12Duck72

I'm really torn on the NIL stuff. I know there's people who are saying it's going to ruin College Football. But without NIL do Nix, Penix, Williams and others return or are they off to the NFL? We all know the answer to that. So, there's good and bad to me. I have no problems with these kids getting paid when the schools have been making millions off them for years. However, with that comes more scrutiny and expectations. That's life. In my profession I'm in management so I make more than my staff. Not bragging but with my higher salary the expectations from my company are greater. That's how it works. Should we know what they're getting? I'm not sure about that but I don't have a problem with criticizing performance as long as it's not personal.

I'm not even looking for great at this point. I'll take an average defense that can get off the field on 3rd downs consistently.

Well played sir! You beat me to it.

Whatever. Ducks will be fine. The young man admitted his errors and apologized. That says something to me. Now did his parents, gf, or whoever or whatever change his mind and put pressure on him? Possibly. I wish the best for the young man and pray that he learns to stand up for himself and his feelings no matter who are what is coming at him. If not that leads to regrets and resentment. He chose the Ducks for a reason.

The Army for me lol! Well said

I don't know man, if true it always makes me cringe when I see parents get involved like this. No matter who he chooses it should be his decision and his alone.

I know it's not Duck related but Franco Harris has passed today. He was 72. As a young kid the Steelers of the 70's were the main reason for me falling in love with football. My room was covered with Steelers swag. I since moved on to the 49ers when I saw Joe play but the Steelers have always had a special place in my heart. Thanks for the memories Franco and God bless.

Well said Charles. I guess I've been around this long enough to stop worrying about who is visiting who and all the drama around recruiting these days. The Ducks will be fine and get the kids they were meant to get in the end.

Great article David. As much as I like Flowe and Noah Sewell personally they're not the right fit for where the Ducks are going on D. You're right, Flowe seemed lost a lot of time and although I loved the energy was out of control some. I feel like Sewell took a step back this year. I think there are a lot of spots on the defensive side with guys that the new coaching staff inherited that aren't the right fits. It's up to them now to fix it.

Great points cartm25. I agree with you about hoping to see minimum improvement from this group. That was my biggest disappointment this year. I'm hopeful that what we saw in the Utah game and 3 quarters of the Civil War is a glimpse of the future. Looked like DL was more involved and is working on some of those issues you mentioned. But I can't lay this on the new staff completely. This defense has been BAD for years now. Luckily the Ducks have an offense that covers it up much off the time until you get into a game against an equal or better opponent then they get exposed. To me, that's recruiting the right people to your scheme and no worrying about what Rivals or 247 thinks. Look at what Utah and Oregon State are doing with so called 3 stars. How many times the last few years have we watched the Ducks get teams into 3rd and long only to give up a first down? How many times, especially in November, have we watched when the Ducks needed a stop that they can't get off the field, or there's a stupid penalty, or a blown coverage and they end up losing? How many career games have we witnessed from opposing QB's and RB's. I could go on and on. I'm hopeful DL can turn the culture around as well. I think he will. Is Lupoi the right guy? I dunno. If he's not, then there has to be someone out there who can figure it out. I just think after 12 games that they deserve some patience. Hell, we put up with Mario for a lot longer.

Sad to hear that. Rest in peace Coach. You were one of a kind.

I've been debating about responding to these articles because they just seem like a rehash to me. I know some folks are having a hard time moving on but the past is the past. It sucks but what happened happened. The defense comes down to one thing for me. Square pegs and round holes. Anyone who thought that the D would be "elite" this year on the level of Georgia or anyone else was setting themselves up to be let down. No way that was going to happen that fast. This defense has been terrible for years. Dazed brought up Brady Hoke, dang man I totally forgot about that guy! I would submit that Oregon hasn't had a decent D since Chip and Coach Allioti were here. The Ducks to me have been too focused on recruiting stars than finding the right guys to fit their scheme. Doesn't matter what you run, if you don't have a D line, your LB's are overrated and you have folks in your secondary in the wrong position not much you can do consistently. That's on the program and recruiting. As for the Beav game? Anyone who has watched sports for 5 minutes knows what happened. The Ducks quit. They got up 31-10, figured the game was over and got punched in the mouth. That's not the first team that's happened to, it won't be the last and it's totally on the coaches. I've said it before but DL has coached this team for only 12 games. Give the guy some time to get his system in place. If we are still having this convo the next couple of years than I can see the criticism. But on the hot seat now? No way. I get being an armchair QB is part of being a fan, we all do it, but these coaches have more knowledge about the game than all of us put together and you know, actually coach the team and are around the players. I was reading Canzano's article about Coach Leach. He said he told him one time that being a head coach is like being President. It's a tough job to get and everybody thinks they can do it better than you. So true.

Nothing wrong with being a priME fan at all. To each his own. I agree with you he was an absolute HOFamer when he played and helped my 49ers win a title. For a lot us that's not the issue. It's the look at me, big ego and lack of humility that is a turn off. There's a lot coming out from JSU about this guy which will probably repeat its self when he leaves Boulder. To his credit though, he owns it and says he understands that some people may not like him for his personality. Fair enough.

Georgia, yes absolutely. Fuskies and the Beavs? I dunno about that. The Ducks put up 34 on both of them which should have been more than enough to cruise to victory if they had an even a average defense. Lupoi is going to need to show me something next year. I'm hoping with Stein on board Coach L will concentrate on the defense.

It's nice to know I'm not the only one thinking the same thing. Even when he was with the 49ers I was never a fan of his. I don't see this ending well for Colorado. If he flames out it will be Boulders fault, if he succeds he takes his tired act to some place else for a bigger bag. To me this dude is all about himself all the time. It's gotten to an almost cult like status. Some may like the flash but for me no thanks. I'll take a guy like Dan Lanning or Johnathan Smith every day of the week.

Can he tackle? The Ducks could use him.

Oh man, please let this happen. Can you imagine Slick Willie walking into Autzen as an opposing coach?

Dude, it's not the squirrels you have to worry about. It's those dang raccoons, they're already wearing masks!

I'm like a lot of folks. I feel like I should be more disappointed than I am. Wish the young man well but I feel like the whole defensive unit needs to be overhauled. They never lived up to the potential.

The big question for me this off season is what happens with the defense especially with all the transfers which I think is needed. Myself and others have said before that the offensive side of the ball was pretty damn good most of time. The Ducks just couldn't stop anybody not named Utah. This guy seems like a good hire. I trust coach on this one.

I would say all of the above Kurt. Personally I don't necessarily see it as a bad thing there's going to be turnover on defense. I think it's needed. I can care less about how many stars a guy has. To me defense is about want to and attitude.

100% agree. It has been great actually having fun watching games again. Even the ones they lost were entertaining.

The Holiday season is upon us. It's a time of hope, joy, faith, counting our blessings and being thankful. I've noticed a lot of our fellow Ducks still have a case of the cranks about the way the season ended. I've gone through my would've, could've as well. But I feel we all tend to dwell on the negative too much and don't appreciate the positives and what the future holds. I'm not much of a thread starter and this may not be the most popular post but I thought since it's the Holidays that it would great if folks can state what they feel are the positives and good things about the season and where OBD are heading in the future. I know it's not all sunshine and unicorns but there's a lot we should be thankful for. As Ive said before we could be in Miami's boat and hearing about "physicality " every week. Cheers everyone!

I'm a lifelong 49er fan so I've seen this story before, it's not just Duck fans. But like you were saying Charles the comments I've seen on this site the last week or so have been disheartening as a Duck. I get being disappointed in the close losses and yes the coaches and players need to learn from this but my goodness this team went 9-3 not 3-9. The sky is not falling, Dan Lanning doesn't need to fired, and the progrum is not falling apart. LADuck has been around as long as I have it seems. I remember all of that so I've seen the best and worst of times with my own eyes. To me being a fan of any team is supporting that team through the good and the bad no matter what happens. Bandwagoners will come and go for any team, it's just the way it is in sports. But I would hope that folks who post here would understand that as much as we would all like the Ducks to win every game 100-0 and win the title every year that sports is a competition and there will be times when the Ducks lose a game. I think it was the Schonz who once said "The other team practices too".

Yes I think they do need to as well. I'm guessing TT doesn't stick around. As of right now kinda feeling like Nix might stay next year depending on the OC hire. I agree with everyone saying they need to get back to developing QBs but this year they are going to need able bodies. I believe Moore will sign but you can't put all your hopes on him being the next Mariota and not having a legitimate backup. We all saw how that went this year.