In January 2013, following Chip Kelly‘s departure to the NFL, Oregon elected to do what they had done for decades by hiring offensive coordinator, Mark Helfrich as head coach. Nevertheless, an interesting question lingers: What if the Ducks had instead selected defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti as the lead man? I think most are happy with the Ducks’ current state, but would …
One good thing about an extended off-season is we get to learn more about the new offense Coach Joe Moorhead has brought to Oregon before seeing it in action. Okay, not exactly a great consolation prize: we want to see it now! Hey, I’m just trying to make lemonade here. Today’s flavor: coach Moorhead’s ISO play. The ISO–or as some …
Even when considering the weight of a global pandemic, did the Pac-12 schools take the easy way out for the 2020 season? Was the fear of lawsuits just too much for the brave leaders of the Pac-12 to deal with? Yes, I’m talking to you Larry Scott. With the advantage of a little hindsight, you have to ask yourself what …
There is a little known fact about the original Olympians: they were paid! You read that right. These athletes were not “amateur” in the purist sense, and neither are today’s college athletes. The hard truth a lot of people don’t want to accept is that amateurism in college athletics is a myth, and, really, this isn’t a new argument. However, some …
Mario Cristobal is the Commander-in-Chief of Oregon Football. With this coaching style style, the determining factor of a team’s success or failure boils down to a few important decisions: effective coaching hires. Cristobal has no problem firing a coach who isn’t a fit for the program as we saw when he fired Jim Leavitt. However, the firing of Leavitt came …
It has been a long off-season. Basketball ended early due to the pandemic, as did all other sports. The recent restart of professional sports showed that limited crowds don’t have to stop sports. Last weekend college football restarted in a limited capacity, with small crowds and every team missing players. The games were alright, but without any major teams in …
In 2018, defensive back recruits Elijah Blades and Jeremiah Criddell made the decision to decommit from the Ducks. This left the Ducks in dire need of a solid defensive back. Oregon had already received verbal commitments from two other defensive backs, Trikweze Bridges and Mykael Wright, but something was still missing from the roster. Then, in January of 2019, DB …
CJ Verdell took his share of criticism for a solid but unspectacular 2018 season. As a freshman, Verdell was a capable ball carrier, rushing for over 1,000 yards and averaging just over 5 yards per carry. But considering he ran behind arguably the best offensive line in the country, those numbers were a bit underwhelming. Things were different in 2019, …
My FishDuck Friends, we have a wonderful article contributed by PittDuck about his favorite Autzen memory. Oh how sweet that game was, and the unusual circumstances for him surrounding that delightful game 22 years ago. We thank him and invite you to write about yours as well! Charles Fischer ————————————————————————————————————————— I’ve been an Oregon Duck fan since I was a …
My FishDuck Friends, this is a contributed article from Haywarduck, who is a regular in the comments and a big part of our community. Thank you! Charles Fischer ——————————————————————————- Are the Ducks becoming an NFL factory at linebacker? It’s a fair question when considering recent rosters in the NFL and Oregon’s recruiting, as it certainly has come a long way. …
There are two types of head coaches. First there are the field-commanders, who call the plays from the sideline. Oregon fans are familiar with this style of coaching, as Chip Kelly is the definition of field-commander. These coaches tend to be the flashy innovators of the sport, and Kelly’s time at Oregon exemplified this. Then there are the commander-in-chief head …
As the fall college football season begins without our mighty Ducks our attention shifts towards spring 2021 for our next dosage of Oregon football. Nevertheless whether the Ducks next play in spring or fall of next year, the roster for Oregon will look a lot different than it does today. For starters, many of Oregon’s elite draft eligible players such as …