Some time ago, I wrote an article about three plays that I would like to see added to Coach Marcus Arroyo’s playbook, the offensive coordinator at that time. They weren’t schemes that I thought would actually show up, but ones that would compliment the offense and was mostly wishful thinking on my part. Well one of those plays was deployed …
Chip Kelly arrived in Eugene as a virtual unknown from the University of New Hampshire. From 2007 to 2012, Kelly changed the landscape of college football with his blur offense, transforming Oregon into a national title contender in the process. Following a lull under Mark Helfrich and Willie Taggart, Mario Cristobal started restoring dreams of a “Natty” in 2018, inciting FishDuck’s …
We know that Mario Cristobal is still relatively new as a head coach in a Power-Five conference, and many of us have sputtered about his learning curve. Strategies and tactics that many of us “Greybeards” have watched over the years with other coaches seemed to be either unknown or ignored by this coaching staff. Now granted, going from 7-6 to …
Perhaps Marcus Arroyo’s biggest challenge when he took over as lone offensive coordinator and play-caller for the Oregon Ducks was building an offense that would marry his own experience with the kind of physicality that head coach Mario Cristobal was looking for in the run game. I believe that his answer has been to infuse a heavy dosage of RPOs (run-pass options) …
You don’t have to be tuned into a televised football game long before you start to hear commentators throw around the term RPO. Most people have a basic understanding of what that is: a run-pass option. Though it’s easy enough to understand that these are plays with both the option to run or to pass, packaged together, not everyone knows …
This is it; this is the year for Oregon football. We all know it, as how often do you have a first round draft pick like Justin Herbert return for a senior year? Or a Troy Dye on defense returning for his senior year? Or having 17 of 22 starters return with such depth on the defensive line? We all know …
I’ve often wondered if Mario Cristobal has a sense of humor. Here’s a man who intentionally replaced the vaunted Chip Kelly spread offense at Oregon, featuring an awesome running game, with an offense led by a coordinator whose strength is his passing background. How’s that for a head scratcher? But guess what? Old tricks are new tricks in football. Just …
Mark Helfrich and Chip Kelly led their respective teams to appearances in the Natty. “Fast, Hard, Finish” was their motto. They scored quickly and they scored often. The Oregon Duck offense was a sight to behold, but they couldn’t bring home a national championship. Enter Mario Cristobal, who promised to add a physical brand to the Ducks’ version of shock and awe. …
After the Oregon spring game, Duck fans bemoaned the end of the blur offense for good. Angst returned to Oregon fandom like a lightning bolt despite positive signs of improvement on defense. In Eugene, it’s all about the offense. And on that front, nothing has changed, they say. What is Mario Cristobal thinking? Let’s take a closer look at the Oregon …
The picture above speaks for itself: Win the Pac-12, go to the Rose Bowl. Dominate enough games and you have a shot at the Natty. In Chip Kelly’s years, this was a foregone conclusion. In Mark Helfrich’s, not as much. Now Mario Cristobal is launching his effort to propel Oregon like a Phoenix from the ashes of the Empire formally known as “Fast Hard Finish.” Last season, …
One of the most exciting and nerve-racking scenarios in football is third and long. You know your team has to put the ball in the air, and the opponent knows it too. Just how difficult is it to convert in these situations? To start, let’s put such a situation into perspective by looking at how difficult it is to convert any …
It is no secret that Oregon fans are gnashing their teeth over the 2018 offense this offseason. Many critics blame Marcus Arroyo for one of the most bland attacks in recent Duck history. The offense looked so simple that, at times, it seemed like even a caveman could predict the plays. Fear not fans, I have faith that we will …