Royce Freeman — The Next Oregon MVP?

Noah Smith FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

ESPN writer Kevin Gemmell understands Oregon and its offense more than your typical national writer or talking head. As he correctly points out, “What do you think of when you think of Oregon? Fine, after all of the uniform combinations. You think of offense. And specifically, the ground game.” OK, so he has the requisite “too many jerseys” one-liner, but he understands that …

In Defense of the Ducks Defense

Jay Garnett FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

In the immediate aftermath of the systematic dismantling of the Oregon Ducks by the Ohio State Buckeyes in last year’s inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship Game, fans and analysts were left wondering: what’s next for this Duck program? ESPN’s KC Joyner published an article in the days following the title game debacle outlining exactly how the team was positioned heading …

Analysis: “Vernon Adams Will Have a BETTER Statistical Year Than 2014 Mariota”

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Editorials

Our recent articles re VA have stirred the feelings of some coaches in my network, and I received the following analysis (below) from one of them, that, while controversial, is also illuminating. I added the GIFs, picture, and my personal endorsement to what he wrote. This is fun stuff, my friends! Charles Fischer So – why would some stupid guy state the absurd: “Vernon Adams …

What We Can Learn From the SEC

Mike Merrell FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Mike Merrell’s Three-and-Out For Duck football fans, it used to be about beating the Beavers and the Huskies. Then it moved on to being about winning the Pac-10/12. Now with a Heisman in the trophy case, there’s just one bridge to cross to garner total respect: a national championship. That brings up a new group of rivals, most notably Ohio …

How Oregon Returns to the College Football Playoff

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

I thought it would interesting to ponder how Oregon returns to the College Playoff, and since I have already predicted it to occur, it makes sense to break down the three major components that I believe will have the most impact on the season. Below is a short video about the three components that one analyst thinks will determine Oregon’s season …

The Pac-12, Not the SEC, Will Be the Conference to Beat This Year

Caleb Couturie FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Okay, so I write for an Oregon Ducks sports blog, so what? I’m biased, that much is obvious, but there’s actual evidence that supports the title of this piece. Now that college football has finally moved to a playoff to determine a champion, the door has been opened for more teams to prove they can hang with the best, or in …

A Real Casanova — Looking Back at One of Oregon’s Greatest Ducks

Noah Smith Men of Oregon: Players and Coaches

Set the way-back machine to 1951 and get your DeLoreans up to 88 MPH. We’re going back to look at a famous Duck from Oregon‘s rich history. While Oregon has had many great coaches over the years, I think we can all agree that the coolest name of them all belongs to Len Casanova. Known as Cas to his friends, he …

Recruiting Strategy: Helfrich Has Ducks Building Momentum Quickly

Nik Brownlee FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Things are good in Eugene these days. Not only is summer in full effect and the weather great, but the hometown Oregon Ducks are compiling a fantastic recruiting class that seems to continue to heat up as well. Last season, the Ducks finished with the No. 16-ranked recruiting class. The Ducks landed five-star defensive lineman Canton Kuamatule, the first five-star …

A Look Into How Oregon Stacks Up Against the Pac-12 North

Jason Selby FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

As a student at the University of Oregon, and a diehard fan of the Ducks, it’s frustrating to see how concerned people are with the football team heading into this season. It seems as if every fan is saying “The void that Marcus Mariota left behind might be too much for the Ducks to overcome.” Instead, people should be talking about the …

Chip Kelly Update: More Defensive Turnovers

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The typically astute Jimmy Kempski spotted an interesting number in his profile of JaCorey Shepherd, one of two cornerbacks the Eagles drafted in the sixth round: The most obvious takeaway from Shepherd’s tape is how many footballs he gets his hands on. In fact, Shepherd had more pass break-ups over the last two years than any other cornerback that was …

Recruiting Update: Linebackers Keen on Oregon

Mark Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

News Oregon’s recruiting haul over the last week is becoming the stuff of legends as the 2015-16 class is shaping up to be one of the greatest in school history. Linebacker LaMar Winston’s (4-Star/Portland, Ore./Rivals250) pledge to his home-state Ducks is already creating a ripple effect along the recruiting trail as several uncommitted preps are now on borrowed time in …