The Spring Game this year was a party for the program. It showed how much progress has been made since the end of last season. A lot of big-picture developments in recruiting, team building and coaching philosophy have been gleaned from it. After reviewing the film a few more times, I wanted to use some Spring Game material for some discussion points about …
I was pretty surprised at the words coming from this long-time season ticket holder, who is a classic example of a professional in the community who maintains a serious passion for our beloved Ducks. Scott Schultz is my attorney, whom I made reference to recently in my weekly column (that is now on Sundays). He is someone I’ve known for 25 …
Each year in the land of college football recruiting, there always seems to be at least one recruit who is a headline grabber. Whether it’s for his words or actions, the spotlight just seems to be on him. This year, that spotlight has been on 4-star athlete Deommodore Lenoir. Not just because he is one of the best players outright in the 2017 …
It is always fun to have a “Skull Session” with the Grizzled Ol’ Coach of FishDuck.com, my favorite, Coach Mike Morris. But this time he came with a notebook where he studied every play of the Oregon Spring Game and had some fun analysis themes to reveal over the spring and summer; but where do you start? There is so much on …
If I could describe the 2017 Oregon football spring camp in one word it would be “Leadership.” Not only from the obvious coaching changes last December, but the emphasis and cultural change to put the players in a position to lead one another. This is their team, and the results on the field will come directly from their work and …
The offense scored points only through extraordinary efforts, the defense made a bunch of stops and was a ton better and both sides showed us energy that has been needed for a long time in our beloved Ducks. The world in Eugene is right again. I was delighted with so much of what I saw, but it was pretty incomplete, …
This is going to be the most interesting Spring Football Game since Oregon converted to the spread offense a dozen years ago in 2005, and I simply cannot wait. I really should be more mature about this instead of breathlessly panting like a 13-year-old talking about an upcoming rock concert, but I cannot help it. I am Oregon. As I …
In a really fine defensive back class that the Oregon Ducks football team signed in February 2017, one of the headliners is certainly cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. from Rancho Cucamonga, California. Graham was a three-year starter for the Cougars playing wide receiver, safety and cornerback. He follows notable alumni Terrell Thomas (N.Y. Giants) and Gerald Alexander (Jacksonville, Carolina), as well as former Oregon …
In our last FishDuck.com analysis, we showed how the classic off-tackle power blocking scheme has been adapted to the Spread Offense. While those play possibilities are interesting and exciting to me, I am more looking forward to the several ways the Oregon Ducks might merge the Counter Trey into their Smash-Mouth … with deception, offense. The Counter Trey Coach Tom Osborne …
“The difference is night and day.” This answer from a high school coach in Washington stunned me when I asked about the difference in Oregon Spring Football compared to years in the past. This is the time of year when coaches come in from across the nation to meet the Oregon coaches, “talk football” and watch the practices and drills. …
I’ve spent a lot of time talking about which stats are “meaningful stats” — the ones that are important — and which stats are “ESPN stats,” or meaningless ones. How many times have you heard an announcer proclaim that Joe Blow just threw for a school record of 500 yards, and oh, by the way, his team is losing!? Or how …
The two previous football seasons were torture for Oregon fans. Our expectations of winning, even the national title, were crushed as mediocrity, confusion and mistakes became the norm, replacing the dominance, resourcefulness and the high-scoring Ducks performances we had become so accustomed to. The Ducks’ 2016 defense became a doormat of Division I teams. Another year in sports is fast unfolding. …