I waited eleven days for THAT? Duck fans everywhere are very disappointed right now, because after the opening drive we had few moments to cheer. I was supposed to have a short game analysis last night, and my usual Tuesday analysis today? The heck with it. The objective of this site is to keep learning and enjoying the game more, and unfortunately I realized last night that learning more about the game of football can also come back to bite you when you lose because now…I know better why we lost. Ouch.
Editor/Writer of FishDuck.com Randy Morse
I am curious as the reactions of many of you because the readers of this site are special. You don’t want fluff, and you are savvy readers as you wish to learn something as well as be entertained. We targeted older professional men originally three years ago, but now that group is the minority compared to all the women and young readers of this site. Thus I would like to hear the feelings and thoughts from all the age groups, genders, race and ethnic groups that come to FishDuck.com. Our unity today is our pain, as we are Oregon.
We got beat in the trenches this time, and it was against our best starters on the offensive and defensive line. You read my Op-Ed after the Arizona game, where I reminded Oregon fans that you cannot score many points with a walk-on and an untested freshman at offensive tackle. This time we had trouble moving the ball due to superb play of the Buckeye defense. Yes…we shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times, but that is to be expected when considering the nerves in a National Championship game, as Ohio State players also made some mistakes that resulted in turnovers to Oregon.
Another third down blown…
I would hope that Armstead and Buckner understand that if they cannot defeat the blocks of the Buckeyes, that perhaps they need to learn more before going to the NFL. Our front seven on defense was blocked extremely well last night and I can do nothing but tip my hat to Ohio State, as the Buckeyes did a superb job with trap and counter blocking by pulling guards and H-Backs. There was a lot to admire about their offense, although the talent of Elliot and Jones are what made it special. (Of which is fantastic recruiting…a third string QB that good? Holy Crap.)
Oh yes…people are already questioning the coaching at Oregon…geez. Coach Helfrich duplicated the BEST of Chip Kelly by also getting us to the National Championship game, and this recent game could have been closer, but we blew our opportunities. The fact is…..Ohio State was darned good, and to beat them we had to play our best–and did not. Coach Helfrich cannot make the blocks and defeat the crack-backs; only those on the field can and I thought we had a good game plan–but the Buckeyes often thwarted it.
OSU Coach Urban Meyer
Yep…some are questioning Mark’s decision to punt with six minutes to go, but perhaps he knew his opponent? Perhaps Coach Helfrich knew that if the ball was turned over on downs that the opposing coach would run the score up on them? Sure enough, Meyer did that later, and this was after Helf and Chip opened up Oregon’s facilities and processes to him two years ago and treated him as an honored guest? The guy is a jerk, as we know Coach Helfrich would have taken a knee at the end to prevent running it up. Please do not judge all Buckeyes that way, as I have wonderful friends who are Ohio State alumni and they would not condone those actions at the end of a National Championship that would embarrass a fellow coach and his faithful fans.
I am proud of our Head Coach and every one of the assistants; sometimes you get the bear…and sometimes the bear gets you. The Pac-12 Championship and the win over Florida State were simply epic as I and the new staff of the FishDuck.com Coaching Consultants from across the nation intend to study the entire season closely and share the nuggets with you in the offseason football analysis every Tuesday morning. We have so much more to learn and we’ll enjoy the journey as we go, and yes…we will be back in playoffs once again. Our talent at Oregon continues to rise and the Head Coach at Oregon has not let the program decline as it did at Washington and Michigan when legendary coaches left. Think about that. He is a young gun on the rise, and he is one of us.
Congratulate Ohio State fans as they have many classy fans that I hope to rub elbows with at future Rose Bowls. The OSU trolls that come to this site? Ignore them as I will delete and blacklist them quickly. There are too many good Buckeye fans to have to endure the ‘culls that show up on occasion. I welcome fans of class from all colleges. (So let’s be gracious to them too!)
I know dear….it sucks.
Suicide watch? Keep sharp objects away? Nah. The loss to Auburn was tougher due to how close the game was, and frankly the injury to Dennis Dixon in 2007 truly made me sick to my stomach. The joke at that time was….my wonderful wife Lois was trying to coax me out out from under the kitchen table after that episode as I was locked in the fetal position the morning after. This time? Piece of cake. Why? Because the future is bright and it is obvious to me that Helfrich is very skilled, and unlike the Tin Man….he has a heart.
We WILL win a National Championship with this staff…and FishDuck.com will continue to cover it like no other. Look for our big changes and improvements in the offseason. We are an all-volunteer site with over 50 writers and editors and nearly 70 total volunteers. Can you believe that? We are here as fellow fans to share with YOU.
Tell me your thoughts and feelings….
Charles Fischer (FishDuck)
Oregon Football Analyst for CFF Network/FishDuck.com
Eugene, Oregon
Top Photo by John Giustina
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Charles Fischer has been an intense fan of the Ducks, a season ticket holder at Autzen Stadium for 38 years and has written reports on football boards for over 26 years. Known as “FishDuck” on those boards, he is acknowledged for providing intense detail in his scrimmage reports, and in his Xs and Os play analyses. He is single, has a daughter Christine, and resides in Eugene Oregon where he was a Financial Advisor for 36 years.
He now focuses full-time on Charitable Planned Giving Workshops for churches and non-profit organizations in addition to managing his two Oregon Football Websites, of FishDuck.com and the Our Beloved Ducks forum. He is a busy man!
He does not profess to be a coach or analyst, but simply a “hack” that enjoys sharing what he has learned and invites others to correct or add to this body of Oregon Football! See More…