Charles Fischer Administrator No. 1 Share Posted December 6, 2021 I read a ton about "lying," "loyalty," money and commitment, and in the end we all operate in our own self-interests. Mario is, and each one of us would too--you follow your heart and make the best deal you can even while being conflicted. What if Taggart had not been offered his dream job until after four years as Cristobal has been; how would you feel about Willie then? He was only operating in his own self-interest as Brian Kelly, Lincoln Riley, Chip Kelly, etc. have all done. But the coaches are not the only "evil" ones operating out of self-interest; the players will leave in a heartbeat via the portal, as will verbal recruits fade away. Players are just as fickle...no halos here! But wait--how did our Athletic Director treat an Oregon native coach after one bad year, and yet he took Oregon to the 'Natty? No loyalty there! And the way that incredible coaching staff was treated? Nope, no halos up in the athletic department either. As for us fans? We will fire coaches in a heartbeat as well, as yours truly and most of you wanted Helfrich fired so quickly. And who was doing the booing at Autzen this fall? No halos here either... I think we all need to get off our high-horses and acknowledge that every party in these situations operates out of self-interest as we all do. That doesn't mean it is easy and that there are not terrible conflicts and consequences of carrying out our own selfish choices, and Mario will have his too. No matter who the coach is, or the record...I will be a loyal Duck fan no-matter-what. And I am learning to not blame people for acting out of their own self-interest...how about you? 3 8 6 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfootfan No. 2 Share Posted December 6, 2021 Darn it all, Charles, now you are making us look inward! For the record, thanks for pushing me to do so. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike West No. 3 Share Posted December 6, 2021 Amen Charles. I'm disappointed, but I've been on the fence since the conversation got real about him leaving. I wish him great fortune no matter what because he's the type of man many men should aspire to be Life at elite levels like college football, pro football, corporations (and just about anywhere the most talented people in life compete) is rough and tumble. MC has principles and is a man of integrity. I believe he really is trying to do the right thing for all involved. Life is brutal. I'd go to battle for a man like Mario Cristobal. 7 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoquack No. 4 Share Posted December 6, 2021 Good points. Which combine to make me lose a lot of the enthusiasm I had for college football. Money, greed and selfishness are ruining the game. 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PittDuck No. 5 Share Posted December 6, 2021 Thank you Charles for being a voice of reason. We all make choices, and sometimes it is a choice we’d rather not make. Sometimes it’s a choice we’d have made differently under other circumstances, and none of us makes the perfect choice every time. I hope MCs choice pans out for him, I wish him and his family well, and thank them for their service. Now, insert more quarters and push PLAY! While I wish this had played out differently, at the end of the day, I AM A DUCK FAN, and I will root for them regardless of the coach. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LADuck No. 6 Share Posted December 6, 2021 I am not wearing a halo either but try to show some loyalty to family, friends, and my work. I understand the desire to think of "self-interest" first but that sure seems like a pretty shallow way to live. I would have a hard time recruiting somebody to my company by selling them on how committed I am to the future only to say goodbye on my way out the door as they are coming in to work. It would probably look even worse if there were transcripts of the pitches these coaches make to potential recruits in which they highlight family, teamwork, and achieving goals together....lol...no fine print in their presentations that say "until a better offer comes around!" 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzby No. 7 Share Posted December 6, 2021 I do agree for the most part regarding loyalty or the lack thereof and am a big OC Helfrich fan, but I kind of think he Larry Coker'd it to the Natty. Sorry, poor choice of coach/university considering the state of things, but I believe that he too rode the coattails of those who came before him and the longer he was in charge, the worse the team was becoming. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Marsh No. 8 Share Posted December 6, 2021 On 12/5/2021 at 6:52 PM, Charles Fischer said: As for us fans? We will fire coaches in a heartbeat as well, as yours truly and most of you wanted Helfrich fired so quickly. And who was doing the booing at Autzen this fall? No halos here either... I loved Helfrich as a coach. The defense was aweful and in truth Helfrich wasn't good hiring other coaches and he had his major flaws. But you are absolutely right Charles, Helfrich was the most loyal coach at Oregon since Bellotti and he showed his loyalty in stepping down a few years earlier than perhaps he wanted to make way for Chip. College football has no real loyalty anymore. Saban is loyal to Bama because he is comfortable there and has built his program and Bama pays him through the nose for it all. Same goes for Sweeney at Clemson. Oregon is a good coaching job but it is not a top tier job because in the end we don't sit in the middle of a recruiting hot bed. Scott Frost was right people... Recruiting to Oregon is hard... Cristobal has made it look easy but that's only because he works it harder than anyone else in the conference. If MC leaves who do we hire? A big shot that will probably use us as a stepping stone unless we pay them some insane number (which is probably not likely before we see results) or do we search for someone like Bellotti or Helfrich who will be here for a while but the fans frankly will have no patience for slow results? Right now .. I think anything is possible between MC staying or going and I'm not trying to put a homer spin on it. I have heard he has cancelled recruiting visits tomorrow and regardless of the decision that makes sense... He wants to talk with his wife, talk to his mom (because his mom is what this possible move is all about,hl her health isn't great and can you blame MC for wanting to be close to his aging mother?). Then he wants to sleep on the decision... Especially if Oregon is working on a counter offer. So tomorrow morning he will have Oregon's offer and Miami's offer. He will have talked to his family. He will have slept on it. So tomorrow we will get the decision. If he stays, he will be here for a LONG time, like Bellotti. If he goes, Oregon needs to move very quickly on a coaching search but Mullens also has to make the right decision and answer the question... Big name or long term loyalty? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warrenton No. 9 Share Posted December 6, 2021 I don't get it. Oregon hasn't done anything since MC has been here and just got its doors blown off by Utah. Don't give MC the option. Fire him and make a splash hire like Carroll or Meyer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KingT No. 10 Share Posted December 6, 2021 Call me crazy, but I see this as an opportunity for the Ducks to improve. Mario puts this program back in good shape and it's ready for a great leader to leverage it for what it has to offer. All good, with some bumps in the road... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckdude No. 11 Share Posted December 6, 2021 Sorry…….implied in this hire by the UO, is that you are committed to building the program at UO to sustainable mega-heights. Committed. Not head-turned by the first “pretty girl” who pays you some attention……and the attention only comes because of the opportunity that UO gave you. You used us, Mario! That’s where the anger comes from! If you really believe all that smoke you blew to your recruits and team…..especially when UO will pay you a fortune…..then you stay….and finish the job you said you’d do! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LADuck No. 12 Share Posted December 6, 2021 (edited) He has been pulling in talent at very high levels and looks like a few more top recruits coming in before signing day. When and if he hops on the train to Miami the class will take a hit and Riley will scoop in on that action. Ouch! One thing I have not heard mentioned is Cristobal's pretty wife may be telling him she really wants to get back to Miami and enjoy the warm weather and that $8M a year. The wife is a big factor regarding happiness. Edited December 6, 2021 by LADuck 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalBear95 No. 13 Share Posted December 6, 2021 On 12/5/2021 at 6:52 PM, Charles Fischer said: But the coaches are not the only "evil" ones operating out of self-interest; the players will leave in a heartbeat via the portal, as will verbal recruits fade away. Players are just as fickle...no halos here! I hear your point and largely agree with one minor edit. Let's say I were to characterize 'self-interest' as 'mercenary.' That is probably too strong a characterization to your theme but I don't view it as really that far off either. While we all may want to self-reflect and check our 'self-righteousness' at the door - if I might couch it as such, I give a blanket exemption to the players on this action. The players are the product and are exploited mercilessly while the system is awash in obscene amounts of money [NIL begins to rectify this asymmetry but we're a ways away from even getting close to balance]. So, if the transfer portal is how they get some modicum of that value back, I wish them nothing but the best. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocketchange No. 14 Share Posted December 6, 2021 True, I think this situation makes MC look a lot worse than he is. This is a perfect storm of moments that has the fan base really angry. The Utah game, Moorhead leaving, the team quitting, an offense that is watchable 2/ year, distractions all year of poaching the head coach, and now he is leaving during recruiting and before the bowl game. Yeah- it looks bad and will certainly hurt his brand. However, if MC leaves it will because he wants to be close to family. You can’t blame a guy for wanting to do that. However, if MC stays with a pay increase, I want a much better offense, a team that has a killer instinct on ever play, and I never ever ever want to hear that we need to play “tougher” 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VegasDuck No. 15 Share Posted December 6, 2021 Makes perfect sense for MC to leave. Won a National Championship at Miami and he is from there. Its his home and there is that stupid "The U" BS we can't understand. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RkyMtnGuy No. 16 Share Posted December 6, 2021 MC's a good guy.....and he was good for the kids. And now he gets huge money to go back home and be with family while coaching at his alma amter? No rational person can blame him for this and we should wish him the best as he showed us proof positive that big time recruits will come to Oregon in large numbers. None of this Wilcox or Helfrich or Homer type stuff that Oregonians are prone to (sorry but they are)...coaches will always leave eventually but MC left this program stacked with good players and now they need to go after an aggressive young coach who runs an up-tempo wide open preferably pro style offense and entice the current players and commits to stay. Yes easier said then done but is it? Think Luke Fickell would listen?...Or the Carolina Panthers just fired OC?....Oregon's got a lot to offer so go big and go fast and good luck. PS...can't prove it but I suspect MC may have lost the locker room with the AB decision. If we can see his deficiencies certainly the players can....and this "the young guys aren't ready" garbage is just that - garbage. No freshman is ready ...reminds me of the Chargers coach Anthony Lynn saying last year Herbert was a "back-up for a reason". 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haywarduck Moderator No. 17 Share Posted December 6, 2021 I don't blame people for acting out of their own self interest and agree we all do it. It would be in my self interest to cut off people in traffic and to rip people off in business short term. It is the way we act when we do things in our own self interest that matters. Slick and Mario are showing their inner instincts, and psyche with the negotiations we have seen I don't think Mario's instincts are too bad at all. I don't think he deserves too many attacks or any on his character. He is pulled toward his home, his mom may have been his braking point. He may have missed a precious amount of time in her life. Slick on the other hand showed his unethical side. I don't want to get into it, but his self interest exposed something I am glad we didn't have to install into the program. While I agree we all act in our self interest, it is how we do it that matters. I see it every day and I am sure everyone else does too. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemangi No. 18 Share Posted December 6, 2021 Well said Hayward Duck.. Life is our canvass and we paint it as we choose. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck1984 No. 19 Share Posted December 6, 2021 I will never apologize for being a lifelong Duck, but I appreciate all who contribute to the cause. Go Ducks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washington Waddler Moderator No. 20 Share Posted December 6, 2021 It’s a lot easier to show less self interest when nobody is all that concerned with who you are and what you are doing. It becomes more of a problem when you become a hot commodity and everybody seems to care about who you are and what you are doing. Like many of you, I think of Mario as a straight shooter. He can’t please everyone, so he’s going to have to please himself. Pleasing himself will be a combination of what he feels responsible towards and his own self interest. But I also believe he’s the kind of person who has to be happy with the choice he makes because he has to live with that decision. I just wish him the best in that pursuit because I think he’s a good man. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckpop22 No. 21 Share Posted December 6, 2021 I keep reading things like no rational person would blame MC for taking the Miami job. Then allow me to be slightly irrational. In the long run I will wish him well, because he is a good man. However, I will root for his first year's team to go 2-10, because he spurned me. If he had been a good soldier I'll bet PK would have put a personal jet at his disposal for trips to and from South Florida to see Mom. Maybe that wouldn't have made a difference. I just wish the coaches loved the University of Oregon and the Ducks therein as much as I do. But they don't and the beat goes on. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Rambis No. 22 Share Posted December 6, 2021 On 12/6/2021 at 7:55 AM, Duckpop22 said: I just wish the coaches loved the University of Oregon and the Ducks therein as much as I do. But they don't and the beat goes on. I do, too - but it's a JOB. As fans, we love the Ducks because...well, because we love the Ducks. Some of us grew up there, some attended school there, etc. We love the Ducks even if they go 2 - 10 or if the star RB punches some dude or the QB steals a laptop - and we do it without pay. By the time they get to UO, most of these coaches have already coached at three or six or ten other schools, working their way up the ladder. And with every single one we hire away from another school, that fan base could have exactly the same complaint we have when Slick Willie or MC leave. If we re-hire Chip, UCLA should feel just like we feel now. If we hire Arana, Baylor should feel just like we feel now. And it's hard to have a lot of loyalty to an employer when that employer can fire you at will. As with any other job, both the employer and the employee can move on, subject to the terms of the contract. Now, the WAY Slick Willie left was putrid. But I don't even blame him for leaving. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Log Haulin No. 23 Share Posted December 6, 2021 I don't blame MC for going home and getting a a fat check in the process. However, I could care less about halos or Mario's self-interest. I am a Duck fan and winning is what matters. Not just winning but obliterating the opponent into dust in the process. Mario Cristobal is incapable of coaching players on the roster (not future players) at a level to achieve those goals. Time to move on and get a coach that knows how to coach. MC is not that guy. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 24 Share Posted December 6, 2021 On 12/5/2021 at 9:52 PM, Charles Fischer said: I read a ton about "lying," "loyalty," money and commitment, and in the end we all operate in our own self-interests. Mario is, and each one of us would too--you follow your heart and make the best deal you can even while being conflicted. What if Taggart had not been offered his dream job until after four years as Cristobal has been; how would you feel about Willie then? He was only operating in his own self-interest as Brian Kelly, Lincoln Riley, Chip Kelly, etc. have all done. But the coaches are not the only "evil" ones operating out of self-interest; the players will leave in a heartbeat via the portal, as will verbal recruits fade away. Players are just as fickle...no halos here! But wait--how did our Athletic Director treat an Oregon native coach after one bad year, and yet he took Oregon to the 'Natty? No loyalty there! And the way that incredible coaching staff was treated? Nope, no halos up in the athletic department either. As for us fans? We will fire coaches in a heartbeat as well, as yours truly and most of you wanted Helfrich fired so quickly. And who was doing the booing at Autzen this fall? No halos here either... I think we all need to get off our high-horses and acknowledge that every party in these situations operates out of self-interest as we all do. That doesn't mean it is easy and that there are not terrible conflicts and consequences of carrying out our own selfish choices, and Mario will have his too. No matter who the coach is, or the record...I will be a loyal Duck fan no-matter-what. And I am learning to not blame people for acting out of their own self-interest...how about you? I think the guy leaving is all for the best in the long run? He isn't happy with $8.5M a year in Eugene? Get lost and enjoy the extra loot in Florida. If he doesn't think he'll get booed in Miami, best of luck. Now, how about hiring a HC who gives a whip about Oregon? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall Lucky No. 25 Share Posted December 6, 2021 (edited) “Now, how about hiring a HC who gives a whip about Oregon?” imho, Oregon divorced itself from that aspect of it’s identity when it s’ canned it’s entire coaching staff (giving up decades of commitment, loyalty, and continuity) while they were out recruiting, and severely hamstrung by ncaa sanctions. Only 4 years after getting to the NC game with a cobled together team. Once Oregon did this, they became just like USC/UW and the mediocrity was inevitable. Our “brand” isn’t enough to compete with them at a game where their’s isn’t enough. I hope I’m wrong, but keeping Mario was blind luck after Taggart. Oregon was built off continuity, grit, and the ability to develop talent. Cas, Brooks, and Bellotii alone accounted for nearly 50 years...almost half of college football history at the time. And, it was largely done, at least the foundation was laid, without Pk’$. fire Mullins. Edited December 6, 2021 by Marshall Lucky 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Ducker1 No. 26 Share Posted December 6, 2021 Its a New World in college football if you're going to chase the NATTY. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washington Waddler Moderator No. 27 Share Posted December 6, 2021 Certainly these things run in cycles. When one HC goes, it can feel like dominos — just the nature of the sport we all love. All’s fair in love and war? Another of those cycles though is that between ‘ expansion’ and ‘closed circles’. We went from years of a consistent, closed-loop program to risking it all with an east coast outsider named Chip. He took us to the doorstep, but what goes up . . . So, we found ourselves in uncharted waters, and we began swimming. That meant dumping Mark, and taking a chance on Willie and then Mario: expansion. We can blame that all on Mullens, or we can see it for what it is: the end of one cycle and the start of a new. Once again, we are faced with that feeling of being left high and dry, and in unknown territory, and looking for a safe port — that is to say, there is a general feeling in the community to return to the security of the known, hire from within, and close the loop once again. Can Justin and Bill get us to the promised land? Would they even try? I just know when I’m pouting, feeling unloved, and like life’s being unfair, it usually has something to do some choices In the past I’ve made that I’d rather not look at. We kinda did this to ourselves when we leapt for the brass ring with Chip? And that was a good thing: no risk, no gain. In this current climate of seeking safe port, we don’t want to lose sight of candidates outside our comfort zone who might be better choices than someone who will love and save us. Risk is still part of the game plan, like it or not. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctuniol No. 28 Share Posted December 6, 2021 I think the problem is, when you have a coach, talk about loyalty, how much they want to be there, they are all Go Ducks, we are all in, then jump ship that is the meaning behind the loyalty. It is about the face of it not being truthful. If Cristobol came out and said yes Oregon is working on things, and yes Miami came calling and I am considering both, it is more honest than what we continue to get at Oregon and the coaches. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Eric Boles No. 29 Share Posted December 6, 2021 Absolutely agree! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall Lucky No. 30 Share Posted December 6, 2021 “. Risk is still part of the game plan, like it or not.” ...true this. Couple thoughts: Brooks turned the corner for the Ducks, but Bellottii established the brand. What’s worse than watching a Cristobal era Duck offense?...watching a Brooks era offense. But Brooks righted a ship that had foundered since Len Casinova (Before my time). Random thought: A coach with Cristobal’s W/L record..... Helfrich Cristobal laid an excellent foundation for his successor. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
