There has been a whirlwind of activity around the Oregon football program over the past couple of weeks — so many topics and issues that it is hard to keep up. But darn it, I try my best. Here are my three thoughts of the day. 1. Nepotism To touch on Mr. FishDuck’s article from yesterday on the unfair influence …
Mullens Takes a Mulligan, Then Makes the Right Hire
The thoughts, opinions, and hot takes of so many all over the internet over the past three days have probably left most die-hard Oregon Ducks fans’ heads spinning. I’ve spent the last 72 hours or so jotting down enough ideas on the Dan Lanning hire, the Justin Wilcox turn down, and the letter from 14 ex-players to do a dozen …
Bring Back Chip Kelly? No Thanks
There is no doubt that the Chip Kelly era at Oregon was a magical time. Kelly’s four-year tenure as Head Coach of the Oregon Ducks was the greatest run in Oregon football history. In those four years, the Ducks went 46-7 and played in three “BCS” bowl games and one national championship game. Oregon was the coolest, flashiest, and most confident …
Ducks Must Regain “The Eye of the Tiger”
If there are three things I know in life, it is Oregon Football, guitar-driven rock n’ roll, and the “Rocky“ film series. We all know (and love) the theme song “Eye of the Tiger” from Rocky III, and the Eye of the Tiger is exactly what the Ducks need on the cusp of their rematch with Utah. Admittedly, this might be a bit of a …
10 Takes on “The Assault in Salt Lake”
Like most Duck fans, my mind was incoherently zooming around after watching the Ducks get utterly outclassed by the Utah Utes on Saturday evening, not quite sure what we had just witnessed. No doubt, it was a butt-kicking, but how did it get to this? We try to make sense of it all, but it eludes us. I’ve had a …
The Ducks of Destiny
Oregon fans let out a sigh of relief Saturday night as Anthony Brown crossed the goal line early in the fourth quarter. The score made it 31-14 and virtually put the game away for the Ducks. Finally, a game that was not going to come down to the final possession in the final minutes or even seconds — a game …
The Ravings of a Mad Dawg
As the snap sailed over the punter’s head resulting in the safety that secured an Oregon victory on Saturday night at Husky Stadium, my three companions and I all looked at each other and eagerly said, “Let’s go!” As many fans could see on television, the Oregon-Washington game was cold, wet and windy. As we began to make our way …
Oregon Becoming the Team We Expected
After playing two great quarters last week against the UCLA Bruins, the Ducks put together a more complete game on Saturday against the Colorado Buffaloes. Granted, a weak Colorado team is not the best measuring stick, but the Ducks appear to be turning into the team that Oregon fans thought they should have seen from the start of the season, …
The Ducks Are Halfway There
For two quarters on Saturday, the Ducks played like the team fans knew they could be. There was rhythm, flow, and the wide receivers were heavily involved in the offense. Meanwhile, the defense was stuffing the vaunted UCLA rushing attack. The Ducks outscored the Bruins 27-3 during the second and third quarters, which brought on flashbacks of their monumental, early-season …
Ducks Must Rely on Defense
As Oregon fans, we have been spoiled over the years with exciting and high-powered offenses. In the best of those years, the offense was paired with what could be described as a “bend but don’t break” defense. Oregon was not a recruiting power during the Kelly-Helfrich era and therefore did not have the talent to put together a dominating, lock-down defense. Well, …
The 2021 Ducks are Hard to Predict
It’s amazing how a team that is 4-1 feels more like 1-4. Oregon has played horribly against lesser competition and superbly against one high-quality opponent. The 1-4 feeling comes from knowing how good this team could be, yet the Ducks are not playing up to their potential. Before the season began, I wrote how the Ducks should go 11-1 this …
The Time is Now For a New Quarterback
With the Oregon offense sputtering in four of its first five games, it would seem that now is the time to usher in one of the young quarterbacks on the roster. Anthony Brown has been sub-par this season. While he managed the game very nicely against Ohio State — his best game by far — he was far from outstanding. …