For the better part of the last decade, Oregon has been a veritable clearinghouse for NFL-caliber defensive backs. The likes of Jarius Byrd, T.J. Ward, Walter Thurmond III, Patrick Chung, Eddie Pleasant, and more recently, John Boyett, are all former Ducks now cashing checks from teams in the NFL. Assistant Coach John Neal gets kudos for recruiting defensive backs extremely …
Is anyone really paying attention to the college football world as March Madness is upon us? I know I still care about college football and all it’s glory, but the college basketball tournament really helps occupy the time during this slow period. I enjoy looking for the next “Cinderella” in the March Madness tournament. I think everyone likes looking for …
For the last half-decade, Oregon football has been one of a handful of teams that has been, at some point during each season, a true contender for a national championship. For a variety of reasons they have fallen short of attaining this goal. They have come very close on multiple occasions, but have failed to close the deal. In each …
I don’t know what it’s like to be a redshirt freshman on the football team, but I imagine it’s a peculiar situation. You work so hard throughout high school to become the best player you can, and the fruits of your labor are rewarded by multiple scholarship offers from schools across the country. In your senior year, you’re the big …
It’s a good thing we have March Madness to look forward to very soon, because this is the dull time for college football between signing day and spring ball that we dread. There is still a lot of news with the “Saban Rule” being entertained or trashed on a daily basis; we have new helmet cams to change the way …
The College of Cardinals, er, the NCAA wasted valuable time this week, time that would have been better served making compliance more arcane and difficult. Brought before this august body was the suggestion that college football offenses should be prohibited from running plays within the first 10 seconds of the play clock. The thought, from Nick Saban’s mouth to God’s …
The University of Oregon has had some great football coaches throughout the ages that have all helped, in one way or another, make the Ducks what they are today. From the start of the Oregon football program to now, Oregon has had coaches that have helped shape football not only at Oregon, but all over the country. 1894-1912 For the …
Call them the Big Uglies, but what happens up front will ensure that college football’s highest octane offense remains a thing of beauty. With the possible exception of quarterback, nowhere on Oregon’s roster is there more reason for optimism heading into the 2014 season than in the offensive line. Provided Tyler Johnstone is able to rehab the torn ACL he …
Gone from the 2013 Duck D-Line are such stalwarts as Wade Keliikipi, Taylor Hart and Ricky Havili-Heimuli. All very good players who will be missed, but the cupboard isn’t bare. Though some fans panicked at Oregon’s inability to close on a couple of highly regarded D-Lineman on LOI day, there remains much to look forward to from the Duck’s DL …
Coach Mark Helfrich pulled the curtain aside for just a moment recently to let Oregon fans get a glimpse of some of the deeper recruiting strategies implemented by Oregon football. We know how Chip Kelly began a much more intense ‘vetting process’ when he became HC, but it has become apparent that Mark Helfrich has stepped it up even further. …
Disingenuous, adjective: “Not truly honest or sincere: giving the false appearance of being honest and sincere.” (From the Merriam-Webster online dictionary.) They should call it the Bret Bielema rule. Or perhaps the Bielema-Saban rule, since it is, in part, due to these two coaches’ influence that this rule is now being considered. For those who are unfamiliar with this proposal, …
What a week of college football and there is not a single game going on. We have Michael Sam making headlines for being the “first” gay football player to come out publicly and now looks to make it in the NFL, becoming the first openly gay player on a roster. You have the NCAA making new rules to make college …