Charles Fischer Administrator No. 1 Share Posted January 17, 2021 I know the feeling. Heck we all know the feeling as most have it a little, if not a lot. You love your Ducks, as you love reading about the progress of the program and all the little details with recruiting because you are a big Oregon fan (why else would you be reading this?). Yet that performance in the ... Read the full article here... Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDucksFan No. 2 Share Posted January 17, 2021 I'm a fan of "all things Ducks" but I have to have it realistic. I am not a fan of the "we are going to win the National Championship" even when we have a young team dilemma, still have a QB dilemma, have an offensive play calling dilemma, and a defensive coach dilemma. No all those things don't add up to being realistic about our National Championship chances. I am a fan of, lets get some experience for our young team, lets do a better job of coaching up our QB's in the house, lets decide who should really be running the offense and lets get an even better defense coach, type of fan. All in all, I don't have all the answers and want to hear another view. I won't always agree with it but want to hear it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Moderator No. 3 Share Posted January 17, 2021 There are absolutely a lot of different types of fans, and Oregon has all of them. A lot of them were attracted by the uniforms and the buzz. They don't know the difference between a blitz and a screen pass, they're first in line for new gear. Don't ask them how the Ducks did in 3rd down conversions, they couldn't care less. A couple of years back, a friend asked me, "who are the Ducks playing next week?" I didn't understand what he was asking. I thought he was a fan and he didn't even know the schedule? But come Saturday, there he was sitting across from me watching the game, and after the Ducks won, he could not have been happier, and I was sure he'd be there next week, even if he didn't know who the Ducks were playing. It's a lot different being a Duck fan now than it was 50, even 30, years ago. Back then it was great if the Ducks just won. We didn't worry. The season was fun, and the Ducks were our guys! It's totally different now. Last season was a mess, capped by the Fiesta Bowl that we all just want to forget, move over Alamo Bowl. But together we'll get through it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notalot No. 4 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Adjust. Chill. Observe. Hope. Repeat. A better day is coming. I hope the Ducks reach the Promised Land before Phil and Penny do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudslide No. 5 Share Posted January 17, 2021 "There is an Eeyore type of fan that uses the forum as a place to vent. But this isn’t a therapist’s couch; go vent your anger about the Ducks somewhere else please! I have learned about the different forms of negative writing as some don’t go dark in their rantings and aren’t actually venting from anger but from an “I-told-you-so” continuous reminder. This firehose of negativity is equally off-putting to me." I think there is a mighty thin dividing line between critiquing the team and criticizing it. The dangerous bridge over those waters may be the constant and frequent irritation some fans feel for the pistol offense being used by the team. One could read here a lot of negativity and sneering at MC in particular for his choice in the matter. BUT...to me that means the fans are really into the team and pulling for better. Still, care needs to be taken with describing frustration over the offensive approach. I have suffered 4 heart attacks and survived Stage IV cancer. Perhaps you won't understand the depth of the following, but...each game I get to see...each season I get to enjoy, is rare, limited in number, and appreciated beyond belief, no matter the outcome. Sure, I want to Ducks to win in all sports, and am elated when that happens. But win or lose, I find it to be wonderful to have the experience of and appreciation for watching those young guys fight through years of effort, pain, and trial to bring the joy of sports to us all. 2 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrw Moderator No. 6 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Excellent article, Charles. I hope that, on average, I am a critical analysis fan. The problem is that one day I feel like a suck-up to the coaches, the next day a troll, the day after that a sunshine pumper, and the following day a dark pessimist. And, on the other days, I vow not to even think about the Ducks. Does that make me crazy, or just a typical fan? Given the recent ups and downs of the program, I'd like to think the latter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Author Administrator No. 7 Share Posted January 17, 2021 1 hour ago, jrw said: Does that make me crazy, or just a typical fan? Amen Duck-Brother. Please watch this very short video I created nine years ago about winning the first Rose Bowl in...umpteen years. It is less than a minute and I think describes what we all feel sometimes. In fact it took several takes of simply reading the script aloud, because the first three or so times....I got emotional and could not finish. Here it is....I am Oregon. Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishIceCream No. 8 Share Posted January 17, 2021 This made me almost snort coffee out my nose: "and even in my youth a flat-out Troll. (How else would I know so much about Trolls?)" Good job, Mr. FishDuck! You could have been responsible for a ruined keyboard! But, of course, I think if anyone says they have never engaged in troll-like activity, about some topic, at some point in his or her life from birth until now, they are probably suppressing bad memories! As I've said before in my short time on the site, I am one who did sit through the Toilet Bowl, and many more bad experiences. It's not because of any great moral virtue; I was born to Duck fanatics, who took me to the games, and instilled in me a lifelong passion for the school's athletics, even though I am in fact a Viking alum. I remember sitting in Autzen on the NE quadrant well before the game started in '86 and watching the Arizona State team warm up. We were right above the linemen, and they looked huge - and in the game they played like they were huge. The Ducks played well, but they just seemed over-matched on the line. When push came to shove, our Ducks got run over. Even back then, I could still be a (growing) lifelong fan, but also make that simplistic critical analysis. So, I guess I'd say it's important to be a fan and stick with it. But, it's also fine to give your honest critical analysis. Sometimes (as in the ASU game I mentioned) there is nothing you can do about it. We just didn't have the big players to match up that year. Other times, it might be more of a coaching or scheme issue, and it's fine for fans to point that out. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Author Administrator No. 9 Share Posted January 17, 2021 I was at that Toilet Bowl game as well, and was sitting with a buddy who was an OSU alum and we both left unhappy! Fun post, and thanks FIC. 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishIceCream No. 10 Share Posted January 17, 2021 9 minutes ago, Charles Fischer said: I was at that Toilet Bowl game as well, and was sitting with a buddy who was an OSU alum and we both left unhappy! Fun post, and thanks FIC. I was a few years younger and sitting with my parents. The only things I remember are 1. I felt really, really cold by the end, 2. A couple drunk guys got in a fight one section over, and 3. nothing memorable happened in the game. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santa Rosa Duck No. 11 Share Posted January 17, 2021 After the Fiesta Bowl, I was disgusted with our DUCKS, our execution and our coaching. Then I rationalized that judging our DUCKS in this shortened, screwed up season was not going to make me miserable all winter/spring. I am one who is looking forward to the 2021 season. Hopefully with Covid 19 largely in the rear view mirror and our rear ends seated in Autzen. Charles, thank you for your one minute video. We all come at this from different angles. I am an Oregon grad and can be close to rabid in my emotions. My wife on the other hand is only exposed to Oregon through her marriage to me. She is the "artist" and really does not care much about football......until she is in the stands at Autzen with me and then she is the loudest screaming person for our DUCKS that exists. GO DUCKS! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Moderator No. 12 Share Posted January 17, 2021 1 hour ago, Santa Rosa Duck said: She is the "artist" and really does not care much about football......until she is in the stands at Autzen with me and then she is the loudest screaming person for our DUCKS that exists. GO DUCKS! An Artist needs to release their passion! Thanks to your wife for doing so at Autzen, Lloyd Carr must have heard her when his Michigan team played at Autzen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptdduck No. 13 Share Posted January 17, 2021 (edited) Good article, Charles. I try to be a realistic fan, although that's a contradiction at times. It's hard to separate my enthusiasm for Oregon sports from the actual play on the field. It's perfectly fine to be critical of the coaching staff and strategy. Given the obscene amounts of money coaches are getting paid, we should be critical of them. It's also OK to criticize players for their play on the field but one needs to be careful doing so. The players are not getting paid and they're just young men. Often our expectations of them are way too high. Edited January 17, 2021 by ptdduck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Author Administrator No. 14 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Yep. Our rules state that we can be critical of coaches and players for decisions and performance, but we cannot get personal. In the rules as No. 26 is where I state it... Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tee duke No. 15 Share Posted January 18, 2021 10 hours ago, Mudslide said: I have suffered 4 heart attacks and survived Stage IV cancer. Perhaps you won't understand the depth of the following, but...each game I get to see...each season I get to enjoy, is rare, limited in number, and appreciated beyond belief, no matter the outcome. Sure, I want to Ducks to win in all sports, and am elated when that happens. But win or lose, I find it to be wonderful to have the experience of and appreciation for watching those young guys fight through years of effort, pain, and trial to bring the joy of sports to us all. Amen, brother. I can relate. Each year, when Autumn is in the air and football returns, I find myself renewed in a Forever Young sort of way. Watching these young athletes compete, seeing their exuberance, their innocence, is exhilarating, renewing. It brings back wonderful memories while creating new ones to celebrate and enjoy. I like to think of them as role models, not for their endless array of uniform combinations, but for how they perform and how they carry themselves whether in victory or in defeat. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
