What is THAT SOUND Coming from Seattle, Corvallis and Los Angeles?

[Charles Fischer]

Yep...I can hear the gnashing of teeth all the way in Eugene.  Did I hear a "damn those Ducks!" among that gnashing?

 

     When you try to keep up with Oregon...

[The Kamikaze Kid]

That gloating smile on USC's face just developed a nervous tick.

[30Duck]

So, I'm thinking that Gameday will be at the Oregon-Georgia game

 

[Ducktail]

Still need to see who the Ducks hire for OC and position coaches.

[David Marsh]

On 12/11/2021 at 3:45 PM, The Kamikaze Kid said:

That gloating smile on USC's face just developed a nervous tick.

Lanning does kinda counter Riley ... Riley's offense had to contend with at least one good defense in the conference now. 

 

Also Oregon had a better roster of players right now too. 

[Haywarduck]

On 12/11/2021 at 3:48 PM, Ducktail said:

Still need to see who the Ducks hire for OC and position coaches.

One day at a time. I have no doubt that is in the works. I look forward to hearing who his dream OC would be, because I imagine that will be who it is!

[HappyToBeADuck]

This hire has all the makings of a step up...... Yes..

 

The high flying, high scoring SEC teams barely put up a whimper against Lannings defense.

 

Better players, probably. Coached up better, probably.  Now that probably is the HC of the Oregon Ducks.

 

I can tell all of you from listening to Seattle's sports talk and my little puppy friends that they were gloating over Oregons demise..

 

Smiles and smirks no more......

 

See you on the field next fall.

[1Funduck]

Not worried about Coordinators at this point. Lanning has some time to get the right guys. Getting Lanning was the Key. Now the recruits will start to flow in. 

[Ducktail]

On 12/11/2021 at 3:52 PM, Haywarduck said:

One day at a time. I have no doubt that is in the works. I look forward to hearing who his dream OC would be, because I imagine that will be who it is!

I wanted Lanning for HC. Our CFP hopes rest heavily on the ability to generate interior pressure.

 

They also rest heavily on QB play and a downfield passing game and being able to avoid 3 and outs. This OC hire is critical. 

[DCDuckfan]

This is a great hire.  I expect many of the kids that decided they would wait to commit will follow through on their plans to go to Oregon.  I'm excited to see who the OC hire will be because if they get that right....this team is 2 years away from the playoffs.

[Darren Perkins]

That cat totally Coug'd it

[Haywarduck]

Not sure what it sounds like, but this is what it looks like......

 

 

 

 

[David Marsh]

On 12/11/2021 at 3:57 PM, Ducktail said:

They also rest heavily on QB play and a downfield passing game and being able to avoid 3 and outs. This OC hire is critical. 

And a QB that can throw more than 3 yards down the field when it is 3rd and 8... That would help too.

[Bruce3404]

Having just watched Georgia cough up 41 points and 536 yards to Alabama last weekend, I’m not quite ready to jump on the bandwagon, while acknowledging that one game doesn’t define an otherwise great season.  Also, this is the exact kind of hire who might be inclined to bolt after a few years.  At least his tiny D2 alma mater won’t be in the running, but his roots are in the Midwest.  The immediate  hiring of a name OC will be essential to keeping the current roster and recruiting classes largely intact.

[CalBear95]

I freakin' love this hire.  I mean love it to the point I am fired up about next season more than I've been in lord knows how many years.

 

First, I want to acknowledge that this hire is certainly not without risk.  I'll avoid the trite 'everything has risk' comment because it is as insighful and informative as pointing out the water is wet.  I think the CBS reporter highlighted this well when he pointed out 'say what you will about him as a head coach, Muschamp has been a successful DC wherever he has gone" (or basically said that...I'm paraphrasing here as I am just too disinterested in getting the details right when the sentiment is correct...I believe this is also known and the Law of Diminishing Returns.  But I ramble and digress...)

 

The risk is he could be either a Muschamp or an Aranda or Tucker.  We won't know for probably 2+ years.  But I want to acknowledge this so those who are disappointed, nervous, or anywhere in between, know thier criticism is both heard and - at least by me FWIW - seen as entirely valid.

 

But I don't think there was any other risk/reward hire to be made given when MC left.  Kelly has...baggage.  But even settng that aside, there is enough of a body of work, that we can reasonably conclude he has either reached or, at best, nearing his peak (i.e., low upside).  Wilcox doesn't strike me as a coach with high potential upside either.  While I am very willing to bet he can reach higher heights than Kelly (relatively speaking), I don't feel his track record justifies the risk/reward ratio (and what is not often noted is that Oregon can very easily slide back into a middling program so the downside risk of getting a 'safe' choice isn't de minimis either).

 

MC did one great thing for the program: he showed it was possible to recruit at a high level.  And in doing that, he showed a new path open to the Ducks. 

 

But I am actually quite glad to see MC go.  Yes, the timing was terrible and it certainly opened old wounds from the affaire de Taggert but I if forced to do so, I would short his future.  That may prove wrong but there were a number of issues suggesting he may ultimately be a middle of the road talent who can recruit at an elite level (coaching and talent development being two major areas where he was meh or worse).  I wish him no ill nor hold any malice in my formation of this opinion.  It is simply a read based on the sample size of his tenure at Oregon.

 

Lanning has a lot of signals suggesting this is not as much of a gamble as others perceive it to be.  Again, betting on whether a coordinator has what it takes to be a head coach carries more risk than turning to someone with a track record in that role.  But given there we no real proven assets with this experience, this is what I would have done as well, were I Mullens (hire a very promising, hot O/DC talent)

 

First, he has consistently overperformed at every level of the football ranks.  And often his title was not indiciative of the broader role he actually played. 

 

Second, he has been mentored by incredibly elite systems in which the HC let's his assistants do their job (Saban runs his program wth an iron fist but that in no way should be read as overly controlling.  His hiring and deference to Kiffin is a perfect example of him hiring elite coaches and remembering why he did so).  There is no guarnatee Lanning has internalized this style or, maybe more to the point, he has yet to be in a high stakes position that requires him to execute it.  There are many stories of first time managers that struggle with not being micromanagers.  But having been taught and experienced the value of those systems, it would be reasonable to believe he will run his program that same way.

 

Third, recruiting and in a conference that is ruthlessly competitive in that endeavor but keenly aware it is the lifeblood of the program.

 

Fourth, he seemingly knows how to develop talent.  This is where I think MC really fell short.  It is great to recruit great talent.  But the level of skill and development cannot be stagnant.

 

Time will tell.  But risk had to be taken and I think this decision reflects a very thorough and thoughtful assessment of the downside and how great the upside.  If he can do the job, trust me, he is going nowhere.  I just hope we get a definitive enough read in a short time frame to know to lock him up before ever giving him a chance to be poached (for the record, I thought MC deserved a raise to see if he would prove to be worth a more lucrative contract than he was on but the amount of money Miami tossed at him was utterly unjustifiable from Oregon's current position (Miami probably less so)).

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by CalBear95

[Warrenton]

On 12/11/2021 at 4:42 PM, Charles Fischer said:

Yep...I can hear the gnashing of teeth all the way in Eugene.  Did I hear a "damn those Ducks!" among that gnashing?

 

     When you try to keep up with Oregon...

Are you sure anyone's worried about a guy most people have never heard of with little head coaching experience? I don't know....

[jrw]

"We're a forward-looking operation". My favorite Chip quote of all time.

 

Now, Oregon is again forward looking, for better or worse.

 

Bold hire, gotta give it props.

[NotThatFan]

Looks like a good hire.  But it would be a little scary if fans weren't happy the day of the hire and didn't emphasize his clear positives.  I expect Lanning to win the introductory press conference, too.  We'll see how things go when the games start.  I expect Riley to do quite well. We'll see about DeBoer.  Smith is hampered by talent, but will probably do more with less than others.

[Charles Fischer]

On 12/11/2021 at 5:23 PM, CalBear95 said:

I freakin' love this hire.  I mean love it to the point I am fired up about next season more than I've been in lord knows how many years.

 

Amen.  Me too!  What a fun offseason this is going to be!  And for people who like to ponder, (as we do on this site) there are so many subjects and tangents.  Great fun coming!

[David Marsh]

On 12/11/2021 at 5:27 PM, jrw said:

"We're a forward-looking operation". My favorite Chip quote of all time.

 

Now, Oregon is again forward looking, for better or worse.

 

Bold hire, gotta give it props.

Especially in NOT hiring Kelly back. 

 

If Kelly was a truly successful coach after Oregon he wouldn't be interested in coming back to Oregon. So time for a new face for a new chapter in Oregon football history.

[EzDucksIt]

On 12/11/2021 at 5:23 PM, CalBear95 said:

I freakin' love this hire.  I mean love it to the point I am fired up about next season more than I've been in lord knows how many years.

 

First, I want to acknowledge that this hire is certainly not without risk.  I'll avoid the trite 'everything has risk' comment because it is as insighful and informative as pointing out the water is wet.  I think the CBS reporter highlighted this well when he pointed out 'say what you will about him as a head coach, Muschamp has been a successful DC wherever he has gone" (or basically said that...I'm paraphrasing here as I am just too disinterested in getting the details right when the sentiment is correct...I believe this is also known and the Law of Diminishing Returns.  But I ramble and digress...)

 

The risk is he could be either a Muschamp or an Aranda or Tucker.  We won't know for probably 2+ years.  But I want to acknowledge this so those who are disappointed, nervous, or anywhere in between, know thier criticism is both heard and - at least by me FWIW - seen as entirely valid.

 

But I don't think there was any other risk/reward hire to be made given when MC left.  Kelly has...baggage.  But even settng that aside, there is enough of a body of work, that we can reasonably conclude he has either reached or, at best, nearing his peak (i.e., low upside).  Wilcox doesn't strike me as a coach with high potential upside either.  While I am very willing to bet he can reach higher heights than Kelly (relatively speaking), I don't feel his track record justifies the risk/reward ratio (and what is not often noted is that Oregon can very easily slide back into a middling program so the downside risk of getting a 'safe' choice isn't de minimis either).

 

MC did one great thing for the program: he showed it was possible to recruit at a high level.  And in doing that, he showed a new path open to the Ducks. 

 

But I am actually quite glad to see MC go.  Yes, the timing was terrible and it certainly opened old wounds from the affaire de Taggert but I if forced to do so, I would short his future.  That may prove wrong but there were a number of issues suggesting he may ultimately be a middle of the road talent who can recruit at an elite level (coaching and talent development being two major areas where he was meh or worse).  I wish him no ill nor hold any malice in my formation of this opinion.  It is simply a read based on the sample size of his tenure at Oregon.

 

Lanning has a lot of signals suggesting this is not as much of a gamble as others perceive it to be.  Again, betting on whether a coordinator has what it takes to be a head coach carries more risk than turning to someone with a track record in that role.  But given there we no real proven assets with this experience, this is what I would have done as well, were I Mullens (hire a very promising, hot O/DC talent)

 

First, he has consistently overperformed at every level of the football ranks.  And often his title was not indiciative of the broader role he actually played. 

 

Second, he has been mentored by incredibly elite systems in which the HC let's his assistants do their job (Saban runs his program wth an iron fist but that in no way should be read as overly controlling.  His hiring and deference to Kiffin is a perfect example of him hiring elite coaches and remembering why he did so).  There is no guarnatee Lanning has internalized this style or, maybe more to the point, he has yet to be in a high stakes position that requires him to execute it.  There are many stories of first time managers that struggle with not being micromanagers.  But having been taught and experienced the value of those systems, it would be reasonable to believe he will run his program that same way.

 

Third, recruiting and in a conference that is ruthlessly competitive in that endeavor but keenly aware it is the lifeblood of the program.

 

Fourth, he seemingly knows how to develop talent.  This is where I think MC really fell short.  It is great to recruit great talent.  But the level of skill and development cannot be stagnant.

 

Time will tell.  But risk had to be taken and I think this decision reflects a very thorough and thoughtful assessment of the downside and how great the upside.  If he can do the job, trust me, he is going nowhere.  I just hope we get a definitive enough read in a short time frame to know to lock him up before ever giving him a chance to be poached (for the record, I thought MC deserved a raise to see if he would prove to be worth a more lucrative contract than he was on but the amount of money Miami tossed at him was utterly unjustifiable from Oregon's current position (Miami probably less so)).

 

WOW, you NAILED IT!  I was shaking my HEAD YES, Yes and Y E S !  I really gathered, your belief in him as a GOOD Leader that lets his people DO what they know how to do as long as it is in line with the Goals of the Team.  I too, hope he is a good CEO of the the People he puts in place below him, better than Mario did.  Bring in talent, make the talent better, let the talent grow.  Let us hope Oregon has made a great judgement, in this mans abilities, the School, the students and the fans deserve it.  Go Ducks.