Augduck

I was told the players grew very weary of Mario the last year. They saw the game plans that exhibited no creativity and they also saw the chasm that developed between the coaches. Mario had his buddies and the others were left out. Case in point, very few went to Miami with him. Other than Salavea, Mirabal, Feld and Woodiel none of the others went with him. Yes, some got head coaching jobs but none took the big money to go with him. Mario and Moorehead were barely speaking at the end of the year. I raised a point in another thread that also stood out for me which is the culture. Mario talked about culture and family but I don't think ever really knew how to cultivate culture and impart a family vibe. Mario was always the smartest man in the room and I think the players picked up on that. I THINK Dan has developed culture and knows how to create the vibe. A lot has been made over the fact that Nix babysits for Lanning but Dan also has his home open 24x7 for any player anytime. Mario never did that and never had the players to his home. Seems pretty obvious there is a whole different vibe around the team.

Actually they ruled it cardiac arrest. There is a difference: A heart attack is when one of the coronary arteries becomes blocked. The heart muscle is robbed of its vital blood supply and, if left untreated, will begin to die because it is not getting enough oxygen. A cardiac arrest is when a person's heart stops pumping blood around their body and they stop breathing normally.

Unfortunately a lot of things about TFC (the former coach) seem to be coming to light. I know a lot of folks loved Joe Salavea and he of course was a very good person, but his lack of ability to close the deal with recruits on the defensive side of the ball really became obvious last year thus leading to Dan's need to overhaul things. Just my two cents.

This is very old school but I can't help myself- Nix and Bassa both had suits on. Ties and all. Thus far they were the only ones. Not saying the others looked bad, they had on their school logo polos but Nix and Bassa turned it up a notch.

In the famoous words of Albert Einstein: Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.”

Something struck me this past weekend as I saw the Instagram and Twitter posts from various players and Lanning about the volunteer thing they did on Saturday. If you did not see it or hear about it, in conjunction with the Home Depot, the team gathered at Autzen and built beds for kids living in shelters and homes without beds. The charity is called Sleep in Heavenly Peace and the premise is no kid sleeps on a floor. After the volunteer activity the players gathered at Lanning's home for what appeared to be a BBQ lunch and activities such as swimming, basketball etc. It struck me that Mario always talked about 'family' and 'culture' and how the team needed to be a family but I never saw him do anything that fostered those things. One of the things I know Lanning specifically wanted when he came to Eugene was a home that would allow him to have the entire team there for events,meals etc. When he first got here he moved to a temporary place in south Eugene and would have the team over on a regular basis based on position groups. He was waiting to find a home that was larger. The point here is I do think Dan is building a culture. It's not just talk. He talks about his Get Real team events which are weekly and the discussions CANNOT be about football. They use the sessions as not only an opportunity to gather for a meal but discuss issues outside of sports and football. Obviously I am not an insider but there seems to be some substance here that was lacking previously. Just my observation.

I'll join the fray here. I don't think you do these kinds of thing 'in public'. You call the player into a private meeting and you tell him what is happening and why. No one deserves to be humiliated. Many years ago I had a manager who did this same sort of thing. He would berate, belittle, and demean people in meetings in which the entire staff was in attendance. It was horrible. Luckily I was never on the other end of one of his rants but I can honestly say that those of us who had to witness it were extremely uncomfortable and it created a very hostile work environment. Doing it privately then gives you the opportunity to turn it into a teaching moment for the others. Let's be honest the other guys on the team probably knew the deal. After all is said and done privately, you simply tell the team that said person is no longer on the team due to violation of multiple team rules, multiple times etc.

Have seen the same Nevada Dawg.

Ugh. I would not call UW in Seattle, Utah in SLC and TT in Lubbock easy. USC at Autzen will be a tough one. Yes the vibe will be crazy and if it's a 5PM game the crowd should be well hydrated so it will make for a fun game and on top of that it's in November.😉 This is what I mean about these pre-season drivel, expose's etc. Just a bunch of people sitting in front of a computer and cranking out click bait. Sure there are some that are well done but there are fewer of them than the click bait specials.

Totally agree with your assessment Charles and agree about the defense. And apologies for my typing faster than I am thinking grammar error, they're nor their. 😉

I honestly try not to get too wrapped up in these preseason predictions. Their fun to read and ruminate on for sure but as we know the twist of one ankle can change the whole trajectory.

Very tough situation. I find it difficult to believe that Fitzgerald did not know what was going on. If he truly did not, then he is out of touch with his team and should not be coaching. This type of thing has no place in the game and Fitzgerald knows that. Not attempting to lecture here but the "i didn't know' story just doesn't add up in this situation.

Some 'scuttlebutt' in the twittersphere that he might be flipping to UW. 🤨

There seems to be some rumblings out there that the talk of Williams trending away was started by some mods on and MSU board. They seemed to change their tone later because they were wishing death upon the founder of Nike and suggesting that MSU fans stop buying Nike. Not sure how much credence we can put in any of this but when we start wishing death upon our opponents maybe it's time to turn in our 'fan' cards.

I like coming here because I feel there is a reasonable balance. There's good and bad to everything and sometimes in the heat of the moment we lose perspective but I never feel it gets crazy here. In 'some places' the Lanning bashing and the player bashing is beyond bad. This is a place where the conversation is honest and real and yes, we disagree sometimes but I appreciate that it rarely focuses and the poster but on the topic.

I did not watch his commitment but a friend of mine did and said Rushing did not look super happy during the announcement. Said he sort of had a nondescript expression but that both parents looked very happy. My friends 'arm chair' opinion was that Mom and Dad might have tipped the scales by playing the closer to home card. Just an observation. No special insights.

Yep, that seems to be conventional wisdom. Apparently the opportunity to play with his brother and UA upping the ante on an NIL deal are playing a major role.

They are obsessed with Oregon. Oregon lives rent free in their heads 24x7. I would think they are only worthy of USC's commits.

Actually the 'prowessed excuses' coming from them are pretty good. I mean it makes for some good reading. I wonder if there is a class offered at UW on the Existential Merits of Being Academically Prowessed. Could be offered in the philosophy dept. or maybe psychology. Bottom line here is there are lots of options. Maybe they require all student athletes to take it. To think the quotes Charles noted above did not come from Dawgman is also very interesting. The net here is Jimmy Lake left us with an amazing legacy. Please Dan, please beat the stuffing out of them in the fall.

Agree about showing sportsmanship and dignity. There are some things that transcend what happens on the field and this is one of them.

That's an excellent perspective. I feel better now.

Won't lie- I'm still a bit worried about him flipping.

I have spoken to team members one of whom is of the LDS faith. He indicated that Dan does not inject ANY religious beliefs, interpretations, conversation etc in any discussions. Team members are welcome to discuss and practice their faith /beliefs but according to the person I spoke to, no one on the coaching staff crosses the line. Note too that Coach Locklyn is very open in his beliefs and often posts scripture on Twitter but he also does not impose or 'suggest' any sort of religious beliefs on people. My guess is that Gatlin Bair spoke openly to Dan et al about his plan to take a mission and my guess is Dan was 100% supportive so that may be interpreted as 'emphasis on faith'. I am sure Dan said something along the lines of 'we support you in your beliefs and your choices'. Something fairly simple as that. Nothing in Dan's persona suggests to me that he would do anything that would cause undue concern with regard to this realm.

I have heard similar comments from others close to the program about DL and his desire to be at Oregon for awhile. He very much likes the lifestyle in Eugene and so does his family.

This is actually very interesting because they tout their love and passion as second to none. Of course they will sell out when the DUCKS come to town. Very interesting fan base.