Johnny Football, Oregon Culture, and an Era Lost

Jon Joseph Editorials

“Whatever is the natural propensity of a person is hard to overcome. If a dog were to be made king, he would still gnaw at his shoelaces.” The Hitopadesha Although he is in the process of doing it incrementally, I certainly hope that Johnny Manziel will not confirm his father’s fear and commit suicide in one fell swoop. New Age folk will, of …

Marcus Mariota Shoulders More Pressure than Probably Even He Realizes

Caleb Couturie FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Win the Fiesta Bowl in your first year as a starter? Check. Rose Bowl? Check. Heisman trophy? Check. Top three draft pick? Mhhhm, that one too. These accomplishments, of course, forget to mention the truck load of hardware won after Marcus Mariota‘s miraculous 2014 season, probably sitting in a corner of his basement in Hawaii. The guy did it all, and for …

Roger Goodell’s Secret Draft Day Tweets

Kim Hastings FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

It has to get tiresome for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. He steps to the microphone to announce draft picks and gets booed. Sure he handled the Adrian Peterson case with all the finesse of a jackhammer going through creme brulee. Sure he waffled so many times during the Ray Rice case that the 2015 NFL season is sponsored by Bisquick. You bet …

Mariota to Throw at NFL Combine

Adam Kruse FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

According to multiple sources close to ESPN’s Chris Mortenson, former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota will throw for prospective teams at 2015 NFL Combine to be held February 17-23 in Indianapolis. Mariota, along with Florida State’s Jameis Winston, are considered to be the top collegiate quarterbacks available in the 2015 NFL Draft. To what extent to participate in the NFL Combine is …

Chip Kelly Update: Front Office Thunderdome

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

For the first time ever in his head coaching career, Chip Kelly’s season ended when the regular season did. It’s got to be killing him, as proud as he no doubt is that his Ducks destroyed Florida State and are heading into the National Championship Game favored by a touchdown. As I’ve said before, he’s Moses, unable to enter the …

Johnny Football and Marcus Mariota Could Unite

Caleb Couturie FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

  For all the football fans out there that watched Johnny Manziel‘s first career start, you saw exactly what I saw. Rushed, poor decisions, and bad throws were three key thoughts to assess Manziel’s performance, as the former college stud accounted for only 93 yards and two interceptions. If you asked any one out in that Browns clubhouse if Manziel was …

Overheard at the Heisman Award Ceremony

Kim Hastings FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Congratulations to Marcus Mariota! He’s the first Heisman winner from the state of Oregon in the Era of Competition. (Jerry Stovall finished second to OSU’s Terry Baker in 1962. Stovall rushed for 368 yards … all season.) FishDuck.com would like to offer our sincere congratulations. Mr. Mariota, sir, if there is anything we can do for you, anything at all, don’t hesitate to …

A Humble Heisman: The Best Endorsement of All

Alex Towne FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Ever pay attention to how many Heisman Trophy winners are in commercials these days? They are EVERYWHERE. Robert Griffin III is in Subway, USAA, Adidas, and Gatorade ads. Johnny Manziel is featured in Subway, Snickers, McDonald’s, and Nike commercials. Cam Newton has his hands in Gatorade, Under Armour, and a chic new fragrance known as Drakkar Essence. It’s understandable that an …

ESPN’s Ed Cunningham on Marcus Mariota: “I’m concerned about Mariota’s accuracy.”

Paul Jones FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

ESPN didn’t need any additional help from former Husky Ed Cunningham on the Championship Drive show on ESPNU this past weekend when he couldn’t decide if he thought Marcus Mariota is an accurate passer. On Sunday, it was “Mariota has accuracy issues.” Monday night, he’s now back to being an incredibly accurate passer. If it was just Cunningham, whose University …

“SuperMariota” favorite for the Heisman Trophy

Austin Willhoft FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

After a fantastic week 11 in the 2014 College Football season, the Heisman Trophy competition has never been more intense. Teams such as Mississippi State, Alabama, Florida State, and Oregon try to remain or rise up in the College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings and the country’s most outstanding players are attempting to push up their stock in order to …

8 Reasons Why College Football Is the Greatest Sport of Them All

Kim Hastings FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

This is the week that we have all been waiting for. At the end of last season the Ducks summarily ushered Mack Brown out the door with a swift kick in the rear and the parting words “Next time bring a passing game.” Since that night, Oregon fans have been looking forward to the next season to finally get here. Well, …

The Secret Factor in Mariota’s Heisman Bid

Jack Heffernan FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Throughout this upcoming season, fans and media professionals alike will debate every stat, game, and “Heisman Moment” in an attempt to determine whether or not Marcus Mariota deserves to win Oregon’s first Heisman Trophy. If people bother to consider performance off the field this season, it will distinguish Mariota from the past two winners. Both Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston …