Thank you to all of the brave service men and women who defend — and have defended — our country and freedom. Without your service we would not have all that we have today. Here’s a Shout Out to America! But, thanks to those freedoms, it seems like a few players and coaches were taking their first amendment rights a little too …
FishDuck Reads the Declaration of Independence
A group of rich white men banded together because they didn’t want to pay taxes. No, not just recently. I’m talking about 238 years ago at the time of the American Revolution. The end result of that decision — which, if you’ve ever walked the Freedom Trail in Boston you know, was mostly arrived at in taverns — was the beginning of …
Chip Kelly Update: Silly Season, Drugs & Beefs
Football fans are stuck in the doldrums, and with no wind in their sails, they’re just waiting for the endless (month-long) break between mini-camp and training camp to end. Luckily you have us football writers, struggling furiously to generate enough hot air to fill those sails. Chip Kelly’s Eagles finished spring workouts full of smiles, with no drama (after the DeSean Jackson release and …
Oregon Football Recruiting Analysis: Spring Cleaning
The off season for the Oregon Ducks football team has proven to be a little hectic, causing some fans to wonder what will happen to their favored program. With the unusual amount of transfers and departures in the off season, there are going to be questions about the depth of talent and concerns with the coaches retaining the scholarship players. I’m …
Juwaan Williams: The All-Around Athlete
Juwaan Williams is a long way from home. Almost 3,000 miles away to be semi-exact. However, the distance hasn’t stopped him from making a big impression — on the Ducks. Williams hails from Tucker, Georgia, an unincorporated community in the northern part of the state. There, he attended the aptly named Tucker High School and became a star athlete. The …
Oregon Lockes up Waller
Football Recruiting Commitments Yesterday morning, Oregon received some much needed news after several disappointing months on the quarterback front. Dual threat Travis Waller (4-Star/Anaheim, CA/Rivals250) committed to Mark Helfrich and Co. amid a long recruiting rapport that saw the Ducks offer Waller on June 21st. A long rumored Oregon lean, the 6-foot-2, 195 lb. do-it-all quarterback announced his decision via …
Ted Miller, Einstein, Receivers and Relativity
In a June 27 analysis, ESPN’s Ted Miller rated Oregon’s receivers as “We’ll see.” Ted awarded “Great shape” to receivers for Stanford, Arizona, WSU, USC, ASU and the Berkeley Bears. UCLA, Utah, Washington, OSU and even Colorado got “Good shape.” That left only Oregon to receive the dreaded “We’ll see.” Einstein and I disagree. Just as the theory of special …
Stuffing the Outside Run Game With Oregon’s 3-4 Defense
There’s a lot more to defensive football than many people realize, as this isn’t a little kid’s soccer game with a herd of midgets chasing the ball. What coaches refer to as run fits are more like a well-choreographed dance. Run fits are the defensive responsibilities given to particular players in attacking a blocker or ball carrier either to the inside …
Scott’s Turf: Is Mark Helfrich a Better Recruiter Than Chip Kelly?
Is Mark Helfrich a better recruiter than Chip Kelly? That question has slowly crept into the minds of Duck recruiting fanatics as the early commitments have seemingly poured in over the last few weeks. Earlier this week, writing for Duck Sports Authority, I talked about the change in early commitments not being significantly different for the Ducks. At the time …
