News Not unlike the smoky horizon of the west coast, the ’15-’16 recruiting cycle has settled into a mid-summer haze, seeing several key story lines move into a holding pattern. While much has been made of Bryce Youngquist’s (4-Star/Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rivals250) recruitment rapport with Eugene, the vaunted linebacker has finally given himself a deadline to announce his commitment. This coming …
The NFL off-season was filled with talk about Chip Kelly and Marcus Mariota, the match made in heaven that was so good it couldn’t possibly happen — and it didn’t. Now they’ve moved on to talking about Kelly and Sam Bradford. Kelly’s the coach so desperate for a headline, he traded for a QB coming off of two ACL tears in the …
Oregon fans are strange, really strange. I’ve picked up some peculiar observations about them/us/me over the years and I still wrestle with some of the odd elements about them in my pondering. Let’s take a look at some of the puzzling aspects about us and concerning fan behavior over the web that can only be classified as Mysteries of the …
Mike Merrell’s Three-and-Out It was just a year ago that many fans were crying “now or never” for Duck football. After all, it was going to be the last year for Marcus Mariota, Hroniss Grasu, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Arik Armstead, Erik Dargan, Tony Washington … and the list goes on. “Now” didn’t quite happen, but in the aftermath, it hardly seems …
Dynasties are defined by long-term success and longevity. Programs at Alabama and Ohio State have defined what it’s like to have success, displaying the ability to adapt to new challenges every year. Right now, whether fans realize it or not, the University of Oregon Ducks’ football team is on the cusp of greatness. Molded by seven 10-win seasons in a row, Pac-12 dominance, and big-game wins; …
Looking at Oregon’s 2015 schedule most fans tend to only talk about Michigan State, Stanford, and USC. Yes, those are all very big games that will decide the fate of the 2015 Oregon Ducks, as well as the landscape of College Football. But there are other games Oregon fans need to be aware of, games that are very close to …
There is a lot of “conventional wisdom” going around about the Philadelphia Eagles these days. For example: — Chip Kelly is an offensive wizard who doesn’t care about defense. — DeMarco Murray is worn out and headed for a crash, while LeSean McCoy will be huge for Buffalo. — All of the Eagles’ new players — Murray, Kiko Alonso, Ryan …
There’s a famous Johnny Cash song, way before my time but great nonetheless, that summarizes Chip Kelly‘s NFL off-season perfectly. Kelly is walking a fine line, and if he slips it could end catastrophically for the former Ducks coach. If he succeeds, he could revolutionize how GMs and coaches approach player management and personnel decisions entirely. Kelly’s off-season began with the higher-ups …
News Linebackers headman, Erik Chinander, is rapidly becoming one of the Pac-12’s more formidable recruiters. The second-year coach has found his niche among the nation’s elite defenders. Last week, outside backer Bryce Youngquist (4-Star/Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rivlas250) indicated his program decision may come sooner than expected as Oregon continues to fill its depth chart of the future. A longtime target, Youngquist has gone …
ESPN writer Kevin Gemmell understands Oregon and its offense more than your typical national writer or talking head. As he correctly points out, “What do you think of when you think of Oregon? Fine, after all of the uniform combinations. You think of offense. And specifically, the ground game.” OK, so he has the requisite “too many jerseys” one-liner, but he understands that …
In the immediate aftermath of the systematic dismantling of the Oregon Ducks by the Ohio State Buckeyes in last year’s inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship Game, fans and analysts were left wondering: what’s next for this Duck program? ESPN’s KC Joyner published an article in the days following the title game debacle outlining exactly how the team was positioned heading …
Mike Merrell’s Three-and-Out For Duck football fans, it used to be about beating the Beavers and the Huskies. Then it moved on to being about winning the Pac-10/12. Now with a Heisman in the trophy case, there’s just one bridge to cross to garner total respect: a national championship. That brings up a new group of rivals, most notably Ohio …
