Cristobal’s Problem? It’s the Oregon Fans!

[FishDuck Article]

Yes, you read that right; the problem for Mario Cristobal are the fans at Oregon. He runs a team under an old philosophy, an old way of winning. Since then offenses have changed and what is required to win has also changed, as his mentor has been at the forefront of that trend that now wins national championships. Meanwhile Greybeard-age ...

 

Read the full article here...

[Haywarduck]

I can guarantee Mario is going to get another 4 years and another contract extension before that ends. The only question is will he leave before his contract is up. Mario isn’t Mark Helfrich.

 

Mario’s problem is he loses the games players don’t get up for. Oregon dominated after the first quarter and fell apart at the end of the game. This is what Mario often does when on the road against lesser talent, he’s what 6-6 in that situation.

 

The Stanford game is also what happens when the turnover ratio goes against us, while we don’t have a decent 3rd or 4th down conversion ratio. I was out of town during the game and left when we went up at the end. I could see the writing on the wall, this team wasn’t going to get it done, unless they got a turnover, and it wasn’t worth watching if what happened, happened, too predictable.

 

The crazy part of it for me is I have a larger emotional response from the beaver game than how the Ducks play. The beavers, maybe it was partly the joy of seeing the dawgs lose, play inspired, wily football. The coaching leads players to reach their potential. They are also the underdogs, and I have an affinity for underdogs.

 

The way the Ducks play is like watching a lion play with their prey, and then letting it go because they just aren’t hungry enough to get it done. When that happens in the wild, this is unconfirmed, but comes from a reliable source, the zebra, will come in and smack the lion. This is what happened on Saturday, Oregon didn’t want it, didn’t know how to truly dominate, and then couldn’t finish, so the zebra abused him. This is the way it works in the wild.

 

I agree many fans will fall off, but not too far. I will never root for the beavers when Oregon plays. When Oregon goes to a bowl game I will either go or be glued to the tv. I will also hope the Ducks don’t have to play in the untamed Pac-12 where the zebras can punish poor coaching, but maybe that is what we needed!

[30Duck]

The problem I have with Mario is that I can't tell what his plan is. He didn't bring in some exotic new offense, he just discarded the one that had revolutionized the sport!  He's getting great recruiting classes and not capitalizing on their talents. Jeff Maehl wasn't a 4 star, but in that offense he was unstoppable.

 

Mario checks a Lot of the coaching boxes. But the one's he leaves blank are destructive. 80% to the good, 20& to the bad. If we could change that to 70 % checked,  lose a 4 * but get a scheme, we'd all be cheering again. 

[Duck 68]

The ship entered some choppy water, but we haven't hit an iceberg yet. We were undefeated and ranked #3, then we played poorly, plus got some very questionable calls, lose one game and drop to #8 in the country, and some are ready to jettison one of the best coaches in America. Let's take a breathe. I have been rooting for our Ducks for decades, going back to games at Hayward Field, and I have experienced a lot of disappointment. Saturday, because we all had very high hopes for this team, was an extreme letdown.

 

That said, it is way too early to think about a coaching change. Mario is building a great program with quality young men. Keep the faith. 

[Duckdude]

Excellent article, Charles!  You describe the atmosphere at this longtime Duckfan’s home exactly right!  My wife said after last game—-that the Ducks gave away—-“that’s it!  I’m not watching the Ducks anymore!”  Same with me.  I’ll record the next game, but I’m not gonna waste 3-4 hours of my time on this defective commodity anymore.  And, I’ve followed the Ducks since the 70’s.  When I see a result like last Sat…….I’ve seen it SO many times!…… I say: “typical Ducks”!  We don’t want to continue with “typical Ducks”, anymore!  

 

We’ve waited long enough to see what Cristobal’s got.  And, as Head coach……all he’s shown….consistently, and, based on last Saturday…..embarrassingly….he does not have “it”.  If he worked for me, I’d be looking to replace him.  And…..I doubt that that thought has not crossed Mullens mind.

[Vandownbytheriverduck]

I’m willing to give MC the time but want to see him improve his coaching skills as well. 
 

The clock management still needs work. 
 

The offense has the talent to score 50 every game but doesn’t. Why?  
 

MC didn’t call plays in the absence of JM. Or did he and how many? Does MC have an offensive mind? Is MC deadweight on game day. 
 

why is 5 yard shotgun better than running behind a 360lb guard with one yard to gain? 

 

run the ball

stop the run

pressure the qb. 
 

easy as 1,2,3. 

 

[Haywarduck]

On 10/4/2021 at 6:48 AM, 30Duck said:

The problem I have with Mario is that I can't tell what his plan is. He didn't bring in some exotic new offense, he just discarded the one that had revolutionized the sport!  He's getting great recruiting classes and not capitalizing on their talents. Jeff Maehl wasn't a 4 star, but in that offense he was unstoppable.

 

Mario checks a Lot of the coaching boxes. But the one's he leaves blank are destructive. 80% to the good, 20& to the bad. If we could change that to 70 % checked,  lose a 4 * but get a scheme, we'd all be cheering again. 

Wow, great point, he discarded an offense which worked, said he was going to improve it, but really hasn't put an offense on the field you can define, nicely.

 

I look forward to the day where prevent offense is no longer the defining name to the Oregon offense, it really doesn't historically work!

[1Ducker1]

Except for Ohio St most of the games under Cristobal haven't been all that fun to watch. 

[jrw]

Another game or two like last Saturday and somebody is going to say they "Ducked it". Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory while looking inept..."Did they Duck it again?".

[Annie]

The number of injured Duck players hasn't helped matters either. And even the OC was out on Saturday--how often does that happen???

[DUCKED]

On 10/4/2021 at 7:18 AM, Vandownbytheriverduck said:

I’m willing to give MC the time but want to see him improve his coaching skills as well. 
 

The clock management still needs work. 
 

The offense has the talent to score 50 every game but doesn’t. Why?  
 

MC didn’t call plays in the absence of JM. Or did he and how many? Does MC have an offensive mind? Is MC deadweight on game day. 
 

why is 5 yard shotgun better than running behind a 360lb guard with one yard to gain? 

 

run the ball

stop the run

pressure the qb. 
 

easy as 1,2,3. 

 

With Anthony Brown at QB the Ducks absolutely cannot score 50 points a game.

 

A change is needed to revitalize the Ducks’ offense. That has become glaringly apparent.

[Pocketchange]

This article is spot on! I remember when my friends and I would watch the game and think about how special the team was.  But it wasn’t just watching the game- we would discuss and search the web to know more about the game.

 

Football was interesting beyond the game to those who traditionally had no interest to the sport before.

 

That is gone.
 

Covid or not we are not going to watch a boring game.  The BBQ are gone, the only discussion about football I have is on FishDuck, and  cut the cable cord, so  I am unable to watch most the games…. And half the games I do watch- I regret watching them. Outside of recruiting, the game has lost significant value to myself and others.

 

And it has left me wondering, if I didn’t tolerate a Brady Hoke defense, why am I tolerating a Cristobal Offense?

[1Ducker1]

If Cristobal and Mullens are not careful and don't make improvement soon they are going to hurt the Oregon Duck Brand. 

[Charles Fischer]

On 10/4/2021 at 8:18 AM, Pocketchange said:

And it has left me wondering, if I didn’t tolerate a Brady Hoke defense, why am I tolerating a Cristobal Offense?

 

Whew!  That is powerful...and while it is tough at times--I will be watching regardless. I try to remain as a loyal fan no matter how frustrating...

[Charles Fischer]

On 10/4/2021 at 8:22 AM, 1Ducker1 said:

If Cristobal and Mullens are not careful and don't make improvement soon they are going to hurt the Oregon Duck Brand. 

 

I would suggest they already have...when a percentage of fans leave you--that is a decline of the brand.

[DUCKED]

On 10/4/2021 at 6:39 AM, Haywarduck said:

I can guarantee Mario is going to get another 4 years and another contract extension before that ends. The only question is will he leave before his contract is up. Mario isn’t Mark Helfrich.

 

Mario’s problem is he loses the games players don’t get up for. Oregon dominated after the first quarter and fell apart at the end of the game. This is what Mario often does when on the road against lesser talent, he’s what 6-6 in that situation.

 

The Stanford game is also what happens when the turnover ratio goes against us, while we don’t have a decent 3rd or 4th down conversion ratio. I was out of town during the game and left when we went up at the end. I could see the writing on the wall, this team wasn’t going to get it done, unless they got a turnover, and it wasn’t worth watching if what happened, happened, too predictable.

 

The crazy part of it for me is I have a larger emotional response from the beaver game than how the Ducks play. The beavers, maybe it was partly the joy of seeing the dawgs lose, play inspired, wily football. The coaching leads players to reach their potential. They are also the underdogs, and I have an affinity for underdogs.

 

The way the Ducks play is like watching a lion play with their prey, and then letting it go because they just aren’t hungry enough to get it done. When that happens in the wild, this is unconfirmed, but comes from a reliable source, the zebra, will come in and smack the lion. This is what happened on Saturday, Oregon didn’t want it, didn’t know how to truly dominate, and then couldn’t finish, so the zebra abused him. This is the way it works in the wild.

 

I agree many fans will fall off, but not too far. I will never root for the beavers when Oregon plays. When Oregon goes to a bowl game I will either go or be glued to the tv. I will also hope the Ducks don’t have to play in the untamed Pac-12 where the zebras can punish poor coaching, but maybe that is what we needed!

I feel the same way about the Beavers. I always root for them except when they play the Ducks. Maybe it’s the underdog thing. But it appears to me that they play with a lot of heart and determination and you can’t help but support a team like that.

[Jon Joseph]

Great article. 

 

Nick Saban. Love the irony of seeing Nick in commercials with a duck! AFFLACK!

 

Nick did learn. He wasn't all that at Michigan State. He arrived at the happy recruiting grounds in the south and prospered at LSU and is on a historic run at Bama.

 

Nick evolved with the game. He changed his D from all-behemoth guys to guys who can run sideline to sideline. After whining, he brought in Lane Kiffin, opened up the O and emphasized recruiting skill players as much as smash mouth OL guys. He has had consistent assistant coach turn over and always seems to hire excellent replacements.

 

It's hackneyed, but Nick has a PROCESS that works. A process that has NFL bound talent ready to go against opponents strong and weak. 

 

Because of Mario's recruiting prowess and because of the state of the Pac-12 conference, Mario will win a lot of games. But something is missing. The team can show up and play excellent ball in champ games vs Utah and USC and on the road against a team ranked #3 on nation, a team that 'never' takes an L at home. But the team also struggles against the likes of Arizona, the worst team in the conference.

 

IBM almost failed. The new CEO of IBM looked in the mirror and made dramatic changes that IBM had not seen in 50 years. One of the IBM's of CFB, Alabama, was failing and floundering before the right leader was hired. It took Nick Saban one year to right the ship in Tuscaloosa. And like all great leaders, Saban adopted to changes brought on by the competition. He did not stand pat.

 

I do not know of a single Ducks fan who wants Mario to fail. But Mario is at a cross roads. The road he is on is not producing results commensurate with the talent of his organization's 'employees,' the players.

 

Mario by all accounts is a workaholic. But working yourself to death does not equal success unless you have a plan that will translate the work effort into positive results.

 

I hope he will take this brief respite in the season and ask: do I have the right assistants; am I micro-managing my assistants; is our strength and conditioning program preventing injury or causing injury; are our practice habits working: and are on-field leaders being encouraged and developed?

 

Sorry to go all Tony Robbins, but if Mario doesn't change we will see the same results season after season. Big wins against big opponents and a lack of cohesive effort against mediocre opponents.

 

In any business you can recruit the best employees, but can you get the employees to function as a cohesive unit? If you can't do that you will never be a great leader.

[Charles Fischer]

On 10/4/2021 at 8:35 AM, Jon Joseph said:

I do not know of a single Ducks fan who wants Mario to fail. But Mario is at a cross roads. The road he is on is not producing results commensurate with the talent of his organization's 'employees,' the players.

 

So true, and an outstanding post.  You can go Tony Robbins on me anytime...

[DUCKED]

On 10/4/2021 at 8:35 AM, Jon Joseph said:

Great article. 

 

Nick Saban. Love the irony of seeing Nick in commercials with a duck! AFFLACK!

 

Nick did learn. He wasn't all that at Michigan State. He arrived at the happy recruiting grounds in the south and prospered at LSU and is on a historic run at Bama.

 

Nick evolved with the game. He changed his D from all-behemoth guys to guys who can run sideline to sideline. After whining, he brought in Lane Kiffin, opened up the O and emphasized recruiting skill players as much as smash mouth OL guys. He has had consistent assistant coach turn over and always seems to hire excellent replacements.

 

It's hackneyed, but Nick has a PROCESS that works. A process that has NFL bound talent ready to go against opponents strong and weak. 

 

Because of Mario's recruiting prowess and because of the state of the Pac-12 conference, Mario will win a lot of games. But something is missing. The team can show up and play excellent ball in champ games vs Utah and USC and on the road against a team ranked #3 on nation, a team that 'never' takes an L at home. But the team also struggles against the likes of Arizona, the worst team in the conference.

 

IBM almost failed. The new CEO of IBM looked in the mirror and made dramatic changes that IBM had not seen in 50 years. One of the IBM's of CFB, Alabama, was failing and floundering before the right leader was hired. It took Nick Saban one year to right the ship in Tuscaloosa. And like all great leaders, Saban adopted to changes brought on by the competition. He did not stand pat.

 

I do not know of a single Ducks fan who wants Mario to fail. But Mario is at a cross roads. The road he is on is not producing results commensurate with the talent of his organization's 'employees,' the players.

 

Mario by all accounts is a workaholic. But working yourself to death does not equal success unless you have a plan that will translate the work effort into positive results.

 

I hope he will take this brief respite in the season and ask: do I have the right assistants; am I micro-managing my assistants; is our strength and conditioning program preventing injury or causing injury; are our practice habits working: and are on-field leaders being encouraged and developed?

 

Sorry to go all Tony Robbins, but if Mario doesn't change we will see the same results season after season. Big wins against big opponents and a lack of cohesive effort against mediocre opponents.

 

In any business you can recruit the best employees, but can you get the employees to function as a cohesive unit? If you can't do that you will never be a great leader.

Excellent post Jon.

 

Mario is a class person, no question about it. A real asset for the university. As a recruiter he is phenomenal. As a coach? That’s a different matter. 
 

Oregon football became popular nationally under Chip Kelly. The cool uniforms, the explosive offense with plays being run so quickly that the opposing defense had no clue what to do. The Ducks were very successful, but perhaps equally important they were entertaining.

 

And as far as fans are concerned, they want to win, but they also want to be entertained. They want that adrenaline rush when they go to a game….they want it so bad that they’ll drive several hours for a 7:30 kickoff knowing they won’t get home til 2am.

 

I sense that this team doesn’t stir the same enthusiasm as past editions.

 

Oregon football, certainly offensively, has become boring. Unless they find a way to open up the offense, recruiting 4 and 5 star players may become problematic.

 

 

 

 

 

[1Ducker1]

I wonder what the attitude in the locker room is?

[Duckdude]

Quote

Unless they find a way to open up the offense, recruiting 4 and 5 star players may become problematic.

Exactly!  If I was the parent of a 4 or 5 star football player, other than a lineman……. I would not want him to play for Mario……who has not shown he is an above average football coach.  If your kid was a wide receiver…… would you want him to play for Mario….where he gets next to zero chance to expand his game? Not me!  I’m happy he does, but I don’t know how Mario gets some of these ball-carrying recruits!

[30Duck]

On 10/4/2021 at 6:39 AM, Haywarduck said:

The way the Ducks play is like watching a lion play with their prey, and then letting it go because they just aren’t hungry enough to get it done.

 

Love this line!  I also share your view that watching the Beavers win was a lot of fun, and not just because it was against the Huskies. 

[Duckdude]

On 10/4/2021 at 9:18 AM, 1Ducker1 said:

I wonder what the attitude in the locker room is?

I would think they’d be pretty pissed off!  Hope so——might be a great motivating factor!

[jrw]

On 10/4/2021 at 9:19 AM, Duckdude said:

Exactly!  If I was the parent of a 4 or 5 star football player, other than a lineman……. I would not want him to play for Mario……who has not shown he is an above average football coach.  If your kid was a wide receiver…… would you want him to play for Mario….where he gets next to zero chance to expand his game? Not me!  I’m happy he does, but I don’t know how Mario gets some of these ball-carrying recruits!

Yeah, I keep thinking about Troy Franklin and Dont'é Thornton, in particular - remember them?

 

Are they wondering, "What did I sign up for here?".

Edited October 4, 2021 by jrw

[nw777b]

On 10/4/2021 at 6:48 AM, 30Duck said:

 Jeff Maehl wasn't a 4 star, but in that offense he was unstoppable.

One of my favorite players.  Chip loved him enough to bring him to the next level. He never went down easily.

[David Marsh]

I have gone from a non-fan to a die hard fan and all that happened in the Kelly years... a die hard fan that writes for this website. After a loss like like the one suffered last Saturday I find the need to detox myself and get some perspective and then I realize that all my internet activity is Oregon Ducks related or history, news, or board games. 

 

I find myself in the similar spot Charles, I find myself frustrated because the product on the field isn't terribly interesting from an offensive stand point. The defense being bend but don't break or just bend until breaking is kinda run of the mill for Oregon so it has to be a truly powerful lock-down defense for me to get excited about it. 

 

This Oregon team has kinda needed a loss like this to be a kick in the pants to get them to wake up... but I really do find that the players might wake up a little bit.. but the changes really need to come from the top. The offense needs an overhaul, it needs to be a modern offense. 

 

At the end of last year I did write an open letter to Mario Cristobal. I feel what I wrote then is still valid today. I don't think I will lose interest in the team, it has kinda become a hobby that has dominated my free time. 

 

I don't think getting rid of MC is the answer... because if not MC then who? No one should be making comparisons with ANY coach to Saban. Saban is an anomaly at this sport. Though MC really does need to get introspective and determine what needs to change is him. 

[Haywarduck]

Interesting discussion on the brand of Oregon Football, and the rebranding under Cristobal. Nicknames and acronyms are synonymous with branding and define the importance of what something is.

 

Oregon has generally been defined by the word innovation. We innovated with our facilities, our uniforms and the way we play football. We even innovate the way we celebrate between 3rd and 4th quarters.

 

I think all this innovation has helped enable Cristobal to recruit as effectively as he has. He is just taking advantage of what has come before, and done it like no other. Kids want to be like DAT, just ask multiple players, Seven and others. QB's want to be like Marcus, and Justin, just ask any of the qb's. They want to improve upon the past, and we want the same.

 

In the past our hurry up offense became the blur. Now our offense has begun to get the nickname the prevent offense (PO), and the outcome described as Ducked again, sad.

 

Exciting players, like Donte Thornton, aren't being highlight, just sitting idle. We are accepting mediocrity at qb, since when? This is something that killed Helfrich, Oregon always has elite talent at qb, but now they sit on the bench. It isn't just our offense, it is the players who play it, and the leadership of it.

 

It is time to again innovate, while bringing the best, most exciting talent to the field. Did DAT sit on the bench as a freshman?  There is still time, but until then, Cristobal risks redefining Oregon Football's offense as the PO, and that is Pissing Off too many fans.

 

Fans can define the Oregon Duck Football Program through wins and losses, but what really defines it is the legacy left behind. That legacy is often the nicknames and acronyms which the fans and the nation begin to adopt. What is that going to be under Cristobal?

[nw777b]

It seems to me that after "slick" Willie Taggart implemented the "Buckle Up" offense, Mario forgot to unbuckle the offense.

[Charles Fischer]

On 10/4/2021 at 9:48 AM, Haywarduck said:

That legacy is often the nicknames and acronyms which the fans and the nation begin to adopt. What is that going to be under Cristobal?

 

Right now the "Prevent-Offense" label seems to be the most appropriate!  I am trying to remember who to credit for that...
 

Maybe the one I suggested is not such a good one to be remembered for...

[David Marsh]

On 10/4/2021 at 10:35 AM, nw777b said:

It seems to me that after "slick" Willie Taggart implemented the "Buckle Up" offense, Mario forgot to unbuckle the offense.

The Taggart era cleaned the slate at Oregon. He got rid of the entire staff and in the process did bring us Cristobal. In the process Oregon lost so much institutional knowledge. 

 

Just think if Cristobal was on the staff during the Helfrich years and he was apart of the Oregon blur offense and then he ascended to head coach after that, would he have a different take on the offense? 

 

Taggart's offense was Taggart's offense, when he left he took his offense with him. He called the plays and it was his thing, for better or worse. There was far too much freedom in the institutional void of Oregon at the time that Cristobal really could choose what we wanted the offense to look like, espeically when his OC was still Arroyo, who hasn't done well offensively at UNLV. 

 

Not sure if things would be different... but it's worth thinking about. 

[DanLduck]

I don't disagree with you Charles, but for the sake of discussion, OC Morehead was absent. Wasn't the play calling worse than usual?

[Steven A]

Although the press/outsiders are not allowed to view practices, if the QB competition is close, then I am hoping Cristobal and Moorehead have seen enough of average at best QB play and give Ty the start and the first half vs Cal. If he fails, then give AB or Butterfield the second half.

This is the perfect opportunity to show head coach leadership. Plus AB admitted how bad he played, so a change shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to him.

 

0

 Reply

 

[David Marsh]

On 10/4/2021 at 11:28 AM, DanLduck said:

I don't disagree with you Charles, but for the sake of discussion, OC Morehead was absent. Wasn't the play calling worse than usual?

The play calling seemed ok from my PoV but the execution was lacking. 

 

I also firmly believe a QB change wasn't even on the table for considerations because Moorhead wasn't there. Not that it would have been considered anyways... but just my 2 cents there. 

[Charles Fischer]

On 10/4/2021 at 11:28 AM, DanLduck said:

I don't disagree with you Charles, but for the sake of discussion, OC Morehead was absent. Wasn't the play calling worse than usual?

 

It was play-calling not intended to score 45 points, but in the realm of what Cristobal does to just win the game--it seemed fine.  If Brown pitches the ball to Verdell at the end of the first half--we are up 14 at the end and it is all moot.  That was not the play-call but a player blunder, IMHO.

[David Marsh]

On 10/4/2021 at 12:33 PM, Charles Fischer said:

 

It was play-calling not intended to score 45 points, but in the realm of what Cristobal does to just win the game--it seemed fine.  If Brown pitches the ball to Verdell at the end of the first half--we are up 14 at the end and it is all moot.  That was not the play-call but a player blunder, IMHO.

orr.... we kicked a field goal... 

 

we really needed to finish the first half with a one score game. 

[Charles Fischer]

On 10/4/2021 at 10:46 AM, Charles Fischer said:

Right now the "Prevent-Offense" label seems to be the most appropriate!  I am trying to remember who to credit for that...

 

How could I forget?!  It was OBD Moderator 30Duck who coined that phrase and it is a very accurate one!

[30Duck]

On 10/4/2021 at 1:29 PM, David Marsh said:

we really needed to finish the first half with a one score game. 

 

I was shouting, "Kick the field goal!" it was 3 points, we have the momentum, and get the ball to start the 2nd half. B 3 more points would have been nice at the end.

[Charles Fischer]

On 10/4/2021 at 1:54 PM, 30Duck said:

3 more points would have been nice at the end.

 

Yep.  Being 10 points up would have made it all moot.  We can blame the coaches, but they called a great play and Brown blew it.

 

[oregon112]

On 10/4/2021 at 9:18 AM, 1Ducker1 said:

I wonder what the attitude in the locker room is?

I can take a guess.  All season long, they have been burned by QBs who can throw the ball, even though this team has better receivers, except for Ohio St. 

 

They are getting tired of being more talented at most positions, but not playing up to the level of their talent.  The good ones just want to be successful at their positions and move on to the pros.  The mediocre ones want to end their football careers as well as they can, then go get a job somewhere. 

 

Sooner or later, they are all going to mentally and emotionally 'check out' and not be into it anymore.  They came here to win, not to lose to unranked teams. 

[Charles Fischer]

On 10/4/2021 at 3:07 PM, oregon112 said:

Sooner or later, they are all going to mentally and emotionally 'check out' and not be into it anymore. 

 

I don't think that is true unless they lose a bunch more games they shouldn't.  This could be the "wake-up call" to the players and coaches that changes everything!

[oregon112]

On 10/4/2021 at 2:00 PM, Charles Fischer said:

 

Yep.  Being 10 points up would have made it all moot.  We can blame the coaches, but they called a great play and Brown blew it.

 

A great play would have been a play action pass in the end zone.  Or a sweep to the far side.  Or even a QB under center with DJ as a full back and RB dive over the top - that play always gets a yard. 

[oregon112]

On 10/4/2021 at 10:35 AM, nw777b said:

It seems to me that after "slick" Willie Taggart implemented the "Buckle Up" offense, Mario forgot to unbuckle the offense.

 

I'm ready for the Lane Kiffen - get your popcorn ready offense!  Go look at all the points his team scores this year and last and he has his QB in the Heisman race. 

 

"Can you live with Mario’s flaws?"

 

I thought I could...   if he hired the right coordinators.  But I keep the seeing the same ultra-conservative stuff on both offense and defense. 

 

"Is Mario the ONLY one who can recruit at Oregon"

 

No.  The snake could do it.  Chip could get players -  some of them lacked 'stars', but the ones he got could play college football.  Belloti had good players - look at that 2007 team - it was full of beasts and they had speed. 

 

It is One in Ten-Million…

Cristobal doesn't need to be that 1 in 10 million guy.  All he has to do is let his coordinators do their jobs and get out of the way.  But he can't do that. 

 

When Ty did not come in the game for even one series...   it deflated all my hopes and dreams.  

 

When that game went into overtime -- who here did not already KNOW  what the outcome was going to be???

 

ANSWER:  McKee was going to throw a TD pass and Brown was going to throw incompletes - or tuck it and run for 2 yds. 

 

WHEN THERE ARE 3 BACKUPS WHO CAN THROW BETTER THAN BROWN AND BROWN CANNOT COMPLETE A DOWNFIELD THROW,  AND SAID BACKUPS DON'T GET IN THE GAME, YOU KNOW CRISTOBAL JUST WANTS TO RUN HIS BRAND OF FOOTBALL -  which doesn't work anymore in the two thousand and twenties. 

[oregon112]

On 10/4/2021 at 3:10 PM, Charles Fischer said:

 

I don't think that is true unless they lose a bunch more games they shouldn't.  This could be the "wake-up call" to the players and coaches that changes everything!

The wakeup call should have been the Fresno St game.  A team full of 4 and 5 star players barely beating a Mtn West team at home. 

[Charles Fischer]

On 10/4/2021 at 3:33 PM, oregon112 said:

A team full of 4 and 5 star players barely beating a Mtn West team at home. 

 

It was a wake-up call to the fans, but not MC unfortunately.  Oregon had 57 players signed in the prior four years that were Rivals 4/5-Star players.  Fresno had 1, yes ONE.  Now granted--they did well in the portal, but your point about the talent discrepancy is on point, IMHO.

[30Duck]

112, love the post!  In particular about the recruiting. Chip just didn't like it, and we saw that he didn't need a galaxy of stars to make his offense work. Frost didn't think recruiting was possible at Oregon, and he's actually showing that it really isn't possible for him at Nebraska either.

 

But, I think another Coach who was willing to put in the effort, connect with the kids, use social media could keep the recruiting in the same area as Mario has it, and might actually have a plan to use the 4 and 5 stars on the field and not just on the recruiting lists. 

[1Ducker1]

On 10/4/2021 at 3:39 PM, Charles Fischer said:

 

It was a wake-up call to the fans, but not MC unfortunately.  Oregon had 57 players signed in the prior four years that were Rivals 4/5-Star players.  Fresno had 1, yes ONE.  Now granted--they did well in the portal, but your point about the talent discrepancy is on point, IMHO.

Wow. In the private sector an exec or foreman would be fired. Im not ready to have him fired just yet but that is an incredible stat. Talking about doing less with more, He needs to open his ears and eyes.

[jrw]

I think there's a whole lot of hyper-emotional over-reaction going on here.

 

The comments have gone from, after the Ohio State game, Mario is a genius CEO who out-coached the Buckeyes, to...

 

Well, he's a terrible coach, but he sure can recruit, to...

 

We don't even need good recruits because...reasons.

 

There are quite a few reasons to criticize Mario, but I know he's infinitely smarter about football than me.

 

 

[BBS]

Like many of you I have been watching duck football for decades. I can’t remember being as frustrated as I was Saturday. The play calling hasn’t been good since MC arrived and I have seen no improvement. I hear week after week what an offensive genius Joe Moorhead is. Either I have a different definition of genius or MC is not allowing him to call the game. Maybe a bigger problem is the discipline/composure. Penalty after penalty game after game.

 

Yelling at other teams coaches, ridiculously yelling and throwing a temper tantrum at a player on tv. These are all composure issues. You can’t win at football or life if your going to lose it when things don’t go your way. I watch year after year MC recruiting all of these tremendously talented kids and then I can’t even find them on the field. Either they don’t play at all or they simply aren’t involved. One of the great passers in duck history had to run the ball in order to eek out a Rose bowl victory.

 

Three things need to change if we are ever going to get back to playoff runs. First you need to get your talent the ball. Second you have to have the right point guard/quarterback to get it to them. Third you need to get discipline and composure back on the field with everyone including coaches. Can it happen? Of course. But there has to be a willingness to change. I haven’t seen it yet. 

[Charles Fischer]

On 10/4/2021 at 8:39 PM, BBS said:

But there has to be a willingness to change. I haven’t seen it yet. 

 

And THAT is what many of us fear...