With all due respect to the great Norm Van Brocklin, Dan Fouts is the greatest NFL quarterback the University of Oregon has ever produced. With an impressive professional career spanning 15 seasons, Fouts garnered enough statistics, records and accolades to earn himself a membership in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. 43,000+ passing yards, 250+ touchdowns thrown, and six …
Although Oregon has been a run-oriented football team the past few years, the number of times they have run the ball has decreased in both of Mark Helfrich’s seasons as head coach. The difference in the Helfrich era thus far has been athletic passers playing the QB position rather than runners who can somewhat throw. The Chip Kelly-type QB will always be defined …
Analysts love to dissect Oregon’s many packaged schemes and option runs, offensive plays designed to take advantage of whatever the defense throws at them, with an answer for just about anything and everything. There is, however, another part of any offense that is just as crucial, sometimes referred to as constraint plays. Constraint plays force a defense to hesitate, to think a little …
Pressure is something Marcus Mariota knows well. From his days in college, he understands that his team’s successes and failures will all fall on him. He understands how to thrive in situations when everyone is looking to him, needing him to come through when it matters most — either on the field or in the community — whether that means working at a …
While watching ”The Sandlot” the other day, I couldn’t help but get caught up in my nostalgia. Babe Ruth comes into Benny’s room and gives him advice on his predicament, and before he leaves, he says, “Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.” I began to think about Marcus Mariota. His contributions to the Oregon football program go far beyond …
Former Ducks football players can be found across the NFL. Oregon even had the distinction of having more former players starting in last year’s Super Bowl than any other college team with three. Over the last 20 years, 71 Oregon players have been selected in the NFL Draft, including nine first-round picks. In the 2015 draft, Marcus Mariota became the …
Easily the most highly touted player to come out of college in recent memory, Andrew Luck checked all the boxes. At the combine he measured in at 6’4″ and a stocky 230 lbs, and every time he threw a football people swore you could hear the laces sing in pure awe and glory. Seriously, the guy was the living, breathing …
The Oregon Ducks have revolutionized the way that college football is played, and for almost 10 years now, the Ducks have been the most entertaining team to watch. Oregon’s no-huddle offense, comprised of speed, great athletes and misdirection, has influenced many programs across the country. Chip Kelly, who is currently the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and one of …
Oregon quarterbacks do not have the best track record when it comes to production at the NFL level. Since 1999 and prior to Marcus Mariota, Oregon had five quarterbacks taken in the NFL Draft, two of which were 1st-round picks – Akili Smith and Joey Harrington — two in the 5th round – Dennis Dixon and A.J. Feely — and Kellen Clemens, who was taken …
It’s June, and it’s time for the Oregon Ducks to make another push toward the College Football Playoff. Last season, fans saw the Ducks finish the regular season with an 11-1 record, witnessed Marcus Mariota win the first Heisman trophy in school history, and watched Oregon dominate Florida State in the Rose Bowl before eventually losing in the national title …
In the lead up to the draft, all players, great and small, face a tremendous amount of scrutiny. This scrutiny results in the experts proclaiming what College Player X has to do in order to become NFL Player X. As college players start their NFL careers, they are forced to transition from College Player to NFL Player. Sometimes, the transition …
The University of Oregon has become a hotbed for awesome talent. Since 2010, the school has turned into a football powerhouse, attracting athletes from all across the country. The best players are often times recognized on a national scale. Guys like Marcus Mariota and Royce Freeman were known by every person in America last year. But those guys are not the entire team, and it would be …