Is Lanning Hinting, While Building Culture?

[Charles Fischer]

In the articles below posted from practice yesterday, Coach Lanning makes reference to "a season of growth," and how they need to have a "growers" mentality.  It is a cumbersome label, but he is trying to convince the players to do what he revealed about himself in the interview recently with Rob Moseley, where he had a goal for every practice and wanted to learn from each outing.

 

"We're in a period of growth looking for opportunity to make tomorrow and the day after that better than today," he said of his spring philosophy. "What can we get better at right now? Let's be learners and growers. Let's go out here and figure out what can I do better?... I challenged our players to come off the field and go find something you did wrong so you can make sure you don't do it wrong tomorrow or the next day. That was really our focus."

 

It makes me wonder if he is considering this just a "building" year, or a "grower" year as both sides of the ball become accustomed to the new schemes?  I think we have more-than-enough talent to make a run at the Pac-12 Championship and threaten Utah and USC, but we don't know what he is thinking.  Compared to Georgia....he might have shown up, taken a look and went, "wow--we have a ways to go."

 

                      Thoughts?  (Sorry guys, but you know I like to ponder!)

[30Duck]

I can appreciate a coach that understands a team breaking in a new coach, new coaching staff, new QB, new RB's, a talented but young D, still has a ways to go before being as good as the defending champion. But I have no doubt that he likes what he has at Oregon now and believes he will have them ready for every game on the schedule and is building a championship level team. 

[jrw]

Promise less, deliver more is never a bad strategy. But, it could also simply be a statement that there's always room for improvement, which is also a good way to look at things.

[kirklandduck]

It's a healthy and sensible philosophy, and it makes sense given the youth in the coaching staff.  Preaching learning and growth is something that seemed to be sorely lacking during Cristobal's tenure at Oregon.  

[Log Haulin]

  My thought was he was setting culture that builds on itself each day. As a man, it's not always assets that propel me to be great. More often it is confronted defects that move me further down the road.

 

  DL, imp, is setting this team up to get better as the season progresses. Most often it is the team that minimizes mistakes and defects that wins the game. Setting the foundation now.

 

  I think DL believes he can win it all next year. Why hire h8m if he didn't believe that. Ducks almost won a NC with less talent overall. Last second field goal.  I say go for it all now. 

[Jon Joseph]

On 3/11/2022 at 12:15 PM, 30Duck said:

I can appreciate a coach that understands a team breaking in a new coach, new coaching staff, new QB, new RB's, a talented but young D, still has a ways to go before being as good as the defending champion. But I have no doubt that he likes what he has at Oregon now and believes he will have them ready for every game on the schedule and is building a championship level team. 

Great take. But Charles is spot on regarding the guys on the field in Eugene compared to the guys on the field in Athens.

 

With all of the 'newness' and with the 2022 schedule I think Ducks fans may well have to exercise patience. However, being ready to play to the level of the Oregon roster and not down to the level of the opponent is something we should expect to see against every opponent.

[Jon Joseph]

On 3/11/2022 at 1:09 PM, Log Haulin said:

  My thought was he was setting culture that builds on itself each day. As a man, it's not always assets that propel me to be great. More often it is confronted defects that move me further down the road.

 

  DL, imp, is setting this team up to get better as the season progresses. Most often it is the team that minimizes mistakes and defects that wins the game. Setting the foundation now.

 

  I think DL believes he can win it all next year. Why hire h8m if he didn't believe that. Ducks almost won a NC with less talent overall. Last second field goal.  I say go for it all now. 

Love the enthusiasm. I think a Pac-12 title may be doable this season but a Natty, not so much. Definitely want to see the team improve as the season plays out, unlike what we saw in 2021. But 2 top 20 teams in the 1st 3 games is a big ask for a team with so many questions coming into 2022.

 

A number of coaches have won titles in their 2nd year. 2023 when the Ducks play at TX Tech instead of 'at' Georgia and play 4 and not 5 conference road games is the year I see as a possible final 4 season. But I don't expect Utah will go away and I do expect SC to be much improved under Riley.

 

 

[Duckhart]

No matter how much film he's watched or the hype around the players/team, he will get a real taste of just how talented the players and coaches are during the spring. Sure, it would be natural for him to compare what he's seen already to the bench mark of The Bulldog. And any new manage of whatever, needs to determine strengths and weakness's of what he has to work with, they implement an objective improvement plan for each player and the team as a whole. What gets measured, Gets Done. And if you don't know where you are going, you will, end up somewhere else.

[DUCati855]

On 3/11/2022 at 10:12 AM, Jon Joseph said:

 

With all of the 'newness' and with the 2022 schedule I think Ducks fans may well have to exercise patience. However, being ready to play to the level of the Oregon roster and not down to the level of the opponent is something we should expect to see against every opponent.

This sums up my thoughts very well. Coach Lanning understands the growth this team needs to make. He feels he can get them there eventually. But, it will take quite awhile to get everything ironed out and gelled together. This years schedule is brutal. Patience for players and fans will be a must.

[Steven A]

On 3/11/2022 at 8:56 AM, Charles Fischer said:

Compared to Georgia....he might have shown up, taken a look and went, "wow--we have a ways to go."

If he didn't, then he is delusional. 

 

My delusion is that we should win Pac 12 North with ease with the talent on defense alone.  Then Dillingham will have had enough time, a full season, to elevate the offense to win the Pac.  So, 11 -2 going into Rose Bowl.

[The Kamikaze Kid]

It sounds like he’s continuing the same philosophy he had at UGA. In interviews I saw of him there, he mentioned getting 1% better each day so that you’re at championship level by the end of the season.

 

Judging by his results, I’d say he knows how to get it done.

[Haywarduck]

What he is talking about is having a growth mindset. Carol Dweck really made this popular and highlighted its effect on outcomes within individuals and groups. A person can either have a fixed mindset, I am just good and can little effect on how good I can become. The other way to look at things is I can change my outcomes with hard work and attainable goals.

 

I think it is a brilliant move on his part to try and instill this on the team and players. This isn't innate in all people and sometimes even great talent may work hard, but don't realize how to become better. His emphasis on what did you do wrong and work toward changing it is a classic fixed verses growth mindset. The fixed mindset student athlete will just say I am not good at that, and work on what he is good at. The growth mindset student athlete looks toward what they struggle at as a challenge. 

 

The mindset of individuals is a fascinating area of study. A team full of players willing to look at their weaknesses and work on them is what makes great teams. It does speak to development of talent. You aren't just tougher than the next guy. You have to be willing to work at getting better, and that means working on weaknesses, something the elite athlete isn't always willing to do.

[Viking Duck]

On 3/11/2022 at 11:22 AM, Haywarduck said:

What he is talking about is having a growth mindset. Carol Dweck really made this popular and highlighted its effect on outcomes within individuals and groups. A person can either have a fixed mindset, I am just good and can little effect on how good I can become. The other way to look at things is I can change my outcomes with hard work and attainable goals.

 

I think it is a brilliant move on his part to try and instill this on the team and players. This isn't innate in all people and sometimes even great talent may work hard, but don't realize how to become better. His emphasis on what did you do wrong and work toward changing it is a classic fixed verses growth mindset. The fixed mindset student athlete will just say I am not good at that, and work on what he is good at. The growth mindset student athlete looks toward what they struggle at as a challenge. 

 

The mindset of individuals is a fascinating area of study. A team full of players willing to look at their weaknesses and work on them is what makes great teams. It does speak to development of talent. You aren't just tougher than the next guy. You have to be willing to work at getting better, and that means working on weaknesses, something the elite athlete isn't always willing to do.

Great take and I agree!

 

On a more simple level, as most of us have either been coached in some sport, or even coached others, we all know how these things go. Can you imagine a coach coming out after the first practice and telling the parents and fans "I told the players they are better than any competition they will face all year, so they just need to coast along and they will win the league championship."

 

Of course we can all laugh at that idea, and the reaction said coach would receive, particularly if the team did not go undefeated. I have a feeling his statement would have been the same whether he was given the UO job or the Portland State job

[Duck 1972]

But it's also called building culture. A culture that always puts growth as it's #1 objective is one of the better ones. Just like "Win the Day". 

 

You have to take it 1 day at a time. That's what we essentially have control over. No wasted energy on anything other than getting better than yesterday

 

 

This again feels like DL gets it and will be a better fit for the Ducks. Bravo

 

Go Ducks Fly High

[Charles Fischer]

On 3/11/2022 at 3:26 PM, Duck 1972 said:

But it's also called building culture. A culture that always puts growth as it's #1 objective is one of the better ones. Just like "Win the Day". 

 

You have to take it 1 day at a time. That's what we essentially have control over. No wasted energy on anything other than getting better than yesterday

 

 

This again feels like DL gets it and will be a better fit for the Ducks. Bravo

 

Go Ducks Fly High

I had my issues with Chip Kelly at times, but something I really loved was that motto, “Win the Day.” It really is true, and I think he helped players with that.

 

I sure like what I see of the new culture!

[Jon Joseph]

On 3/11/2022 at 6:26 PM, Duck 1972 said:

But it's also called building culture. A culture that always puts growth as it's #1 objective is one of the better ones. Just like "Win the Day". 

 

You have to take it 1 day at a time. That's what we essentially have control over. No wasted energy on anything other than getting better than yesterday

 

 

This again feels like DL gets it and will be a better fit for the Ducks. Bravo

 

Go Ducks Fly High

Make no mistake, I appreciate this comment. But cultures are very simply proved up on the field of play.

 

Frankly, I was one who did not get all of the love for Mario's culture that rarely showed up on the field of play. Your 'culture' is defined by Ws and Ls.

[Viking Duck]

On 3/11/2022 at 6:31 PM, Jon Joseph said:

Frankly, I was one who did not get all of the love for Mario's culture that rarely showed up on the field of play. Your 'culture' is defined by Ws and Ls.

I wanted his culture to show up, and maybe it did in the rarity of off-the-field trouble? I know there was a pellet gun incident, but it seemed like for the most part he ran a pretty tight ship of 100+ scholarship and walk-on college age students.

 

But, I also agree that he was not being paid a princely sum just to do that, and it seemed from my observations from afar that the on-the-field culture was inconsistent. I expect most of the FishDuck peeps will agree with that.

[DuckPhan19]

I think he’s seeing the GA-UO talent gap and preparing everyone for the time and effort it’ll take to bridge it. We do have some dudes, but others we thought were dudes were not/are not as dudely as perceived. We have guys running 4.6’s while GA’s guys are running 4.4’s.

[Drake]

My thought is that he may prove to be a very solid Head Coach.
 

I don’t believe he is describing this year as a growing year at all. I believe that part of his philosophy is that every day provides an opportunity for everyone to learn and grow. That is a solid premise for success in life. 
 

Molding personal growth into solid team play is never an easy task for coaches. So many personalities and egos on a football team. Some are better at it than others. 
 

I am hopeful we have a very good one. 

[HappyToBeADuck]

Player development.........

 

Take what the staff teaches you to build and grow as a man and as a player. Add to your God given raw talent and develope your individual skill set.

 

Learn from your mistakes, daily. Grow your skill set daily. Be prepared and ready.

 

Then learn your role(s) within the team. Grow within the team and its process and schemes.

 

Give 110% in practice. Be a better team player each practice and each week.

 

Win games.

[30Duck]

 

[Mike West]

On 3/11/2022 at 10:25 AM, DUCati855 said:

. This years schedule is brutal. Patience for players and fans will be a must.

 

This year's schedule is manageable.  We are more talented  than everyone but Georgia.

 

Every other game is ours to lose.  And I'd say that even if we faced both Utah and BYU at their place.

 

Call me Kool Aide Mike.  I'm not afraid of this schedule. Or the coaching ( really, really take a look at how Lanning put so much pressure on QB Young that he looked like QB Bennet in the first Bama- UGA matchup).

 

We have hypersonic speed at WR.  The best front seven in the PAC12, the best TEs in the conference, the most talented secondary ( just very green).  We have a QB that's faced far better defenses than even Utah put us through last year.  We have the best OL in the conference.  

 

There is so much talent on this team that it would take Mario Cristobal to ruin our shot at a conference title ( though he did ruin three playoff berths).  

 

 I just don't have time to show what I see in an analysis article.  But I see it. I get all the angrier because I truly grasp the degree Mario Cristobal blew three playoff berths.  People think of the flaws on offense. I see just as much on defense.  

 

Lanning is playing Rope a Dope. His defense should be stellar this year.  

[Jon Joseph]

OK. at your request, you very Kool poster, I will now properly refer to you as Mister Kool Aide, a/k/a Sir Michael. Purple (emperor color) Grape being my preferred choice of fizzie.

 

Every year, which fraternity dumps fizzies into the pool before the swim meet? In this case, I am the Delta frat dumpee; I beg thy pardon.

 

Could have? Spot on.

 

2019, Mario and the Ducks could of/should of, gone to the Final 4. But the team that roasted Utah in the champ game under the leadership of the NFL Rookie-Of-The Year, no showed versus a mediocre team in Tempe. 

 

2020? A lost season that concluded with an Iowa State butt wiping. 

 

2021. You win a huge OOC game in a big time upset and then retrogress to the point where you are blown out in 3 of the last 4 games?

 

I do not believe 62-60 Mario was ever going to take the Ducks to a final four, let alone a title. 

 

Is the roster there in 2022? You bet.

 

IF the QB position works out, athletes are allowed to be athletes and the O plays large and not small ball. But the schedule is a witch. A whole lot of 'stuff' from the top down has to come together. And roster-wise, do the Ducks have the 4 and 5 start recruits at the positions that matter when the rubber meets the road? Good teams Cincinnati and Michigan last season came up with playoff flat tires.

 

Your Majesty Kool Aide, I love your unrivaled enthusiasm. No one on your block will out sell you you come Kool Aide time. Even if you sell for a dime versus their nickel.

 

But let's not jump the shark in 2021? Lots of new cooks in the kitchen stirring the pot. 

 

Shoot for the Koolest of Aide in 2022, I say amen. But I am adding a little more water to my Grape Koll Aide and looking for the punch to perhaps be the perfect serve in 2023?

 

 

 

 

[30Duck]

On 3/12/2022 at 3:44 PM, Jon Joseph said:

But let's not jump the shark in 2021? Lots of new cooks in the kitchen stirring the pot. 

 

Shoot for the Koolest of Aide in 2022, I say amen. But I am adding a little more water to my Grape Koll Aide and looking for the punch to perhaps be the perfect serve in 2023?

 

 

[Goutes18]

I agree that the schedule is very manageable.  The GA game is most likely a loss, but no USC and Utah at home in a revenge game should easily put them back in the PAC-12 championship game..  BYU is wildly overrated (thanks to ESPN contract) and way too slow to play with the Ducks - stop even talking about them.  

 

Lanning is doing a great job managing expectations and working to underpromise and over deliver.  MC brought in a ton of talent but never got all he could from them.  With the team he has, Lanning should be off to a good start as I think he will be a much better coach.

 

Oregon has the most talent in the conf this year (sorry USC), but I will respectfully disagree that Oregon’’s TE’s are better than Utah’s.  

[JDuck]

On 3/11/2022 at 9:00 PM, DuckPhan19 said:

I think he’s seeing the GA-UO talent gap and preparing everyone for the time and effort it’ll take to bridge it. We do have some dudes, but others we thought were dudes were not/are not as dudely as perceived. We have guys running 4.6’s while GA’s guys are running 4.4’s.

Yes, that's it...more dudelier dude dudes are needed   I think we'll see it with the number 5 star dudes in the class of '23. 

[Charles Fischer]

On 3/13/2022 at 11:30 AM, Goutes18 said:

I will respectfully disagree that Oregon’’s TE’s are better than Utah’s.  

I can live with that, because it is a case of "good-or-good."  Nice post, and thanks for being reasonable.

[Log Haulin]

On 3/13/2022 at 11:57 AM, Charles Fischer said:

I can live with that, because it is a case of "good-or-good."  Nice post, and thanks for being reasonable.

Being out of position defensively at second level doesn't really give us a good read on how good Utes TE were against the Ducks. 4 to 7 yards in the middle of the field wasn't defended. MC did not set this team up for success.  

[Mike West]

On 3/12/2022 at 3:44 PM, Jon Joseph said:

OK. at your request, you very Kool poster, I will now properly refer to you as Mister Kool Aide, a/k/a Sir Michael. Purple (emperor color) Grape being my preferred choice of fizzie.

 

Every year, which fraternity dumps fizzies into the pool before the swim meet? In this case, I am the Delta frat dumpee; I beg thy pardon.

 

Could have? Spot on.

 

2019, Mario and the Ducks could of/should of, gone to the Final 4. But the team that roasted Utah in the champ game under the leadership of the NFL Rookie-Of-The Year, no showed versus a mediocre team in Tempe. 

 

2020? A lost season that concluded with an Iowa State butt wiping. 

 

2021. You win a huge OOC game in a big time upset and then retrogress to the point where you are blown out in 3 of the last 4 games?

 

I do not believe 62-60 Mario was ever going to take the Ducks to a final four, let alone a title. 

 

Is the roster there in 2022? You bet.

 

IF the QB position works out, athletes are allowed to be athletes and the O plays large and not small ball. But the schedule is a witch. A whole lot of 'stuff' from the top down has to come together. And roster-wise, do the Ducks have the 4 and 5 start recruits at the positions that matter when the rubber meets the road? Good teams Cincinnati and Michigan last season came up with playoff flat tires.

 

Your Majesty Kool Aide, I love your unrivaled enthusiasm. No one on your block will out sell you you come Kool Aide time. Even if you sell for a dime versus their nickel.

 

But let's not jump the shark in 2021? Lots of new cooks in the kitchen stirring the pot. 

 

Shoot for the Koolest of Aide in 2022, I say amen. But I am adding a little more water to my Grape Koll Aide and looking for the punch to perhaps be the perfect serve in 2023?

 

 

 

 

 

I love your takes my resident national expert.  It's going to be an interesting year.  I like my Kool Aide apple, lemon or lime though lol.

 

Let's hope we don't have to spike it much.

[DUCati855]

On 3/12/2022 at 2:16 PM, Mike West said:

Call me Kool Aide Mike.  I'm not afraid of this schedule.

Enjoy your Kool Aide Mike! I really hope you are right. But, this is one year I wish our OOC games were in November.

[Duck 1972]

Flock there's no need to worry. Wait and see

[Nautique Duck]

On 3/11/2022 at 8:56 AM, Charles Fischer said:

In the articles below posted from practice yesterday, Coach Lanning makes reference to "a season of growth," and how they need to have a "growers" mentality.  It is a cumbersome label, but he is trying to convince the players to do what he revealed about himself in the interview recently with Rob Moseley, where he had a goal for every practice and wanted to learn from each outing.

 

"We're in a period of growth looking for opportunity to make tomorrow and the day after that better than today," he said of his spring philosophy. "What can we get better at right now? Let's be learners and growers. Let's go out here and figure out what can I do better?... I challenged our players to come off the field and go find something you did wrong so you can make sure you don't do it wrong tomorrow or the next day. That was really our focus."

 

It makes me wonder if he is considering this just a "building" year, or a "grower" year as both sides of the ball become accustomed to the new schemes?  I think we have more-than-enough talent to make a run at the Pac-12 Championship and threaten Utah and USC, but we don't know what he is thinking.  Compared to Georgia....he might have shown up, taken a look and went, "wow--we have a ways to go."

 

                      Thoughts?  (Sorry guys, but you know I like to ponder!)

I think he is referencing the Spring season, not the upcoming Fall. Spring is the time figure out where your weaknesses are going to be for the coming year so you can work on them all summer and be ready to roll.