As always, I’ve been pondering about Our Beloved Ducks and have been fascinated with the impact of mental issues hitting other teams in the conference. Oregon has met these challenges well thus far, but both the fans and the team may have some trying times ahead. I have written before about the importance of establishing mental toughness, just as Coach …
Washington State Wrap: Are Your Feelings MESSED UP for this Season?
You are not supposed to have a bit of a sickening feeling coming from your stomach up after a win. After a loss sure, but not after a win-right? I wondered what this yucky feel and uneasiness was about after the game, and then I recognized it from some years in the past. It comes to you when you realize …
Key Points: A FishDuck Focus On Washington State
There are some big keys to watch for today that have not been discussed elsewhere, and this is the site for such contemplation. Time for my Saturday GameDay articles again, and the only negative is a short season of them! Join me in the comment section below this article, where we will discuss what to look for before the game, …
Oregon Football: Is Coach Cristobal SNOOKERING America?
I wonder if the Oregon head coach is snookering everyone, as he has the Ducks winning by a good margin against Stanford, but they didn’t look overly impressive. The offense is showing some surprises, yet mostly keeping it vanilla. The team’s superior depth from recruiting is beginning to show, but they’re not Alabama-good yet. Is this Oregon ball-coach trying to …
Oregon Football: Is Joe Moorhead Adding the New GoGo Offense?
Oregon fans have heard much this off-season about the innovative, up-tempo Run-Pass-Option (RPO) offense new offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead ran at Fordham (picture above), Penn State and Mississippi State. Yet I believe there is a possibility of even more innovation by Coach Moorhead this season in the form of the GoGo Offense, an entirely new offense that correlates with the objectives of …
Knowing Taggart: What Was Cristobal’s REAL PLAN at Oregon?
As an astute Oregon fan, you know the story. Willie Taggart was hired as the new coach at the end of the 2016 season, and he brought a staff to Eugene that included current head coach Mario Cristobal as the offensive line coach, co-offensive coordinator and run-game coordinator. Taggart left to coach at his dream school, Florida State, and Cristobal …
Alternate Dimension: What if Chip Kelly STAYED at Oregon?
Oh come on … the title is not so far-fetched! Haven’t all of us fans of Our Beloved Ducks thought about this at one time or another? There are so many positive and negative facets to consider, and I am interested in your thoughts. Where would Oregon Football be if Chip Kelly had decided to pass on the NFL? If …
A Weakness: Oregon Football’s ONE RECRUITING PROBLEM
A weakness? Mr. FishDuck, don’t you know that Mario Cristobal and his staff are killing it on the recruiting trail? Yes, I am very aware, but it seems that the recruiting at Running Back has declined since the staffs of Rich Brooks–Mike Bellotti–Chip Kelly–Mark Helfrich left and were replaced by Taggart-Cristobal. In fact, we have the opposite problem at recruiting from …
Will the New Hayward Field Help RECRUITING for All Sports?
For all who have recently toured the renovated Hayward Field, such as the Oregon Track and Field athletes, “wow” has been the most common reaction. Even Olympic Decathlon winner Ashton Eaton was brought to tears, as the memories of historic Hayward Field flooded back to him. He marveled at the majesty of this incredible new look for Oregon’s premier sports …
Future Pondering: Would YOU Take Mark Helfrich BACK as an Offensive Coordinator?
Is Mr. FishDuck out of his mind? Wasn’t it he who stated that Mark Helfrich deserved be fired two days before he was? Why would anyone want to bring back a proven non-performer? Because he might just be one of the best offensive minds in college football. Let’s clear the air; I am delighted with the hiring of Joe Moorhead …
Are you Ready for a DUCKS SPORTS OVERLOAD?
I know, the lack of Oregon sports since the end of March has been tough and at times-depressing. We all understand why, and agree with the cancellations last spring and the deferrals of fall sports until more about the disease and testing was known. But boy, for die-hard fans like those in this community … it has been brutal at …
2020: Oregon’s EASIEST Path to the Playoffs Yet?
Could the COVID catastrophe end up helping Our Beloved Ducks? This is a crazy year, where we cannot anticipate anything and have been surprised at every turn, usually to the negative. Perhaps it is our turn to benefit from the unexpected? Could this new Pac-12 schedule end up being the easiest path for the Ducks to the Playoffs yet? So many …