What if it were possible to detect with nearly 100% certainty whether or not the defense is bringing pressure before the ball is snapped? How exactly would you find something like that out? The answer is simple, yet complicated at the same time. You would just need to find what’s called a “blitz key.” A blitz key is a pretty general …
Although Marcus Mariota won the Heisman Trophy in 2014, it is not a stretch to say the man protecting his blind side saved the Ducks’ playoff hopes. Jake Fisher was not supposed to be Oregon’s left tackle last year. However, an ACL injury to the slated left tackle Tyler Johnstone forced Fisher’s move from right tackle to left, where he had …
Charles Dickens famous opening to A Tale of Two Cities perfectly captures Oregon football and illustrates the vast range of emotions that its fans have endured in the last five years. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, …
My FishDuck Friends–a reader wanted to know why the Cowboys ran so well against us last fall so guest analyst, Coach Alex Kirby, examines those plays with the experience of a coach who competed against Coach Bohl in prior games. Note also that these plays work well because of the superb threat of the Wyoming Fly Sweep covered by FishDuck.com opponent analyst, …
It was April 6, 2012. The Oregon Ducks football team had finished a spring practice and defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro met with OregonLive reporter Aaron Fentress. Fentress was interested in hearing about a heralded four-star high school recruit and incoming freshman: Arik Armstead. Azzinaro quipped, “Arik who?” It did not take long for Armstead to make a name for …
It is recognized that Ohio State beat Oregon in the National Championship game due to its superior run game, and last week we covered the first of the two major running plays that hurt Oregon, the Wham/Trap play. This week we will cover the one primary play that the Buckeyes destroyed the Ducks with, the Counter play, of which had …
A perception of the National Championship Game is that Ohio State pummeled Oregon badly on the ground, and in particular two plays hurt the Ducks the most. We will look at the first of the two of the major Buckeye running plays today, although we also know that the OSU QB played incredibly well against Oregon (especially on third down) …
(Converting from a 3-4 defense to 4-3 front is a topic that Oregon fans were interested in discussing–especially when Coach Mike Morris gave his perspective on it last week. He saw many posts on six different sites and message boards that contained some “points he disagreed with.” The Grizzled Ol’ Coach is not one to debate online with other readers, …
My friends–the Grizzled Ol’ Coach, Mike Morris, has some superb information concerning a potential conversion to a 4-3 defense at Oregon. Some of you will need to brace yourselves as you will read some things that you will NOT like or agree with, and in compromise for his shared wisdom, I retained them. They are his views, not mine. -Charles Fischer …
It was March 2013 and new Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly had a problem. The 3-4 defensive scheme he brought from Oregon needed a versatile left outside linebacker. In his search, Kelly found the man who would become the centerpiece of his defense: Connor Barwin. Meanwhile, in Eugene, Ore., a safety-turned-linebacker named Tyson Coleman waited for his moment behind veteran Boseko Lokombo. His patience paid off in 2014, and …
The late, great Bill Walsh, former head coach during the glory days of the 49ers with Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, made a living showing opponents something they hadn’t seen on tape in the days leading up to the game. Oregon is no different. As a staff, Oregon coaches love to talk about how simple their scheme is, and how …
(Note from Principal: Before some of you howl, we ARE going to break down what Ohio State did well in the National Championship Game to defeat Oregon. I need a bit more time as I am having several consultation coaches helping me, but in the meantime let’s return to the purpose of the site–and that is to learn. Let’s enjoy …