Mark Helfrich: “The NFL BLOCKBUSTER SLEEPER Hire of the Year”

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Editorials

I know you read that title and are now thinking, “oh brother,” but bear with me and try to examine this with new eyes as we contemplate the hiring of Mark Helfrich as Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach of the Chicago Bears. I truly believe he will be the Blockbuster Sleeper hire of the NFL this year, and will fare better …

ANALYSIS LIBRARY

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Analysis Library

My friends, it is stunning how much football information is within this site from years of work by so many writers, analysts and coaches. I am creating this article for the sole purpose of simply creating a link for other places on the site to help the readers and coaches to find their topic of interest. To go directly to …

Oregon meets Stanford at Autzen Stadium.

Oregon Spread Offense Analyses

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Analysis Library

Go to the OREGON FOOTBALL ANALYSIS LIBRARY by FishDuck.com front page to find the articles and links here.     Articles about the Oregon Spread Offense under coaches Chip Kelly, Mark Helfrich, Scott Frost, Mario Cristobal, Marcus Arroyo and Willie Taggart are present along with plays and tactics. The Oregon Defensive Articles and Analysis are present on this page as well …

Famous FishDuck Writers–Remove Mullens: PASS or NO PASS?

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Editorials

Something I’m seeing on message boards, in the comments at FishDuck.com and in emails to me — is that quite a number of Oregon fans want athletic director Rob Mullens fired over the 11 million buyout to Mark Helfrich, coupled with being bamboozled by Willie Taggart. I have my doubts about faulting Mullens. Firstly, he felt he must secure the institutional …

Should Oregon Fans Panic? Not After Utah.

Cody Lonning Editorials

In the beginning, Oregon’s 2017 season did not feel like its disastrous 2016 season, which resulted in the firing of the entire coaching staff. A new coach had already won the recruiting season by convincing key veterans to return (Royce Freeman and Tyrell Crosby), bringing in a stellar 2017 class and building the foundation of an historic 2018 class. But …

Ducks Win: The Good and The Bad

Darren Perkins Editorials

As the final gun sounded on Saturday and the usual post-game mad scramble took place across the field as the head coaches tried to find each other for their customary handshake, I half-expected the ending music to the movie “Rocky” to kick-in. After all, a relatively large underdog (13.5 points) had gotten the tar beat out of it early on …

The Five Stages of Oregon Fan Grief – The 2016 Football Season in Review

David Miller History from 2016

We can point to just a few plays this last season that would have resulted in a winning record, a bowl game and likely the extension of the Mark Helfrich era (for better or worse). Let’s look at the season and our five stages of fan grief: sadness, depression, denial, disbelief, and finally, blame. To say this last season was …

What the Taggart Staff Can Learn From the Helfrich Staff …

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Editorials

As fans of our beloved Ducks, we have gone through many mental phases as the football program declined, and we wanted the coaches on the former staff (whom we loved and cared about) to succeed. I started pondering the differences between them and those we immediately noted with the new football staff, and, after collaborating with other fans, have come to …

Oregon Football: Time to Wake the Sleeping Giant

FishDuck Staff Editorials

The end for Mark Helfrich was written long before the second half rains in Corvallis washed away any hope of his redemption. There was no artistry to that second half bludgeoning by Oregon State. No intricate scheme or innovation was required. It was straight ahead football, 27 consecutive running plays by the Beavers, and the Ducks had no answers … …

On Oregon, Culture and the Revenge of Riley

D. Louis Thornton Editorials

The Ducks of Mike Bellotti, Chip Kelly and Mark Helfrich won the Civil War game over Mike Riley 8 straight years, including twice (2008 and 2009) denying the Beavers their first Rose Bowl invitation since 1957.  As soon as Riley took the Nebraska job and the home and home with Oregon was scheduled, I am sure the date was circled on Riley’s calendar. …

From Coach Ruskin: Comparing and Contrasting P.J. Fleck and Willie Taggart

Coach Ruskin Fiegenbaum Coach's Opinion

The cool thing about a coaching search for your favorite football team is it tests what you as a coach, or fan, hold as your priorities for a coach. Generally, there are three types of coaches: The CEO type recruits well, sets the general culture of the program and delegates. A good CEO Coach hires coordinators they trust and then delegates the …