SB Nation - Jeremiah Johnson

Remembering the Seniors

jtlight — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:00:45 -0000

When we look back on the seniors of 2009, I don't think they will be remembered in the same vein as some of the other Oregon greats. We'll remember 2001 for Joey Harrington. We'll remember 2007 for Dennis Dixon. We'll remember 2008 for the stellar offensive line and Jeremiah Johnson.

But 2009 is different. The face of the offense, LeGarrette Blount, was suspended for most of the season. The face of the defense, Walter Thurmond III, missed most of the season with a knee injury. And this year may end up being known as a year of transition, as successful as this team may end up being.

But this class is something special. They lived through 2006, when the team imploded down the stretch, and carried those lessons forward, helping to bridge the gap between 2007 and 2009, and providing leadership on a very young team.

Without the leadership and production of Walter Thurmond, Ed Dickson, Will Tukuafu, and T.J. Ward this team would not be where it is. On top of this, many other seniors who didn't see the field as much are just as important to the program. Morgan Flint, Andre Crenshaw, Rory Cavaille, Willie Glasper, Blake Ferras, Simi Toeaina, Titus Jackson are vital and productive members of the team, and worked their butts off day in a day out. Their hard work helped pushed other players to that next level. Lastly, we can't forget the contributions of three walk-ons, who all earned scholarships by their seniors years. Riley Showalter, Mike DiVincenzo, and Pono Kam earned their scholarships, and their play on special teams helped give Oregon one of the top special teams units in the conference.

Thanks for the memories guys. You will all be greatly missed. Enjoy your final game at Autzen.

After the jump, we have some videos, to remember the contributions of another special Oregon class.

Ed Dickson

In a long line of great Oregon tight ends, Dickson goes down as the most productive, with big plays over and over again during his career. His catch against Arizona was simply spectacular. Here are some of my favorite Ed Dickson moments:

T.J. Ward

He will be remembered as the enforcer of the Oregon defense, laying hits over and over again, and likely go down as the most YouTube'd Duck of all time (for exploits DURING the football game).

Walter Thurmond III

He had a knack for the big play. I feel cheated that we missed out on most of his senior year.

LeGarrette Blount

We'll ultimately remember Blount for his essentially lost senior year, which is too bad. He was utterly dominant as a change of pace his junior year. So let's remember him for that, and by one of my favorite runs of all time.

I'm sure I missed some big moments, so leave your favorite memories of our seniors in the comments. GO DUCKS!

Duck Soup: How Cal's Defense Can Break Down Oregon's Zone Read

Avinash — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:13:08 -0000

For a look at Cal's offense versus Oregon's defense, go here.

After watching last year's tape on Oregon's offense, I came to three conclusions.

I am so relieved we don't have to deal with Max Unger, maybe even more so than with Nick Reed (and that's saying something).
I was surprised Oregon didn't run the outside zone read much in the 4th quarter.
Jeremiah Masoli has a future in ballet. He's light on his feet, and it shows with some awkward-looking throws.

After watching last week's tape of Oregon versus Utah (thanks to danzig for sending that to me), I came to three additional conclusions.

Cal is getting their first big running test of the year in LaMichael James.
The Oregon offensive line is still piecing things together.
If Cal can stop the run, they will win this game, because Jeremiah Masoli seems to be auditioning for So You Think You Can Dance in the backfield.

Note: I probably got ~~all of these~~ ~~most~~ a few of these zone plays wrong (I'm sure I could've placed a few draws and counters in each vid too). If there's anything you see, let me know and I'll add your corrections in the post. Thanks again to ieeebear, who cut the videos for Cal's offense against Oregon's defense too.

Inside zone rush attack

(Music: Disconnected by Aceyalone, produced by RJD2, who was born in Eugene! Here's the instrumental.)

You're probably disconnected watching this. What do these runs mean? More elaboration, plus other facets of Oregon's offense after the jump (Scroll all the way down for play-by-play breakdown of each play in each video!).

How do you think Cal will disrupt Oregon's zone-read offense? Can we stop their ability to run the football?

There are so many details and subtleties in Oregon's offense that I can't really go into huge detail about this

Here are some of Chip Kelly's notes. (Hat-tip to Trojan Football Analysis for these valuable notes).

We give the running back the opportunity to run the same path every time he receives the ball. We call it a J-path. The step looks like the letter J. The running back takes a slight open step with is playside foot. His second step replaces the spot where the QB’s foot was. On this third step he starts to square his shoulders to the line of scrimmage. The running back takes his step and aims at the butt of the frontside guard.

...

The second fundamental on the play is the fake when you do not have the ball. It is not a great play if the QB hands off to the running back and watches him run every time. The QB fake is critical and he has to accelerate off the disconnect in the mesh area. The action has to look the same whether the QB keeps the ball or not.

...

The same applies to the running back. He cannot get the ball pulled and stop running. We grade the running back on his fakes. If he does not penetrate the line of scrimmage on his fake he gets a loaf. He needs to stay on the front side when he does not get the ball. Obviously when he has the ball he runs to daylight.
That is the concept of the play. It has to look like it is hitting one way and it has to go the other.

Alright, if that stuff confused you, here are the bullet points.

Usually on zone read plays one player is left unblocked, almost always a defensive end (In Cal's case, it's usually a linebacker because we run the 3-4). You'll see in the video above, in order, Mohamed, Alualu, Williams, Kendricks going unblocked on the first four plays, and similar shenanigans occur on subsequent showings.
Misdirection. The idea is to fool the defensive end rushing to the wrong side. Against the Bears, this happened on the second play from scrimmage (and the first play in the video above), with both Williams and Mohamed digging against the run and giving Masoli the perfect angle to break to space for the score.
Selling the handoff. Crucial. A bungled fake/real handoff could blowup the play, or worse, lead to costly turnovers. Sadly, the replay angles aren't usually good enough for me to tell if it's a good fake or a bad fake, and even I wouldn't really know the difference. Anyone who knows better on selling fake draw handoffs, tell us what we should look for in the comments!
If he has the rock, the running back tries to hit the hole quickly to evade the linebacker. He doesn't hit it immediately, but the inside zone is a power play for the running back.
If he's handling, the quarterback looks to stretch the field. You'll see Masoli almost always go north-south toward the sidelines, or angle away from the offensive-line package.
In either case, the fake allows for greater gaps to open for the defense, and this allows teams like Oregon (with fast, quick athletes).

I'd say this is probably the most important video to watch to get a sense of the 2009 Duck offense. Against Utah, Oregon was doing almost exclusively inside zone reads, at least on their successful plays. We'll see plenty of these looks on Saturday, I'd say at least 55-60% of the plays will have some variation of the inside zone read.

Interestingly, during the Utah game, Masoli sometimes went inside into the teeth of the defense on the inside zone, which makes you wonder how much he trusts his linemen to seal the gaps. That doesn't mean he won't go outside--he caught the Utes biting not once but TWICE on the backside, racing untouched to the end zone with nary a defender within range.

As for LaMichael James, as a freshman, he's definitely got moves. Against Utah there was one particulary impressive play where the right guard completely whiffed on his block, the D-linemen came racing in to blow up the play, and James adjusted, spun around, and raced through the crease for 25 yards. Wow. You can't teach that stuff:

Also, there are times where he can hit the hole, stop and then go again. Running backs who usually charge ahead full steam hit a defensive wall and pretty much go again, but when you stop and go it allows you to adjust, maybe fall down and pick up extra yardage. He picked up a first down that way. He's a little elusive and definitely has a smaller frame (5'9" 180 pounds), which could pose difficulty if the offensive line executes its blocks.

There are of course deficiencies in his game. Most notably, and understandably, he doesn't quite have the vision yet to find the gaps, and took several wrong moves that ended with him getting cradled by a Ute. But for a freshman to get 152 yards on 27 carries against a 10 senior Utah defense...most impressive. I'd probably expect similar numbers this week against Cal.

Outside zone rush attack

Music: The Game by Jurassic 5, instrumental track here.

Here's the other variation on the zone read. See the differences between outside and inside?

Chip Kelly talks about what's going on here (big ups again TFA).

The outside zone play is a complement to the inside zone play. The inside zone is a hole to cutback play. The outside zone is more of a hole to bounce play. The reason we run the outside play is to circle the defense. When you get good at running the inside zone the defenders begin to tighten their techniques and concentrate on squeezing the inside gaps.

If we feel that is happening or we start to get many twists and blitzes inside we run the outside zone play. It gives you speed in space and the offensive line can play with confidence when you have something to change the focus of the defense. We ran the outside zone play 122 times last season for 6.8 yards per carry. It is a good compliment to the inside zone play.

The blocking rules for the offensive line are the same as the inside zone. The difference is the aiming point of the offensive linemen. The "who we block" is the same, but the "how we block" is the difference in the outside zone. The linemen take a kick step to the outside and a crossover step to get up the field. The backside opens on the playside foot and loses ground. The farther you are from the point of attack, the more ground you can lose.

Again, bullet points for those who glossed over all that.

The big difference to notice between the inside and the outside zone run is the way the running back is moving his feet. Usually you'll see the inside zone run, the back is cutting to the hole and then cutting back if he can't find space. In the outside zone run, the Oregon back is usually running north to south until he finds a hole suitable for him to blast through. It's really difficult to discern the difference between the two, because sometimes a running back can get blown up on the coverage.
Look for that 90 degree turn. The moment a running back sniffs a hole, he turns right into it. Johnson was really good at this last year; Blount not so much against us, but better against other teams; James is a total unknown at this time.
You'll also see the blocking change a little. The O-linemen usually are moving forward on an inside zone read, here you'll see a lot more pulling or at the very least the backside opening up and moving to open holes in the area where the running back would turn 90 degrees inside.

Cal got killed on this play last year, as you can see during the last plays of the vid above. Signed, sealed, delivered by Max Unger. In the third quarter, Unger snapped, then immediately pulled and blocked out the unblocked defender. Every. Freaking. Time. You'll get some great clips near the end of the video of Worrell Williams getting engulfed like he was hugging Robert Paulson and Marcus Ezeff flying like a Dutchman.

If you wanted to say Unger was the most valuable offensive player, you get no arguments for me--he unleashed the runs responsible for the three sustained drives Oregon had the entire game, all in the 3rd quarter. Mysteriously though, I think Oregon ran the outside zone only once in the fourth quarter after falling behind by 10, and it didn't involve Unger. Thanks Coach Kelly!

Interestingly enough, against Utah, I don't think the Ducks went to the outside zone more than a handful of times. In the clips danzig sent me, I only noticed one involving James, and he was quickly chased down. I can kind of see why--at the moment the offensive line and downfield receivers aren't really doing their job grappling with their defenders, and the pull blocking really generates no momentum, not the way it did with Unger leading the charge. Utah's D-line had plenty of freedom to operate, and they had no trouble chasing down LaMichael going north and south.

This is probably where the Ducks miss Blount the most. He was unspectacular against the Bears and the Broncos, but he did have the vision to find a hole to cut to. Against the athletic Cal defenders, he was swallowed whole, but at least he gave the Ducks a second option in the zone attack.

Would Oregon try this anyway? I'd think they'd have to give it a shot, but the weapons that made this so effective (Unger, and his left guard pulling companion Jeff Kendall) aren't there, and Johnson and Blount are gone. That leaves Masoli as the only true weapon to the outside, and he hasn't nearly been effective as he was last season. I'd expect a lot of the plays to go inside, because the O-linemen at least seem competent at times doing this.

How should Cal beat the zone read?

Despite the succeses Oregon shows above, Cal has plenty of examples of them stuffing the run game. So it's not like the Ducks have gashed us. Several things are big on this front.

They need superior athletic play from the front seven. Cameron Jordan, Derrick Hill and Tyson Alualu got great penetration in the clips above, and Zack Follett, Mike Mohamed and Anthony Felder did some great work closing up the holes during the middle and later stages of the game. The athleticism needs to be on full display to make sure zone reads get blown up early and often, otherwise the Ducks might be able to break free for big, game-changing plays.

The front seven should have the experience and talent edge over the Oregon offensive line, but this is all contingent on the linebackers being solid in support. If the defensive line struggles at all in puncturing the gaps, Young, Kendricks, Holt, and Mohamed better be prepared to deal with Masoli's decision-making and make sure they don't freeze up on one or overpursue the other. They'll have plenty of unblocked opportunities, if the Ducks do stick with the inside zone rush.

Clamp down on the outside zone. It was only when they were turned to the outside and trying to chase Masoli and Johnson that the Bears nearly lost their grasp on last year's game. While Unger and Johnson are both gone, the Bears shouldn't take any chances with this. Any sniff of the outside zone read, bottle it up so that they don't think twice of doing it again. Keep the Ducks running in the middle of the field with the inside zone and take your chances with that.

Pass coverage

Music: Wylin Out (RJD2 Remix), check out the instrumental used in the video here.

There isn't really much to say on this front. If Oregon has to rely on their passing game to win, they're fucked. SoCal Oski elaborates.

I love [Masoli]. He is nothing but guts and determination. But he can’t throw a freaking ball. JTLight is right to place the blame on his shoulders — but it’s not really as if anyone should be surprised. Masoli is just not a passing QB. He’s a running QB who can make some passes some time if the planets are aligned and Ganesh is feeling extra happy. Otherwise, if Oregon needs his arm to win, they are in a bad place.

The key in this area for Cal will be to have solid zone pass coverage. Big emphasis on zone. Yeah, I know, some people will be bitching about this because Adam Weber to Eric Decker killed us last week. Whatever. Oregon has no Eric Decker on their team, and even though Adam Weber isn't about to light the Big Ten on fire, he's still way ahead of Masoli in terms of pocket presence and precision throwing. (Staring his receivers down though? I'd say they're on the same playing field.

Against our zone coverage last season, he completed one-third of his passes in Memorial last year, and threw two terrible interceptions (both times he stared down his receiver, both times Cal defenders made plays on the ball).

The only time Masoli had a good throw against the Utes was in stride, downfield, against what looked to be man coverage (and I have no idea what happened to the defender on the play, either he got beat or tripped up). On another one, the Utah defender overpursued, and that led to a sizable gain. After that? Two more completions.

How much this has to do with having inexperienced receivers and O-line can be debated, but it's not going to be easier going against a Cal secondary that didn't have its greatest week and is looking to perform much better.

Look for the Ducks to try and exploit with the screen and the middle of the field, especially in obvious passing situations. Because, you know, everyone has. And if the run game stagnates, for the Ducks to win, Masoli is probably going to have to up it to at least 55-60%. Any figure below that against zone coverage without a decent run game is a recipe for doom.

Bonus: Extra runs

Music: Duck Tales for the win.

Mostly fly sweeps and draws/options I noticed here. Against Utah, I did notice some fly sweeps to take advantage of the receivers, including one fake. Masoli also did attempt a quarterback keeper here and there (Question: When he's drawing, is that a midline option? TFA identified it in the Holiday Bowl, and I've seen similar plays with these characteristics). I might be missing some of the counter plays, or I mistook some of them for zone rushes.

I expect Kelly to unload more running plays like this to surprise the Bears, because he knows that it's always a tough slog against the Bears's defense. And it'd probably be very difficult to win with the strategy he played last week. Expect either more outside zone runs or sweeps, something out of the ordinary.

California has had pretty good run defense against the best teams in the Pac-10 the past two seasons, even against Ducks. Although Oregon put up 206 ground yards in 2008 and 191 in 2007, it's fairly below their average of 280 and 252 yards per game those respective years, tied for second and sixth best rushing YPG in the country. Also, the Ducks averaged 4.9 and 4.1 rushing yards per carry in 2007 (9th in the country in YPC) & 2008 respectively (when they were numero uno), which are both fairly below those averages.

Stop the run (like we did in 2006 when we held), you stop the Ducks. Keep it going, and Oregon will be in this one to the end. Go for the kill Bears. The race to Pasadena is on.

Oregon preview

BoilerTMill — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:24:57 -0000

Based solely on history, we should lose this game. Purdue has recently not played well when going out to the West Coast. We are 3-7-2 against Pac-10 opponents on the road, with only one win (at Arizona in 2005) coming since 1970. Worst yet, we have the first negative comment coming from coach Hope. I don't think I was alone this week when his preference for staying closer to home sounded an awful lot like coach Tiller's famous anti-Hawaii dialectic in 2006. If you count the Hawaii trip as a west coast trip (and I do in terms of distance) here are our results since 1970 playing in the Mountain Time Zone or further west:

10/3/1970 at Stanford W 26-14 (Ironically, the day my sister was born, so I blame her)

9/18/1971 at Washington L 35-38

9/27/1975 at Southern Cal L 6-19

9/15/1979 at UCLA L 21-31

9/12/1987 at Washington L 10-28

9/16/1989 at Washington L 9-38

9/14/1991 at California L 18-42

8/30/1998 at Southern Cal L 17-27

1/1/2001 vs. Washington (Rose Bowl) L 24-34

12/31/2001 vs. Washington State (Sun Bowl) L 27-33

12/31/2002 vs. Washington (Sun Bowl) W 34-24

12/31/2004 vs. Arizona State (Sun Bowl) L 23-27

9/17/2005 at Arizona W 31-24

11/25/2006 at Hawaii L 35-42

Oregon offense:

Well, let's just say we're going to get something much different from what we originally expected. In my original Know thy Opponent from over the summer there was plenty to fear. As one reader pointed out, we did not see the zone read option. I would argue that we still haven't truly seen it this year. In a move I don't completely understand, Oregon seemed to be afraid of running it against Boise State. On the one drive they did run it, they scored. The rest of the time it was like they panicked and decided they needed to throw in order to catch up. Jeremiah Masoli had a very inaccurate night throwing the ball, and the rest was history.

Masoli was 14 of 27 for 121 yards and an interception against the Broncos. Oregon also had just 17 rushing attempts for 31 yards as a team. By comparison, they ran 43 times 306 yards and two scores against us. Oregon is not going to have any success if they run the ball just 17 times. They will probably have more success passing against us because our pass defense was so awful last week, but this is a run-oriented team. Boise State did a good job of stopping the run and taking them out of their comfort zone, so that is what we must do. Masoli had a terrible game against Boise, generating just 6 first downs. He is still an incredible talent and we can't rely on him to be awful again.

Of course, the main thing to discuss with that running game is the loss of LeGarrette Blount. It is an issue, so let's talk about it. Last year, Oregon was a triple threat running team. Blount and Jeremiah Johnson each passed the 1,000 yard mark, while Masoli nearly did as well. Johnson is gone to the NFL, while Blount is obviously gone due to suspension. In truth, we did a good job against Blount last year except for one play. He had 12 carries for 132 yards and two scores, but one carry was a 72 yard run that was a huge momentum shift. We had Oregon backed up deep in their own territory and that big run eventually allowed them to tie the game. The only Oregon offensive player we will see that had a rushing attempt in last year's game is tight end Ed Dickson, who had three carries for 18 yards.

Dickson is actually one of the players I fear the most, as well as running back LaMichael James. Dickson was their leading receiver with 7 catches for 93 yards last year, while he had two cacthes for 19 yards against Boise State. James, in my mind, was the better back than Blount last Thursday. He only had two carries, but he went for 22 yards and had a very impressive 17 yard run on their scoring drive. He is a player that needs to touch the ball more for Oregon, and he certainly will this week. Dickson and Jeff Maehl give Oregon big targets to throw two over the middle, which was a glaring weakness for us against Toledo.

Finally, I would like to see our defensive line have a better week without having to face the heat and humidity. Kawann Short, Mike Neal, and Gerald Gooden all had to leave the Toledo game because of dehydration issues, and as a result we couldn't get a ton of pressure. Oregon had some huge offensive line issues last week, and we have to have everyone healthy to exploit that. The key to disrupting their read option is penetration from the front four. This will allow our linebackers to play back and cover the middle, which they couldn't do against Toledo. If we can be as effective as Boise State was, I like our chances.

Here are the highlights from Oregon's game one

Oregon Defense:

These guys kept the Ducks in last week's game and it should have been a win if not for the ineptness of the offense. They gave up 361 yards, including 164 on the ground, but that was only on 2.8 yards per carry. Most importantly, they bent but did not break. Boise State had four drives end in field goal attempts, but managed just three points because of misses or bad snaps. It will be critical that we get some points on every drive that crosses the 40 because Oregon can buckle down and defend in the red zone. Having a kicker that can bomb from 60 is great in this regard, and hitting from 53 last year at Ohio State shows he can so it in a hostile environment.

Unfortunately for Oregon, their best defensive player, safety T.J. Ward, may be unavailable for the game. Early on in the Boise game Ward seemed to be the only Oregon defensive player interested in stopping the Broncos. Even playing half the game he led with 11 tackles and had one tackle for loss. Kenny Rowe could be a factor as well, as he finished the game with a pair of sacks.

It will be important for us to continue being unpredictable on the offensive side of the ball. Lost in Saturday's game was the way Gary Nord mixed things up. We ran more formations than I can ever remember us running, and we were very successful in each set. Obviously, our offensive line and fullbacks did a great job in clearing holes for Jaycen Taylor and Ralph Bolden. The return of Frank Halliburton will only help an already very good situation. If our offensive line can continue to muscle Oregon's front seven around we will have a very successful day.

Boise State had success early against the run, but Oregon adjusted to have a much better second half defensively. This was a lot like our game with the Ducks last year. Boise had every chance to blow them out, but failed to take advantage. As a result, Oregon had plenty of chances to get back in it. Boise was also very sloppy with the ball, fumbling four times without being touched. We must avoid that fate.

Oregon Special Teams:

It is hard to judge this area because the Ducks did not attempt a field goal or even an extra point, new punter Jackson Rice was very impressive, however, with a 44 yard average on seven kicks. Walter Thurmond is a dangerous returner we have to look out for on both punts and kickoffs. Boise State averaged better than 30 yards per kickoff return, but our blocking must get better first. Our coverage needs to be light years better on kickoffs facing their speed or we will give up a big return.

Intangibles:

It is pretty safe to say that Oregon is a team in severe disarray right now, while Purdue has everyone on the same page. How Oregon responds after 10 days will be a major factor in this game. There were reports of players sniping at coaches on the sidelines while former coach Mike Belotti overshadowed Chip Kelly on several occasions. I guess it is a good thing that Joe Tiller is now 1,000 miles away in Wyoming. We have the advantage that this is fully Danny Hope's program now, where you get the sense that Belotti hasn't completely handed over the reins yet.

Oregon's playcalling has to be much better against us, but our own defense has to tackle better and not give up easy yards over the middle in the passing game. I still don't think we have seen our run defense yet because Toledo barely tried to run against us. If Oregon is smart, they will test us against the run early. They cannot afford to go away from their strength like they did against Boise State.

Finally, we cannot afford to make the crowd a factor. Let's face it, we have sucked on the road of late. Our last win in a hostile venue came at Minnesota in 2007 (though the Motor City Bowl was almost a Central Michigan home game). That is eight straight losses, and we have to go back to our win at Wisconsin in 2003 for the last time we beat a team on the road that finished with a winning record. Autzen Stadium is known as one of the best home venues in the nation. The Duck fans are anxious to prove the Boise State game was a fluke, so we need to not let them be a huge factor. If we do win, I think this would be our most impressive win since that 2003 game at Wisconsin.

Keys for Purdue:

Continue to mix it up on offense.
Continue to get dominant play from the offensive line
Tackle better
Get penetration along the defensive front to disrupt the read option
Defend the middle of the field in the passing game

To me, these are all minor fixes from the Toledo game. I am confident we can make them, as well. Coach Hope will have this team beleiving it can pull the upset, and I feel a whole lot better about doing so compared to a week ago at this time.

Maryland Minute 9.02.09 - MD FB Recruits Honored, Tedford on Terps, More Kicking Competition

Ben Goldstein — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 01:21:34 -0000

Terp Commits Named To WAPO's First, Second Pre-season All-Met Team

Defensive Tackles Nate Clarke and Andre Monroe made the first team along with Safety Titus Till. Second Team Honorees were Cornerback Jeremiah Johnson and WR/Athlete Matt Robinson. Here's what the WAPO had to say about the first-teamers:

Nate Clarke: "After an offseason getting stronger and losing weight, the two-way starter accepted a scholarship offer to play for Maryland."

Andre Monroe: "Two-way starter is undersized by some standards, but gets the job done. Made 67 tackles last season, 21 for loss. Committed to Maryland."

Titus Till: "Hard-hitting safety made 65 tackles last season in leading the Pumas to the Maryland 4A semifinals for the first time. Committed to Maryland."

Tyrek Cheeseboro, Matt Robinson Make Sun's 'Players to Watch' List

Is it just me or does it seem like we're stacked at receiver for the next decade?

Tyrek Cheeseboro: Speed and great hands make Cheeseboro (6-0, 180) a consistent scoring threat. Last season, he had 38 catches for 776 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. Cheeseboro, who also contributes on special teams, has committed to Maryland.

Matt Robinson: Robinson (6-4, 205) looked terrific this summer at camps and seven-on-seven events. He has committed to Maryland and appears ready to better his output of 15 catches from last season.

The Voice of Reason

I've been preaching this for awhile, and has to be one of Maryland's biggest advantages:

But Tedford knows Saturday won't be anything like facing last year's Maryland team.

"There's going to be an element of surprise there," Tedford said. "You're a little uncomfortable going in because you're wondering what's going to happen because there's no background."

- bbroman

Jeff Barker on the Kicking Competition

No earth- breaking news here but, hey, it's a slow news day and a nice article. If you like yoga you've got something in common with one of the two finalists...

How Terp Footballers Get Ready for Class - The Diamondback

Juggling posting for Testudo Times and class is often a real struggle. Somehow, I think the players have it a little harder. Adi Joseph has the breakdown and some video interviews with Adrian Cannon, Travis Ivey, and Phil Costa.

CJ Leslie ESPN Profile

No news in it, but it's a good piece on a guy Maryland is showing a lot of interest in, and who is showing interest in Maryland. Can't beat that. - bbroman

Best healthy, will return kicks
Shame, I wanted him to be returning a little bit later, and I definitely don't want the ball in his hands, if we can avoid it.

Tailback Jahvid Best, apparently fully recovered from his toe injury, also will return kickoffs against Maryland.

- bbroman

Our End of the Q&A With CGB

Read our answers to Cal Golden Blogs' questions on the upcoming matchup. - bbroman

DJ Adams Playing Jahvid Best, Unfortunately

I love DJ, but Caleb Porzel would be absolutely perfect for this role. - bbroman

The Oregon Ducks Elevator - Fall Camp Week 1

dvieira — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:34:00 -0000

Welcome to the Oregon Ducks Elevator. We're just a few days into Fall Practice but that's plenty of time to see how some key components are fairing so far. Let's get started.

-- LaMichael James: James appears to be doing a lot of work with the second team and has caught the eye of the coaching staff. HIs work last year on the practice squad was top notch and appears to be continuing that hard work into fall practice. He has been impressive… so impressive in fact, Chip Kelly mentioned that he was faster than Jeremiah Johnson ever hoped of being. Elevator: Up 2 Floors

-- LeGarrette Blount: After getting kicked out of practice for not hearing a whistle, LGB seems to be keeping his head high...going about his business. The media seems to be all about portraying him as a villain for this and other transgressions. Even Dwight Jaynes compared him to Chad Johnson? Hard to move up a floor with all of this off-the-field stuff going on. If he keeps doing what he is doing, these portrayals should go away on their own. Elevator: On the Same Floor

-- Jeremiah Masoli: If sporting corn rows doesn't get you into the penthouse, I'm not sure what does. Oh, he also seems to have picked up right where he left off from last year and the spring. Elevator: Living in the Penthouse

-- Nate Costa: By a number of accounts, Costa seems to be moving around well and making some great passes. He still apparently shows some signs of trouble with the knee but anything we can get from Nate to solidify the QB spot will be wonderful. Last year at this time, he was battling it out with Justin Roper for the top spot. He probably won't get close to Masoli but being a capable backup for the Oregon Ducks will almost guarantee you playing time. For all that he has gone through, I'm pulling for the guy. Even if he doesn't see the field much, Costa has a knack of being a team leader on the sidelines. Elevator: Has gotten back in the elevator and pressed "up".

-- Chip Kelly: Work hard, win the day. That's the name of the game and the players appear to be responding to it. He has projected himself as a guy who likes to play hard and work hard. I like that he's motivating the team to work hard and his show of wit on the Tebow comment from Pac-10 Media Day. The transition from Bellotti seems to be going through without a hitch. Elevator: Up a Floor

-- Ernie Kent: The Men's Basketball Schedule was released last week and it looks like Ernie made a concerted effort to get the team a slew of games the Ducks can be confident with. After last year, Ernie needed something to get the young Ducks off to a good start and this was a step in the right direction. Also, it will be nice to see that many home games in Mac Court before we switch over to talking about Mathew Knight Arena. Elevator: Up from the basement to the ground level

Morning Quack Fix: Catching up with some alums, and can you quantify the success of the offensive line?

jtlight — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:34:33 -0000

Man, it's another sparse day, but fall camp starts next week. There is hope.

George Schroeder has a column on Jordan Kent, who is now fighting for a long term spot with the Seattle Seahawks. Schroeder recounts the story of Kent beginning his football career at Oregon, which is great if you're like me and had never heard it before.
The Seattle Seahawks blog 12th man rising has a rookie projection on Max Unger. They are very excited about Ungers versatility and athleticism, and see him getting quite a bit of playing time this season, though not earning a starting spot out of training camp, which is really best for him in the long run.
In recruiting news, George Uko (previous article here) has said he will be making his verbal commitment August. At this point, work around DuckTerritory is that this is down to USC and Oregon.
Lastly, Bill Connelly (Football Outsiders and RockMNation) has another post on some of the advanced statistics in college football, and this time he tackles a very tough issue--trying to quantify the success of the offensive line vs. the running backs. However, I'm a bit skeptical of the results. For one, Jacquizz Rodgers comes across very poorly in these results, because all the gains within 7 yards of the line of scrimmage are attributed to the line play. However, Quizz turned many losses into gains making the OSU line look better on paper than it actually was. Meanwhile, Blount and Johnson were highly rated with these statistics, because they had many long runs. But many of those were untouched after the line of scrimmage. Is this due to the line play or due to them being great backs? Either way, I find this topic very interesting.

So what are your thoughts on quantifying line play, or how running backs are ranked versus the line? Leave a comment below. GO DUCKS!

Remembering Todd Doxey - 1 Year Later

dvieira — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:00:15 -0000

A year ago today...it seems like only yesterday. The news came out that Duck Nation had lost one of its own, just the day before. A fun, relaxing day focused on togetherness and tradition was forever altered by a tragic accident; Todd Doxey had drowned during the annual float on the McKenzie River. The course of the 2008 football season instantly took on new meaning. Today, we honor a fallen Duck. You may be gone Todd, but you will always be in our hearts.

Todd Doxey was recruited by Oregon in the 2007 recruiting class, choosing the Ducks over Washington State. He was a smart kid, maintaining a 3.4 GPA through high school and was the first member of his family to attend college.

From goducks.com

The 19-year-old Doxey had joined several of his teammates on Sunday afternoon to float down the McKenzie River. Most of the participants had started down the river in inner-tubes when Doxey apparently decided to jump off the Marcola Road Bridge according to Lane County Sheriff's reports. According to reports, Doxey swam some distance before experiencing problems in the water. His teammates were already downriver and were unable to reach him to render assistance. Another boat coming down the river was able to retrieve Doxey.

From signonsandiego.com

He apparently was one of the last to take the 25-to 30-foot leap and started swimming across the current. Witnesses said he suddenly appeared to be in distress and had trouble staying above the cold water.

Todd Doxey was gone, a young life snuffed out before it had the change to blossom.

Phil Knight, out of his own pocket paid for a plane to carry Oregon coaches and players to San Diego for Doxey's funeral where more than 3000 people attended. Football players Dominic Glover, Javes Lewis, Jeff Maehl and Will Wallace, who all enrolled at Oregon as members of the 2007 class with Doxey, helped establish the Todd Doxey Memorial fund

With their help, the Todd Doxey Memorial Fund was established to help defray the expenses associated with the redshirt defensive back’s death. NCAA rules require the university to oversee the memorial fund. Any monies donated that are over and above the permissible expense incurred by the family must, by NCAA rules, be donated to charity.

2 weeks before the Washington Husky game, Oregon announced that they would be honoring Todd Doxey with a specially designed helmet sticker that the entire team would wear for the duration of the year.

Losing Todd proved to be a galvanizing force in the secondary

"It made our team a lot closer," says junior safety T.J. Ward. "Since I've been here, I think this is as close as this team has ever been."

"I'll carry it for the rest of my life," says Ward, who rolls up his right sleeve to reveal a tattoo on his biceps with Doxey's name and the words "Rest in Paradise."

Then he rolls his wrist inward to reveal an older tattoo on the back of that right arm. This one honors Terrance Kelly, a friend and high school teammate who was shot and killed four years ago, days before he was to go to Eugene and begin his college career. "I never thought I would be in that same situation again," Ward says. "Hopefully, you get stronger for it."

Throughout the season, various members of the team wore the Number 29 jersey with no name plate.

Oregon had a successful season and it seemed almost like destiny that they would end up in the Holiday Bowl...San Diego...where it all started.

"I get chills just thinking about that," Oregon senior running back Jeremiah Johnson said. "That's just God working right there. I mean, we could have played in any bowl game. But He put us here so T-Dox could play with us. I truly believe that his soul is in San Diego, so it's going to be like we'll have a 12th man on the field for us."

Oregon would go on to win the 2008 Holiday Bowl, leaving a lasting memory in the emotional chapter of the season. The team had the spirit of Todd that day, coming from behind to beat Oklahoma State. Even though it was time to turn the page, the book of Todd Doxey's life was filled with more than just football. We may remember him as a Duck always but there was more to Todd than just being a great football player.

It's unlikely the many stories of Doxey's generosity would have surfaced this season to the public as a role player in the Ducks' defensive secondary. He was third on the depth chart behind Patrick Chung and Marvin Johnson. How he gave his tickets last season to a boy confined to a wheelchair. How he would sometimes sneak back into his grandmother's house, unannounced as a surprise, when he would return to San Diego from Eugene his freshman year. Every time he would go down his block, visiting his extended family.

TD, you will always be apart of Duck Nation. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us, thank you for the wonderful memories. We won't forget you. Every other day we are ATQ. Today, we are ATD.

From Gladys Doxey, Todd Doxey's mother...

"He never walked out of this house without kissing me and saying, 'I love you,'" Gladys Doxey said. "I'll never forget that. My mom used to always say, 'You aren't dead until you forget.' Teeder will never be dead to nobody in this family because we'll never forget him."

Are The Ducks Going Through A Recruiting Crisis?

JConant — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:16:53 -0000

I was bummed when Tahj Boyd selected Clemson. He could have been a great fit as a QB in Oregon's spread offense. I was disappointed when Bryce Brown picked Tennessee, and a little put off by his stating that Oregon couldn't prep him for the NFL like UT. I wasn't expecting Aaron Plugrad to leave the program, but it made sense. I wasn't at all surprised when Chris Harper left, but still, it hurt a little. I was surprised when Justin Roper bailed.

Then, this past weekend...

I didn't see Oklahoma coming in the recruitment of running back Brennan Clay. Especially after Clay just weeks ago was proclaiming Oregon to be "...kind of my dream school." I'll admit I was a bit shocked when I then read that running back Ethan Grant publicly stated he was re-opening his recruitment after having committed to the Ducks earlier in the year.

It all has me pondering one question: Do the Oregon Ducks have a recruiting crisis?

Yes, I believe they do. Sort of.

I'll explain after the jump.

Why worry?

I get the sense the Ducks are falling behind in the race and I don't think we know yet whether Chip Kelly and his new-look staff have the late kick of an Oregon distance runner.

Yes, I realize that no player is a lock until he shows up in the locker room, puts on his high-tech cooling pads and rapid-dry jersey and takes the field. Yes, I may be overreacting. Our Ducks need solid running back recruits this year. One just walked away from his dream school and the other is suddenly up in the air. The competition for top talent out west is heating up and the Ducks appear to be having a tough time sealing the deal.

If you put Ethan Grant's commitment on ice for the time being, the Ducks have two verbals here in early June - local 4-star talent Curtis White and 3-star cornerback Terrance Mitchell from Sacramento.

Compare that to a couple otherwise mediocre-to-bad Pac-10 performers from 2008. Stanford has 16 verbals, and they're not just a bunch of smart 2-star guys. Coach Harbaugh has landed a couple 4-stars and a slew of 3-star players from all across the country. Washington is having a great recruiting season. The Dawgs now have nine verbals including yesterday's announcement by 4-star QB Nick Montana. Unlike Stanford, the best talent UW is landing is mostly local. Steve Sarkisian clearly is protecting the Seattle area from getting pilfered by Oregon and Oregon State. The University of Mother Earth at Berkeley (a.k.a. Cal) also is taking care of business with six verbals, including 4-star players from both Colorado and Texas.

Brand erosion for Oregon football?

So what exactly is Oregon's problem? I'm looking squarely at circumstances that have enabled a lot of potential anti-Duck propaganda. Circumstances from 2007 and 2008 are now question marks in 2009.

A few stars have fallen to injury the past couple years - Dennis Dixon, Jeremiah Johnson in ‘07, Roper early last year, Jeremiah Masoli against Boise State. The team, despite all the talent in 2007 and 2008, was unable to avoid three or four losses. LaGarrette Blount put up poor stats against quality linebacker units at USC and Cal. The top position coach in the nation tried to leave Oregon after the '08 season, but came in second place for a head coaching position and ended up hanging around. A couple other coaches were dismissed and replaced with new faces. The venerable Mike Bellotti announced he would leave sometime after the 2008 season, then stepped away and handed the whistle to a guy who has yet to prove himself as a head coach. Three reasonably high-profile players exit the program within a couple weeks following spring ball.

Those are circumstances, and not pretty ones.

We of green and yellow blood have faith. You and I believe in Chip Kelly and his new coaching additions. We understand that the Ducks lost second string guys and have depth and talent at those positions. We understand that one lost recruit just opens the door for another talented player.

The circumstances, however, raise questions. Those questions are easily manipulated into doubt. And I have no doubt those questions are being raised repeatedly by powerful coaches who covet many of the same talented players Oregon is recruiting. The Lane Kiffins and Bob Stoops of the world must be hammering away at Oregon's credibility as they pitch their programs as better options to talented young men who are likely swimming in the attention and overwhelmed by the enormity of it all.

That, my ATQ friends, is the "sort of" to the answer to my own question.

This crisis, in my opinion, isn't a matter of Oregon lacking a good product to sell. It is the result of Oregon's top competition having easy targets when it comes to Oregon's identity. In marketing we might refer to Oregon's crisis as an issue of brand erosion.

Oh, the stories they must tell.

"Their QBs all get hurt." "They've only played in one BCS game since 2001." "They'll never win a conference championship because USC has overwhelming talent." " Their spread offense doesn't translate into developing an NFL-worthy profile." "Their coaching staff is unproven." "Some of their best players are leaving so the new coaches must be difficult to play for."

Imagine that you're an 18-year-old with potential million dollar talent. You're hearing all that rhetoric from guys named Stoops, Kiffin, Sarkisian, Neuheisel, Tedford, Miles, Brown, Meyer, Saban, Tressel, Leach, Gundy, Erickson, Riley and many of their esteemed assistants. Are you not buying into those messages and basing your verbal commitment on the appearance of a more stable and nurturing program?

I believe that's exactly what's going on. The vulnerability door is open and Oregon's big-time competition is running through it full speed.

Am I crazy? Maybe.

Just to check, I bounced some thoughts off Chris Fetters, who covers college football recruiting in the Pacific NW for Scout.com. Chris gave me the encouraging notion that we're just seeing a natural process play out.

"To be honest, whenever there is regime change, there's going to be change in how things are done, who the new staff likes, and how that affects not only the current players on staff, but also the ones that were being recruited by the previous staff, but are now possibly looking at a different set of issues. That's what you're seeing right now." He added, "Is it pretty? No. But I think [Chip] Kelly has been very smart about reporting on the players that are leaving now, simply because by the time fall camp starts, that will no longer be the story."

Since Chris covers the Northwest closely, I asked him what he was hearing about Chip Kelly the new head coach, relative to recruiting. Chris had this response: "To be honest, coming from my neck of the woods - which is the NW - Kelly's recruiting hasn't been all that different from Mike Bellotti's. They target their in-state guys and whatnot, but Oregon's recent success has had as much to do with how they've recruited from afar as it has from recruiting in-state. So it doesn't surprise me at all that Kelly is recruiting nationally, and recruiting for very specific needs. His offense is highly powerful and sophisticated, and it needs the right body types to run at a high idle."

We probably agree, Chris has a pragmatic view of what's going on. I get it. The Ducks are swinging for some top shelf players that might help Chip score 56 points a game, and they're going to whiff on a few curveballs. Still, natural process or not, I can't help thinking that Oregon this year might struggle to win battles over high-profile recruits. It's my theory and I'm sticking to it. Slippage in recruiting, while conference rivals are beginning to excel, troubles me.

Is there a fix? Absolutely!

Of course, there is a way to stop the slippage (that's a great word, slippage, which I confess, I am stealing from author Stephen King).

If Oregon can't land many of their top targets this year, the coaches need to be ultra-savvy and find some gems among the cast-offs of other top-20 programs. They need to continue mining the JC ranks for guys who fit the Oregon scheme and can play or add depth immediately.

Then the Ducks simply need to win. They need to beat Boise State on the road, and Utah and Cal at home this coming season. Beating USC in Eugene again in 2009 would be huge. The Ducks need to make a Michigan-sized statement at Tennessee next year, and then generate a surge of momentum as the program transitions from the Masolian period to the Thomasonian period.

Win. Send players to the NFL in fair numbers. Earn a BCS bowl bid in the next two years. Beat a quality SEC team on the road. Give USC hell. Do all of that and simply prove all of the anti-Oregon arguments to be empty, hollow. Change the circumstances. It's a tall, tall order.

I feel uneasy looking at the recruiting notes and seeing Oregon with two verbals and Stanford with 16. I know it's early, but on my compass, that needle is pointing south. Time will tell how Chip Kelly's first recruiting season as head coach turns out for the short term.

If a recruiting turnaround happens this Fall and Oregon can continue to win nine, 10 or more games a year, the long term prospects will take care of themselves. Win and great recruits will come to Eugene, just like they do in Norman and Lincoln and Columbus and Tuscaloosa.

Then maybe, just maybe, I can stop sweating college football in the middle of June.

Fact or Fiction: 10 Wins for Chip Kelly in his Inaugural Season

dvieira — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:46:26 -0000

Time for a little game of Fact or Fiction with the Addicted to Quack editors. We all know how this game works. A statement is thrown out there and you get to say FACT or FICTION with a description of why you feel that way. Click the jump for the arguments and vote in the poll. Here comes the question

Fact or Fiction: Chip Kelly will get 10 wins in his first season as head coach of the Oregon Ducks.

PaulSF > FACT

The Ducks' 2009 schedule favors a big year with two non-conference home games against Purdue and Utah, and their four toughest Pac-10 foes at home: Cal, USC, ASU and OSU. Oregon's toughest road game is likely its season opener, a rematch of last year's disappointing loss to Boise State. Call me the supreme optimist, but I'm predicting the Ducks rattle off seven straight to open the Chip Kelly Era, entering the showdown with USC in Eugene at 7-0. Bold? Absolutely, but look at their slate: Four of their first seven are at Autzen, and two of their three road games are against teams that finished 8th and 10th in the conference in 2008, respectively. Do I think the Ducks could lose to Cal, or Utah, or Boise State or Purdue? Sure. I just don't think they will.

There's also another factor: Assuming the Ducks get a bowl bid, they'll play 13 games for the fourth straight year. In the previous three seasons, the Ducks have finished with 10, 9, and 7 wins, respectively. You could argue they had subpar talent in 2006, but with only 12 games in 2005, the Ducks used top-notch talent to finish with 10 wins. I think the Ducks are better overall than they were in 2005. Considering the favorable schedule, and barring any unforeseen surprises, I think the Ducks finish 10-2 heading into their bowl game, which, I hope, will be in 2010, not 2009.

JConant > FACT

I feel sheepish making predictions prior to fall practices when we'll see who really is healed and ready to go, and who isn't. But what the hell. Yes, I believe Chip Kelly will get 10 wins in his first season. Unfortunately, I believe that 10th win will come in the Sun Bowl, which will mean the team didn't have the kind of season most of us are hoping for.

Where do the three loses come from? Some combination of Boise State, Cal, USC, UCLA and Arizona. Why do I think we could lose three of those? A few reasons:

First, I'm concerned about LaGarrette Blount's commitment. Forget the O-line issues, seeing him twice in person this spring I was really unimpressed. My gut tells me that LaGarrette, in his mind, may have already punched his ticket to the NFL. I will believe that he is healthy, in game shape, 2008-fast and in the right frame of mind when I see it on the field. I think it's very possible we'll be bemoaning how much we miss JJ halfway through the '09 season. Second, Chris Harper is close, but not quite there yet. His offensive contributions will be limited. True stardom for Harper happens in 2010, I think. Third, defenses in the conference are improving and many defensive coordinators are seeing the CK spread for the third time. I would be surprised if Oregon matches last season's offensive output against a schedule that could feature at least five ranked teams. Last, our situation on the O-line is precarious. I have faith in Greatwood, but he can't stop injuries from happening. I like our starting unit, but we do not have a lot of depth.

Could I be wrong on all counts? I hope so. I do believe this team has a lot of potential. A win at highly ranked Boise State - in what will likely be BSU's biggest home game ever - could be the start of something very, very special.

jtlight > FACT

At this point, I think that the BSU and Cal games are toss-ups, while USC is a probably loss, and that Oregon should be favored in the rest of their games. However, I say this with a few reservations.

As always, I'm concerned about the secondary. We didn't see great production from that unit (outside of Thurmond) through most of the spring. This was due in part to injuries, but I don't feel that we had a safety step up. I'm not as worried about the corners, as if we get good safety play, the corners will be just fine. But we had serious safety issues last season, and it forced the coaching staff to totally change the gameplan. One of the reasons that USC's pass defense is so good, is that Taylor Mays can cover the whole field by himself, and that backup gives insane confidence to the cornerbacks. Oregon cornerbacks did not have that advantage last year. I feel that our corners are physically talented, but the nature of the game is that just about any wide receiver can seperate from a cornerback if given enough time, especially if that cornerback does not have competent deep help.

Next, I'm a bit worried about the running backs, simply because of depth. At this point, we should have 4 healthy scholarship running backs when fall camp starts. But that can dwindle quickly, as we saw during the spring. I don't share the Blount concerns that many have voiced, and think he'll be more than fine. But he really needs to have someone to back him up. I think that LaMichael James will fill that hole, but we just haven't seen him. However, I think he's the type that can totally change the game. Having him with Blount could be a totally lethal combo.

Lastly, and most importantly, is the offensive line. It grew a lot in the spring, but was just not very good. Again, injuries were a major problem. At one point, the line only had 5 scholarhip linemen available during the spring game. This obviously shouldn't happen during the year, but again, we just haven't seen what will be on the field in the fall. But, and I will be repeating this all summer, "In Greatwood We Trust."

That said, I am encouraged by the team we will be putting on the field. Oregon has as much talent as an entire team as they have ever had. Overall, the team is deep and should be very good. If they get competent play out of the question areas, this could be a 10 win team. If we get a few pleasant surprises, the season could go even higher.

dvieira > FACT

I think it will be close but I'm going FACT, not because of all the good teams that are out there, but because of all the teams that we should beat given our experience. I'm classifying the opponents for next season into 2 different categories...Must Win and Like to Win. Any loss to a team in the "must win" category will need to be equaled from the "like to win" category. Must win games are Boise State, Purdue, Washington State, UCLA, Washington, Stanford, Arizona State, and Arizona. In the Like to Win category, you have the rest of the teams...Utah, California, USC and Oregon State. If you win all of your must win games, you need to get 2 wins against teams in the like to win category to make 10 wins during the regular season with only 1 win and a bowl game win to hit the magic 10 win mark. Out of the must win teams, I think Oregon has a good shot at beating Utah, Oregon State and Cal in that order and all those games are at home.

Poll

10 Wins for Chip Kelly in his Inaugural Season as Head Coach

Fact

482 votes

Fiction

124 votes

606 votes | Poll has closed

My Calm and Level-Headed Thoughts About The Texans' Haul From The 2009 NFL Draft

Tim — Fri, 01 May 2009 22:20:37 -0000

Now that I've had a few days to digest what our beloved Houston Texans did in the 2009 NFL Draft, here are my quick, Friday afternoon thoughts on each draftee:

Brian Cushing--I hated this pick when it was made. HATED it. Now that I've had the benefit of a cooling-off period...I still hate it. The good news is that it seems like the vast majority of the the fan base (1) either loves the pick and has loved it since it was made or (2) has managed to rationalize the pick in the last few days. Thus, I recognize I'm in a very small minority of naysayers. And that's okay; I'm comfortable with that. And hey--I hope Cushing has a career that sees him enshrined in Canton one day. I really do. He's a Texan, and I want him to succeed. So I will root for him regardless.

That said, the only thing that gives me any optimism about the pick is that Smithiak made it. Rick Smith and Gary Kubiak have a stellar draft record, and they know infinitely more about football, personnel, and scheme than I ever will. They're the professionals; I'm just a fan. In Smithiak I trust. Here's hoping I'm every bit the idiot I pray I am for disagreeing with the selection.

Connor Barwin--Looks to be great value in the second round, and if his interview is any indication, he's only scratched the surface of what he can do. Like nearly every Texans fan, I'm very excited about Barwin.

Antoine Caldwell--Without a shadow of a doubt, my favorite pick of the entire draft. Caldwell may not be starting at the outset of training camp, but you have to like his chances of usurping the starting center gig from Chris Myers. That's no knock on Myers; his limitations are nearly entirely based on his size, and that's not something he can control. Three years from now, I reckon we're going to look back on Caldwell as the prize of the draft class.

Glover Quin--A head-scratcher. Is he a cornerback? Or a safety? I really preferred D.J. Moore here. That said, Smithiak found Fred Bennett in the fourth round with several better known players on the board, and Bennett was a revelation his rookie year. We shall not speak of Bennett's sophomore season, lest we get depressed.

So where does Quin fit in? I have no idea. Here's hoping he cracks the DB rotation somewhere in 2009. His development (or lack thereof) could play a large role in how management handles Dunta Robinson's situation in 2010.

Anthony Hill--The confusion I felt when the pick was made has dissipated. Hill's widely regarded as the best blocking TE in the draft. In my mind, this lowers his bust potential exponentially. We already have a stud pass-catching TE; if Hill's skills transform him into a pseudo offensive linemen, the dangerous Houston offense gets even more dangerous. His acquisition has grown on me. Big time.

James Casey--I dig this pick a whole lot. Although my initial reaction was, "Why didn't the Texans take him instead of Hill in the fourth round?", I can't argue with making the value pick of Casey in the fifth. Casey should serve as a utility back of sorts; if he becomes our Frank Wycheck, I'll be more than satisfied. Heck, even the thought of having plays designed that allow Casey to line up at WR, TE, FB, RB, and/or QB are enough to make me giddy.

Brice McCain--Jacoby Jones, you are officially on notice. McCain is here to take your job.

Troy Nolan--There seems to be potential here, and that's all you can ask from a seventh-round selection. Frankly, Nolan probably couldn't have asked for a better situation. Things are far from settled in the secondary, so if he excels on special teams, he might grab a roster spot.

Jeremiah Johnson/Arian Foster--Not technically draft picks, but their arrival makes me feel much better about the team's decision not to draft a RB. Much has been made of the Texans' need for a big back to relieve Steve Slaton. I originally subscribed to that train of thought, but now I'm of the mind that we don't necessarily need a big back. We just need a functional back; that is, someone of any size who can be counted on for 10 carries or so per game. If that's a bigger guy like Foster, great, but I don't think it necessarily means that a smaller, quicker back like Johnson can't fit the bill as well. Either way, I've come to grips with the fact that Gartrell Johnson won't be wearing the steel blue, and I'm okay with it.