Haywarduck

I use to hate it, but grew to appreciate the defense and Alliotti. I definitely like what Lanning is doing, and now can better appreciate this scheme. I also look for the zone blitzes to be more effective against Stanford, at least to the naked eye with sacks. The one Alliotti move I will never like is the DB's lining up behind the first down markers on third and long. I can do without that part of bend don't break!

Defensive lineman are often tasked with pinning their ears back and just going after the qb. The O-lineman are trained to create wholes and pass protect, creating at nice pocket for the qb. With a Lanning defense we see our defenders doing more than just going as fast and as direct to the qb as possible. They are controlling the plays with their movements, more than the opposing offensive lines. I still remember Noah running right past guys when he was a freshman. He often did not even realizing they had the ball or he missed the qb. I remember saying when he slows down and sees the game being played he would be a force, we are there! There is much more discipline on the defense now, not the crazy sack stats, or the flashy interceptions numbers, but just solid, smart defense. I like it, actually I love it!

I also think we saw Oregon's defense go into containment on WSU's qb Ward because he was a very dangerous runner, or at least dangerous moving in the pocket. Containing him where he might not want to be was almost as effective as creating a sack. This weekend we again see a very good qb in Tanner McKee. The difference is he is a pocket passer, who is big and tall, but not the running threat. It will be interesting to see if the Ducks can provide more pressure knowing he probably won't be as agile as Ward was. Another difference from the past is Stanford doesn't have the height advantage they use to have against our defense when throwing the ball. It will be interesting to watch how the passing game plays out, if I can stay up that late!

Constraint which creates havoc. Without the qb being able to roll out the play is limited. Much like limiting a basketball player to his weak hand, or away from the play he wants to make. Great analysis!

But if it part of it brakes you need someone ready to fix it, right? Or if the NFL steals your whole O-line next year, are you ready?

With a player that talented you probably only have him for 3 years. You, at least, want to have him ready to play at a high level for two of them. Get him on the field as much as possible. We will also need leadership on the young Oline we will have next year. I have faith Lanning and Dilly have it figured out.

Dilly's stock is only going to go up, unless he makes the wrong choice. That is the bottomline.

Very astute observation and I am sure Coach Lanning is quite pleased. The program is becoming more of a family. This attitude also extends to feeling responsible when you blow a play or get a penalty. This is also why I surprised by the penalties last weekend. I know I heard Lanning interested in hearing about why DJ got his penalty. That seemed like something was said to provoke him. This doesn't make the penalty ok, but it interesting Lanning spoke about wanting to know more about the back ground on how it happened.

The assistants will leave, nothing we can do about that other than keep hiring coaches who can become successful. Who wouldn't want to be the OC at Oregon? Who is the last OC we had who isn't a head coach now, Helfrich? The only questions for Dilly on this subject, is when does he want to become a head coach, and what circumstances is he looking for? I tend to think he wants a little more experience under Dan, and he may not want to take over a catastrophically bad situation, first job.

I also think coaching is like learning how to play chess. You have to know the moves and when to use them. You also have to be willing to change your moves even though you might have a favorite sequence, based on the defense presented. We now have a coach who will change his moves, and learn. I also wonder if he has too much experience going against the bend don't break defense he saw. That was a classic Alliotti defense. Let the offense run down the field and then shut them down, cause turnovers. It almost worked. Predictability will get defeated way too often. A good coach can game plan against something he knows is coming. This is what our previous coach did, and good coaches beat him and are continuing to beat him with lesser talent. I know look forward to seeing the chess moves in the future coming from our sideline. Hopefully they will come a little earlier in the game than they did up in Pullman. Stanford is another team we have had troubles with because it takes adjustments. This will be another test of Dilly and Dans ability to adjust and take advantage of situations. They will get taken advantage of if they just stay with what is standard. Should be fun to watch the continued evolution of our offense and defense against the Cardinal.

Bend don't break still works. Dilly faced the defense we use to use, it was like Alliotti was on the other side. Fortunately Dilly was better Saturday. Most importantly he is willing to try new things, novel.

He has had some amazing throws and some very clutch throws. He is an extremely good qb, and I'm glad he is at Oregon. I wish him only good things. My point is the long ball to Donte didn't lead him so he was tackled. The ball to Hutson, I believe, he fell when catching as it was too long. I know I am being picky, but it seems to be a weakness, to me. I also realize not everyone can throw a long ball like Vernon use to for us to be considered a very good qb.

Interesting that the highest paid CFL qb makes about $500k. If a starting college qb doesn't think he is going to make the NFL then they may make more playing in college. The NIL may be an incentive to stay in college and play as long as possible. By the way, J. Masoli is the third highest paid CFL qb at about $450k. V. Adams makes about $400k as the 7th highest paid qb. I suppose most college kids don't think about the CFL and the next level stuff, but interesting nonetheless, at least to me.

I heard that quote, great one. This is why I think the WSU game was perfect. You can't ask for more that a team to struggle and learn what it takes to pull of a win. The game against Georgia was also invaluable. Seeing the level a championship team plays at will pay huge dividends down the road. Lanning can talk until he is blue in the face about what it takes to be elite, but they saw it first hand. I would say the two most important games were the loss and last weeks game. Character is built through adversity! The WSU game is now part of the Dan Lanning Programs character, love it.

That is a great question, is it great to be a back-up in a system which seems to be developing qb's? With Robby showing the talent which was on the sideline last year I would think it is an interesting time to be on the bench. One certainly wouldn't want to be in south Florida as a qb, back-up or starting. Not just because of Ian hitting land soon. I think the program is in great shape with our qb's. Next season we should be in great shape too. One of the three will stick around and with Moore coming in the future looks bright. I would want to be on Oregon's bench ready to take over an offense which is performing well. I wouldn't want to be on the bench of a program which can't score or showcase a qb's talent. A program always needs at two good qb's and right now we have three, and next season we should have at least 2. All is good, and right now Nix is leading well and helping develop the young guys. Not sure there is a better situation.

I get the idea there was pressure, but when the bar was so low, I am not sure it should be looked upon as too daunting. Anthony Brown came to Oregon digressed, and then made an NFL teams roster. I would say if Dilly didn't put up big numbers as compared to the prevent offense he was done. I will also be the pessimist, realist or just skeptic, but the season isn't over, and I am not ready to crown Nix the next great Oregon Duck qb. His long balls are weak, and we are undoubtedly going to see more mistakes. He is our leader, and our season will hinge on his play, but the season is long. I hope he continues to develop, but as someone who knows history it is too early to put put him on the Heisman watch list. I hope he gets there, but we have had some truly great qb's and he hasn't crossed that threshold, for me. WSU was an epic win, but the big games are later in the fall, and that is when heroes are made. I hope he gets there, but I am ready for a bumpy ride. I mean does anyone think Nix can break into the top ten list of Oregon qb's, even the top 20? Once again I am giving the other side of the argument. I hope I am wrong and his qb rating continues to rise, but I am not holding my breath.

It is good to be a qb at Oregon again, indeed!

We are family, with brothers replacing sisters in the lyrics.

The BIG reason why we underperformed is now in Miami. Bo is part of the new, renewed Oregon offense. I have a feeling we will also, again, become a qb factory. I also think how Robby Ashford does this season will have a large impact on guys leaving and programs wanting our back-ups. Coaches may be leaving and having issues, but Robby looks good!

And, or the next coach realize just how lucky they are to be coaching at Oregon. Fortunately Dan and his assistants seem to realize what many haven't seen as a pattern, yet. I would be surprised to see Dan leave before 5 years is up. I do think we will see quite a few assistants leave before that time frame. The biggest mistakes when you are young is when somebody says, 'watch this.' The biggest mistake when you are an adult comes after the statement, 'it is going to be different this time.'

I don't think it is the whole jilted thing, it is more like oh my did that just happen. Did we just get paid millions and end up with the coach we really wanted all along, so far yes. Did Miami just pay our problem millions and then begin experiencing the same things we did, so far yes. I am just curious about how this whole thing plays out, so far so good. I also don't think we are pounding on MarØ, he is just continuing to pound on himself, and we are pointing it out and going wow, just wow. How did that just happen?

The interesting thing is he didn't like the booing his offense received after years of understanding and hope. It will be interesting to see how he reacts to the pressure cooker he signed onto. The guys skin is paper thin. I think one of the answers to why we create and develop coaches is, we allow for growth and development to happen. There are always critics, but the majority of the Oregon faithful are accepting that the road to success is fraught with failure. Most programs, especially ones which pay $8 million a year expect a coach to have all the answers. MariØ didn't fully understand the question and he certainly didn't understand the implications of his answer. After the last couple weekends I think it is becoming more certain the state of Florida will scrutinize hiring an Oregon coach a little more closely. I also think it is still a mystery why we do so well, and no, it isn't all PK.

Seeing the penalties, and the lack of creativity on offense at times, did make one wonder a bit. It was nice to see the ability to adapt, and adjust, a new era indeed! I suppose we can't take all the credit, the cougs are the cougs and they coug it like nobody.

I too have always wondered why things look so much clearer from the bleachers and even from the big screen at home. I am sure it will get clearer as the week progresses. Dilly and Dan will see it in color from theirs seats in the Hatfield-Dowlin complex. Either that or they can read all about it right here as the analysis gets done this week on Fishduck. I look forward to the articles and the improvement this coming Saturday.

Why limit it to the NW recruits. Oregon, again, is a national brand, and the pull should be from all 50 states. The pull should be international as well.