Charles Fischer

We will disagree, no sweat. The defense gave up of 33 points in the first two games, and the offense scored an average 32.5 points...which is enough scored points to win easily. (32-17 for example?) Even with the sacks and hurries...we will score enough points to win, especially as they improve. But the defensive line is underperforming badly....and they will determine if we win or not, IMHO. We Need More Reasons for THIS....

It is too early to make this declaration, IMHO, as improvements can happen rapidly…like as soon as this weekend.

Our offensive line has actually played decent considering all the inexperienced and injuries suffered already. In my opinion, they will continue to do well enough to score a boatload of points each game, more than enough to win. We could/should have won the Cowboy game by a 31- 17 kind of score, but the defense gave up 39 points. The offense will score enough to win, and while the sacks given up make us uncomfortable...this is what happens with such inexperience on the left side of the O-Line. Regardless of the sacks, we will score more than enough to win with the skill players we have, and with the adequate O-Line play we will see. The REAL question is becoming...."Can the defense hold down opponents enough for Oregon to win?" What we thought was a strength coming into the season has been a big disappointment thus far. Matayo is highly underperforming the hype, and A'Mauri Washington has been completely MIA in three games....WTH? If the defense comes through in LA...we could win that game almost easily, as I believe our offense will score at least 30 for the win. Can our defense step up as we thought they would be in preseason? If this defensive line shuts down opponents as they have the talent to do--we could have a BLOCKBUSTER season yet. But WILL THEY? I am fantasizing a gradual wake-up from them; they will be better in LA, and bordering on awesome by the end of the season. Again--not a prediction, but my current Duck-Fantasy...is it realistic? It is Up to YOU, Guys...

Yep....agreed.

USC moved up to No. 12 in the nation? I understand how we got penalized, rightly so, for Oregon's embarrassment in Stillwater....but it is still hard to wrap my mind around the Ducks being that far below the Trojans in the AP Poll. How bizarre does this feel to you? Not something we would have predicted!

Me too. I did not watch him play at all at Nebraska, and when he was announced as transferring to Oregon… I was very “Meh,” about it. But I saw the very accurate poised quarterback on Saturday…

Maybe he didn’t suck as much as some here thought? Was the Oregon offense BETTER under him? And this is only his first year at Kentucky? I’m glad he is in the SEC, and not in our conference…

42-35, USC with four and a half minutes left.....

My Duck-Buddies....the forum is a big money-loser now, and I have to watch expenses very closely, since most of it comes out of my pocket these days. I am working to get the "Donate" button fixed, but there are other issues associated with it that I have to solve first. So I cannot afford photographers, or I get a picture like the background one you see now....but I am paying almost nothing for it. Well, I wanted pictures from the USC game this next weekend if we win, and I asked a superb photographer I know if he knew of anyone who would shoot it in LA this next weekend for free? He found a young woman who is building her photo library, and is excited to shoot for us. So I applied to the USC Sports Media Center for a photo pass,, but since we are now NOT an article site anymore, but a forum--I doubted we would be approved. But I received the email today that we were approved! Now the parking there is TERRIBLE, but she got a Media Parking Pass! Fantastic news, and I hope to have pictures to share with next Sunday and beyond. So COOL! I have been lucky to have some great photographers shoot in the Coliseum over the years, and we have collected great photos. But that is when we created enough revenue from advertising to pay the bills of both sites, but there was one year where I was running short, and hired a young woman to shoot the USC game for free like this time. She agreed to shoot the game for free for the experience, as she primarily shot Ballet and Operas, but wanted to dip into sports, so this was 'taking a chance' for both of us. Turns out she shot some good pictures for us, and created a FishDuck story that will never be forgotten. She was standing on the sidelines waiting for a good play as an older refined gentleman pulled up next to her. She figured he knew football better than she, and asked a question about what was going on in order to plan her next shooting location. He answered politely, and they began to have quite an interesting conversation, as she wanted to know more about the game, the Oregon football team etc. and this distinguished-looking older gentleman was very kind in supplying her the answers. He asked her who she was shooting for, and she told him "FishDuck.com," the unique circumstances behind this shooting, and he responded that he knew the site well, and was pleased she was shooting for us. They went on to have quite a long conversation, and she reported later that he appeared to be quite satisfied with this extended conversation. She even asked him to watch her camera on a tripod as she had to run down the sideline to check something....so he did. They introduced themselves to each other early in this interaction, and proceeded as nice people do. When she got back home, she communicated with other photographers, and then later it was confirmed by media people nearby who saw the conversations taking place. If you had not guessed by now... She was talking to Phil Knight, and did not know who he was. He clearly detected immediately that she knew nothing of him or his impact upon Oregon, and thus he could now have a "regular" conversation with someone who was not obsequious, or catering to him. He enjoyed this exchange, and I'm sure her cultural background made the brief connection that much more interesting for Phil. She had no idea!

Good Gosh...JB89 predicted 77-0 when the final score was 84-0, thus was only seven total points off, and the closest anyone else was (Autzen Magic) was 21 points off. I was MILES off, and thus why I congratulate JB89 all the more! Thanks to all for playing, and congrats again to JB89!

He was 11-11 with three TD passes in a limited appearance....and looked VERY accurate. More accurate than Moore? Again...there were at least two plays where Dante Moore was throwing to the short field receiver without pressure, while WRs were getting open downfield for big potential gains or touchdowns. Is that Moore's lack of vision, or what he is being told to do? I do not know... With all the receivers open downfield and ignored vs. Oklahoma State....I cannot help but wonder if we would have won that game if Raiola was at QB? Now, I am not asserting that Raiola should replace Moore; Dante has earned his spot, and the damage to him and Oregon would be significant. But if he gets hurt, and when we consider next year--we look good with Raiola.

Let’s start new threads please…

Thanks!

We have all been repulsed by the excessive amounts of NIL being paid to college players. Frankly--when you are paid that much....it has to take a bit of the edge or bite you may have going into the game. Well now things at Oregon have changed.... So Dante Moore missed open receivers downfield on plays that could have won the game, and he showed the opponent defenses what the plays were in advance between pass-or-run with his feet placement? The stuff being written about him across the US is very damaging... His NFL Draft status just went WAY DOWN. So now, the NIL doesn't matter, because if he wants to become a high first-round NFL Draft pick....he has to improve his game enormously over the season. He not only has to show his superior talent as before, but demonstrate with each game that he is past the prior issues. Oh! What benefits him going forward, (fixing his issues and winning games) benefits the team, and the fans. Cool! Now...duplicate that across the team, as a ton of players planning to go to the NFL after this season just saw their draft stock take a hit as well. So all that I wrote about Dante applies to the all of them as well. Pull yourself out of this mess to benefit you, which helps the team, and makes us fans happy. All our objectives are now in alignment! This will get the very emotions needed to scratch-kick-claw-and-fight to rescue their career, and this team. The edge that NIL took off, will now return to fulfill the player objectives, and perhaps they will play as they did during the true "scholarship" days? Is this PLAUSIBLE, or am I just fantasizing a Happy Dream?

It is that time of the week again to have fun with our game prediction contest! Guesses on other threads don't count--only those here, and only those completely filled out with the tiebreakers. Let's have fun with it as we have so many years in the past... Let me know: --Which team wins: --Score: --How many turnovers created by Oregon? --How many sacks of the opponent by Oregon? --How many passing yards by Oregon? My prediction of Oregon vs. Portland State: Oregon 48-13 3 4 292 FREE for the Portland State game for them...

Cool Helmet

Like so much written on the forum these days....I think the take above is exaggerated, and quite incomplete of any analysis. Our starting left guard who came in to replace the newby starter, and subsequently played well against Boise State, Trent Ferguson, from West Salem, started this last game, and I was looking forward to watching his big blocks. But he was out in the first quarter, and I did not know why? Turns out he got hurt, a season ending injury at that. So on the left side....we have two talented O-Linemen in Addison and Utu, but their experience last year was scant-to-nothing. They are athletic, but learning on the job....so you HAVE your inexperienced, but talented players already in there. On offense, the key element you have is one of surprise on every play, as the defense has to react and try to stop the play. But what IF the quarterback effectively tells the defense right up front if the play is a pass or run? How much MORE does that make it harder for offensive linemen? Especially inexperienced ones? That element alone would drag offensive performance by a massive percentage as the defense can pack the box when they know a run play is coming. It makes me wonder how many people here will eat their hyperbolic words later when things get better? (I already know the answer to that)

They were soft...in that game. I believe they will much stronger in the next two weeks, and progressively stronger as the season continues.

"Dan Lanning Doesn't Lose to Unranked Opponents." The team and the coaches were mentally weak going into this game, as the upset had just never happened to Oregon under Lanning. We will see a very different team and coaches the rest of the season!

While I understand that the point spread, and the relative positions of the two teams were highly discussed and pronounced--I think another ancilairy element may have played a big part in all of this. Dan Lanning in FOUR YEARS has NEVER lost to an unranked opponent. This wasn't any non-ranked opponent...this was an opponent who had not won in a long time versus a P4 team, and just lost to TULSA for crying-out-loud? The fans, the coaches, and the team knew that Lanning never loses to an unranked opponent. They knew we would easily take care of business, and they were mentally on cruise-control. Now add it being 140 degrees on the field....who wants to be in that game with a such a lowly opponent, and dealing with such vicious heat? EVERY coach loses games he shouldn't, and we have been spoiled with HOW we have lost, when we lost to great teams. Good-gosh....Cristobal beats Ohio State in Columbus and then goes and loses to like a 4-win team at Stanford? Mario lost a bunch of those, and lost two games with unranked opponents just last year. So until now....Lanning had never lost to such an unranked opponent, and I think this team was simply not ready mentally from a variety of angles. OK. Lanning just lost his first game he should not have lost. He, the coaches, and the team will be better as they just passed a negative milestone, but an important mental one that will help them for years.

A reminder to all; NO CONTINUOUS TEXT, please. When there is no spacing...it is hard for old eyes (like mine) to read it. Many people skip reading a continuous text post with no spacing, because it is too hard, and the site metrics back that up. So if you want to have your post read for certain.... Every three sentences--hit the "Enter" key twice on a PC, or the "Return" key twice on Mac. Everybody is doing this as a courtesy for you, please reciprocate! (See Rule No. 29) Negative is FINE, but Venting is NOT... An OBD member chastised me recently in a post, writing that he thinks I "believe it is inappropriate to make negative comments." That is NOT what I've written, nor is it what our rules, as No. 31, 31a, and 31b have stated for years. If you had read what I have written over the last three days, and how I have not deleted any negative—then everyone would understand better what I was conveying. Negative is what we discuss here, and is a big part of what a forum is. I, as an owner/manager of several sites over the last 15 years have been through many down times such as this before. I do believe that to a degree—people have to let their frustrations out, which is what you see a lot of. I get that, as it is true for me as well. But there is always a small percentage that truly ENJOY being negative, and they not only share their bile, but they post new insults to the program, the coaches, etc. It is not an occasional summary of complaints, but a continuous barrage of negative as that is what brings them pleasure. That is how they are hard-wired, as they have to vent their issues upon all of us. There is a massive difference between stating your opinion on what went wrong Saturday, and engaging in threads about the reality of what we all saw...versus using us as a therapist couch, and venting your feelings upon us. We have not hit that yet, but some people are very close. After a certain point....we are not responsible for your mental health, as you need to vent your extreme negative with a licensed professional. But typical posts about the team both good and bad are normal and welcome. Don't start asking if it is OK to post negative; if I see an issue--you will hear from me, and again---some are close as their negative was ongoing, and seemed to be looking for new ways to put down the team or coaches. Normal stuff is fine, but tons of negative posts is where it crosses the line as extreme, and what I'm referring to. And often this small percentage of OBD members don’t post when things are good, but only when they have something to complain about. Not a “glass-half-full” kind of guy… I even have someone applying for membership again, when he left us before-he got disgusted with Oregon fans for not agreeing with his extreme negative takes. Clearly, he has been reading things here recently, but wants to rejoin now after we lose a game? Gee, I wonder what he wants to post about? 🤷‍♂️ Be careful how you characterize me, when you do not have the extensive hours of experience I have lived in dealing with hundreds of members since 2011. My observation is an accurate one; a small percentage of members want to “vent” on us whenever a game is lost. One member wrote in a prior year after the first loss to Washington that he would understand if you decided against being a Duck fan, and then left this forum for good! He left when I objected to the over-the-top negative view, and he was a FishDuck writer! It is an example of the crazy stuff I have to deal with. So post negative--it is fine. Just don't go extreme in your language or the number of times you post about it. If you have given us your opinion...fine. But we don't need to see the same thing five times. If you have questions or concerns...email me at charlesfobd@gmail.com and I'll clarify. Now, let's get back to following the team with both the positive and the negative!

Nice spin on what I wrote. If you had read what I have written over the last two days, and how I have not not deleted any negative—then you would understand better what I was conveying. Negative is what we discuss here, and is a big part of what a forum is. I, as an owner/manager of several sites over the last 15 years have been through many down times such as this before. I do believe that to a degree—people have to let their frustration out, which is what you see a lot of. But there is always a small percentage that truly ENJOY being negative, and they not only share their bile, but they post new insults to the program, the coaches, etc. It is not an occasional summary of complaints, but a continuous barrage of negative as that is what brings them pleasure. That is how they are hard-wired… And, they don’t post when things are good, but only when they have something to complain about. Not a “glass-half-full” kind of guy… I even have someone applying for membership again, when he left us before-he got disgusted with the fans not agreeing with his extreme negative takes. Clearly, he has been reading things here recently, but wants to rejoin now after we lose a game? Gee, I wonder what he wants to post about? 🤷‍♂️ Be careful how you characterize me, when you do not have the extensive hours of experience I have lived in dealing with hundreds of members. My observation is an accurate one; a small percentage of members want to “vent” on us whenever a big game is lost. One member wrote in 2024 after the first loss to Washington that he would understand if you discarded being a Duck fan, and left this forum for good! He left when I objected to the over-the-top negative view. It is an example of the crazy stuff I have to deal with.

Negative is part of football, and part of what we do here in the forum, but some people really get off on it. We have so many GREAT analysis posts that were about negative, but well done. But a few members go over-the-top seemingly looking for something foul to write. It is not against the rules, after two days…isn’t that long enough? The writer of the article above, Mike Ostrom, was a FishDuck guest writer in the past, and a friend of mine. We spoke a couple of times this season already…

I think some people here are enjoying being negative a bit much. But good thing there IS negative stuff to write about, otherwise we would never hear from them!