get caught from behind, in the video that Charles posted above, was when the defenders had an angle. His listed 40 times are similar to those of Bucky Irving’s and he’s more than capable of breaking that 40-60 yard run given an opening, IMO. I’m sure that the coaches would love a back with DAT / LMJ speed but it can’t be easy to find those players who are also good running backs (with vision, moves, toughness, balance, etc.). I wish we could find the next J-Stew because he was the complete package.