candyduck No. 1 Share Posted September 14, 2023 Something I've been curious about for years. Watching the Ducks, it seems like somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 (not so smart) plays a year doom the Ducks of reaching or potentially winning a national championship. DAT outrunning the ball carrier against Stanford, not tackling to the ground against Auburn, Tony Washington excessive celebration penalty, dub and OSU last year to name a few. My curiosity is, do and if not why don't coaches preach this (5 plays) to kids all spring, all weight sessions, all fall, throughout the year? Maybe I watch the Ducks too much, maybe other teams make the same mistakes and I don't notice as much. It just seems this is a common thread that keeps the Ducks from achieving what we all want and anticipate from them, a constant in the national championship discussion I think/thought(still hopeful) DL might be the disciplinarian the Ducks needed to get over the top with his SEC/Georgia pedigree? Seeing the amount of penalties piled up against a good team in a tough place last week makes me wonder. Of course I know he's way smarter than me but I just wonder what it takes to get kids to play smart, discipline football? Maybe I'm just too old to think fundamentals wins over flashy most of the time? It feels to me like the Ducks have a bit of USC disease. Just because they have a lot of 4-5*, they can just show up and win. I was really impressed by the tough, hard fought TT win but it just isn't sustainable imo. Smarter people help me figure it out!! Just gonna throw this out there since I don't want to add another thread. I see the Buffs being a sub 500 team in the Pac 12. Think the Prime schtick won't hold up for 9 teams that will be better prepared for him/them. I doubt (I think his name is Turner) will make it through the season playing 125 plays week in and week out in the PAC. I hope the Ducks start them off on their journey to mediocrity next week. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Administrator No. 2 Share Posted September 14, 2023 I don’t really sense the snobbery being projected within the Lanning staff, and in fact, I sense the opposite. I believe he’s trying to build a hunger within everyone, and he has stated to the team often the goal of striving for a national championship. I would agree with you that there are presently too many mistakes. I do think he’s going to work pretty hard at cleaning them up, with yesterday being called a day to visit the doctors office to fix the ailments! And I certainly do want to welcome you to this forum! Great to have you posting, and do share your thoughts often! 2 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
candyduck Author No. 3 Share Posted September 14, 2023 (edited) Thanks for your wisdom. I know it takes time. I'm confident/hopeful he'll make a liar out of me!! I don't sense it in the staff. I guess I'm just curious what it takes to convey the value of playing wise and disciplined football in this generation? Maybe I'm just being a little impatient and need wiser eyes sometimes Edited September 14, 2023 by candyduck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyToBeADuck No. 4 Share Posted September 14, 2023 Candyduck, welcome to the forum. Please post often and comment, too. When the players lose focus and or concentration the team suffers. As a fan it is frustrating watching the O be behind the chains. Or the D Give free 15 yard plays away. Having coached, i can share that players in the sixties, seventies and eighties committed these frustraing penalties. The coaching staffs on every team are diligently working to help their players settle in and stay focused. For me, its a little to early to get on the players/coaches. The TT game was the 1st true contest and it was a hot, hostile environment against a good, physical, talented team. And they were defending their turf. Nerves........jitters...... Hopefully we see them settle down the next 3 games and round into form in time for the critical game in Seattle. That's when we will find out if the stage is too big for OBD's. Sure is fun talking about football . GO DUCKS....... 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Administrator No. 5 Share Posted September 14, 2023 On 9/14/2023 at 10:05 AM, candyduck said: I guess I'm just curious what it takes to convey the value of playing wise and disciplined football in this generation? Wowsa. That is a great question, and I'm sure keeps coaches awake at night. How do you overcome the self-centered nature of social media, of temptations that did not exist before? Really hard to straddle the fence of discipline, motivation, coaching and caring. Really hard job coaching these days... 2 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Marsh No. 6 Share Posted September 14, 2023 On 9/14/2023 at 9:26 AM, candyduck said: Tony Washington excessive celebration penalty That one could have been a bigger problem. But in 2014 Oregon made it to the national championship game. We just didn't have a deep enough roster to win it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
idontrollonshobbas No. 7 Share Posted September 14, 2023 On 9/14/2023 at 1:14 PM, David Marsh said: That one could have been a bigger problem. But in 2014 Oregon made it to the national championship game. We just didn't have a deep enough roster to win it. A failed drug test contributed to the roster deficit for that NCG as I recall..... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Hilarius Moderator No. 8 Share Posted September 14, 2023 I have nightmares about DAT racing Mariota to the endzone instead of turning around and blocking. I love your idea, @candyduck, of creating a “low-lights” reel to motivate and show why details matter. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
candyduck Author No. 9 Share Posted September 14, 2023 (edited) David...yeah I almost didn't include the Tony Washington example for that reason but it sure made me nervous when it happened!! Edited September 14, 2023 by candyduck 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanLduck No. 10 Share Posted September 14, 2023 A new starter, with high expectations, was the primary abuser of undisciplined penalties. He has acknowledged that and is working on it. The PI penalties were a result of losing sight of the ball and panicking. That will improve with experience. And of course the late hit was a bit of over zealousness. These will improve with real game experience vs intrasquad type games. But I agree that sometimes only a few plays separate us from greatness. Just proves how hard it is to win the Natty. Thus, coach Lannings emphasis on getting from good to great. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Marsh No. 11 Share Posted September 14, 2023 On 9/14/2023 at 1:31 PM, idontrollonshobbas said: A failed drug test contributed to the roster deficit for that NCG as I recall..... But still not what doomed us... We were down Pharaoh Brown (Utah Game injury), Bralon Addison (for the season), Devon Allen (Rose Bowl injury), Ifo Ekpre-Olumu (Pre-Rose Bowl inury) and those are the only ones I can remember right now.. So yeah Carrington failing a drug test out another level of stress... but there just werent the bodies available to compete with Ohio State that also just had us beat on both lines of scrimmage. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Log Haulin No. 12 Share Posted September 14, 2023 On 9/14/2023 at 2:26 PM, DanLduck said: And of course the late hit was a bit of over zealousness Over zealous refs itching to throw that flag. That was the worst call of the night. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 13 Share Posted September 15, 2023 (edited) On 9/14/2023 at 12:26 PM, candyduck said: Something I've been curious about for years. Watching the Ducks, it seems like somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 (not so smart) plays a year doom the Ducks of reaching or potentially winning a national championship. DAT outrunning the ball carrier against Stanford, not tackling to the ground against Auburn, Tony Washington excessive celebration penalty, dub and OSU last year to name a few. My curiosity is, do and if not why don't coaches preach this (5 plays) to kids all spring, all weight sessions, all fall, throughout the year? Maybe I watch the Ducks too much, maybe other teams make the same mistakes and I don't notice as much. It just seems this is a common thread that keeps the Ducks from achieving what we all want and anticipate from them, a constant in the national championship discussion I think/thought(still hopeful) DL might be the disciplinarian the Ducks needed to get over the top with his SEC/Georgia pedigree? Seeing the amount of penalties piled up against a good team in a tough place last week makes me wonder. Of course I know he's way smarter than me but I just wonder what it takes to get kids to play smart, discipline football? Maybe I'm just too old to think fundamentals wins over flashy most of the time? It feels to me like the Ducks have a bit of USC disease. Just because they have a lot of 4-5*, they can just show up and win. I was really impressed by the tough, hard fought TT win but it just isn't sustainable imo. Smarter people help me figure it out!! Just gonna throw this out there since I don't want to add another thread. I see the Buffs being a sub 500 team in the Pac 12. Think the Prime schtick won't hold up for 9 teams that will be better prepared for him/them. I doubt (I think his name is Turner) will make it through the season playing 125 plays week in and week out in the PAC. I hope the Ducks start them off on their journey to mediocrity next week. I think CU wins at least 8 regular season games and its bowl game. Bowls will be clamoring for CU this season, and down the road if Deion stays in Boulder. I think that along with Utah, CU will be competing for B12 championships right out of the box. Especially, with Shedeur back for one more in 2024 along with Travis Hunter. I also believe that CU recruiting will pick up and that lots of portal guys will be looking for an invite from Deion. Look at the national pub CU is getting and also, positive and negative, on OBD and other sites. I do not see CU being shuttled very often to the Pac-12 network. I think that CU will defeat CO. ST., at ASU, Stanford, Arizona, at WA ST., and will win at least one of Oregon State at home, on the road at UCLA, and/or Utah. To date, this team does not commit penalties; and does not shoot itself in the foot. The OC, DC, and OL assistants he hired are all solid. Edited September 15, 2023 by Jon Joseph 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
candyduck Author No. 14 Share Posted September 15, 2023 Tonight's Eagles/Vikes game is a perfect example of those little things making a big difference. Jeffersons fumble "out of the the end zone" totally changed the momentum in the game. Don't think the Vikings are going anywhere...but still. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 15 Share Posted September 15, 2023 On 9/14/2023 at 7:02 PM, David Marsh said: But still not what doomed us... We were down Pharaoh Brown (Utah Game injury), Bralon Addison (for the season), Devon Allen (Rose Bowl injury), Ifo Ekpre-Olumu (Pre-Rose Bowl inury) and those are the only ones I can remember right now.. So yeah Carrington failing a drug test out another level of stress... but there just werent the bodies available to compete with Ohio State that also just had us beat on both lines of scrimmage. None of this helped the Ducks but there are a whole lot of guys on that Ohio State team still playing in the NFL. Even with all hands on deck, Oregon was not going to defeat that Ohio State team. He flamed out in the NFL but Urban vs. Helfrich in a college game? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanLduck No. 16 Share Posted September 15, 2023 On 9/14/2023 at 7:12 PM, Jon Joseph said: None of this helped the Ducks but there are a whole lot of guys on that Ohio State team still playing in the NFL. Even with all hands on deck, Oregon was not going to defeat that Ohio State team. He flamed out in the NFL but Urban vs. Helfrich in a college game? With more of our starters available, I would like to see the rematch. We lost 10-12 starters before that game. That's a lot! Urban does not walk on water. Helfrich's problem was his DC. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Hilarius Moderator No. 17 Share Posted September 15, 2023 On 9/14/2023 at 7:29 PM, DanLduck said: Helfrich's problem …was that he was not a leader. His teams had the worst discipline of any team, ever. Bottom-dwellers in the penalties/yards stats. It was even worse off-field. Drugs, weapons, violence, all-of-the-above… I don’t want to rehash those painful memories. 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 18 Share Posted September 15, 2023 On 9/14/2023 at 9:53 PM, Jon Joseph said: I think CU wins at least 8 regular season games and its bowl game. Bowls will be clamoring for CU this season, and down the road if Deion stays in Boulder. I think that along with Utah, CU will be competing for B12 championships right out of the box. Especially, with Shedeur back for one more in 2024 along with Travis Hunter. I also believe that CU recruiting will pick up and that lots of portal guys will be looking for an invite from Deion. Look at the national pub CU is getting and also, positive and negative, on OBD and other sites. I do not see CU being shuttled very often to the Pac-12 network. I think that CU will defeat CO. ST., at ASU, Stanford, Arizona, at WA ST., and will win at least one of Oregon State at home, on the road at UCLA, and/or Utah. To date, this team does not commit penalties; and does not shoot itself in the foot. The OC, DC, and OL assistants he hired are all solid. MY BAD! Shedeur and Travis are both draft-eligible after this season and both will be headed to the NFL. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
