The Path to Glory Is Covered in Blue-Blood

Matt Bryant Editorials

There’s been a lot of grousing about preseason rankings and critics. When did Ducks fans develop such a thin skin? Rather than pound the table, I say bring it on. To the national pundits we’re known as the Blur or Track Town, USA. Speed may impress, but it doesn’t always earn long-term respect. We hear it all the time. They …

Oregon Football Analysis: The Blitz That Never Was

Jay MacPherson Analysis, Fish Reports

Think about this for a moment: the Ducks went to the National Championship with a first year defensive coordinator, first year linebacker coach, and a second year defensive line coach. Despite this youth among the coaching ranks, and despite being underreported by national media sources, the Oregon defense excels at creating turnovers, which is clearly a point of emphasis by the defensive staff. …

DeForest Buckner Expected to Be a Hot Commodity

Omar Garibay FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The 2015 NFL Draft, which took place in Chicago, Illinois, last week, was a memorable experience for the 256 players that were selected. In total, the ACC had 20 players chosen in the draft, while the SEC had 22 and the Pac-12 had 25. There’s no doubt that the SEC is known as a college football powerhouse, but it’s become …

Rodney Hardrick Interview

Daniel Kantor FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

With the departure of linebacker Tony Washington, Oregon’s linebacking corps needs a new leader. Redshirt senior Rodney Hardrick has the ability to become that leader. I met up with Hardrick to discuss what the future of Oregon’s linebackers looks like. Daniel: It is a very young linebacking crew with [Tony] Washington gone. What are the young guys doing in order to get ready? …

Draft Profile: No. 8 Tony Washington

Caleb Couturie and Jason Selby FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

This is the first in a series of articles looking at the top eight Duck NFL Draft prospects. The series will progress according to draft projections, starting with the lowest projected prospect, Tony Washington Jr. No. 8: Tony Washington Jr. Position: OLB/DE Height: 6’4″ Weight: 250 Overview: Tony Washington was a solid player at Oregon. Last year, the senior anchored a Ducks’ …

Will Oregon Overcome the Departure of Multiple Key Players?

Omar Garibay FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Oregon Ducks football team has been practicing hard for about three weeks now, and with the Ducks’ spring game right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to foreshadow the upcoming season. I’ve been holding my peace for quite some time now, and I still find myself thinking back to last season and asking “what if?” What if Oregon …

Oregon Football 2014: Three Defining Moments

Mike Merrell History

Mike Merrell’s Three-and-Out Some things never get old. Remembering wonderful things that came our way out of the blue always brings a smile. For sheer joy, it’s a toss-up between that and remembering the most outlandish, hilarious misfortunes that happened to those whom we might consider our enemies. Three defining moments of Oregon Football 2014 are the subjects of this …

Oregon Spring Football: A Look at the Linebackers

Nik Brownlee FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

On Monday — March 30 — Oregon will begin its spring practices and the page officially turned from the greatness that was the 2014 season. There are several key story lines to keep an eye on as the Ducks begin preparation for the new football season. The offense often gets the majority of the accolades, and rightfully so, but the …

2015 Could be One of the Youngest Duck Teams Ever

Caleb Couturie FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

It’s no secret to anyone involved with the Oregon Ducks football program that this year the team saw a particularly large amount of turnover. Seniors Erick Dargan, Derrick Malone, Tony Washington, Troy Hill, Ifo-Ekpre-Olomu, Hroniss Grasu, Keanon Lowe, Hamani Stevens, and Jake Fisher all played integral roles in the Ducks run in the 2014 season. But of course the real …

Flying Under the Radar

Noah Smith FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Despite being part of a viral video that most college football fans have seen, Tony Washington has fallen into relative anonymity. This viral video replay is, of course, Washington’s scoop-and-score fumble recovery in the Rose Bowl. Perhaps this play not giving him a large amount of fame can be attributed to the fact that most people were interested in Jameis …

Five Important Takeaways From Oregon’s Pro Day

Caleb Couturie FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

To outsiders, the cars parked outside the Moshofsky Center were merely there to allow people to enjoy an event put on by the Oregon Football program. To the players, the coaches, and the fans, though, it was much more. Scouts from all 32 NFL teams came to watch hopeful first round picks, Marcus Mariota and Arik Armstead, as well as multiple other …

Who’s Going To Emerge in the Ducks Secondary Next Year?

Austin Willhoft FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Spring practices highlight several key aspects that every team looks forward to. For the Ducks, when this time comes around, they will be replacing pivotal positions that were filled by players who are either off to the NFL or continuing their football career elsewhere. This will allow current players on the football team to prove to their coaches and fellow …