General Sports Opinions

Oregon Duck Football 2008 Preview

By Holly Custis

8/10/2008



The Oregon Duck football team opens camp in 2008 with many questions. This is a team that has been to the mountain top and seen the view, only to fall ever so fast to the depths below, with the simple misplacement of a leg and tear of a knee. How the team fares this season will have a lot to do with the resolve of the returning players and the talents of the incoming players. Was the sting of being so close to a national title a fuel that ignited the fire to return to that level? Or is the graduation of Heisman level Dennis Dixon and future NFL star Jonathon Stewart too much to overcome?



Having watched last season develop, one cannot help but dream that the result is that the fires are burning. The Ducks tasted success and opportunity at a level that maybe they had only reached once before in 2001. Everything was going their way. All the teams in front of them that needed to lose lost. Even a heartbreaking loss to Cal in the final seconds by literally a few inches out of bounce was not enough to knock of the hopes of the program.



The Ducks brought in offensive guru Chip Kelly in the off-season and he tweaked the Oregon spread offensive into something that Dennis Dixon was born to run. To watch the development of Dixon from 2006 to 2007 proves both the incredible personal improvement of Dixon and the perfect fit of Kelly's system. The Ducks had the incredible backfield of Dixon and Stewart, with Jeremiah Johnson as a back up to Stewart, who in his own right would have started anywhere not named USC or where Stewart was.



The ability of Dixon to fake the shoes out of defenses, coaches, and sometimes even the camera, was the key to the offense. No one knew who had the ball. Defenses would think that it was handed off to Stewart and then realize Dixon still had it 20 yards up the sideline.



When Dixon stepped in an awkward position and went down in a heap against Arizona State, a hush went over the normally raucous Autzen crowd. Everyone knew Dixon was the key to the offense. Everyone knew the chance at the national title was lying on the ground in pain. And when Dixon went out for good against Arizona, the Oregon team was so depleted without its star that it seemed like it got hit in the stomach with bat and could not breathe. Then the game against UCLA was probably the ugliest offensive game Oregon had played in 15 years.



The worst thing about losing Dixon was that there was no real replacement. Brady Leaf proved to be inconsistent and really was meant to be a pocket passer rather than a spread quarterback. Nathan Costa was injured. That left Oregon with Justin Roper and Chris Harper, true freshman to finish out the season. The Civil War brought a bit of hope only to be dashed in the final seconds by a freshman quarterback mistake and a rushed and shanked field goal.



Then there was the Sun Bowl. There was not much expectation. No one really knew how Oregon would play. South Florida was an upstart team that had had early success themselves that year. However, the Sun Bowl brought with it hope as the Ducks trounced South Florida 56-21.



So here we are on the dawning of a new season. Will Kelly be able to develop Nathan Costa into the next Dennis Dixon?



Here is a breakdown if analysis by position:



Quarterback: When Nathan Costa came in as a freshman and showed complete poise, mobility, and accuracy, he showed everyone a glimpse of Oregon Duck football. This kid has it all and also is fairly intelligent. If Costa had been healthy, we might have seen Oregon stumble into the national title game or at least a better bowl game than the Sun Bowl. If Kelly can develop in him the ball deftness that Dixon possessed in the option game, than Costa is going to be a tremendous player.



The Ducks also still retain Justin Roper, who put on a great showing in the 2nd half of the Civil War and the Sun Bowl. Roper is tall and lanky but shows amazing arm strength and touch.



Chris Harper started against OSU and has some intangibles but needs to develop more confidence and experience. Oregon has also received Jeremiah Masoli from junior college and freshman Darron Thomas, who should help pad the quarterback position.



Running back: The Ducks lost the best running back that they have had in years to the NFL. However, the sting of that loss should be lessened by the return of Jeremiah Johnson. Powerful and strong, Johnson should be a 1,000 yard rusher for the Ducks.



New comer LeGarrette Blount, has coaches and fans raving. A junior college transfer, Blount impressed in spring practices and wowed at the spring scrimmage. Blount should prove adequate back up for Johnson.



Remene Alston also will be in the mix as well as a probable return man in the special teams.



Wide Receivers: Oregon lost Cameron Colvin to the NFL and their wide receiving core is a bit young but talented this year. Jaison Williams will most likely be a number one receiver, that is if he can shake off his nasty "Fiddy-Fiddy" nickname. This nickname is inspired by his tendency to either catch touchdowns and big first downs or drop touchdowns and big first downs. According to Mike Bellotti though, Williams got his vision checked over the summer and looks to catch more balls this year. Williams has too much talent, size, strength, and speed, not to improve.



Aaron Pflugrad came out of nowhere in the middle of last season to prove to be a trusty target over the middle for Oregon quarterbacks. His determination and work ethic should grant him even more touches this year.



Jeff Maehl and Jamere Holland should also provide some new young talent.



Tight End: Oregon returns Ed Dickson as a junior, who should prove again to be a go-to guy in tight situations. Dickson became a favorite target of Dixon in 3rd and long positions. Dickson is a solid tight end that makes defenses have to also plan for yet another Oregon weapon.



The backups to Dickson are all young but as long as they watch and learn from Dickson, they should develop for the future of the Oregon tight end position.



Offensive Line: Oregon's offensive line was a huge strength last year and a key reason they were so successful. It's scary for Pac-10 defensive coordinators to realize how strong it will be again. All-American Center Max Unger should lead this group into being the best rushing team in the Pac-10.



Defensive Line: Nick Reed, Will Tukuafu and Cole Linehan should provide an adequate push on the defensive line in 2008. However, they must develop more together in order to pressure the quarterbacks of the Pac-10 into throwing more errant passes.



Linebackers: John Bacon and Casey Matthews lead the returning group of linebackers. There might be a need to develop more depth with the younger linebackers but otherwise the Ducks should be solid here.



Defensive backs: Oregon might very well have the best secondary in the nation this season. Patrick Chung, Jerome Boyd, Walter Thurmand III, and Jairus Byrd, might make it so difficult for offenses that they might not know where to throw the ball. As long as these four are healthy, Oregon will probably have its share of picks this year.



Special teams:



A key to the special teams will be to find a return man that can replace the explosiveness of Jonathon Stewart. It seems that Remene Alston might be in line to do that. Hopefully, he can step in where Stewart left off.



Josh Syria returns as a solid punter and Matt Evensen returns as a pretty dependable place kicker.



As long as the key special teams players are healthy, Oregon should have decent results.



An area to improve again in this year would be to have better coverage.



Schedule:



Oregon opens up at home against dreaded rival Washington. Usually Oregon will open up with a more moderate opponent but playing Washington might actually be more beneficial this year. Due to the fact that there is no love lost between these two programs, Oregon should be riding the high energy of Autzen into playing with passion right out of the gate.



Oregon then hosts Utah State, travels to Purdue, and hosts pesky Boise State.



These first four games will tell a lot about the kind of season Oregon will have. If Costa is fitting well with the system and cylinders are clicking, then Oregon will have great momentum going into the meat of the Pac-10 schedule. If they falter a bit, no one will panic, but it might be indicator that Oregon is a year away from another 2007 like year.



Oregon's Pac-10 away schedule is nasty, with games at Washington State, USC, Arizona State, Cal, and OSU. Oregon will therefore need to develop poise early and the confidence to play on the road. If Oregon comes out swinging at Purdue, it might just help them psychologically further in the season.



The rest of the home games are UCLA, Stanford, and Arizona, all of which whom Oregon should take care of business against. That is of course is barring any major injuries.



Prediction: If Oregon comes out of the gate strong and goes 4-0, or 3-1 in the first four games then look for Oregon to end up somewhere around 9-3. If they falter and end up 1-3, or 2-2 in the first four games, then look for a 7-5, 8-4, season.



Bottom line is this: Can Oregon build on the Sun Bowl or will they sorely miss the departure of a near Heisman?

Read more: http://www.myspace.com/crayzgurl7/blog?page=3#ixzz0w9LYMY9c


LaGarrett Blount (posted 11/10/2009)

I am also an avid University of Oregon Duck fan. This means I've been dealing with the aftermath of "The Punch" heard and seen around the world. At the time I was watching the game with my roommates and their friends who are mostly Beavers. I pretty much was like great, where was that passion during the game?

I woke up the next day not being able to get away from it. Everyone was talking about it. At work. On the radio. It was on CNN on my phone.

At the time I thought that the 1 year suspension was a bit harsh but warranted.

Now Blount has been re-instated. This has left me torn. I have felt like in his absence, LaMichael James and his back up Barner have stepped up and have flourished in the opportunity. I feel like why would you want to mess with an offense that has been clicking on all cylinders?

But then again, I listen to the people calling in on the radio who think he should have been basically banished to Siberia without a jacket and vodka. These are the same people that think Michael Vick should have been in prison for 30 years.

My opinion is people deserve second chances if they complete their appointed punishment. If you commit a crime and do the time...you should have an opportunity to move on. This doesn't mean that the seas should part, but it does mean that you should have a chance to earn a life.

My problem is not that Blount is coming back. My problem is that Chip went back on his original punishment.What exactly is this world of sports justice that we have created? Why is it so different from the real world?


5 Sports Thoughts (Posted 7/27/2007)

The sports world has had a rough last couple of weeks.

1. The NBA: referee scandal! The horror! Imagine that…maybe Rasheed Wallace was right all those times! Humor set aside folks this is serious business. David Stern hopes and prays that his statement to the press that this was an isolated case was accurate. Is this the Black Sox incident of the NBA? Having the FBI come after you is pretty serious business. Selling information about fixed games to crooks and betting on the games yourself sounds pretty dam much like it's from an episode of the Sopranos.



2. Michael Vick: I don't know where to begin. This guy has the entire package and has it made. You are the face of an entire franchise and possibly an entire large city. You make millions of dollars for playing a sport at which you are brilliant at. You make millions still from endorsements. You basically can have anything you want. Why would you go and blow that?



Dog fighting is just not right. And if he and his friends really did kill those dogs by drowning, electrocution, and blunt blows on concrete then they deserve prison sentences.



For his sake I hope the allegations are blown up and/or mainly his friends because otherwise he's in deep trouble after pleading not guilty.



On a side note: When Vick is not there Joey Harrington is going to get yet another crack at a starting quarterback position. I'm crossing my fingers he can pull through.

3. Tour de France: Though I don't normally follow cycling that much the tour has again been a topic of debate due to doping and positive drug tests. This in turn makes me want to discuss the general problem of doping in sports today.

Frankly it pisses me off. I mentally understand the pressures of sports today. I know how competitive it is. I know political it is now. I completely understand that and can be empathetic and see why people would want to get an edge.

However, to me it's horrid to dope yourself on performance enhancing substances. It's dishonest and frankly it's a slap in the face to the very sport or event you are trying to get better at. How can you sacrifice the integrity of whichever sport for the momentary success of your desire? Maybe it's just me and I'm old fashioned because I believe in good old fashioned training and grit.



I think that taking care of yourself is perfectly fine…if you take vitamins like I did during football or if you take medications for pain or anything like that then that is ok because you are taking care of your health.



To go beyond that and to get that extra edge is infuriating to me because there are so many athletes that don't do that and they get tainted right along side with those that do.



Seriously. Do you think you won't ever get caught? Just me personally, if I did take enhancements like that and I was successful, I'd just be miserable and empty and it would kill my confidence because I would always wonder if it was really me who succeeded or the drugs.



Now on the realistic side I know that there are some athletes that take things that they think are legal but they end up not being legal or they are tricked into thinking they are. It happens because the buying of these drugs is in fact a business. And if an athlete takes something unknowingly illegal then that's more understandable to me.



4. Portland Trail Blazers: welcome Greg Oden. This team is going to be very fun to watch as they grow and mold together. I still think though that this year's break out player will be Lamarcus Aldridge. He is extremely talented and now after a year of experience under his belt, I can just see him taking off. Brandon Roy and he will be the go to players this year. Oden will take a couple years to develop but it will pay off dividends.



5.Oregon Ducks Football: Here we go again. It seems the last few years have been so up and down. Maybe luckily for the Ducks, the down season was last year and we are due for an up one. Ironically the last few years when we do well the season before and there is hype into the next one, we have wilted. When we have done poorly and there is little hype, we surprise people. I'm hoping that this year is the later situation.



Again talent is not the issue. Dixon needs to define himself and re instate his confidence into this slightly new offensive system. Stewart and Johnson will both be keys to how the season goes. If Stewart stays healthy he can run at Adrian Peterson type production and Johnson would start for pretty much any other team in the Pac 10. We need a strong year from the o line.

1. Strong o line 2. Poise from Dixon 3. healthy Stewart = wins



Defensively our secondary is going to be one of the strongest in the country. Our linebackers should be pretty decent. Who will step up on the D Line? We need to bring more pressure this year.



Special teams can go no where but up. They were horrrrrid last season. Thankfully we are supposed to be bringing in better kickers this year. Thank the Lord.



Overall this is such a hard team for me to peg. We could go anywhere from 5-7 to 11-1. It's all about which team shows up…the one that overcame Oklahoma and crushed ASU last year? Or the one that got embarrassed nationally by BYU?