Recruiting Update: Oregon to Crash Midwest Border War?

Mark Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Football Recruiting Interest The Midwest has never been known to be much of an Oregon recruiting hotbed, but fortunes may be changing as newly-minted Ducks linebacker Jimmie Swain (3-Star/Olathe, KS) is spreading the word about his new team. Swain’s junior teammate, tight end Josh Moore (3-Star/Olathe, KS) became very familiar with the Lightning Yellow & Thunder Green after the elder Swain started …

The Evolution Will be Televised: The Development of Packaged Plays in the Chip Kelly Offense

Brian Flinn Analysis

It has been almost a decade that I have been the wide receivers coach at Villanova, and during this time I have been fortunate to be a part of a great spread offensive system and also watch the evolution of offensive football up close.  As you already may know, my biggest influence during this time has been the Chip Kelly offense …

Oregon Men’s BB: Is There Still Enough Time to Make the Dance?

Bryan Holt FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

With just one month away from Selection Sunday on March 16, experts around the country are buzzing with predictions over which 68 teams will fill the brackets for the NCAA tournament.  The Oregon Ducks (16-8, 4-8 Pac-12) have just six games and a conference tournament to boost their computer ranking in order to gain an at-large bid to participate in …

In Defense Of: The Duck Defensive Line

Casey Fluegge FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Gone from the 2013 Duck D-Line are such stalwarts as Wade Keliikipi, Taylor Hart and Ricky Havili-Heimuli.  All very good players who will be missed, but the cupboard isn’t bare.  Though some fans panicked at Oregon’s inability to close on a couple of highly regarded D-Lineman on LOI day, there remains much to look forward to from the Duck’s DL …

Recruiting Methodology Drills Deep at Oregon

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Coach Mark Helfrich pulled the curtain aside for just a moment recently to let Oregon fans get a glimpse of some of the deeper recruiting strategies implemented by Oregon football.  We know how Chip Kelly began a much more intense ‘vetting process’ when he became HC, but it has become apparent that Mark Helfrich has stepped it up even further. …

Buh Bye, Beavs — Ducks Take Civil War, 93-83

Dean Davis FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

EUGENE,OR. – Earlier this season, the Ducks lost to the Beavers in Gill Coliseum, Corvallis.  Oregon did not forget the sour taste of defeat against those damn Beavers, and came out this past Sunday with a vengeance.  With Oregon’s play being exceptionally great against very good teams the past few games, going against a team lower in the standings, such as Oregon …

Rule Change Proposal Will Destroy College Football

Don Gilman FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Disingenuous, adjective: “Not truly honest or sincere: giving the false appearance of being honest and sincere.”  (From the Merriam-Webster online dictionary.) They should call it the Bret Bielema rule.  Or perhaps the Bielema-Saban rule, since it is, in part, due to these two coaches’ influence that this rule is now being considered. For those who are unfamiliar with this proposal, …

College Football Nation: NCAA Hating on Oregon and Michael Sam Speaks Out

Jeff Hostetler FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

What a week of college football and there is not a single game going on.  We have Michael Sam making headlines for being the “first” gay football player to come out publicly and now looks to make it in the NFL, becoming the first openly gay player on a roster.  You have the NCAA making new rules to make college …

The Tax Man Cometh . . . and is Subdued

Kim Hastings FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The perks of working for FishDuck.com are ridiculous.  I’m writing this from my timeshare week in Aspen, and its less than a month after this Super Bowl party: But there comes a time, every year, when we have to pay the piper for all of these perks.  When tax season rolls around free-lance writers take it up the . . …

Lets Talk About a Couple of Recruits!

Gar Pearson FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

My desk is a mess, we are up to our elbows in work that demands attention, the temp outside is 19 degrees, the east wind is screaming down the Gorge and snow is falling like a lake-effect blizzard in Cleveland – but we can’t get focused because we are really excited about a couple of Oregon Duck baseball recruits! Looking out the …

Chip Kelly Update — Is Michael Sam the Eagles’ Answer?

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

If you read or listen to or watch any kind of sports media, you’ve heard more about Michael Sam this past week than even the Winter Olympics.  Yes, it’s a big deal, Michael Sam coming out as the first openly gay major-level football player, and all the discussion is an important part of digesting this big step forward. His timing …

Duckling Profile: There’s No “I” in Carter

Alex Legarza FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Many athletes and sports fanatics have heard the phrase, “There is no ‘I’ in team.” For Ben Carter, he not only embodies this idea, but also practices it.  He makes himself available to play many positions on the court, not just one.  That versatility is evident in that he is more than capable of defending a power forward, while also …