Google Images Last weekend, a couple of friends and I went camping at a remote lake in the Cascade range. After arriving at our site, we noticed a beaten journal that appeared in a spot most strange. Not hidden in the dense bush, nor buried under mounds of dirt. Instead, it was sitting right there on the picnic table; as …
The Fan on the Street and Fall Practice for the Washington Huskies
I’ve lived in Tacoma, Washington, for the better part of two decades. During that time, Tacoma has had several nicknames. First, it was “City of Destiny,” then, “America’s Most-Wired City.” But my favorite is the one that was just adopted, “You Can Smell the Huskies’ Desperation From Here.” Living up here gives me the unique opportunity to talk to …
Chip Kelly Update: the Double Stack Value Meal
McDonald’s will sell you a double stack hamburger for a dollar*, an astonishing food value for so little money. Chip Kelly coached his first NFL (preseason) game Friday against the New England Patriots, and served up a heap of double stacks, himself. In this case, the “double stack” is a flexible (aka “packaged”) play with one running back and four …
Fall Camp Update – Which Players are making the biggest impressions?
Kevin Cline With the dog days of summer behind us, the Ducks have officially begun their season, diving into fall practice. Comfortably installed in their new digs, Helfrich and company have high expectations from fans and the media for this upcoming season. This month of practice will be crucial for the coaching staff to identify talent and ultimately decide who will …
Ducks’ Championship Quest Stands at a Pivotal Moment
Kevin Cline “The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail.” — J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings This year is one of the most important years in the history of Oregon football. During the years of Mike Bellotti, the football program was solid – very successful, but never quite reaching the …
Recruiting Update: The Dancing Bear Returns
Kevin Cline Football Recruiting News You thought I was going to lead off with Portland Trail Blazers legend Arvydas Sabonis, didn’t you? What! This is football season… oh, just you wait. Oregon is waist deep in two-a-days, and a clearer picture of the 2013 campaign is rapidly taking shape. Headliners of head coach Mark Helfrich’s first recruiting class, running back …
Pac-12 Rougher, But Ducks Look Tougher
Gary Breedlove Amid all the off-season changes and rumors swirling around the mighty Ducks of Oregon, there is still a strong belief around the nation that these Chip Kelly-less Ducks can contend for a national title, and that the Ducks are favorites to win the Pac-12 crown. If you look across all major sporting websites, specifically at their college football previews, almost every expert has …
Helfrich has to win
When starting a new job mistakes are to be anticipated, they are a part of the learning process. There is a honeymoon of sorts and perfection is not the expectation. For Mark Helfrich, that statement could not be more inaccurate. In his first ever head coaching position, Helfrich has been given the keys to a Ferrari (a talent-loaded football team) and …
PAC-12 Talent Rankings: Looking to Break Through
Last week, we looked at #12 through #9 of the Pac-12 Talent Rankings. This week, we profile four more squads. Below is an explanation of our tier-system used to compile the data: Tier-E: 5-star rating by at least one service Tier-1: 4-star rating by at least two services Tier-2: 4-star rating by one service Tier-3: 3-star rating by at least two services …
Oregon Will Beat Stanford This Season
The Oregon-Stanford game this upcoming season will surely be one of the best games of the year between two of the best teams in the country. An early prediction: the Ducks will win. Now, there are a million reasons why this result might happen. Maybe Stanford suffers a bunch of costly injuries leading up to the game. Maybe Oregon will …
College Football Nation: Les Miles is scared and “Johnny Football” lawyers up
Three weeks until kickoff and the action is heating up. However, for some, specifically Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, the only near-term action he will be seeing is in the court room. The NCAA has their hands full at this late hour thanks to the “Johnny Football” autographs mess. I think the NCAA needs to swallow their pride and start …
An Alternate View of Fall Practice in Corvallis
Feature photo – commons.wikimedia.org Good morning, Ducks, or as they like to call us in Corvallis, “Cheaters that hold every dadgum play!” This is the second in our three part series about fall (Is August fall? Then I slept through summer.) practice for the schools in the Great Northwest. Last week we touched on Washington State. Today we visit Oregon …