We’ve all heard the story from recruits: “Come to (Insert School Here), our system puts players into the NFL. Oregon may make you a good college player, but Oregon can’t put lineman into the NFL. With defensive end Dion Jordan (3rd overall pick by Miami) and offensive lineman Kyle Long (20th overall pick by Chicago) coming off the board in the first …
Ahh…Spring (Game) Is In The Air!
Featured Photo Courtesy Gary Breedlove Photography The weather forecast earlier last week called for partly cloudy skies on Saturday, with a chance of some showers. That gloomy prognostication never materialized, and yesterday’s spring game by the Oregon Ducks was held under clear and warm conditions — as perfect an April morning as you could hope for. Once again, two …
2012 Recruiting Class and JUCO LB On the Rise
In a Spring Game that saw just about every healthy player on Oregon’s roster, redshirt freshmen defensive back Oshay Dunmore, quarterback Jake Rodrigues, and newly added junior linebacker Joe Walker established themselves in an otherwise “name’s game” matchup. At the prep level, both Dunmore and Rodrigues lined up as signal callers for their respective offenses heading into the 2012 edition …
Rodrigues or Lockie: Both look to back up The Man
On Saturday, Oregon fans got their first glimpse of the two men vying for Oregon’s backup quarterback spot in Jeff Lockie and Jake Rodrigues. While both men impressed statistically, one thing became even clearer during the game: The incumbent, Marcus Mariota, is getting even better than last season. Despite playing against the second-unit defense, it’s hard not to salivate at …
Measuring Up: Ducks vs. the SEC and other BCS powers
As the 2013 off-season grinds along, it’s high-time to take a look at how the Ducks spring roster stacks up against 24 other programs in the country. After all, the 2012 Fiesta Bowl champion Oregon Ducks were among the very largest in the country a season ago, but has that changed? For reference, this list is assembled using roster data from ESPN.com, …
Comparing Marcus Mariota to One of Oregon’s All-Time Greats
“Johnny Football” may have received the most media hype among an emerging class of elite freshman quarterbacks in 2012 (deservedly so), but Marcus Mariota is arguably the most complete of the batch. The Flyin’ Hawaiian gave the Ducks a seamless transition from Darron Thomas, who had departed early for the 2012 NFL draft. Only the third quarterback in Oregon football …
Remember This Spring Game?
How deep do your memories of Oregon football go? Would you remember anyone from the 1983 season? What about the 1983 Spring Game? If we looked back, who would we recognize? Let’s play Where’s Waldo? with this photo and see if you can guess who the participants are: Likely, you recognize the subject of the red arrow. That’s Rich Brooks. …
The Oregon Classic: The Inside Zone Read
It makes sense in our offseason to look again at the play that the entire Oregon offense is centered around, and the video that has been seen by so many coaches and fans worldwide over the last year and a half. Has it been awhile? Watch again and remember the fine points that make the Inside Zone Read so important to Oregon, …
Oregon Recruiting Manifesto Part 7: Recruiting Blueprint – The Social Demands
This multi-week series will attempt to take a reasonable, logical and unbiased look at Oregon’s recent recruiting successes and failures while analyzing the program’s recruiting philosophy under Chip Kelly. The series will then look at how that philosophy already has and may continue to evolve under Mark Helfrich before ending with a detailed breakdown of the author’s ideal recruiting blueprint. …
NFL Draft Helps Usher In New Era At Oregon
By next Sunday night, as many as five former Ducks could find themselves on planes, headed off to the next venture in life, with the NFL staring them in the face. Back in Eugene, spring ball 2013 will soon be a wrap, ushering in the quiet period until we officially kick off fall camp in August. The 2012 senior class – led by Dion …
Oregon Unknowns: An Unforgettable Halftime with Len Casanova
A great trivia question for Duck football fans: What was the longest winning streak by a Duck team prior to their 11 straight in 2001-02 (counting overlapping seasons)? Oregon finished the 1932 season with a win over LSU in the bitter cold of Louisiana, then won their first eight games of 1933 for a combined total of nine straight games. …
Are Expectations for Thomas Tyner Too High?
Along with the growing success of the Oregon football on the field over the past two decades has been increased success off field with high profile recruits attracted to Oregon. Those highly rated recruits carry increased expectations, and with increased expectations there can be a heightened sense of disappointment if one of those recruits fails to achieve potential. The latest Oregon recruit to …