What Do YOU Consider Success for Oregon Football in 2022?

[FishDuck Article]

 

A good question that certainly varies among Duck fans...

 

What Do YOU Consider Success for Oregon Football in 2022?

FISHDUCK.COM

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The Oregon Ducks are one of the most unpredictable teams in all of college football this season. There are so many questions surrounding the team...

 

[Krsmqn]

There are varying degrees of success, but to put it simply, winning the Pac-12 (an improvement from last year) without serious injuries, or serious "drama" on/off the field, would be successful. 

 

Also, success on the recruiting trail. 

 

Although, a dream season where we win it all is also acceptable.

 

Go !

[fred flintstone]

New coach, new schemes........10-2......but......I really think the Ducks should win the conference and head to the playoffs. The talent level at Oregon is supreme and the coaching will be vastly improved. So I'am really thinking 11-1. Georgia...down there.....early.....with a new coach.....is a tough climb for anyone......but the new coach is from .......Georgia......he'll know a few things about Georgia that will help.   

[Vandownbytheriverduck]

Win the north, win the pac12 championship, play in a good bowl and recruit recruit recruit. 
 

This is year one for DL and staff, and it already looks better than any year under MC.  
 

 

[Haywarduck]

Two things we don't know about are critical. How good will our qb play be? How good will our head coach match up against his competitors?

 

The qb play is critical and we aren't winning any preseason heisman press in this area right now, maybe a good thing. If we are going to compete for the playoff birth then our qb will have to be mentioned for award winning play. 

 

The next item is how will Lanning match up against J Smith and other very good coaches in the league? These guys aren't just going to lay down because we have more talent on paper. There are going to be some new rivalries for Lanning, and how this first season goes will say a lot about where he fits in the hierarchy of Pac-12 coaches.

 

How Lanning defines himself against the Pac-12 coaches may be the most important element to watch. Does he dominate lesser competition, pull out some stunning wins? This will be a huge question mark I want to see answered. Many say the first impression is the most important, and it will be a tough one in Atlanta. He then faces WSU and Staford,  a couple team Oregon has struggled again in the past. 

[1Funduck]

It has occurred to me that there has been a strong focus of Winning being the gage of a successful season. Under normal circumstances, that makes total sense. We have used the metrics of New Coach, new scheme, new...etc..etc.

 

Now, we have 'low' expectations of winning the North with an outside chance of winning the PAC and a playoff berth. Yes, winning should be the focus, of course. But, with so many unknowns this year, I get the feeling its more of a transfer year.

 

Getting an offensive and defensive scheme with your own QB takes time. There are powerful rosters across the nation with NFL talent that have floundered due to lack of continuity and coaching. With that said, I'm going to go out on a limb and categorize this year a transition year.

 

My view of success is a strong growth of scheme implementation. High discipline.  Focused assignment completion. Getting these guys to buy in from the 5* to the walk on. All the other stuff will take care of itself if the right foundation is laid.

 

Thats what I'm looking for this year. The caveat is, do we drop to a 6/6 season? That would be a catastrophy. I want a NC as much as anybody. But, even Georgia took 3 years of Lanning to get its NC.

[GODUCKS15]

The coaching staff is stellar but Lanning's never been an HC. Even so I still think he'll be fine because he's surrounded himself with quality assistants and seems to be the kind of coach that is not a micro manager. That and the teams loaded with talent. 

Success for me is to win the north and play for the P12 championship. Anything after that is icing on the cake.

Edited May 18 by GODUCKS15

[Drex Heikes]

Two measures for success this season. 

 

1) Obviously W-L  record and 10 wins would be fine season. 

 

2) But…I would take fewer wins if the team shows improvement under the new coaches. It would be a sea change from the last two years under Cristobal, when the coaching staff couldn’t turn out a team with focus and consistent play. The one truth about the Ducks was that they played down to level of competition. Games, even Stoney Brook, were frustrating, often nail biters. Then came two blowout losses to Utah. Cristobal’s staff clearly wasn’t getting Oregon to the next level. 

 

Maybe the new coaches will produce teams that race past inferior opponents and play every game with focus and passion. And use Oregon’s immense offensive talent to produce explosive plays. I would take those indicators over W-L record this first year. 

 

 

[Glenn]

1Funduck has a real good perspective here... Winning the North and Competing well in the Pac-12 Championship are good 'headline' gauges of success - but not the most important in year 1 of the Lanning era.  Get the foundation right - discipline, focus and 60 minutes of consistent, whole team effort - and a lot of opportunity for growth of the program opens up.  

 

And as fans, let's also work on us a bit - bring some patience and true support to the team, game in and game out.  The booing at Autzen has to be a thing of the past... if we want the program to build something special, fan support is a part of the puzzle, and not a trivial one.  
 

Let's not expect lightning to strike and we take it to Georgia on their home turf - if you are looking for instant gratification, I'd suggest going to Salt & Straw for a nice ice cream cone... but if you want a Natty, plant well, nurture your garden and allow the process to take place before your eyes.  And remember, once we are on top of the mountain, we will likely look back quite fondly on the journey, and not just the destination.  GO DUCKS!

 

[Charles Fischer]

DHLA, it is good to have a new voice among us, I would encourage you to post often.

 

Welcome!

[savagefund]

I see no reason why the Ducks should not rule the North.

And if any PAC team can make to the playoff, why not Oregon?

They are my second choice for that.

[DUCati855]

Success to me will be seeing improvement every week, not playing down to the competition, and finishing off the opponent.

 

If these things happen. It will be at least 10 win season. With multiple blowouts. Remember those?

[Washington Waddler]

     Culture change seems to be the given. Everything else relies on how fast that’s installed: good old cause and effect.

 

     In the meantime, push the envelope, but not to the point where you’re giving the game away. 

 

     At this time, discipline can’t be over emphasized - you do baby steps not because you want to, but because you have to.

[Haywarduck]

I suppose I didn't answer the question, but I think success has to be measured by analyzing the process, not the outcome. I think if the qb position develops then the outcome we all desire will come to fruition. The same can be said of our coach, if he develops, establishes his head coaching abilities against the seasoned Pac-12 coaches then we should be satisfied.

 

I would also like to see a healthy process of players staying in the lineup. When injuries arise I would like to see the player development shining, with players ready to step into starting positions. In the distant past we had the 'next player up' mentality, establish that again. Seeing some rotation on the d-line, and qb's getting quality back-up time would also seem to be a worthy goal.

 

The special teams should also excel, especially as compared to last year. Way too many out of bounds kickoffs which should turn into unreturnable kickoffs this year. Coverage should be lights out on punts with our speed guys swarming any punt made. Extra points should be a given, and maybe even a surprising play for 2 points on a needed situation. We need to be ready for any onside kick too, last year was pathetic.

 

All of this will lead to an even more exciting recruiting process. Players will be chomping at the bit to sign on to a young enthusiastic staff and program on the rise. Specifically I would like to see Jayden Wayne flipped, along with at least one or more of sc's commits or leans.

 

The one metric I would like to see is our starting qb considered for the Heisman. He should definitely be mentioned as a top qb in the Pac-12 this year.  We need to, again, establish Oregon as the place qb's go to excel!

[Tandaian]

Based on the last few seasons, the only teams the Ducks have around 50/50 or more chance to lose to are UGA, BYU, UCLA and Utah.  As history shows, they could lose to any team at any time, but the floor to this season should be 8-4.  I'd like to see improvements with penalties, special teams, O scheme and D scheme.  Give me 8-4 and improvements in those 4 areas and I will consider it a successful season.

[Joshua Whitted]

On 5/18/2022 at 9:28 AM, Krsmqn said:

There are varying degrees of success, but to put it simply, winning the Pac-12 (an improvement from last year) without serious injuries, or serious "drama" on/off the field, would be successful. 

 

Also, success on the recruiting trail. 

 

Although, a dream season where we win it all is also acceptable.

 

Go !

I would LOVE to win the Pac-12, but personally, I'd be satisfied with at least making it to the title game.

[Joshua Whitted]

On 5/18/2022 at 9:45 AM, fred flintstone said:

New coach, new schemes........10-2......but......I really think the Ducks should win the conference and head to the playoffs. The talent level at Oregon is supreme and the coaching will be vastly improved. So I'am really thinking 11-1. Georgia...down there.....early.....with a new coach.....is a tough climb for anyone......but the new coach is from .......Georgia......he'll know a few things about Georgia that will help.   

Playoffs are bold, but 10 wins is certainly doable.

[Joshua Whitted]

On 5/18/2022 at 10:18 AM, Vandownbytheriverduck said:

Win the north, win the pac12 championship, play in a good bowl and recruit recruit recruit. 
 

This is year one for DL and staff, and it already looks better than any year under MC.  
 

 

I was with you on winning the North, until today's news broke!

[Joshua Whitted]

On 5/18/2022 at 10:54 AM, Haywarduck said:

Two things we don't know about are critical. How good will our qb play be? How good will our head coach match up against his competitors?

 

The qb play is critical and we aren't winning any preseason heisman press in this area right now, maybe a good thing. If we are going to compete for the playoff birth then our qb will have to be mentioned for award winning play. 

 

The next item is how will Lanning match up against J Smith and other very good coaches in the league? These guys aren't just going to lay down because we have more talent on paper. There are going to be some new rivalries for Lanning, and how this first season goes will say a lot about where he fits in the hierarchy of Pac-12 coaches.

 

How Lanning defines himself against the Pac-12 coaches may be the most important element to watch. Does he dominate lesser competition, pull out some stunning wins? This will be a huge question mark I want to see answered. Many say the first impression is the most important, and it will be a tough one in Atlanta. He then faces WSU and Staford,  a couple team Oregon has struggled again in the past. 

I would love to see us get back to blowing out lesser opponents. We should be rolling through teams like WSU and Stanford. QB will be a big factor in that one way or another, as you stated.

[Joshua Whitted]

On 5/18/2022 at 11:08 AM, 1Funduck said:

It has occurred to me that there has been a strong focus of Winning being the gage of a successful season. Under normal circumstances, that makes total sense. We have used the metrics of New Coach, new scheme, new...etc..etc.

 

Now, we have 'low' expectations of winning the North with an outside chance of winning the PAC and a playoff berth. Yes, winning should be the focus, of course. But, with so many unknowns this year, I get the feeling its more of a transfer year.

 

Getting an offensive and defensive scheme with your own QB takes time. There are powerful rosters across the nation with NFL talent that have floundered due to lack of continuity and coaching. With that said, I'm going to go out on a limb and categorize this year a transition year.

 

My view of success is a strong growth of scheme implementation. High discipline.  Focused assignment completion. Getting these guys to buy in from the 5* to the walk on. All the other stuff will take care of itself if the right foundation is laid.

 

Thats what I'm looking for this year. The caveat is, do we drop to a 6/6 season? That would be a catastrophy. I want a NC as much as anybody. But, even Georgia took 3 years of Lanning to get its NC.

I do think you bring up a good point about expectations needing to be tempered a bit. It's just hard because most teams that undergo a rebuild are retooling their rosters. Ours, conversely, is pretty well-tooled, which makes things even more interesting.

[Gusduck71]

If Coach Lanning can establish a "team" atmosphere I believe 10-2 or 11-1 is a definite possibility. But any season we beat the Huskies and the Beavs is a success in my book! :]

[Nevada Dawg]

I applaud the optimism of Duck fans on this topic. It  reminds  me of the tremendous enthusiasm Dawg fans showed when Kirby Smart was hired by Georgia. Many of the posts in that period were, frankly...delusional.

 

Kirby arrived in Athens with a stacked roster. Yet his team finished 8-5 in that first year. It  took a while for  returning players to adjust to a new coaching staff. It took a  while  for Kirby to learn how to manage the  game clock in crunch time. And it  took a while for him to develop  confidence in his own decision making.
 

I am not saying he was a deer in the headlights, but he didn't always give the impression of being on top of game situations. Three of his losses came by a total of something like 8 points. A couple of those were due to coaching brain cramps in my inexpert opinion.

 

Expect some missteps in a first year Duck fans: it happens to the best of  coaches. Many of you may not know that even Nick Saban was something like 6-7 in his first year at Bama. I don't know how the Ducks will fare in Lanning's first year, very well I hope. But I can almost guarantee that the team will be better, perhaps much better, by year 2  or 3.

[DiscoDuck]

You get what you expect:  Beat Georgia, win the Pac 12 and be in the Top 8 prior to the playoffs.  The players and coaches expect nothing less and the fans should expect the same, it is a family!

[GeotechDuck]

I will be happy with a much improved offense, beating UW, and finishing with at least 8 wins in year one.  

[Haywarduck]

On 5/18/2022 at 10:36 PM, Nevada Dawg said:

I applaud the optimism of Duck fans on this topic. It  reminds  me of the tremendous enthusiasm Dawg fans showed when Kirby Smart was hired by Georgia. Many of the posts in that period were, frankly...delusional.

 

Kirby arrived in Athens with a stacked roster. Yet his team finished 8-5 in that first year. It  took a while for  returning players to adjust to a new coaching staff. It took a  while  for Kirby to learn how to manage the  game clock in crunch time. And it  took a while for him to develop  confidence in his own decision making.
 

I am not saying he was a deer in the headlights, but he didn't always give the impression of being on top of game situations. Three of his losses came by a total of something like 8 points. A couple of those were due to coaching brain cramps in my inexpert opinion.

 

Expect some missteps in a first year Duck fans: it happens to the best of  coaches. Many of you may not know that even Nick Saban was something like 6-7 in his first year at Bama. I don't know how the Ducks will fare in Lanning's first year, very well I hope. But I can almost guarantee that the team will be better, perhaps much better, by year 2  or 3.

Sage advice, thanks!