NFL
By Monte Perez
In the 1980s, tennis player, Andre Agassi had a string of commercials for Canon where the slogan was, “Image is Everything.” This has been the Oregon Ducks since Chip Kelly left after the 2012 season. The Ducks look the part, they act the part but they are not an elite program despite what their fans think. This is not an insult. I am a die-hard Ducks fan, and they are a legitimate top 15 college football program. Since 2009, The Ducks have won 6 Pac-12 Championships and have played in two national championship games. Oregon has been good, not great, but that can change over the next few years.
Mario Cristobal spent three years as the Ducks head coach before leaving for Miami. My response to him leaving, good riddance. Cristobal is a great recruiter, but his offensive game plan comes straight out of the Bill Parcells playbook from the 1980s. Run on 1st down, run on 2nd down and throw on 3rd down. Cristobal’s offensive play calling was so bad that he made Justin Herbert into a game manager.
Former Georgia Bulldogs defensive coordinator Dan Lanning takes over the sidelines in Eugene. It’s the first time since the program hired Rich Brooks in 1977 that the focus is on the defensive side. Kenny Dillingham joined Lanning’s Oregon coaching staff after multiple years as a successful offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Memphis, Auburn, and Florida State. Most college football experts say Dillingham is one of the most creative offensive minds in the country. Auburn transfer Bo Nix will lead this team from the quarterback position. The Ducks have a top 10 offensive line and should be able to move the ball consistently even without Travis Dye who transferred to USC.
On defense, Oregon is led by their all-word linebacker Noah Sewell. There might not be another Kayvon Thibodeaux, this year but this defense should be physical, fast ,and cause a ton of turnovers.
Prediction:
The Ducks open the season on September 3rd against the National Champion Georgia Bulldogs. That is going to be an early test for this team. I believe Lanning was the right hire. He is a great recruiter and elite defensive coach. I was ecstatic when he added Dillingham as his offensive coordinator. The defense will be fun to watch, and if Nix can improve on his career 59% completion rate, this team could reach the final four.
I like the Ducks to win the Pac-12 and finish in the top 10
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Oh you and your Ducks!
In my Oregon alum household, Cristobal earned the nickname R2P2 in reference to his robotic play calling that consisted of the following typical 4 down sequence:
Run
Run
Pass
Punt
or
R2P2
Did you see Anthony Brown successfully throwing down field for the Ravens? Only a single preseason game of course, but it’s hard not to look back at his Oregon days with lots of questions. My biased mind thinks Cristobal told Miami to give him one more year at Oregon when they went after him the previous year. Going back that far, he never said he was staying at Oregon when asked, he would only say, ” Go Ducks”. After Taggart dodged FSU rumors in a similar manner, I knew Cristobal was gone. It sure seemed like he and his team checked out for the majority of last season, only showing up for Ohio State. All that talent, yet only squeaking by drastically inferior teams. Definitely has me tuned in to how Miami performs this fall with all their talent.