Jump to content
FishDuck Article

Oregon Football 2023: My Two ‘Grain of Sand’ Moments

Recommended Posts

“To see the World in a grain of sand and Heaven in a flower” William Blake I admit to not being at such an exalted state of enlightenment as to be able “To see the World in a grain of sand” as the Romantic poet William Blake suggests. However, I do enjoy noticing those moments where the micro reveals the ...

 
FISHDUCK.COM

“To see the World in a grain of sand and Heaven in a flower” William Blake I admit to not being at such an exalted state of enlightenment as to be...
  • Applause 1
  • Thumbs Up 2
  • Like 1

Two Sites: FishDuck and the Our Beloved Ducks forum, The only "Forum with Decorum!" And All-Volunteer? What a wonderful community of Duck fans!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Two statements stand out for me. The first was when he was noted early on saying 'so what now what' to Bo Nix I believe. It doesn't matter who it was it epitomized Lanning's mindset with players. The other was when he was quoted as saying statistics don't matter, it is performance that matters. This again gave us an ability to penetrate into understanding how he deals with players.

 

The first statement gives us an awareness about how the players are expected to go about their tasks. Failure is expected and respected when learning and executing tasks. These is no fear on the team when moving up the learning curve. This is critical to the development of players.

 

Too many people don't understand or live in a world where they aren't allowed to journey up the less than vertical path to their potential. When people aren't allowed to fail, or are just expected to be great they never reach their potential. Getting better is a messy process, and Lanning knows that and fosters a culture where that isn't just allowed, but respected.

 

The other critical element is a focus on performance. While failure is accepted the outcome of all the failure is an ability to know what to do and what not to do. There isn't just a focus on statistics, but an analysis of performance to see if players are able to do their complete job, every component, down to the last detail.

 

We see that after games where Lanning is asked about a great game somebody had, he wants to watch film. Just because somebody put up some numbers doesn't mean they performed all their tasks well. Some of the tasks don't have statistics, but are critical to wins and losses.

 

So these aren't visual grains of sand, but verbal disclosures on the foundation of the program. Great article, actions and statements give us considerable insights into the Dan Lanning Program.

 

The last, but most important element is Dan Lanning doesn't just talk the talk with these statements. From what I see in recruiting and output he walks the walk with how he deals with recruits, players and coaches. The future is bright when there is that kind of alignment and high expectations.

  • Great post! 1
  • Applause 1
  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

No, the 2nd example is not a reach. Its an example of solving 1 issue at a time and not getting overwhelmed with the big picture.

 

No again, Nick Saban would not have done this....he has one person on his staff who only job is to fix shoes!  He is that organized! 🙂

  • Thumbs Up 2
  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

My example was from the Arizona State game when it was 3rd and 5, and Bo threw the ball to one spot, and Bucky went to another spot and we had to punt.  Bo was chewing out Bucky, and he just took it.

 

Then Bo ran to RB coach Locklyn, and was chewing in his ear!  Coach was striding down the sideline trying to get away from Bo, but Nix was step-for-step reminding him of what the assigned pass route was on that play.

 

The only downside to a "Coach-on-the-Field?"  Judging by their reactions--I'm sure Bo was right.

 

Bo Nix delivers quickly_Fox Sports Video.jpg

  • Applause 1
  • Thumbs Up 1
  • Like 1

Mr. FishDuck

Link to post
Share on other sites

I remember both incidents as well but the shoe lace thing is still etched my mind as the what the ???k moment.

  • Haha 1
  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Thank You, David. Two 2023 influential team moments to recall. Two great snapshots in a far B1Gger picture.

 

 

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

As to the second moment, my immediate thought was that Lanning tied it in the first place and was the only one who knew how to untie the double secret probation knot.

  • Haha 3
  • Applause 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


×
×
  • Create New...
Top