Charles Fischer Administrator No. 1 Share Posted August 16 Look...I am not a big fan of everything Canzano writes, nor his coverage of the Big-12, the Pig-2, etc. But he is covering Oregon well, and is worth the subscription over time, IMHO. You just have to hold your nose when he sucks up to Oregon State. He does bring value to our discussion of Our Beloved Ducks, and I am very relieved to see some of the quotes below. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Oregon's football coach is talking with purpose. Dan Lanning is entering his third season as Oregon’s football coach. He’s got a 22-5 record and a positive trajectory. But the stakes have never felt higher, particularly for a program that aspires to win a national championship in its first Big Ten season. I’ve talked frequently with Lanning since he arrived in Eugene. We’ve discussed movies, his childhood, family vacations, and his football team. There was a shift in mentality this summer as Oregon’s head coach approached what will be his most significant season ever. How has his thinking changed? What resources is he drawing on? Where is his focus? I’ve collected a series of things Lanning told me in 1-on-1 conversations and my analysis. In his words: “It’s football — you’ve got to go out there and win. The formula to win hasn’t changed. You have to adapt, meet your team where they’re at, figure out what their strengths are, and lean into your team’s strengths. We’ve got to lean into what our hedgehogs are, find out what our strengths are, and attack the things we need to improve.” Lanning is leaning into an ancient Greek parable here. The poet Archilochus wrote: “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.” It knows that it needs to stick to its strengths to survive and thrive. I don’t think Oregon is interested in curling into a ball this season. But when Lanning said this to me, I wrote it down. I wondered if the coach left last season — one that came with a 12-2 record — thinking he didn’t lean with a singular focus into his team’s strengths. Oregon’s coach read Jim Collins’ best-selling leadership book “Good to be Great.” The book dives into the ‘hedgehog principle’ as a strategy tool for business leaders. Collins studied the characteristics that cause companies to go from good to great. Lanning knows he needs to take the next step. “You bring in a guy and know ‘Ok, this isn’t going to be Bo.’ Dillon has done an unbelievable job of being authentic and being himself, getting immersed in the team really quickly, and taking on some of those leadership traits.” The development of Bo Nix was fun to watch over two years in Eugene. The quarterback evolved immensely in his second season at UO and became a much better player. Lanning knows Dillon Gabriel can play (69 percent completion percentage and 30 passing TDs last season) but he only gets one season at Oregon. He’ll only be around for eight solid months or so. Gabriel’s ability to acclimate quickly, pick up Will Stein’s offense, morph into a leader, and find his talent ceiling is one of the biggest keys to the season. “We’re going to be the best version of us if players are holding each other to a higher standard. Those aren’t just words — those are actions.” Oregon’s transfer class is incredible. The recruits were not just limited to Gabriel, who starred at Oklahoma, either. The Ducks have former Alabama safety, Peyton Woodyard, former Washington corner Jabbar Muhammad, ex-Michigan State defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, and former UCLA quarterback Dante Moore, among a host of others. I’ve thought a lot about team chemistry in this transfer-heavy era. Coaches value older, more experienced, players but does going heavy into the portal come with a sacrifice to team culture? Lanning is talking about player-led leadership here. He knows that Gabriel and the other transfers are going to have to quickly find a healthy culture. They may be able to get through the first five weeks of the season on talent, but if the Ducks are going to make a deep run into the College Football Playoff, they’ll have to find unity. “Everybody’s got ice cream in front of them, whatever your favorite ice cream is. What I don’t want to do is get caught looking at everybody else’s ice cream while mine melts.” Lanning showed up to Big Ten Football Media Days in July armed with this quote. He used it in a variety of settings, including a 1-on-1 interview with me. Keep in mind, that Oregon’s coach had spent a couple of weeks being asked about the buying power of his NIL collective. Division Street, Inc. might have the deepest pockets around. The Ducks have terrific resources and the support of Phil Knight. Lanning isn’t running from any of that stuff, but he showed up to media day interested in shifting the narrative away from program-to-program comparisons and, again, talking about fostering a singular internal focus. “I’m continuing to grow and learn as a coach. There’s risk involved in every decision I make. Mine affect the entire organization. It’s important for me to be aware of that. That doesn’t mean it has to change the mentality of the team and what I believe in. I’ll tell you this, if we’re not good at converting on fourth down, we’re not going for it on fourth down.” Lanning and I were discussing his ‘go-for-it’ decision-making in the regular-season loss at Washington last season. He says he regrets not kicking a field goal before halftime and taking the three easy points. I didn’t mind that Oregon’s coach went hyper-aggressive at the time. It’s on brand and shows a deep belief in his players, but he can’t afford to misfire with strategy as the stakes rise, particularly this season. Will he go for it on fourth down against Ohio State? I suspect he will. But I’ll take note of what Lanning does as he makes those calculated assessments this season. It sounds like he’s been doing some deep thinking about it. 1 2 3 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
criticalduck No. 2 Share Posted August 16 Dan Lanning is right where he's supposed to be at Oregon - ESPN WWW.ESPN.COM Why Oregon is everything Dan Lanning could have ever wanted. This is a good writeup on DL. I hate the Clownzano... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haywarduck Moderator No. 3 Share Posted August 16 You lost me once Canzano was followed by 'The Truth', but there were some good quotes from Lanning. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirklandduck Moderator No. 4 Share Posted August 16 The more I watch DL the more I believe OBD have caught lightning in a bottle. He's intelligent, personable, driven, and most of all motivated. I think after he watched Saban and Kirby make their legacies up close, he wants to build his own legacy at a power 4 program which is why he chose Oregon. He wants that same level of national recognition and success through building up his program to levels it hasn't seen, which is a CFP championship (probably more than one). I believe he's going to win at least one in Eugene, it's not a question of "if" but just a matter of "when". Personally I think it'll happen some time in the next 5 years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cartm25 No. 5 Share Posted August 16 On 8/16/2024 at 10:50 AM, Charles Fischer said: Lanning knows Dillon Gabriel can play (69 percent completion percentage and 30 passing TDs last season) but he only gets one season at Oregon. He’ll only be around for eight solid months or so. Gabriel’s ability to acclimate quickly, pick up Will Stein’s offense, morph into a leader, and find his talent ceiling is one of the biggest keys to the season This really stood out to me. What Dillon and DL are trying to do is very difficult, but not impossible. I know that Dillon will be great for this team. However, I really hope Dante Moore blossoms, because teams can really take off when they have a great QB that gets to play in the system for more than one year. Would love to get back to having a recruited QB (or one with multiple years of eligibility) that can be at the helm for 2-3 years. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JabbaNoBargain No. 6 Share Posted August 17 (edited) On 8/16/2024 at 12:43 PM, cartm25 said: Would love to get back to having a recruited QB (or one with multiple years of eligibility) that can be at the helm for 2-3 years. Really is the exception now (3 years at least) unless a guy is good enough to start as a frosh. If a guy is good enough to start for OBD for 2 years he’s probably gone unless he isn’t yet NFL eligible. Edited August 17 by JabbaNoBargain Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
