This is too little, too late – but Mark Helfrich is an outstanding coach who paid for Coach Chip Kelly‘s sins. Helfrich’s tenure as a head coach was not perfect – he failed to find an adequate defensive coordinator – but his body of work was excellent. (This post is focused on recruiting.) Should I survive the comments on this …
In an upcoming season that combines equal portions of unknowns, shaken confidence and renewed optimism, it is difficult to come to reasonable expectations for the 2017 Oregon Ducks. There are those – possibly trolls – who claim that six wins would be a success. Then there’s Athlon Sports — possibly the premiere preseason pigskin prognosticator – that ranks the Ducks …
Sigh. This happens every summer. It’s a recurring football-less pain made worse this year by the 70-21 drubbing, last year. The silver lining to that humiliation was that this loss, in our house no less, accelerated the onset of Alamo Bowl amnesia. Of course, I’m referring to the Dawg Daze of Summer, when Duckland is either in a euphoric daze …
Remember the glory days of Max Unger or Hroniss Grasu (both now in the NFL) pulling from their center position and actually leading the running back on the edge? The speed and athleticism they had was not only amazing, but ideal for the Oregon Spread Offense under coach Chip Kelly as the Ducks unleashed a scoring assault on the country. To …
(While not his prettiest picture … Charles Fischer (above) is giving a public presentation about his beloved Ducks, and asks coaches everywhere to join him!) Calling all COACHES! I’ve heard from so many of you over the years in how my videos helped you and your team win more games, and from so many fans who have enjoyed learning more …
As one of the top football programs in the country, and with undeniably the country’s loudest fans, it’s no surprise that Oregon football has one of the best tailgating scenes as well. In fact, in 2015, Scout.com had ranked Oregon the No. 1 tailgating school in the country. Go Ducks! Thirty years ago, the idea of Oregon being the top …
I would love to hear from those in management, in coaching or who have had the experience of having a tremendously talented star on your team who is also a constant screwup. We’ve all been there — the Prima Donna, the Rock Star who demands special treatment and, frankly, is worth it for the value he or she brings to the organization. …
Wow!! Willie T. hits all the high notes. More top-notch recruits than ever believed possible! Excitement! Energy! Success! He and his Pepsi-powered assistants are everywhere meeting with everyone. He takes losing teams and makes them winners. Taking an Oregon team with all the parts should make winning a tradition again. All this should happen, shouldn’t it? Perhaps – most likely …
We at FishDuck.com have a lot in common with Oregon football, in that we both have a completely new look going into fall 2017. The only similarity with the Kelly/Helfrich offense to the Willie Taggart offense is that they are both zone read spread offenses, and things depart significantly from there. You will see a power-running component and an attack …
That’s really what it gets down to, isn’t it? Oregon State and Washington State will have a say in who dominates the Northwest from time to time. But it’s Oregon and Washington opening the pocketbooks to buy a camping spot at the top of the Pac, with aspirations for national titles. The Huskies believe they hired the perfect cure for …
Oregon fans have received so many gifts and pleasant surprises from this new Willie Taggart coaching staff, and they continue arriving at a pace we cannot seem to keep up with. For my Monday editorial, I wish to pass along what I believe is the biggest immediate impact we will see this fall. To be clear, this would not be present were …
Have you ever hit a golden stretch of life and wished you could stop time and enjoy the view? I wonder if Willie Taggart has ever had that same wish when he muses about the football landscape of the Pac-12 Conference. If so, would he flip the switch and turn back the clock to 2010? The head job at Oregon …