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Charles Fischer

Duck Fan Frustration: NOW we See the Deep Ball?

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"Where the hell has that been all season?!?!?"  Amen, but we did get to see tons of passes thrown behind receivers on crossing patterns such as the first interception!  Nice to see an Op-Ed from Ducks Wire for us to discuss...

 

Opinion: Oregon’s Delayed Willingness to Throw the Deep Ball Brings Frustration for the Ducks' Fanbase by Zachary Neel of Ducks Wire

 

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Mr. FishDuck

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Did anyone else notice the (former) Oregon coaches in the booth dancing and laughing during the second half?

It almost looked like a celebration of relief at having the shackles removed 

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And there would’ve been another long TD pass if Franklin didn’t lose one in the roof/lights. 

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110% the blame goes to Mario. 

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On 12/30/2021 at 2:26 PM, Darren Perkins said:

110% the blame goes to Mario. 

 

Where's it been? Right alongside the pre-Kiffin Alabama Playbook. You know, the Playbook Mario remembers but the one that Saint Nick and time forgot.

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Okay, here goes. I hate to be that old guy who's El Groucho, but...

 

After reading that article--thanks for posting, Charles--I've gotta vent a bit. I agree with Neel in the feeling that the deep ball was there last night as a result of somebody else being absent. (Hint: his initials are M.C.) In addition--although I have no data to back me up--it seemed to me that the offensive play calls, and subsequent snaps, came in more quickly than in past games. While we can all acknowledge that the rapid-fire offenses of Chip from 10 years ago are no longer the weapon they once were, I'd argue that the extremely slow use of the play clock on just about every play under MC's leadership robbed the Ducks' offense of "flow" and, oftentimes, momentum.

 

Now, a different point about what we saw last night. For much of the year, the primary criticism I've read about QB Brown has been his accuracy on long throws. I would argue that his primary shortcomings lie in several other areas that are interconnected. Addressing the long ball, yes, he missed on numerous long throws early in the season. Realistically, though, long throws are completed BY EVERYBODY at the lowest percentage of all throws. And, I think a factor in Brown's long-ball inaccuracy with the infrequency Moorhead/Cristobal included those plays in the playbook.

 

The "shortcomings" I've been most concerned about are 1) his accuracy on short passes, and 2) his throwing motion. Throughout the season, Brown has been woefully inaccurate on crossing routes run 10-15 yards downfield. Last night, we saw several of these, including the interception that Andre Ware seemed to blame on Thornton. From what I saw, the ball was poorly thrown whereby Thornton had to reach for it. Brown has also missed badly at various times this season on short passes behind the line of scrimmage to wide receivers, tight ends and backs. These are the kind of passes that are usually simple flip passes for most quarterbacks. In both of these types of passes that Brown struggles with, I think his throwing motion is largely to blame. A.B. has a strong arm, but has a long windup before he throws. Virtually every top quarterback has not only a strong arm but a quick throwing release; Brown's release affects his accuracy.

 

In addition, his footwork and pocket awareness aren't very good, either. But, I'll say it again: once he gets out of the pocket and decides to run, he's a damned effective runner.

 

Having said all that, I watched that game AGAIN in frustration, waiting for the coach to put Thompson into the game for several series. At the start of the second half, the announcers even "teased" the idea that we would likely see Thompson play some in the second half. And, of course, if questioned, I'm sure McClendon would say that he kept Brown in the game because the Ducks had a chance to win the game with a comeback. No, they didn't. OU drove the ball down the field relentlessly, and only punted twice during the game, sandwiched around 8 consecutive scoring drives.

 

Watching Stoops coach with a free-and-easy demeanor on the OU sideline, I wish Mullins would have done what the OU AD did. When Mike Bellotti offered to step in as the "honorary" head coach of the Ducks for this game, he should have said "yes." I'm betting Bellotti would have stuck Thompson in for a few series after that 30-3 halftime deficit.

 

Oh, well.  On to next year.  It'll be interesting to see which kids--if any--choose to enter the transfer portal in the coming weeks.

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Yes he can throw a straight away lob ball into the end zone. But that's not enough. If Mario was thinking about Miami no wonder he didn't take any chances.

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On 12/30/2021 at 1:07 PM, Track67 said:

f Mario was thinking about Miami no wonder he didn't take any chances.

 

Except, look what happened against Utah, 76-17. Miami wanted Mario, didn't care what his record was. 

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Woody Hayes: 3 things can happen when you throw the ball and two of them are bad. Woody, say hello to Mario.

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On 12/30/2021 at 11:51 AM, WiseKwacker said:

it seemed to me that the offensive play calls, and subsequent snaps, came in more quickly than in past games.

Oregon definitely played with a bit more tempo. The play was called and executed...

 

A whole lot less time of players set... Clock winds down to about 10 seconds... New play call... Change play... Snap the ball inside 5 seconds. 

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On 12/30/2021 at 2:13 PM, woundedknees said:

Did anyone else notice the (former) Oregon coaches in the booth dancing and laughing during the second half?

It almost looked like a celebration of relief at having the shackles removed 

I commented on the game thread last night when they showed the coaches smiling and joking, that one of the coaches even was holding his hands together as thought they were being cuffed or uncuffed.  I had a strong feeling they were celebrating having the cuffs (MC) no longer holding them back.  

 

MC leaving probably saved this program a significant setback over the next couple years.  Have fun with what's coming your way Miami.

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