New Secrets: Lanning’s Stunning Substitutions

[FishDuck Article]

Oregon’s starting lineup on defense was beyond startling to me, and while other media have casually passed it off–I am not, as I think it tells us more about head coach Dan Lanning, and how he plans to utilize starters and substitutions. It raises a ton of questions, and yet is also somewhat comforting. Bottom line is that I’ve never ...

 

New Secrets: Lanning's Stunning Substitutions

FISHDUCK.COM

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Oregon's starting lineup on defense was beyond startling to me, and while other media have casually passed it off–I am not, as I think it tells...

[Log Haulin]

Maybe Lanning has the "candy bar" dilemma. So many options and all of them so delicious. 

 

Maybe it was a little cat and mouse. A little 3D chess to throw off TT in preparation to playing the Ducks.

 

Maybe those are his best players. That doesn't seem right. For the casual fan that would be the conclusion but for the dug in fan? I think something else is at play.

 

Maybe "it was Portland State". Grr, I hate saying that. Lanning new PSU wasn't going to be competitive. Perhaps it was just about development and getting guys in in spots we wont have an opportunity to in the future.

 

Bottom line... I have no idea! 

[dksez]

Football coaches never had to worry about motivating players before. The scholarship money came with golden handcuffs. In this new era, small and symbolic rewards will build the  culture and make the portal less tempting. Players now have to earn a single digit jersey number. (Some coach will someday dole out prime number jerseys only to high academic achievers, making their mothers proud!)

 

I'm not saying that being in the starting lineup is becoming ceremonial, but wouldn't a coach use that detail like every other? Student athletes are still awed by the experience of being watched by 50,000 people. (Taylor Swift has nothing on them!) Whether it's a story to someday tell the grandkids, or what earns you an extra helping of turkey at the next family dinner, the coach has that to offer. So why wouldn't he?

[jrw]

Don't know Lanning's reasoning, but it explains all the hand-wringing about Oregon's defense on PSU's touchdown drive.

Edited September 7, 2023 by jrw

[Charles Fischer]

Not starting Dorlus?  Is this a statement to the team that NOBODY is secure due to depth.

 

Is this how SEC teams with real depth operate, and I have seen this because we have never had such depth?

 

Or was this a one-off game?

[Charles Fischer]

On 9/7/2023 at 8:54 AM, jrw said:

Don't know Lanning's reasoning, but it explains all the hand-wringing about Oregon's defense on PSU's touchdown drive.

I will publish an analysis tomorrow, that will address the reasons why Portland State scored in the drive, and why Oregon had no sacks in the game.

[Haywarduck]

Great observation, and something to watch in the future. 

 

I will say it is amazing to get in the game and get experience. It is a whole different ball game when you come in as a starter. Some interesting training going on with how Lanning is doling out experience, I suppose?

 

Maybe TT starts against TT? If you want to get your back-up ready, is this the best step?

[HDuck]

I remember an old coach of mine who said, "you don't know what you got until you throw them into the fire."

 

There may have been a bit of that in Oregon's thinking.  You can't always tell from practice how someone is going to respond and perhaps better to learn some of it when you can substitute in a game you're likely to win anyway.

 

Not just how they execute their assignment, but how well do they comprehend play calls, show motivation, play with energy.  Obviously the lack of penalties in that game with so many substitutions was very encouraging.

 

I read somewhere Oregon played 24 freshmen, and PSU played 22 (for PSU, mostly after the game got out of hand to avoid injuries to starters).

[Jon Joseph]

1. Best part of the game, Charles was able to attend in person. (Did Marsh go Joey Chestnut on the hot dog front?)

 

2. It is cruel but not unusual, to make an old guy wait until Thursday for your insights. 

 

3. Iowa Sports Book - With the Cyhawk game (Iowa vs. Iowa State) on deck and several players from both teams benched for (OH NO, Say It Ain't So!) gambling, this article's choice of sports books is indeed ironic. 

 

4. Substitutions. Great pondering points regarding this issue. But was some of this due to the opponent being less talented than the guys we saw on the field in the Spring Game? Will the game in Lubbock be the Big Reveal of what we will see for the rest of the season?

 

5. Depth. You know it. What Blue Chip rosters are all about. Recruiting under DL and portal-plucking, to date, has been great. But with a B1G bump can Oregon close on Bama, UGA, and Ohio State? With the playoff expanding next season, roster depth will be even more critical.

 

Thanks, Charles and Puddles, TCB in the Lone Star state. 

 

[Jon Joseph]

On 9/7/2023 at 1:32 PM, HDuck said:

I remember an old coach of mine who said, "you don't know what you got until you throw them into the fire."

 

There may have been a bit of that in Oregon's thinking.  You can't always tell from practice how someone is going to respond and perhaps better to learn some of it when you can substitute in a game you're likely to win anyway.

 

Not just how they execute their assignment, but how well do they comprehend play calls, show motivation, play with energy.  Obviously the lack of penalties in that game with so many substitutions was very encouraging.

 

I read somewhere Oregon played 24 freshmen, and PSU played 22 (for PSU, mostly after the game got out of hand to avoid injuries to starters).

Better than my old coach who used to tell me that my play warranted me being thrown into a fire. 

[David Marsh]

I have thought about this as well ... 

 

The conclusion I've come up with is that I think Lanning went "easy" on PSU. Not that 81 points is going easy on any team. 

 

But Lanning didn't want to risk his starters so his starters didn't actually play that much. 

 

I think he also wanted to reward those who have worked hard in camp and give some starting spots to players who have earned them. 

 

I'd be a bit surprised not to see our typical starters start against Texas Tech. 

 

There was never any doubt Oregon was going to be PSU so they put some players on the field at least definitely at first to get them some live and good snaps. 

 

Probably won't see this to the same extreme going forward.

[Jon Joseph]

On 9/7/2023 at 2:19 PM, David Marsh said:

I have thought about this as well ... 

 

The conclusion I've come up with is that I think Lanning went "easy" on PSU. Not that 81 points is going easy on any team. 

 

But Lanning didn't want to risk his starters so his starters didn't actually play that much. 

 

I think he also wanted to reward those who have worked hard in camp and give some starting spots to players who have earned them. 

 

I'd be a bit surprised not to see our typical starters start against Texas Tech. 

 

There was never any doubt Oregon was going to be PSU so they put some players on the field at least definitely at first to get them some live and good snaps. 

 

Probably won't see this to the same extreme going forward.

What about the dogs?

[Drake]

PSU was never a threat, and the coaches were aware of that…this seems like it was a great opportunity to plug in some players they wanted to reward for their efforts in practice.
 

Solid move if they tell recruits that if they prove in practice that they can play, then they are willing to get them into games. Plus, the players gain valuable experience for the long season ahead. 

Btw…I love the way Boettcher plays. Seems like he is around that football a lot, and he far exceeds my expectations. I am rooting for the guy. 
 

My guess, barring injuries, is that the starting lineup changes as the competition level ramps up. 

[Desert Duck]

Maybe we're getting more like the Georgia's and Alabama's of the world in that I don't think they exactly have "substitute" players. 

 

They just sorta have "other" players... who are often just as good as the so-called 1st team guys --- and quite often, they're even better. 

[Solar]

Like a few on here I think the reason is Lanning understands the difference between being the most deserving and being the best.

 

He started those that were most deserving to make a point to the team that earning something carries just as much weight as being born with something.

 

The goal is to get everyone to buy in to competing to be the most deserving, even those that are already the best. That keeps the true starters humble and working to be their absolute best.

 

I'd be really surprised if he does it again, as there had been a full fall camp of earning playing time and an easy opponent, this week is just 1 week and presumably a much better opponent.

Edited September 7, 2023 by Solar

[kirklandduck]

Anyone's guess is as good as mine, I'm just surmising the simplest explanation...DL has so many guys on defense now that he's trying to find out who can make plays outside of practice.  He knows certain players like Dorlus can deliver but what about guys like Ashton Porter?  I believe that's what's happening, he's using the OOC games to figure out who can perform during game time and will have a solidified 2-deep figured out by the time conference play starts.

[Augduck]

I like what Dan is doing.  He seems to have a method to the 'madness' and maybe we won't figure it out but fun to ruminate about it that's for sure.

[Charles Fischer]

On 9/7/2023 at 11:03 AM, Jon Joseph said:

1. Best part of the game, Charles was able to attend in person. (Did Marsh go Joey Chestnut on the hot dog front?)

 

2. It is cruel but not unusual, to make an old guy wait until Thursday for your insights. 

 

David Marsh has written over 100 articles for FishDuck, and our audience. He has done it for free as a selfless volunteer, and the least I could do is pony up a hotdog and a drink!
 

Sorry to make you wait until Thursday and Friday, but since I was the one who set the schedule for the writers, and I don’t want to mess them up, and I’m simply filling in the open days when I have the time to write… It seemed like the right thing to do.

 

Tomorrow is a dandy…

[DanLduck]

Waaaaayy back in my hischool days, my coach gave starting spots to who ever worked the hardest that week in practice. It was a great motivator to work hard (yes, I did get to start once or twice) and it kept the starters motivated.

 

If that's what he is doing, great. Knowing your hard work is rewarded, well, that's priceless. 

 

However, the # of snaps per player seems to suggest he knows its a long season. So besides developing and encouraging depth, he is avoiding unnecessary risk of injury.

Remember, Bucky only had 4 carries.

 

What ever his reasons, aren't we glad football is back!

 

 

[Charles Fischer]

On 9/7/2023 at 11:24 AM, Drake said:

Btw…I love the way Boettcher plays. Seems like he is around that football a lot, and he far exceeds my expectations. I am rooting for the guy. 

When Bryce hit his first home run as a Duck on the Diamond last spring, Coach Lanning was up in the suite watching. Very cool!

[Charles Fischer]

On 9/7/2023 at 12:36 PM, kirklandduck said:

Anyone's guess is as good as mine, I'm just surmising the simplest explanation...DL has so many guys on defense now that he's trying to find out who can make plays outside of practice.  He knows certain players like Dorlus can deliver but what about guys like Ashton Porter?  I believe that's what's happening, he's using the OOC games to figure out who can perform during game time and will have a solidified 2-deep figured out by the time conference play starts.

That makes complete sense to me too, but you can imagine how my jaw dropped watching the game on Sunday and seeing five surprise starters.

 

I am also trying to raise attention to important points the rest of the media is not.  If I can add some additional ponder points for us all to consider through the season to enjoy the entertainment that much more, that I’m on the lookout for it.
 

With all of the tons of websites writing about the Ducks, how could they NOT write about this and make a big deal of it as I am? Or at minimum simply raise the question?

 

I do not believe I am that insightful, but I do not have an explanation for the absence on their part. 

[kirklandduck]

On 9/7/2023 at 1:33 PM, Charles Fischer said:

That makes complete sense to me too, but you can imagine how my jaw dropped watching the game on Sunday and seeing five surprise starters.

 

I am also trying to raise attention to important points the rest of the media is not.  If I can add some additional ponder points for us all to consider through the season to enjoy the entertainment that much more, that I’m on the lookout for it.
 

With all of the tons of websites writing about the Ducks, how could they NOT write about this and make a big deal of it as I am? Or at minimum simply raise the question?

 

I do not believe I am that insightful, but I do not have an explanation for the absence on their part. 

Definitely, I noticed this didn't garner any attention from other sites as well (even Oregonlive).  Maybe they're all distracted by the 81 points the offense scored or they wave it all off because it's Portland State. 

 

In any case, I have another out-of-left-field guess: DL is trying to get game reps for as many viable defensive players as possible so that he can start rotating them in and out of possessions hockey-style like Nick Allioti did since there was repeated emphasis on the offense playing faster this season.

[Log Haulin]

On 9/7/2023 at 1:33 PM, Charles Fischer said:

That makes complete sense to me too, but you can imagine how my jaw dropped watching the game on Sunday and seeing five surprise starters.

 

I am also trying to raise attention to important points the rest of the media is not.  If I can add some additional ponder points for us all to consider through the season to enjoy the entertainment that much more, that I’m on the lookout for it.
 

With all of the tons of websites writing about the Ducks, how could they NOT write about this and make a big deal of it as I am? Or at minimum simply raise the question?

 

I do not believe I am that insightful, but I do not have an explanation for the absence on their part. 

OBDF is a different deal than every other sports reporting platform. A lot of the subject matter comes from those other platforms. Some comes from in house.

 

But what makes OBDF a different deal is that it is fan based journalism through the comment feeds. It works really well. 

 

Many times a topic is introduced by a member that was simply sitting around pondering OBD. Asking themselves "I wonder what others think?". Boom, a great conversation starts.

 

I have some unique takes on things, so do you. Many of us dont care if we are right or wrong. Some don't have to be the smartest in the room. We just want to discuss Our Beloved Ducks.

 

This forum works incredibly well. Mostly because we are just a bunch of dudes/dudettes sitting around and respectfully talking about something we all love.

 

Congratulations to everyone involed in this forum. From the person who just casually reads, to the writers, moderators and commentors.

 

We all played a part in the greatest sports forum on earth. It is a highlight for so many. 

[Jon Sousa]

We'll have another looksee when Hawaii comes to town - not the cupcake that PSU was but an lesser opponent then we will see for the rest of the year. We will see how they manage starters, subs, and reps then. Get way ahead early and a lot of guys will see the field again.

[Gizmoduck]

In todays world of NIL and Portal availability it seems inconceivable that coach Lanning has guys buying in to the concept of selfless play. But I think that may be exactly what's happening. I could be totally wrong, but think about it like this.

 

Not only is there depth, but there is blue-chip depth. I think this IS definitely something coach Lanning brought from Georgia, where stars on their defense didn't necessarily play an overload of snaps. They played (key) snaps. Now how this is determined, and how he gets young men to buy into it is why he's making millions of dollars at 38 years old, and coaching OBD football team.

 

Just my two cents anyways 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Gizmoduck