In 1999, Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young retired from the San Francisco 49ers. In 2000, the 49ers went 6-10 under coach Steve Mariucci and headed into the offseason trying to improve the team. General manager Bill Walsh and Mariucci felt they needed a quarterback, and on draft day, two of the most successful minds in the NFL went into …
Expert Panel: Early Analysis of Oregon’s 2019 Football Recruiting Class
What are the “experts” saying about the recruiting class? Many of the most knowledgeable are part of the pay-sites of which most of you don’t have access to. (Which is why you are on this free site!) I was thinking about offering my early assessment of the recruiting class signed thus far for 2019, but the truth is–it is just …
Discuss! Live Updates Through Recruiting Letter-of-Intent Day!
“So … do you have a big enough seat belt for Wednesday?” I had to laugh at the question from fellow Duck fan and Greybeard, Steven A. Smith, an attorney in Modesto California. He’s right, as it has already been quite a bumpy ride and while we hope for no drama today–you know there will be some! Let’s just hope …
Recruiting LOI Day: What FishDuck is Watching For …
Let’s face it … recruiting news is entertainment, as much of a “game” as anything we follow with Oregon sports. It is such a rollercoaster, especially at this time of year. I’m going to share what I personally am watching for on the National Letter-of-Intent (LOI) signing day this Wednesday and offer some of my recruiting observations and opinions. Naturally, …
Holy Crap! Kayvon Thibodeaux, No. 1 Recruit is a DUCK!
Mario Cristobal continues achieve things never done at Oregon before with the verbal commitment today of the nation’s No. 1 rated recruit in the nation Kayvon Thibodeaux from Southern California. He is a rush-defensive end at 6’5″ and 230 lbs. and is known for extraordinary speed. Sorry guys…I can hardly write as I’m a babbling mass of protoplasm right now …
Share the Love: Analyzing Oregon Recruiting and Super Mario
My Friends, our Friend in the comments, Ugly Duckling, contributed quite an impressive article that I highly recommend reading. Articles like this give me a break on an occasional week, and I do appreciate it. Have something to say and want it to be published? Send it to charles@fishduck.com in a Word Document and give us your thoughts. They have to …
Why Oregon will NOT Finish in the 2019 Recruiting Top Ten
No, my friends, the title is not “clickbait.” What I wrote is true. You all are acquainted with me well enough by now to know that I am frequently guilty of sizzling titles, but I also back them up with facts and reasoned arguments. I do not present a title to lure a reader in and then pull the bait-and-switch …
2019 Recruiting Disasters in the Pac-12: UCLA, Washington=Boise State?
My friends….we are not supposed to have five articles this week, but this stuff is just too juicy. I was supposed to take a break this week, but comparing Washington to Boise State in recruiting was something I had to get out to my friends for discussion. Why? Because Oregon is in a position with recruiting that I never thought …
The Cristobal Staff is About to Break TWO RECRUITING RECORDS at Oregon
An axiom we savvy Oregon fans and readers of this site know, part of College Football 101, is that when it comes to talent … “Great coaching can help players outperform their recruiting ranking, but to win championships — you must have a roster full of superior talent.” We are all keeping up with the recruiting battles occurring and, while we are …
Yeech: Do I Have to say, “THANK YOU” to Willie Taggart?
Admit it, you’ve been thinking about this too. You even know what I’m about to write, but like me, you have not wanted to address it because you are still annoyed at the despicable way he dumped the Ducks. But this is Lent, a Christian time of sacrifice; of cleansing and making amends. Before we put the Willie Taggart era completely …
Laying the Foundation: How Elite Teams Are Built
After signing day I heard a lot of squawking about this recruiting class and couldn’t help but shake my head. For years Oregon fans have bemoaned the lack of elite line talent on our teams. This showed especially during bowl games against physical opponents from the Big 10 or SEC (I can still see OSU running counter trey over and …
FishDuck Philosophy: New Lessons Learned from Recruiting…
Just as Jake Locker got schooled on a blitz in the picture above, I learned about some new aspects of football recruiting this year, none of which I particularly care for. I am developing some ways to mentally prepare for them, some FishDuck Philosophies if you will, which will help overcome the roller-coaster ride that has become the modern day norm in college football recruiting. Consider …