Most Valuable Coaches (Not Named Helfrich)

Steven Holstad FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

  Football is the ultimate team sport. There are 11 players on the field at once, all doing their part in a collective effort to either move the ball up the field, or get the ball back from the other team. For every quarter of football that is played, countless hours are spent by the coaching staff, as they prepare …

Robinson Ready to Romp

Lawrence Hastings FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Oregon football team lost three great defenders for the upcoming season in Avery Patterson, Brian Jackson and Terrance Mitchell — but the good news is in the fresher faces. Redshirt freshman Tyree Robinson worked his tail off last year, and he told Yahoo Sports that “it’s time to step up.” With a hole to fill at the safety position, Robinson …

Chip Kelly Update: A Draft Pick, Broken Silence and an Army Hero

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

In my last column, I wrote about Chip Kelly’s long post-season silence, even amid the controversy over releasing star WR DeSean Jackson.  The weeks since January 4th have felt like an eternity of baseless speculation, what-ifs and angst over every conceivable draft pick. There have been so many mock drafts that a bunch of writers in Philadelphia have started an #MDMD …

Recruiting Analysis: Ducks Dodge Disaster

Chris Charbonnier FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

When news broke that Don Pellum was going to be Oregon’s new defensive coordinator, a number of people asked me how it would affect recruiting.  ”It won’t,” I said, “the thing to watch is whether or not John Neal stays put.”  I was worried, since I knew that Neal really wanted that defensive coordinator position.  How would he react to …

2013 Mid-Term: Top 5 Ducks — so far

Sam Arney FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Craig Strobeck Now that we are halfway through the season, I thought I would take this chance to highlight some of the top players.  Most of the names on this list are the usual suspects and for good reason.  While there are players on the team whose roles go unnoticed on the stat sheet – for example, offensive linemen –  I am sticking with …

Recruiting Update: What Can Brown Do For You?

Mark Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Kevin Cline Football Recruiting Commitments Saturday, Oregon solidified a “Decade of Dominance” over its northern rival behind a Heisman-leading performance from quarterback Marcus Mariota.  Off the field, the Ducks’ resounding win produced a commitment from one of the top wide outs in the class of 2014 – route-runner Jalen Brown (4-Star/Phoenix, AZ/Rivals250). A 6-foot-2, 183 pound, jack-of-all-trades, Brown beats defenders with myriad talents.  …

Following an Early Scare, Ducks Rout Buffs

Nathan Roholt FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Cliff Grassmick Despite already being two games into conference play, it could be said that the Ducks were concluding their preseason with Saturday’s matchup against Colorado.  Oregon faced two rebuilding programs in consecutive weeks to start the Pac-12 schedule following non-conference play, leaving many to assume that Oregon would complete nearly the first half of its schedule without ever facing …

The Ten Most Influential Plays of the Last Ten Seasons: #5-1

Nathan Roholt History

In case you missed Part 1, read it here.  To read the list in its entirety, go here. Before we get to plays #5-1, here are some plays that just missed the list: Honorable Mention: Kenjon Barner’s punt return fumble against LSU (2011): The play had a heavy impact on the game (as well as Tyrann Mathieu’s career), but had …