Blur. No huddle. Hurry-up. These were the defining characteristics of Chip Kelly’s hyper-exciting offense. But was that the whole story? Kelly perfected a strategy that forced lumbering defenders to make split-second decisions in space, play after play, with little or no rest intervals. That much is clear. But what made his offense revolutionary was its relative simplicity, transferring a “shell …
Recently on this site, it was argued that, since women’s sports typically don’t produce much revenue, the coaches of these sports should have drastically reduced salary increases. The precipitating event, the departure of softball coach Mike White, centered around his claim that five Pac-12 Championships and five College World Series appearances — in just nine years! — merited a salary …
Coach Cristobal is a quiet giant, but his challenge echoed throughout the Willamette Valley: “We’re firin’ this thing way up, take the heat or melt away!” This was revolution, not evolution — but was it just hot air? Let’s look at this season’s most successful NFL and FBS teams for traits and possible clues. First off, they’re all defensive juggernauts. …
As a kid, I admired this Errol Flynn gesture: Upon disarming his opponent in a sword fight, Flynn graciously returned his rapier. Had his competition been Bill Belichick, Tom Brady or Julian Edelman? Flynn would have poisoned him pre-duel. Yeah, I know the difference between films and reality, but aren’t we all feeling queasy at what our sports world has become? “Cheaters …
Ask recruits in Mario Cristobal’s remarkable, star-studded 2019 class why they considered Oregon and I’d bet first and foremost they would trace it back to the glorious Chip Kelly tenure of their formative years. That success was astounding— not just a fluke year (such as can occur in a “wonder year” among Willamette Valley Pinot Noir producers), but a succession …
You needn’t have been clad from head-to-toe in Duck gear, hoisting locally-brewed libations, and screaming at a wide-screen (or the field) to have noticed a pond-change in the 2018 Duck football team’s persona. Actually, it shouldn’t take any deductive or visual attention at all— the new head coach, Mario Cristobal, was very clear: the Ducks needed to get bigger, stronger, …
My friends–we have progressed as a site because such an amazing group of Oregon fans who have turned the comments below articles into a “high-brow” discussion of Oregon sports that will always be “TROLL-FREE.” I am always interested in a short article to start a discussion, a “Ponder-Point” if you will, and a reader brought us a tremendous topic for …
My friends–we have progressed as a site because such an amazing group of Oregon fans who have turned the comments below articles into a “high-brow” discussion of Oregon sports that will always be “TROLL-FREE.” I am always interested in a short article to start a discussion, a “Ponder-Point” if you will, and a reader brought us a tremendous topic for …