Jordan Ingram of FishDuck.com was at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex today to find out what is brewing at the Ducks first spring practice:
Bralon Addison has returned to full practice for the Ducks, as he told us that he has been cleared for 100% participation. His enthusiasm to get back to football was palpable – he explained that “the chance to be back out here and participate is something I’m really enjoying.” The Ducks are excited to have not only his physical skills back but his role as a leader for a young team.
There is a sect that has written off the Ducks as serious contenders in 2015 after the departure of so many veterans, but Addison said his biggest message to the young players is to not listen to the outside world. “The biggest thing is finding leadership we have now and let them lead us,” he said. Among a slew of new faces there are still a handful of veterans that are more than capable of stepping up. “This program has a lot of guys with leadership qualities,” Addison said. “The coaches pinpoint guys they know they can trust and guys they know will step up.”
Oregon fans are familiar with youthful teams; the men’s basketball team consisted of two freshman starters for most of the season. Last year, players such as RsF Devon Allen and true freshman Royce Freeman became integral parts of the Ducks offense, as well as becoming household names.
When asked about which young players had impressed him the most he told us that he was impressed by the whole class but singled out Travis Jonsen specifically, “For his first day here, I thought he did a good job,” Addison said, “He completed a lot of passes [and] came in confident.” High praise from a veteran will definitely contribute to Jonsen’s stock during the quarterback battle set to take place this spring.
The biggest block for Addison right now is working off the rust after a season on the sidelines, but he has not been deterred. After returning to action Addison noted that the time off may have helped his mental assessment of the game, “When you see the game from the field you can’t notice all the little things going on,” he explained, “when you get a chance to sit out and see the game from the mental side, it helps you out.”
A cheer from Addison as he was welcomed back is the perfect response for the beginning of spring practice for the Ducks. The 2015 season is underway and the Ducks are ready to continue their winning ways.
Top Photo by Steve Francis
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My name is Max Thornberry, and I am a sophomore at the University of Oregon studying journalism. I am from Ventura, CA but fell in love with Oregon when I visited last year and came to the Oregon vs. Cal game. I love sports and my hobbies mainly include fantasy baseball and football as well as playing sports video games. Growing up watching sports center and espn news I always wondered what I had to do in order to get a job where I got to talk sports every day, so when I saw an opportunity to intern for a sports news website (FishDuck.com) I couldn’t wait to get involved.