Yes, a win is a win. But the way the Ducks have played in three of their first four games has left many Oregon fans puzzled. It is a frustration based on knowing the talent of this Oregon team and the way they handled Ohio State, and watching the sloppy and inconsistent play against three far lesser opponents. Five Thoughts …
Ducks Must Avoid the Big Letdown
Arizona in 2018. Arizona State in 2019. Cal and the Beavers in 2020. All games in which the Ducks were the better team but did not show up to play and lost. If ever there was a season to go undefeated in the Pac-12, this would be it. Quite simply, the conference stinks, while the Ducks are ascending into becoming …
Is Mario Cristobal the Next Dabo Swinney?
After the Ducks’ impressive victory over Ohio State, I couldn’t help but to go a little tongue-in-cheek by lampooning my article from last week titled “Is Mario Cristobal the Next Les Miles?“ The Ducks finally put together the type of performance those critical of Mario Cristobal (including yours truly) knew they were capable of having, but hadn’t. After three years of …
Is Mario Cristobal the Next Les Miles?
With all the negative vibes surrounding the Mario Cristobal offense, I couldn’t help but think back to a few years ago when a once-highly-successful coach of the LSU Tigers was run out of Baton Rouge for also being “offensively challenged.” Les Miles, best known for being the head coach at LSU from 2005-2016, was also a lover of the “shove …
Week 1: Ducks Need a Solid Victory
Finally, the football season is here. The roster is talented but after some dismal moments in 2020, exactly how the Ducks will perform in 2021 is a mystery. Last weekend, UCLA was the only Pac-12 team in action as they rolled 44-10 over a sub-par-to-average Mountain West team in Hawaii. This got me thinking about how the Ducks should fare …
If It’s Good Enough for Saban, It’s Good Enough for Cristobal
And I’m talking about offense. Yes, Charles Fischer isn’t the only one at FishDuck.com who has problems with Mario Cristobal’s handling of the Oregon offense. I wrote a few articles during the 2019 season, hammering Cristobal for the lack of explosiveness and his underutilization of Justin Herbert. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love everything Cristobal …
11-1: Can the Ducks Just Do It?
It’s Wednesday afternoon and I must admit I’m in a bit of a grouchy mood as I write this. Perhaps I have a post-lunch malaise going on, I’m not sure, but right this moment I’m not in the mood for all the excuses and “what ifs” surrounding the Oregon football program. The time is now for the Ducks to step …
Ducks Becoming an “it” School for O-Iineman?
Over the past week, the Ducks added five-star offensive tackle Kelvin Banks and four-star offensive lineman Cameron Williams. The two are just the latest of highly ranked offensive line recruits to chose Oregon over some of college football’s premier programs. With head coach Mario Cristobal’s experience and passion for the position, it is becoming quite apparent that Oregon is becoming …
Pac-12: The George Kliavkoff Era Begins
It’s a great day to be a fan of the Pac-12 Conference as embattled commissioner Larry Scott makes his exit while incoming commissioner George Kliavkoff takes a seat in the big chair. We all know the arrogance and poor decision-making that occurred during Scott’s reign. It’s now time to turn that page and take an optimistic approach at the arrival …
Ducks on the Verge of Becoming a Basketball Powerhouse?
247Sports five-star point guard Dior Johnson committed to the Ducks on Tuesday. He is the No. 3 prospect and No. 1 point guard for the class of 2022. He is considered a sure-fire, one-and-done future NBA lottery pick. Think of what Jalen Suggs did for Gonzaga this past season, and Johnson might be even better. Over the past decade, head …
More Talent Means More Ducks Drafted
During daily web surfing of my must-see sports sites, I stumbled across a post at oregonlive.com (full youtube video) that hosted a video documenting the tension and excitement of the Detroit Lions’ front office in the minutes leading up to their selection of Oregon offensive lineman Penei Sewell with the seventh overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. It was …
The Final Days of Larry Scott
Larry Scott, the embattled Pac-12 Commissioner, is finally making his way out the door. Jon Wilner of the Pac-12 Hotline, in an article also posted on oregonlive.com, takes one of his final parting shots at Scott. I’m sure he’ll have a few more before Scott’s reign ends on Jun 30th. I’ve taken my fair share of shots at Scott over …