On paper, this Oregon Ducks football team looks strong. Marcus Mariota, DeAnthony Thomas and Josh Huff all return as starters. The offensive line looks tough, as does the defensive secondary. In fact, there isn’t a single position that looks particularly weak, yet there are some vulnerabilities that should be troublesome to Duck fans. One of the issues Oregon fans should …
“A day that will live in infamy.” President Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke those words to the United States Congress Dec. 8, 1941, a day after the Japanese surprised the world with their attack on Pearl Harbor just the day before. Of course this had great consequences throughout the country and the world, but on the Oregon campus, it would dramatically …
There is a misconception in the pass game that the more wordy and complex the play call sounds, the more effective it is. Generations of fans and coaches grew up on NFL Films and remember audio of long and seemingly never-ending play calls by legendary coaches. These intricate sounding schemes allegedly created wide open receivers, yet this perception is quite …
How do the Ducks stop 1,200 pounds of defensive muscle with exceptional speed from crushing our quarterback? What are the tactics to stop blitzes? It is only fitting to give some recognition to the big boys up front, since this is not an easy assignment. The men who battle in the trenches every single offensive play are the reason big …
It’s summertime here in Eugene, Oregon, and that only means one thing to the Duck faithful; football season is looming right around the corner. Summer workouts have officially begun as the new highly touted freshman class flocks in from all over the nation to join one of the most dynamic and explosive teams in college football. Having lost key pieces …
A missed block here, a couple missed field goals there and a missed opportunity on a loose ball in overtime. If the Oregon Ducks had avoided even one of these unfortunate mishaps during their showdown against Stanford last season, they likely would have taken on Notre Dame in the national championship game. The point here is not to commiserate or …
This is THE definitive analysis for understanding the Bubble Zone Read–a key component of the Oregon Offense. For those who take the time to learn from this analysis, a massive number of questions will be answered in this keystone article. This will be included in the Tutorial Series in the Directory. My personal thanks to Coach Brian Flinn of Villanova …
We have a unique treat never before done on FishDuck.com, or any other football site, as we learn what to look for in a Quarterback prospect for Oregon! Forget the million details—what can a fan easily look for to see if a player can help us? We are fortunate to have two specialists who teach young QBs as their profession …
We received an endorsement from an unexpected source today as the sports section of the Washington Post ran a wonderful article by Keith McMillan about learning from our site, FishDuck.com. His article, Zone Read Crash Course is generous in his praise of what we are about at this site. He embedded two videos, and had some quotes that help make …
Before anything else, one word usually comes to mind when people hear about the Oregon Ducks, “Offense.” The Ducks have finished among the elite in the national standings over each of the past six years in terms of total offense, and have developed quite a reputation doing of it. However, that reputation also comes with some negatives. Many argue that, …
Imagine my surprise to find ANOTHER new play in the USC game, the Quarterback Sweep! Last week we enjoyed the revelation of “Sucker Plays”. As I reviewed it, I began to think about the other plays that the Oregon QB serves as the ball carrier and began to wonder about at what point is it too risky to be putting …
The early 2000’s were a huge turning point for Oregon Football. The 2001 season including an impressive blowout against Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl, and an 11-1 run that showcased a memorable Oregon team. Best remembered for its offense (the “Harrington Era”) many great defenders played a key role in the success of the Fiesta Bowl campaign. Fish Duck wishes …