The High Powered offense of the Ducks is predicated on many different facets, one of which is taking the easiest means necessary to move the football. At any point in the game, this Fast Screen can take flight. The Ducks want a high percentage play that will get yards and keep the defense guessing, and while the Fast Screen is not …
Analysts love to dissect Oregon’s many packaged schemes and option runs, offensive plays designed to take advantage of whatever the defense throws at them, with an answer for just about anything and everything. There is, however, another part of any offense that is just as crucial, sometimes referred to as constraint plays. Constraint plays force a defense to hesitate, to think a little …
What if it were possible to detect with nearly 100% certainty whether or not the defense is bringing pressure before the ball is snapped? How exactly would you find something like that out? The answer is simple, yet complicated at the same time. You would just need to find what’s called a “blitz key.” A blitz key is a pretty general …
The late, great Bill Walsh, former head coach during the glory days of the 49ers with Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, made a living showing opponents something they hadn’t seen on tape in the days leading up to the game. Oregon is no different. As a staff, Oregon coaches love to talk about how simple their scheme is, and how …
I agreed to do a post-game short analysis for the Managing Editor of FishDuck.com, Paul Jones, but my reaction was the same as fellow analyst Rory Davidson and Hawaii Coach Tony Hoolulu. As we watched the game, we did not observe anything unusual about the Oregon offense or defense in the Rose Bowl– the Ducks just played the same tactics with superb …
Site Principal’s Note: Rory Davidson has been the outstanding opponent analyst at FishDuck.com during the season, as I have covered Oregon. As a special preview feature we are joining forces to give Oregon fans some tactics and strategies to watch for by Oregon against Florida State. Each team has their weaknesses — let’s look at the Seminoles and some likely …
For long-time Duck fans, hearing the praise of the Oregon quarterback was fun from a group that has not always been as complimentary of Oregon as the writers on FishDuck.com and you are. They also provided some insights about defending him and how other players may view him. Rece Davis asked fellow ESPN sportscasters Jesse Palmer and Danny Kanell, “If you’re …
Head Coach Mark Helfrich has brought new life to older plays in the Oregon playbook, but few are as odd as the Mid-Line Zone Read play. It seems to violate what we have learned about the Zone Read at Oregon, and it is a play that we rarely see. Readers of these Tuesday analyses are becoming as amused as I …
The coaches and fans are buzzing about Oregon’s new play unveiled against Oregon State last Saturday night. I was on the phone with one coach that evening and with three coaches the next morning from across the nation as we were all fascinated with Oregon’s new Wildcat Power Zone Read. Now that is a mouthful, but the good news is …
For many of you veteran coaches that read this site — did the term “Loaded Option” bring back some memories of the 70’s and 80’s in college football? Oregon is bringing back that wrinkle as a new variation to the Zone Read plays the Ducks operate from. It is a clever innovation emerging from the Helfrich/Frost offensive brain trust in Eugene, …
The transition from Chip Kelly to Mark Helfrich has been fascinating to observe in many areas, but now we can begin to compare their game plans, since Helf’ has now been heading Oregon for nearly two years. Are there similarities? What are the differences? I laid the groundwork in three videos two years ago that fans and coaches loved, thus I …
My FishDuck.com Friends – you may recall the story of Coach Adam Sharp, who turned his .500 team into the No. 1 Semi-Pro Football team in the nation … learning the Oregon Spread Offense from FishDuck.com. He wrote a wonderful article to update us on his exceptional team! Thanks Coach! My nerves were through the roof, as I thought of what might …