This is the Golden Age of Oregon Sports, and Duck football is the golden egg in the center of the Easter basket.
2nd, 4th, and 3rd in the country in the last three years, Chip Kelly’s last three teams came within about four Matt Wogan field goals of three undefeated seasons. That’s heady stuff, enticing as a Voodoo Donuts bacon maple bar. Meanwhile, Ashton Eaton wins Olympic Gold, Dana Altman’s roundball Ducks make a gutsy run to the Sweet Sixteen, Liz Brenner spikes and spears her way to the Sullivan Award final table, and the baseball team reels off a 9-1 start in league play, including a shutout of the Huskies Friday night.
All this excellence and success can only ramp up the energy at spring football practice, which the Ducks start 9 a.m. Tuesday morning. Great athletes love to compete, and the energy in the training room and across campus these days at UO is tremendously positive. The success of one group pushes another. There hasn’t been this much talent and ability at the Webfoot training table since Mel Renfro dined alone.
So it’s with great enthusiasm that Mark Helfrich and the Ducks tackle the questions and challenges of spring practice.
Can a laid-back nice guy replace the fast-talking, snarky, hard-driving genius?
It was a bit of a shock at the introductory press conference and on National Signing Day, watching an Oregon coach patiently listen to questions and make an effort to frame a considerate answer to every one, to hear self-effacing humor rather than sarcasm and contentiousness. I never minded Chip’s style; it was entertaining as long as you weren’t in the line of fire or at the other end of The Death Stare. No one could argue with the results.
But what Chip’s apologists didn’t get is the subtle either/or fallacy in their defense of him: rudeness doesn’t make you more successful–success just excuses it more readily. Chip was single-minded and intense, but there’s more than one way to get the job done. In truth, Mark Helfrich may be a better coach for this group in one crucial respect. They are facing the pressure of outsize expectations now. Oregon football has grown to the point where undefeated is the goal, and some folks are a little disappointed at 11-1 and the Fiesta Bowl. How crazy is that? Having a coach with the same drive and passion, but with the stability and perspective of a settled family and roots in the state might help this team, a veteran team that’s learned how to win and compete on the national stage, cope with the spotlight and have a little more fun in it.
The Ducks had a great season last year, but didn’t you feel by Stanford they were as tight as the skin on Joan Rivers face? Stanford played a great game and deserved to win, but with the coaches on the sideline barking at officials, the offensive line out of position and out of synch, field goals doinked off the upright and sprayed left, didn’t it feel like tension and expectation took a little of the freedom and confidence out of the Ducks’ play that night? It was surreal, a slow-motion fumble squirting out from Michael Clay’s chest, De’Anthony Thomas forgetting to remember the pursuit as he convoys Marcus Mariota to the end zone. The Ducks looked dazed and confused. Maybe a lighter touch can put the fun back in it for a group that already understands hard work and commitment. They’re not likely to forget those elements–the internal leadership is too strong.
More importantly, Oregon football is about more than just one guy. Chip is gone, but Gary Campbell, Don Pellum, Nick Aliotti and Steve Greatwood are still here. The organization, teaching, pride and attention to detail are still there. There’s no lack of intelligence or football knowledge in the Oregon coaching staff. Newcomers Lubick and Aiken are tremendous additions to a fiercely efficient collaboration. The Ducks will still practice with whip-smart intensity. There’s talent and speed and quality players. Chip had to learn the head coaching gig on the fly, and it didn’t start out all that smoothly. With a favorable schedule and a cool-headed veteran quarterback, this is one is highly likely to succeed also.
Question 2: How good can Marcus Mariota be as a sophomore, and who’s the backup?
Super Mario was simply dazzling as a redshirt freshman, succeeding with an even-keel efficiency that didn’t wow like Johnny Football, but fit just perfect on a team built around a veteran running back. Mariota passed for 3200 and ran for 750, accounting for 36 total touchdowns. Duck fans are justifiably optimistic at what he might do in year two with a year’s experience and an improved receiver corps. A disciplined dual threat who shares credit, fast and elusive, a quick, alert thinker who can make all the throws with touch and escape and extend plays, Mariota’s potential is simply unlimited. He can be as good as anyone in the country. He already is, and the even more exciting part is, the Ducks haven’t completely taken the wraps off him. In year two, it’s his team.
It’s a little unnerving to consider his two backups haven’t taken a snap, but that’s the normality in big-time football. Backups transfer out for their own opportunity. They want a shot at the NFL, and no one blames Bryan Bennett for wanting to play. Jake Rodrigues, who has transformed his body and healed his leg during his redshirt year, has awesome physical tools. He’s Collin Klein with a better arm. Jeff Lockie is smart and competitive, named All-League quarterback in high school in a league that featured two 5-star prospects. He’s used to overcoming the odds, with a tough pocket presence and good field vision. Guys like that have a way of wearing everyone else down; they’re they kind that keep showing up and doing everything right, wind up marrying the girl of their dreams even when he was her fourth choice for the prom. He’ll probably be in the weight room this morning, if he wasn’t last night.
–To be continued–
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