As Oregon Ducks, we are obligated to hate the University of Washington — North Tacoma. I’m pretty sure all Oregon fans can agree to that statement wholeheartedly. While we may hate Alabama and the SEC, or Florida State, or even those dastardly Beavers, it is nothing like the righteous fury we feel toward Washington. But for many of us, this vitriol …
At Oregon, we have grown accustomed to outsiders disrespecting our players by calling them “soft.” Even Marcus Mariota was not safe from such descriptions, as critics in the national media called him a mere by-product of a successful system. Many Duck fans believe the labels of “soft” and “by-product” of the system started with Dennis Dixon and when the spread …
Throughout the Oregon Ducks’ football history, they have provided some incredible NFL talent. Despite being criticized as a program that “does not prepare players for an NFL offense,” Oregon has produced some incredible NFL players. To prove this, I compiled a starting lineup of Ducks throughout history based on their NFL production; do not expect to see Marcus Mariota, Joey Harrington, LaMichael James, or …
Every spring when the NFL Draft rolls around, scouts and analysts look to compare the best collegiate players to established professional stars. This makes sense to a certain extent, as it provides a level of comfort and perspective for teams deciding between different prospects. The problem is that this process assumes every player entering the draft is comparable to someone …
Mike Merrell’s Three-and-Out My first direct contact with a big-time football coach came in fall of 1966 when John Robinson — then an assistant at Oregon — blessed us incoming freshmen swimmers with a pep talk. It was all about what a great athletic family the Ducks were. With a fist waving in the air, Robinson declared that when you …
Mike Merrell’s Three-and-Out Some things never get old. Remembering wonderful things that came our way out of the blue always brings a smile. For sheer joy, it’s a toss-up between that and remembering the most outlandish, hilarious misfortunes that happened to those whom we might consider our enemies. Three defining moments of Oregon Football 2014 are the subjects of this …
The Oregon football program has ascended to the top of the college football world. The Ducks have reached the national title game twice in five years, won four other bowl games, and haven’t finished outside the Top 10 in that same five-year stretch. The Ducks are now elite, and it’s very hard to argue against that fact. But how did Oregon achieve …
When college football fans tune in to the games every Saturday, there is one team that is always easy to spot. Whether it is because of the shiny, colorful nature of the uniforms or the overwhelming speed of the team, the Oregon Ducks cannot be mistaken for anyone else. The distinct nature of Oregon football is not always seen as …
In yesterday’s article, we began the process of ranking Oregon’s 25 greatest teams. Today, we look at the best of the best: the top 10. Debate online about which Ducks football team is the greatest has been, as one might expect, mixed. In an Oregonian poll last month before the national title game, an overwhelming majority (65 percent) picked 2014 …
We live in an era of lists. Go to almost any website and you’ll find a top 10 of something. In a random search just now, within seconds I came across lists of the top snipers in history, a list chronicling examples of confusing etiquette in other countries, a list of Church of Satan facts that “may surprise you,” and …
FishDuck.com Feature Writer Mike Ostrom sits down with Former Ducks Max Unger and Will Tukuafu of the Seattle Seahawks with LeGarrette Blount and Patrick Chung of the New England Patriots at Super Bowl Media Day: Two Oregon Ducks are going to walk away Super Bowl 48 Champions Sunday night in Arizona. The other two Oregon Ducks will walk away feeling …
All the talk recently has been about how the Ducks were too soft to beat Ohio State. We thought we were different this year, tougher, more stout up the middle and we could compete with the big boys. I’d say we competed well, definitely proved to be more physical this season but came up against a well coach team with …