Haywarduck Moderator No. 1 Share Posted December 23, 2021 It has been gone over many times what was Mario's kryptonite. Number one was game management. This became evident early on. The offensive deficiencies which were becoming evident, could always be played off as just needing more time, his guys, the right qb. In the end it was obvious Mario is an amazing coach, but his kryptonite was too strong and plentiful to really get a team over the hump. Helfrich's kryptonite was blindingly evident too. He couldn't lead a team or recruit. The program was destined to continue to go down hill, and it came to an end. There was another coach whose kryptonite was so multifaceted I won't even go into it. Chip's kryptonite, was sadly, really just his aloofness. Not about football, but many of the things a coach needs to do to be successful. He didn't recruit well, manage alumni, or really know how to put or keep together a staff. He was another one of our greats, but his time was, also destined to come to an end at Oregon. This brings us to Lanning. It will be interesting to see what his Kryptonite is. Youthful mistakes may slow him down, but I wonder if he has a flaw which will hold him back. I tend to think he will have too many strengths which will mask any kryptonite flaws. In the end we all have flaws and it is all about how we work through them, problem solve. I tend to think his youthfulness and curiosity will allow him to reach even higher than any coach we have had. There will be kryptonite moments, but I think Lanning will be able to put them into a box and not allow it to be his downfall. At least that is my hope! 1 7 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck No. 2 Share Posted December 23, 2021 Spot on analysis of those coaches. I tried to think of what would have been Bellotti's, and I couldn't come up with one. He moved over to let the Kelly train start, who knows if we hadn't got to the top and maybe stayed, if Bellotti had stuck around? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Duck No. 3 Share Posted December 23, 2021 On 12/23/2021 at 2:13 PM, Haywarduck said: It has been gone over many times what was Mario's kryptonite. Number one was game management. This became evident early on. The offensive deficiencies which were becoming evident, could always be played off as just needing more time, his guys, the right qb. In the end it was obvious Mario is an amazing coach, but his kryptonite was too strong and plentiful to really get a team over the hump. Helfrich's kryptonite was blindingly evident too. He couldn't lead a team or recruit. The program was destined to continue to go down hill, and it came to an end. There was another coach whose kryptonite was so multifaceted I won't even go into it. Chip's kryptonite, was sadly, really just his aloofness. Not about football, but many of the things a coach needs to do to be successful. He didn't recruit well, manage alumni, or really know how to put or keep together a staff. He was another one of our greats, but his time was, also destined to come to an end at Oregon. This brings us to Lanning. It will be interesting to see what his Kryptonite is. Youthful mistakes may slow him down, but I wonder if he has a flaw which will hold him back. I tend to think he will have too many strengths which will mask any kryptonite flaws. In the end we all have flaws and it is all about how we work through them, problem solve. I tend to think his youthfulness and curiosity will allow him to reach even higher than any coach we have had. There will be kryptonite moments, but I think Lanning will be able to put them into a box and not allow it to be his downfall. At least that is my hope! Re MC: "Number one was game management. This became evident early on..." Early on, absolutely. As in the first play he called at Oregon was in that Las Vegas Bowl --- and it was a time out BEFORE the game ever started. I'll never forget that. I've never seen that happen before, and doubt I ever will again. Regarding Chip's "aloofness," l'd gladly roll with that everyday of the week, and twice on Sunday -- in exchange for that 87% winning record, 4 straight BCS bowls, and 1 NC game. Lanning? Well, hopefully he is wise and courageous enough at his young age to recognize and admit to himself what areas he is not gifted in -- and then bring in trusted people around him who will shore up those so-called weaknesses. To me, the ability for a leader to understand and embrace one's strengths, but especially their weaknesses, is arguably the greatest sign and strength of a successful leader. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haywarduck Author Moderator No. 4 Share Posted December 23, 2021 On 12/23/2021 at 2:11 PM, Desert Duck said: To me, the ability for a leader to understand and embrace one's strengths, but especially their weaknesses, is arguably the greatest sign and strength of a successful leader. Isn't that the truth! Too often an experience or a way of thinking glosses over a weakness, and it is never addressed. Either that or their strength becomes a shield to facing the reality of a weakness. I think youth can sometimes allow for really facing a weakness, and not being afraid to look at things with a critical eye. I hope that is Lanning's super power, because he is going to need some super powers. I can tell you his shtick resonates with me, in a much more sincere way than the previous two coaches, some more truth! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDuck No. 5 Share Posted December 23, 2021 On 12/23/2021 at 2:11 PM, Desert Duck said: Regarding Chip's "aloofness," l'd gladly roll with that everyday of the week, and twice on Sunday -- in exchange for that 87% winning record, 4 straight BCS bowls, and 1 NC game. A topic for discussion is how much of that 87% winning record was Chip and how much was a very capable and loyal staff of assistant coaches. To me Chip gets credit for the concept but the real hero's were the assistants primarily assembled by Mike Bellotti. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck No. 6 Share Posted December 23, 2021 On 12/23/2021 at 2:11 PM, Desert Duck said: To me, the ability for a leader to understand and embrace one's strengths, but especially their weaknesses, is arguably the greatest sign and strength of a successful leader. This is where I think Kelly's problem is. All credit to him, he revolutionized football, and his winning % is unquestioned. But, was he a great coach? He didn't care a bit about his weaknesses. The biggest was recruiting, and when he tried to address that, well, it backfired. It actually is the case that Chip used Oregon as a stepping stone to what he wanted, the NFL. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Duck No. 7 Share Posted December 23, 2021 No doubt that Chip had/has his weaknesses -- and they were on display for all of us to see. But I also know that when Chip was deep into his 3rd year as head coach, for the first time in her life my friend's sister had held season tickets for those 3 years, and had been to every home game -- and had never witnessed them lose. As a kid whose first game was in 1973, it took a moment for that to compute. I looked at my friend and said something like, "We need to enjoy every second of this ride, because we may likely never witness anything like this again." Chip made magic happen for a small window in time, which I will forever be grateful for... flaws, weaknesses, and all. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Duck No. 8 Share Posted December 23, 2021 (edited) On 12/23/2021 at 3:22 PM, McDuck said: A topic for discussion is how much of that 87% winning record was Chip and how much was a very capable and loyal staff of assistant coaches. To me Chip gets credit for the concept but the real hero's were the assistants primarily assembled by Mike Bellotti. We all recognize and appreciate that it takes a village, but there's only one head coach. I doubt anybody does not give credit for the coaches and the system that had been handed off to Chip. Chip stepped into the right situation, at the perfect time and place. But Chip still drove the ship. And he absolutely changed and revolutionized the game of football. I don't know of anyone else who would have had the courage, or the ability, to pull that off. Is he a great head coach? Apparently not. However, what I do know is that from 2009 - 2012, he was a hell of a coach at Oregon, and I hope that anyone who witnessed it at the time, also appreciated it in the moment. Edited December 23, 2021 by Desert Duck 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haywarduck Author Moderator No. 9 Share Posted December 23, 2021 On 12/23/2021 at 2:24 PM, 30Duck said: This is where I think Kelly's problem is. All credit to him, he revolutionized football, and his winning % is unquestioned. But, was he a great coach? He didn't care a bit about his weaknesses. The biggest was recruiting, and when he tried to address that, well, it backfired. It actually is the case that Chip used Oregon as a stepping stone to what he wanted, the NFL. I think Chip was destined to define the Peter principle. Anyone who is as cocksure, arrogant and self assured was going to end up underperforming. I also agree he was magic in a bottle we had the privilege to see. I would add Bellotti was the one who let the magic out. He could've stayed and never let it happen at Oregon. Another item we should appreciate about Bellotti, maybe he is worth that PERS payment! Curiosity is the secret sauce often missing from an older coach, and something Saban looked like he lacked. Saban ended up surprising many with his ability to shift, and embrace something Cristobal, undoubtedly won't ever be able too. You have to be able to be critical, accept criticism and adapt. Cristobal can't accept criticism, really think critically or adapt. He wants what was, and fortunately his alma mater also wants that, and think he will bring them there. Sorry for the Cristobal rants, but I don't think many really see who he really is, an elite recruiter with weaknesses as wide as the Mississippi is at its' mouth. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck No. 10 Share Posted December 23, 2021 On 12/23/2021 at 2:53 PM, Haywarduck said: but I don't think many really see who he really is, Well, Captain Cane is getting an eye test every time he visits. He'll find out that we aren't hiding anything in our discussions on Mario. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck 1972 No. 11 Share Posted December 23, 2021 Belotti had his team so jazzed up from the start. The ducks would jump on someone in the 1st half have nothing left in the 2nd and hang on dear life. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck No. 12 Share Posted December 23, 2021 On 12/23/2021 at 3:05 PM, Duck 1972 said: Belotti had his team so jazzed up from the start I have the 2007 Oregon team, before Dixon went down as the best Ducks football team, Dixon had the Heisman, and nobody was coming close to beating that team. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
toketeeman No. 13 Share Posted December 23, 2021 My biggest hope for Lanning: being a young smart man who can learn from mistakes and adapt quickly accordingly. That quality would be the biggest coaching improvement at Oregon in a very long time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 14 Share Posted December 23, 2021 On 12/23/2021 at 4:13 PM, Haywarduck said: It has been gone over many times what was Mario's kryptonite. Number one was game management. This became evident early on. The offensive deficiencies which were becoming evident, could always be played off as just needing more time, his guys, the right qb. In the end it was obvious Mario is an amazing coach, but his kryptonite was too strong and plentiful to really get a team over the hump. Helfrich's kryptonite was blindingly evident too. He couldn't lead a team or recruit. The program was destined to continue to go down hill, and it came to an end. There was another coach whose kryptonite was so multifaceted I won't even go into it. Chip's kryptonite, was sadly, really just his aloofness. Not about football, but many of the things a coach needs to do to be successful. He didn't recruit well, manage alumni, or really know how to put or keep together a staff. He was another one of our greats, but his time was, also destined to come to an end at Oregon. This brings us to Lanning. It will be interesting to see what his Kryptonite is. Youthful mistakes may slow him down, but I wonder if he has a flaw which will hold him back. I tend to think he will have too many strengths which will mask any kryptonite flaws. In the end we all have flaws and it is all about how we work through them, problem solve. I tend to think his youthfulness and curiosity will allow him to reach even higher than any coach we have had. There will be kryptonite moments, but I think Lanning will be able to put them into a box and not allow it to be his downfall. At least that is my hope! Thank you, JO-EL. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Duck No. 15 Share Posted December 23, 2021 On 12/23/2021 at 4:08 PM, 30Duck said: I have the 2007 Oregon team, before Dixon went down as the best Ducks football team, Dixon had the Heisman, and nobody was coming close to beating that team. That @ Michigan 39-7 drubbing Oregon gave them was a game to remember, and watch again. Dixon was like Harry Houdini with a football in that game. I truly have never seen anything like it, and neither had the network camera-guys as they often couldn't find the ball either. For any Duck fan that would like to watch an old game for pure joy, this is one I'd definitely recommend putting on your list. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck No. 16 Share Posted December 23, 2021 On 12/23/2021 at 3:42 PM, Desert Duck said: For any Duck fan that would like to watch an old game for pure joy, this is one I'd definitely recommend putting on your list. Here are some highlights from that unforgettable game 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrw Moderator No. 17 Share Posted December 23, 2021 It's official on Tuioti Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck No. 18 Share Posted December 24, 2021 On 12/23/2021 at 3:32 PM, Jon Joseph said: Thank you, JO-EL. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 19 Share Posted December 24, 2021 Now if I could only put on my cape is this coffin-sized phone booth! BTW, does anyone have Ms. Lois Lane's phone number? Jimmy? As we learned in Back To School from Rodney, Brando ballooned up nicely. Must have something to do with gravity on Krypton vs Earth. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJacksPlaidPants Moderator No. 20 Share Posted December 24, 2021 On 12/23/2021 at 5:24 PM, 30Duck said: All credit to him, he revolutionized football, and his winning % is unquestioned. But, was he a great coach? I think Chip was a terrific leader and coach. Those were his biggest strengths. Of course, he wasn’t perfect, but he got things right most of the time. There were a few moments where his leadership really shined through. 1) The way he handled controversy within the team. He would give players the opportunity to correct themselves with punishment (Blount, Kiko, LMJ), but he was not afraid to let good players go if he felt they were a detriment (Masoli, Harris). Of course, it would never happen today because a player could just transfer. 2) The 2011 USC game. That team had every reason to lay down and take the beating that USC was dishing out. However, they fought back and darn near won the game. You always knew his teams would go hard for 4 quarters. Something we haven’t seen since. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
criticalduck No. 21 Share Posted December 24, 2021 On 12/23/2021 at 3:42 PM, Desert Duck said: For any Duck fan that would like to watch an old game for pure joy, this is one I'd definitely recommend putting on your list That team was amazing and it was Chip's first season at Oregon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
