Between College and Career, Stands Vernon Adams

Nathan Roholt FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Rarely is there an opportunity to outshine your predecessor when your predecessor is a Heisman Trophy winner. But freshly-minted Oregon quarterback Vernon Adams did just that on Saturday, demonstrating an ability that exceeds even that of Marcus Mariota: the ability to move the needle of public interest. Not only is Adams’s presence drawing national attention, but he’s showing he can move …

Ducks’ Schedule Stacked for Winning

Mike Merrell FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Mike Merrell’s Three-and-Out Duck fans saw their fondest dreams and deepest fears unfold Saturday night in a victorious offensive battle against FCS Eastern Washington. The Ducks tied the NCAA record for most consecutive games (69) with at least one touchdown pass. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only passing record involved in the Saturday night scorefest. Eastern Washington receiver Cooper Kupp broke …

Unreasonable, Unrealistic? Or are Duck Fans’ Expectations the New Normal?

David Miller FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

When did it happen? When was it that we stopped hoping to win and started expecting to win? Was it the pick in ’94? Nah, too early. Was it our #2 ranking after 2001? Nope, but we’re getting closer. Expecting wins is a more recent trend, but it’s not unreasonable. Unless you’ve been living in a hole for the past …

EWU’s Plucky Game Marred by Cheap Shot on Adams

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Eastern Washington fought the Ducks fiercely and cleverly Saturday, but a surprisingly competitive game was ruined by a cheap hit on Oregon quarterback Vernon Adams by one of his former teammates. After Adams scrambled for seven yards and slid to the ground untouched, EWU sophomore rover John Kreifels dove on top of him, delivering a helmet to helmet hit that …

Vernon Adams — A Different Kind of QB?

Noah Smith FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Any time a star athlete the caliber of Marcus Mariota moves on, his successor will inevitably be compared to him. It happened to Steve Young when Joe Montana left San Francisco, it happened to Andrew Luck after Peyton Manning left the Colts and it’s happening to Vernon Adams now that Mariota is gone. Many comparisons have been made between Mariota and …

FishDuck Correspondents Around the League at the Start of the Season

Kim Hastings FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The beginning of the football season marks the return of many of our long-term writers at FishDuck.com, and Kim Hastings providing the humor is something I’ve been looking forward to all summer! He will not be on Saturdays as in the past because beginning next week — he will be spoofing our opponents on Thursdays! Welcome back, Kim!  – Charles Fischer …

From the Bench to the Skies, These Three Ducks Will Soar in 2015

Max Thornberry FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Oregon’s incredible depth has been one of the biggest storylines of the summer. The unbelievably deep position of wide receiver caused Alex Ofodile to redshirt when many assumed he would be make an impact straight away after enrolling back in January. The loss of RB Thomas Tyner for the entire 2015/2016 puts a small wrench in this offense, but it won’t be its undoing. Royce …

Chip Kelly Update: Super Bowl Hopes

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Philadelphia Eagles fans have two main emotions. The most common one is irascible doom-mongering. “The team sucks”; “I loved the guy they got rid of”; “that was the stupidest decision ever.” As Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation puts it: Some people are not happy unless they’re not happy. #makesuthink — Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) August 8, 2014 Chip …

How the Ducks Will Stop the Soaring Eagles

Rory Davidson FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Wow, are you fans ready for another season? I know I am. It is going to be hard to top last season, as we had the Heisman Trophy winner, won the Pac 12, and went to our first annual College Football Playoff Championship. The only way the season could have been better was if we had gone undefeated and won …

Oregon’s NEW Unexpected National Story

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

When I sat down in front of the television on Saturday for my Sportscenter fix, I could not believe my eyes: ESPN was spending a couple of minutes every hour during its broadcast announcing Vernon Adams as Oregon’s starting quarterback. What? That level of media coverage has never happened before to an Oregon quarterback, not even to St. Marcus. Does …

Recruiting Update: Hopeful Quarterback of the Future

Mark Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

News Oregon’s quarterback picture gained much needed clarity following Mark Helfrich’s nod to Vernon Adams. However, beyond the current campaign, much is unknown surrounding the signal-caller position. Offensive coordinator, Scott Frost and the aforementioned Helfrich, will look to solidify an incoming quarterback class that already includes one of the top dual-threats in the nation, Seth Green (4-Star/Allen, Texas). In addition …

NFL’s Defense of Terrell Suggs a Problem for the Game

Jimmy Friedricks FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

In week 2 of the NFL preseason, Sam Bradford made his first start for the Philadelphia Eagles after recovering from a second ACL tear that sidelined him for most of last season. He was impressive, completing 3-of-5 passes and leading the Eagles to a touchdown in his only drive of the game. But what stuck out to me was Terrell Suggs’ incredibly dirty …