Rebuilding Oregon Football: Harder Than We Think?

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Editorials

I have been wrestling with this thought for the last couple of days and want to see what other Oregon fans are thinking and feeling: how hard will this rebuild at Oregon for new Head Coach Willie Taggart going to be? I am not talking about getting to eight wins, but winning a conference championship and having a shot at …

How Brady Hoke Got Mark Helfrich FIRED

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Analysis, Fish Reports

I am done defending Oregon Head Football Coach Mark Helfrich. Sure … it really does not matter now as he twists in the wind during his final days at Oregon, but it is also because he no longer deserves my support with the travesty on defense that we saw in the 120th Civil War. He allowed what I have chronicled throughout …

Regarding Helfrich: How Much SAY Should a Fan Have?

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Editorials

A week ago it was reported that former Oregon athletic director  Pat Kilkenny offered his support for Mark Helfrich and yet added that the fans will have their vote, their say in the future of Oregon football coaching. It got me to thinking about all the articles written on this site, the comments and all the negatives and positives I have read …

Middle Linebacker Technique: Jimmie Swain Is Making Plays!

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Analysis, Fish Reports

This fall, we have often used examples of the poor technique by the Oregon defense to help learn more football. However, the Utah game showed us glimpses of how Jimmie Swain is emerging as a solid player for the future of the Duck defense. He’s becoming a legit Pac-12 starting linebacker (good enough to be a defensive strength, instead of …

MADDER THAN HELL!!: “Oregon Lacks Defensive Talent?”

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Editorials

There is a massive misunderstanding by many Oregon fans concerning the demise of the Ducks’ defense, and the origins of that decline. While Oregon has well-documented misses in defensive recruiting, there are many who believe that the Ducks are largely deficient in talent on that side of the ball, thus the poor performance with little hope for reversal anytime soon. …

Linebacker Analysis: “Scrape to Contain” is a Fundamental

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Analysis, Fish Reports

I continue to maintain that, as fans, the more we know about the game of football, the more we will enjoy the game - win or lose. This season has proven that principal to me, as I am learning why the Oregon defense is so bad, which stems the tide of frustration (somewhat). Previously, we have discussed the important “Fill-and-Spill” fundamental for …

MAD AS HELL: Terrible Defensive Techniques Taught at Oregon

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Editorials

I am mad as hell. I have had three Coaching Consultants on the FishDuck.com Analysis team tell me that, “If my players in high school used defensive technique like that – I would be embarrassed.” I can hardly believe my eyes, as coaches sit with me through intense “Skull-Sessions” and detail the bad technique being exhibited on defense. Could we have …

Linebacker Technique Analysis: Taking on the Blocks

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Analysis, Fish Reports

Much that has been written about the Oregon defense and why it is one of the worst in college football has been centered around recruiting and the lack of talent on the defensive side of the ball. “We are being overpowered on the line-of-scrimmage and do not have enough 4-star defensive players to take on the sophisticated offenses and talented …

Duck Fans Are WRONG AGAIN by Second-Guessing Mark Helfrich

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Editorials

You would think we are in Seattle with all the Dog-Piling of Oregon fans on the stack of the #Fire Mark Helfrich movement around here. As you all know, I am not in that group, although this site will allow editorials on both sides of this discussion and we have certainly had some juicy articles on that topic lately. Yet, I …

How Oregon Destroyed the Blitz With the “Rub-Cross” Strategy

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Analysis, Fish Reports

Oregon fans were understandably apprehensive going into the Arizona State game. They knew the Sun Devils blitzed a ton, which would be problematic for four redshirt freshmen offensive linemen and the Ducks’ true freshman quarterback Justin Herbert. Could Oregon counter these blitzes? How would the coaching staff handle obvious passing situations against the blitz and keep the coveted new QB protected? Fortunately, …

Linebacker Technique: Freshman Keith Simms Attacks the Blocks Correctly

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Analysis, Fish Reports

As a fan, there are plenty of moments of dejection and frustration watching the Oregon defense, yet there are examples of hope on the horizon from Oregon’s younger defensive players. Following the new FishDuck.com method of showing what went wrong and how the same action is applied correctly – I am excited watching the play of Keith Simms, the freshman Middle Linebacker …

Is Your Coach Helfrich Decision “Good-or-Good?”

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Editorials

Some of our decisions in life are bad-or-bad such as the upcoming Presidential election. Yet some choices are similar to, “Who gives Royce Freeman a rest … is it Tony Brooks-James or Kani Benoit?” Now that is choosing from good-or-good, as both back-up running backs have done well for our beloved Ducks. Could many of you be in that decision mode when contemplating whether …