Jester

Georgia players, fans, and public officials (even Congressman Hank Johnson, who still believes the island of Guam may capsize) can throw all the shade they want. It's not going to stop me from shaking my red & black pom-poms for two more boring, Stetson Bennett led, Bulldog games this year. I'm in it to see these perennial underachievers hoist the trophy. After Lanning & Co. make their adjustments from the Conference Championship debacle and stop Bama on the last drive of the game to finally savor the ultimate victory, I want to see & hear the following: 1) I want a close-up of that visor wearing ding-dong embracing our guy while Chris Fowler details Lanning's upcoming new gig as the Field General of the Oregon Ducks. 2). I want to hear words like, "mastermind, architect, and leader" in reference to Lanning being spoken through the tiny pie-hole of the smug ex-Buckeye, Herbstreit. 3.) Last but not least, I want to see Molly McGrath interview Lanning about his (and o.k., the team's) defensive accomplishments and 180 degree turn-around from their last meeting with the Tide. Just one mention of Oregon, please. At the conclusion of this nonsense, Lanning will be coming home a champion. Doesn't hurt to have a National Championship winning coach in-house, does it?

Bullet-point 3 (Recruiting Rankings) was a nice “off-the-ledge” take that is something I personally need to keep in mind. Following the Havana Huckster’s dangling of the Peter Dinklage honorary Hurricane jersey at his introductory press conference, I was pretty bummed. The next kick to the groin was losing a top-tier recruit (TMc) in Jerry McGuire “night before the draft” fashion after having this kid in our back pocket for months. To add insult to injury we lost him to…Arizona! Really? Of course this prompted an immediate check of 247 Sports to confirm my suspicions of a precipitous drop in rankings. I had to keep scrolling and scrolling and SCROLLING until I final saw the green “O” sandwiched between UCLA (45) and Northwestern (47) at number 46. Now I’m into the Christmas cookies, frequent Google ganders for hopeful Duck news, and checking OBD religiously every 30 minutes for a glimmer of hope from you guys. I practically accosted my 65 year old neighbor railing on-and-on about how “it’s all over” and “why would I even want watch football this year?” BTW –my neighbor wouldn’t know the difference between a football and a kookaburra ball. I would pinch myself but I’m old enough to know that the past few weeks happened and what’s transpiring with the program is REAL. So what’s next? What’s next is digesting information such as select material being posted on the ODB board. Those of you who look forward to the future of this team with the understanding that the new regime may actually put our talented cast in the best positions to succeed (for example: NOT dropping KT into coverage on 3rd and long) are spot on. Admittedly, my expectations will be somewhat tempered the next year or two given the transition of the coaching staff, expected shift in X’s & O’s philosophies, and the introduction of our young players. I believe we’re still going to be privileged to watching winning football and perhaps a return to a more exciting style of football that was previously synonymous with the Oregon brand. So, I thank all of you who have been diligent in raising the spirits of doubting Thomas’ such as myself. My feet are once again solidly planted on the ground. Final note – I’ve never been to Autzen Stadium. I think the upcoming season may be the appropriate time to put a check in that box. This group of players deserve appreciation and thanks for hanging in there through what’s transpired recently. The least I can do is show up, have a few cold ones, and stretch my vocal cords with 50,000 plus new friends. Take Care.