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 …
For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, their ultimate dilemma heading into the off-season was determining who their quarterback will be going into the future. The two best solutions to this problem: QBs Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston. But which one will they take? Ultimately, the Buccaneers are more in need of Mariota’s services than Winston’s due to two main differences on and off the …
Mike Merrell’s Three-and-Out The 101st Rose Bowl was in the books. Most of the press had not yet made it to the room for the post-game conferences, so I greedily claimed a front-row seat, wanting to be as close as possible to those whom I viewed as the biggest villains in college football: Jimbo Fisher and Jameis Winston. I couldn’t …
The Oregon Ducks football team touched down in Eugene after a dominating performance over Florida State in the Rose Bowl. We thought we would revisit some of the best quotes from the Ducks’ historic day in Pasadena: ”It kind of looked like he slipped on a banana, like in cartoons.” – Oregon linebacker Torrodney Prevot on Jameis Winston (si.com) ”I think …
For Duck fans, Rocye Freeman is now a household name. The freshman phenom burst onto the scene to replace the injured Thomas Tyner, and with Byron Marshall moving to the slot, Freeman took over as the Ducks‘ primary back in Week 4. Since then, he amassed at least 75 yards in every game on his way to 1,299 yards and 16 touchdowns, …
Mike Merrell’s Three-and-Out Throughout history, entire populations have been duped into following charismatic leaders with no scruples whatsoever. The unwitting populace draws power from the promise of the spoils of war, and celebrates the exclamation that they are the chosen, that they are the master race, that they are better than everybody else. Under these leaders, hubris and disregard for …
Last week, I listed Florida State as the biggest villain Oregon has faced in recent memory. When their pairing with the Ducks was announced for the playoff, Oregon fans rejoiced at the ultimate matchup of good versus evil. As I sat down to write this week, I was fully prepared to crank up the hate machine and fire off a …
The Florida State defense has made it clear as blue sky that they are not afraid of Oregon quarterback and Heisman winner Marcus Mariota. It seems the Rose Bowl game against the No. 2 Ducks is just another day against another Heisman winner. Clearly, it’s not. Seminole head coach Jimbo Fisher has been utilizing Florida State track star and scout team quarterback John Franklin III …
The first Heisman winner in Oregon history returned to practice this week after a six day media blitz of the East Coast. The whirlwind tour consisted of an early morning appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, spending time at New York City’s Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital, paying his respects at the 9/11 Memorial and then jetting over to rattle off the Late Show’s Top Ten with host David …
The loss of All-American Ifo Ekpre-Olomu hurts, and it hurts a lot, simply because Oregon fans know he has the potential to be great at the next level. Since the Rose Bowl match-up was announced, most experts considered the Rashad Greene vs Ekpre-Olomu battle a key to who would win the game. Now that Ekpre-Olomu is out, Greene running wild …
Florida State, Oregon’s opponent in the upcoming Rose Bowl on January 1st, knows how to win. An established football tradition and excellent coaching are complemented by top recruiting classes attracted to the school of 32,000 in Tallahassee, year after year. As the ‘Noles prepare for their showdown with the Ducks, they have not-so-quietly put together the nation’s second-ranked 2015 recruiting …
Is Oregon Ducks head football coach Mark Helfrich a boy among men? There he sat on Thursday, blinking out at the lights, cameras and a crowd of jaundiced national sports writers at the press conference featuring the four men who’ve led their teams to the brink of the first ever college football playoff championship, looking for all the world like a …