With the holiday weekend, and Tako deciding to go AWOL for a day, this draft week is coming to you on Wednesday. If you didn't catch the first 2 rounds or need a refresher on the rules, click here. Again, pick your team and get ready to vote on who has the best All Time Ducks Basketball team.

Round 3

Tako: Complementing Wilkins is one of the best inside-out threats ever to don the green and yellow. He ranks 17th in career points scored, and 2nd in rebounding behind only his new teammate Ballard. His senior season ranks as one of the best of all time by an Oregon big man: 56% from the field, 49% from three, 79% from the line. 15.2 points per game, 9.2 rebounds, and a few assists for good measure. Joining Ballard and Wilkins on Team Tako is Maarty Leunen

Paul: Since Tako took my boy, Maarty, I'm going with an unsexy yet solid pick to lock up my team's center. Urgel "Slim" Wintermute was, by all accounts, the tallest player on the west coast at 6'8", and was often regarded as the tallest of the Tall Firs. If rebounding statistics were kept in the 30s, Wintermute would likely be the Oregon record-holder. But he was also a scorer, finishing second in the conference to teammate Lauren Gale. In 1939, he helped lead the Ducks to the inaugural NCAA Championship and is arguably the greatest center to ever don an Oregon jersey. I'll gladly be the first to take a Tall Fir off the board.

Nick: I am going to complete my starting backcourt by selecting a shooter whose range is almost limitless. Paired with Ridnour in the backcourt, he can focus on what he does best---draining open shots. In Tajuan Porter's freshman season, he set an Oregon record 110 3-pointers, smashing the old record by 16. He finished his four years at Oregon as the career leader in 3-pointers made, including three of the top individual seasons and the top career free-throw percentage.

Dave: I've got two truly elite players in the backcourt, now its time to get a big man. My next pick was a great inside out power forward who could hit the three, put the ball on the floor, or finish on the inside. He averaged over 15 points per game as a senior, while leading Oregon to a rare NCAA Tournament appearance, and was 39% from three and 78% from the line over his career. I'll take the masked man, A.D. Smith.

Matt: He may have only played at Oregon for 2 years, but in those 2 seasons he became #1 and #2 in Oregon history for steals in a season. More importantly he stole my heart. With my third pick to lock down the PG, I select Malcolm Armstead. Besides being a ball hawk and thief, Armstud also dropped a lot of dimes while at Oregon. He's #9 all time for most career assists and jumped into the top 10 all time season records when he dished out 167 assists in 2010.

Jeff: Here's a pick that goes deep. You could hold on to the belief, as I have in my previous picks, that statistics say everything. However, I don't believe this is the case when putting together a championship team. This is why my next pick goes to one of the best point guards at Oregon, a Converse All-American who won the NCAA title in 1939. From Astoria, Oregon, two-time captain, with the heart of a champion (because he was), one of 6 players to have their number retired at Oregon, and member of the Oregon Sports and University of Oregon Hall of Fame, welcome Bobby Anet to my squad!

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Sports are a wonderful distraction. But we should never forget that there are men and women that put their lives on the line for our ability to enjoy the sports and the freedoms that we do. It can never be said enough, but thank you to every one that has served, and especially those that have paid the ultimate price.

Onto the quack:

• What a pitiful weekend in Corvallis topped off by shutout loss on Sunday. That looked like the Duck team from last year. Unable to get runs across, giving up late hits and leads and a failure on every level. Not only did the Ducks get swept by the bavers, but they lost the Pac 12 title to Arizona. Ugh, onto the playoffs.
• Some good news for baseball, I guess, is that they won't be playing their regional at Goss in Corvallis.
• Awesome job by the softball team to win twice in dramatic fashion on the road in Texas to advance to their first WCWS. Jessica Moore was stellar on the mound as Oregon fought through some terrible umpiring in the first game to win in extra innings and then jumped out early on the Longhorns in the second game to put them away.
• The NCAA Championships are next week and Oregon is well prepared. All in all Oregon will be sending 31 entries to the meet in Des Moines, Iowa on June 6-9.
• Lastly, in case you missed it, Oregon got a commitment from a top national recruit Friday. Kelly and the Ducks continue to do what they do in recruiting. Target the guys they want that they think will fit their system.

That's all the quack I got. Drop any other links in the comments and enjoy the holiday.

Last year ATQ put together an All-Time Oregon Ducks Fantasy Football Draft. If we did that again, I wonder what round De'Anthony Thomas would go? But that's for another time. For now, the mods have decided to put together an All-Time Fantasy Basketball Draft.

The rules are similar to that of the football draft:

• There are 6 mods drafting (Tako, Paul, Nick, David, Matt and Jeff)

• When you draft a player, you own the rights to every season he played. So we aren't drafting individual seasons

• You have to draft your starting 5 and 3 reserve players for your 8 man rotation. You don't have to draft starters first, but the player you draft has to have played that position at Oregon (so Tako is not allowed to take Tajuan Porter for his center spot)

• The draft order was chosen at random. Tako won the first pick, followed by PaulSF, ntrebon, David Piper, Matt Daddy, jcgoducks

• The order will progress snake style, so Jeff will get picks 6 and 7, Tako will get 12 and 13, etc.
• Once the draft is finished, we will set up a tournament where you, the reader, will get to vote on whose team would win on the field (or is just your favorite)

I'll post two rounds at a time but I'm not posting the draft conversation that accompanied it (you don't want to read all the Jeff has AOL jokes, trust me). The conversation is all yours, so make your claims on who has the best team.

Go Ducks!

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Cloaks slows you down in a fight. Makes you hard to move quietly, and the gold catches the light so you're nice and easy to spot at night. We had a deal and wearing a gold cloak wasn't part of it. You don't want me cleaning me nails, you don't want me looking you away. Why am I here? On to the quack:

• What a great spring for Duck sports. The track and field men's team won an unexpected 6th consecutive conference title and the women's team cruised to victory as well and are early favorites to win the National Championship as well. On top of all that the baseball team continues to cruise along as they swept the hapless Seattle Redhawks this weekend.
• Speaking of the baseball team, ESPN's Baseball Blog has the Ducks as the #2 overall seed in the tourney. This would mean not having to leave Eugene for the Ducks until they have to travel to Omaha for the college world series. Can't say enough about the job Horton and the Diamond Ducks have done this year.
• Ashton Eaton has some competition for the decathlon this summer, but expect that to continue in London.
• The Lady Diamond Ducks took full advantage of their home field by going undefeated and advancing to the Supers this weekend. The Ducks will now travel to Texas for the Super Regionals and a chance to play in the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
• They may not have won their regional, but even though they came up one shot short, the Men's Golf team advanced to the Finale in LA. The NCAA Championships are two weeks from now, and the fourth appearance for head coach Casey Martin in his six year tenure.
• Have I told you lately how much of a genius Larry Scott is? Well, he is a freaking wizard and the rest of the college football world and conference commissioners are trying desperately to gather scraps from his table just to catch up.

Lastly, let me say once again, what a pleasure it is to be associated with such an amazing group of Duck fans on ATQ. The other mods make it easy to get access to and information for so much Ducks information. The community on a whole gives me insight and enjoyment of what it means to be a Duck fan. I'm grateful that you allow me to impart a little of my whimsy and idiocracy into your daily lives. No community offers what ATQ does on a daily basis... now, if only we could do something about our female overlords.

via cdn.head-fi.org

All of you are awesome! I can't tell you how humbled and small I feel by your generous outpouring of compassion and support that you showed through this fundraiser over the last two weeks. There aren't enough words and space to thank everyone involved, but I'll try. From axemen23 and his tireless work on getting the auctions up and answering all the questions from the bidders, to benzduck and his charitableness in getting poster put together for those that wanted them. To gekko mojo at UWDP and his willingness to look beyond the rivalry and pettiness of athletics and offer support of this worthy cause. There were donors like the ladies that wrote "The Maniac and Me" or former U of O President Dave Frohnmeyer, and the Duck Store and scudderfan who once again was the catalyst for all of this starting.

Finally, there were the cash donors that poured in by the droves. I wish I could post all the emails and comments I received from people supporting this cause. Beavers, Huskies, Ducks and non-sports related fans all stepped up and contributed. Most of all there was Dominic Dvieira and his family that led by example and matched donations to the tune of $436! All in all, our contribution to the Osteogensis Imperfecta Foundation will total more than $2400.

That donation will be sent to OI in Wyatt "Wolf's" name. This blog and the numerous people that contributed are not asking for recognition. So instead, I am passing on what Wyatt's Dad has to say in his honor. I'll let his words speak for how I feel about all of you:

Wyatt is an inspiration. We weren't sure he would be with us very long, but he's two years old now, and he's been a blessing to us every single day of his life. It is clear that no matter what limitations OI puts on him, he'll overcome them with his boundless spirit. Thanks to the Lord for giving us this wonderful boy. He is an inspiration.

At the same time, we are also inspired by our family and friends who have supported Wyatt, and supported us, throughout our time dealing with this condition. Our heartfelt and sincerest gratitude goes to all of you. You have taken care of us and given us love and hope and compassion. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Daniel and Julia Flude

I hope everyone had a glorious Mother's Day. Remember, if it wasn't for your mothers, none of us would be here. Onto the quack:

• And the boys of the diamond keep rolling along. Jake Reed was stellar in his start on Sunday and Kuedell was equally as awesome in their win on Saturday. The Ducks are now 37-14 overall and 18-8 in conference with a game and half lead on Arizona. The final game against USC is tonight at 6:00pm.
• Softball team isn't doing too shabby either. Oregon is set to host its first ever regional starting Thursday. Congrats to the lady ducks on their tremendous season so far.
• So apparently, top 10 player Anthony Bennett chose UNLV over Oregon. Congrats to the Running Rebs, and best of luck to Bennett. Oregon needs to move on and Chris Obekpa is still undecided.
• The Pac 12 Championships were this weekend and it looked like an uphill fight for the men in track and a pretty sure thing for the women. Well, both teams came through in the end as Oregon took home two new Pac 12 Championship banners. You have to love this little tidbit of information from Ken Goe, "For those scoring at home, Oregon has won six consecutive men's conference titles and four consecutive women's titles. No other program in conference history has swept this meet in four successive seasons."
• What's that? You want video of De'Anthony running? Well ok.
• Lastly, Ted Miller has his Spring Wraps for all the Pac 12 schools. For Oregon, Miller pretty much nails all the key points. Who is going to replace Pleasant, Jordan and Kiko look like studs, the QB competition should be exciting and will Byron Marshall be ready? The one thing I think people keep dismissing though is the question marks at wide receivers. Unfortunately, I don't think Oregon is any further along at WR han they were last year.

That's all the quack I got. Leave any other pieces in the comments.

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO MAKE A DONATION AND HAVE IT MATCHED.

With $1,601 in cash donations, that puts the Dvieira match at $401 for a grand total of $2,002. Add to it the $381 in ebay auction items and this little fundraiser has raised $2,383! I cannot tell you how awesome that is. It is almost $1400 more than our goal, but it is also double what we were able to raise last time. But we're not done. It's Fast, Hard, Finish. And we're not finished.

If you still want to donate, the widget will stay open today. Also, Dom is still matching donations made today, so let's finish this thing strong. Finally, if you were the winner of one of the auction items, please make sure to get your payment in promptly. We'd like to get all the items out to people as soon as possible.

Thanks again to everyone who has already participated.

FULL LIST OF ALL AUCTION ITEMS LOCATED HERE

Just wanted to give everyone a reminder that at 8am PT the Miracle Wolf Auctions items will be ending. If you are bidding on an item or watching one, make sure to get your final bid in on time. Once the auctions end, please make sure to use Paypal to pay for your item and we'll make sure to get it to you as quickly as possible.

If you do not win the item that you wanted, please consider taking some of the money you were planning on spending and donating it by using the widget located below. Remember, the next $1000 will be matched so for every dollar you donate between now and Saturday the 12th will be worth twice as much.

Thanks again to everyone that has donated or participated in any way. Your generosity is going to a great cause!

FULL LIST OF ALL AUCTION ITEMS LOCATED HERE

Theon Greyjoy is a pansy and Robb Stark is going to remove his head from his body, and he won't need 4 strokes to do it, and send it back to Lord Baylon. Onto the Quack:

• What a great season the baseball team is already having. The Pac 12 is a gauntlet of good teams and Oregon is taking them apart one at a time. The 10th ranked Ducks took the series against the 11th ranked Wildcats this weekend to move them 1 1/2 games into the lead in the Pac 12 standings. This series win on the road, may have just gotten the Ducks a National Seed, at least that's what the guys had on their minds as they headed into it.
• Top 10 player, Anthony Bennett has narrowed his list to 2 schools, UNLV and Oregon. I know some fans are going to feel reluctant to get excited about this considering what Jabari Brown did last year, as well as what Altman has done with lessor talent, but if you want to succeed long term you have to be in the running for the big names nationally. There are a lot of them that will not pan out, and even some that will not be the right fit, but unless you want to be just a mediocre school in a mediocre conference enjoying CBI and NIT berths, you have to go after the top talent. I for one would love to see what a top 10 post player could do in Altman's offense. Think Olu Ashaolu with more talent and younger.
• Track and field is off to a good start at the Pac 12 Championships as they have a 10 point jumpstart in the team standings thanks to Brianne Theisen and Dakotah Keys. Theisen was on track to break Ucla's Jackie Joyner-Kersee's total in the heptathlon, but hit a wall with 150 meters left.
• Speaking of track, De'Anthony Thomas is still fast. Having not run track in 2 years, Thomas anchored the 4x100 relay team in a win and then finsihed second in the 200 meters in 21.60 and third in the 100 meters in 10.65. If you watch the video, it looks like DAT holds a lead at the around the 50 meter mark, but is out done in the end.

Lastly, let me remind everyone about the challenge that Dom and his family have presented. We need to raise over $1200 in cash donations for the Lil Wolf Fundraiser so he can match every dollar contributed after. I know some of you are waiting for an auction to end before you donate, and I know a lot of you are not. I'll just say this, this is a free blog. We try and provide a lot of content and information and ask little back from all of you in exchange. It would be impossible for me to put a dollar amount on the worth you receive from visiting this site on a daily basis. That is for you to decide. We are not asking for donations to keep this site running, SB Nation does a great job fulfilling that. Instead we are asking you to donate to help people that will not ask for themselves. Every dollar gets us closer to our goal. A special thanks to Gekko Mojo at UWDP for promoting this on their site as he realizes that this isn't about sports or rivalries, there is plenty of time for that. This is about protecting and supporting those that need our help. So think about what you can contribute and click the "Chip In" button.

/gets off soap box

The gauntlet has been thrown down!

The wonderful Dvieira family has decided to put us to the test. Dom hit me up on chat last night and said he wanted to do something to spur on more donations. He and his wife said they wanted to match donations beyond a certain point. So here is what he is proposing:

The last time we did a fundraiser like this, we raised a little over $1,200. Well, the Dvieira's are going to match every dollar we raise in cash donations over the $1,200 mark up to $1,000. That means if we are able to get $2,200 in cash donations, Dom will write a check for another $1,000 making our contribution to the OI Foundation over $3,200.

Can we do it?

This is going to take a concerted effort. We've already had a great response as Husky and Beaver fans have stepped up as well to contribute. But we're going to need more. We're going to leave the donation window open till the end of this week (Saturday at 8am). So make sure to tweet this and remind people on facebook, that we have a new goal to reach. Make Dom write a big check!

All of you never cease to amaze me. Since we put the post up about the Fundraiser on Wednesday, we've already had a great response. There has been $240 donated in cash and the auctions are already totaling more than $260 in bids. That puts us at over $500 raised in three days!

Here is my challenge. I want to raise $1000. That puts Lil Wolf in the newsletter and gets him the recognition that he deserves. This site averages over 5000 visits per day and has over 4000 members. I don't think it should be difficult to get us to $1000, but it is going to take each of you chipping in a little. Remember this is all for a great cause.

So, if you're bidding on an auction item, or watching one that you want, and you don't end up winning, please consider taking a few of those dollars and donating them through the widget below. The auction items end on Wednesday the 9th in the morning. I'll leave the widget open until the end of next week so people can donate.

Thank you, to each and every one of you.

FULL LIST OF ALL ITEMS FOR THE AUCTION HERE

As Duck and sports fans we marvel at what special athletes like De'Anthony Thomas or Ashton Eaton are able to do on the field of play. Unfortunately, not everyone is given those unique physical gifts. In fact there are some that are brought into this world already a lap behind in the corporeal game of life. It doesn't mean their hearts and strengths of will are any smaller though. Such is the story of our blog's Lil Wolf. Oseogenesis Imperfecta, or OI, is a debilitating disease that effects the connective tissues of the bones, causing brittleness. Children go through life breaking bones and in tremendous pain from the simplest activities.

To support our Wolf, we are once again holding a fundraiser to donate to the OI Foundation. The OI Foundation's goal is to foster research, education, awareness and mutual support. Funds raised help send families and individuals battling this disease to conferences to learn about treatment and support. They donate for research and to encourage new investigators to begin a career in OI research in the study of preventing and living with OI. Every dollar raised will go directly to the OI Foundation in Wolf's name.

To help encourage the support, some very generous and great people have stepped up and donated items to be auctioned off. For that spirit of giving, you have our eternal thanks! Here are the list of items and the links to where you can bid:

• Four Vintage 13x19 Program Posters from Benzduck.com: AUCTION 1. AUCTION 2. AUCTION 3. AUCTION 4.
• Three Separate Addicted to Quack Shirts from Scudderfan: T-SHIRT 1. T-SHIRT 2. T-SHIRT 3.
• Autographed Copy of "The Maniac and Me" by Stacy Denison and Amy Tankersley: HERE
• $30 Gift Card to the UO Bookstore/Duck Store: HERE
• Signed Dennis Dixon #2 Jersey Number from axemen23: HERE
• 2011 BCS National Title Game Media Guide: HERE
• Daily Emerald Pint Glass and Special Rose Bowl Poster: HERE
• Framed of Former U of O President Dave Frohmayer and Rich Brooks from 1995 Rose Bowl: HERE

Here is what we need you to do. First of all, bid on an item you want to own. Don't worry if the bid gets higher than what you'd like to pay, realize the money is going to a great cause. Second of all, tweet this, share this, like this and spread this to all of your Duck friends and family. Awareness of these auctions is secondary to awareness of this disease. Third, if you have an item you'd like to donate, send me an email. Lastly, if you're not able to win the item that you want, but still feel compelled to give, there is a widget below that will allow you to donate. Every dollar counts and all donations are confidential, please give. Our goal is to raise enough money to donate in Wolf's name so that he is listed in the OI Quarterly Newsletter. Let's make our Lil Duck Fan famous.

Thank you to each and every one of you that supports this cause.

Here is what Lil Wolf thinks about this whole thing:

With football back on TV and the draft finishing this weekend, there is lots of quack out there. Let's dive right in:

• First off, the Diamond Ducks got back on their winning ways. Couple of guys getting healthy really helped out this weekend as Oregon swept Cal and is now in first place in the conference heading to Arizona this weekend.
• Ted Miller has a run down on the Pac 12 players selected in the draft. First of all, congrats to LaMicahel James, Josh Kaddu, Mark Asper and David Paulson for seeing all their hard work pay off. It appears that some guys that went undrafted has been given shots on a couple of teams. It should be interesting to see if some of the higher profile players like Harris or Burfict are able to stick on a squad.
• Lots of Spring Game reaction, especially regarding the play of the quarterbacks. I'd love to hear what people think given this is probably the only access we'll get until the starter is announced and games start in September.
• Schroeder looked at the play of freshman Arik Armstead. Hey, when Haloti Ngata is surprised by your size, you know you're a big kid. I'm really excited for Armstead and the fact that he'll have all summer to work with Coach Rad and refine some of his skills, means we should see some really nice stuff from him this year.
• Fentress looked at the play of the wide receivers, especially Daryle Hawkins and Blake Stanton. I'm still not impressed with our wide-receivers-by-committee approach, but Hawkins looked really improved, and Stanton reminds me a lot of DJ Davis from a couple of years ago. Still waiting for some of the young guys to step up.
• Women's Lacrosse team won their first MPSF Tournament Title, and Men's Golf had their best ever finish in the Pac 12, unfortunately it could have been better. With a sizable lead heading into the last couple of holes, Cal was able to tie it up and force extras, only to have Cal pull it out 2 holes later. Next up are the regionals.

Make sure to check out a lot of videos after the jump.

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FOOTBAW! The green team coached by Mark Helfrich and led by Bryan Bennett will be the Fighting Ducks, and the white team coached by Nick Aliotti and led by Marcus Mariota will be Mighty Oregon. If you need a refresher on the rosters click here, and it is probably a good idea to have this depth chart open on your computer so you can identify some of the new players on the field. Sit back, enjoy the exhibition and salute to the troops. If at least for part of a day, Oregon football is back on TV.

GO DUCKS!

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Overview:

If your'e going to talk about the Oregon safeties it begins and end with John Boyett. Boyett was forced into duty as a red-shirt freshman and since has made the most of his opportunities. Boyett was a second team all Pac 12 in 2011 and stand to be the leader of the secondary going into 2012. Hopefully, Boyett has overcome his mind blowing concussions and has learned not to call a timeout with less than :02 on the clock in a Rose Bowl. Starting next to Boyett will be either Avery Patterson, Brian Jackson, Eric Dargan or James Scales. Patterson seems to have the inside edge as he saw the most time on the field in 2011 even though Brian Jackson destroyed guys on the field last year. Patterson is quite a bit smaller and is more of a nickle or dime type player, while Jackson allows Aliotti and Neal to continue to bring an extra man down into the box in their cover 1 and strong safety blitz packages. Scales is a wild card and with a good spring and fall he could definitely earn playing time and reps at the rover position.

Questions:

This is probably the biggest question on the defense. Who will man the safety position with John Boyett. Boyett is a superstar and will most likely compete for All Pac 12 honors, but the man he has next to him is up in the air. Boyett was able to groom Eddie Pleasant as a counterpart over two years. He doesn't have that luxury now. Boyett is going to have to have someone that can provide run support, cover the middle two-thirds of the field and make reads on the play action. That is a tall task for anyone. The scheme Aliotti and Neal decide to employ will depend greatly on which guy they trust to man that position. A smaller guy like Patterson requires them to use a different scheme with the front 7 than a guy who can fill a lane get after a running back like Brian Jackson.

Projection:

The defensive line went through a rather revolving door last year until they were able to settle on a consistent rotation. The rover position may experience some of the same. No one is sure if Patterson, Jackson, or Scales will work best at that critical position and the early games should give the coaches plenty to work on and determine who is best. This may be a case of the sum are greater than the part though. Each player provides a different skill set that allows the defense to capitalize on different situations. Considering Oregon's propensity to rotate guys, expect to see different players in different downs and distances to better utilize their strengths.

So, what does everyone want to talk about? The draft? Fine, let's talk about the stupid draft. I'm starting this MQF with a little diatribe. The NFL draft is not a recognition of the best college talent. If that were the case Ryan Tannehill going 8th and Doug Martin and David Wilson going ahead of LaMichael James would be called the dumbest selections this side of Twizzlers over Red Vines. The NFL draft is about horrible people making horrible judgments with very limited information. The NFL draft is a combination of beauty pageants, annual physicals (without meeting Dr. Jelly Finger) and small part pandering to fanbase that desires to see change. It's the really smart front offices that are able to filter out all that noise and go after the best available player, or guy that actually fits their franchise that succeed in the NFL. So just because our favorite college player wasn't taken day one, doesn't mean our favorite player isn't as good as numbers 1-32 in the NFL draft. It means that two-thirds of the idiots drafting are drafting for the wrong reason and will rue the day they passed on player X when he's kicking their ass in the playoffs 2 or 3 years from now. Onto the Quack:

• WARNING, WARNING: CANZANO ARTICLE!!! Although a positive spin on the draft and the Ducks, once again John Canzano is wrong. The Ducks not having anyone drafted in the first round does not mean they don't have talent on the team. It means the talent they have is talent the NFL hasn't figured out yet. Anyone want to do the 2009 draft over again and see if Jarius Byrd is selected in the first round? Oregon continues to employ a "Moneyball" type strategy even if other college teams are starting to catch on. That Moneyball strategy is one that exemplifies Chip Kelly's strategy of using speed, scheme, leverage and smarts to out play its opponent. What Kelly is doing is not defying the laws of the NFL, but instead out-thinking them. Eventually the NFL will catch on, but until then they will continue to trade up and draft the Doug Martin's of the world. Congrats Tampa Bay, you struck out twice in three months... idiots.
• The Pac 12 did end up sending 4 players to the NFL in the first round. Unlike the B1G Ten, it didn't take long for the Pac to get on the board as Andrew Luck was taken first overall. There are still a number of Ducks and Pac 12 players that should see movement in the later rounds of the NFL draft.
• Ted Miller has a poll up about sack leaders for the Pac in 2012. Dion Jordan leads the way right now. If Jordan has the type of year many people are expecting him to have, he could play his way into the first round of the draft next year. As a matter fact, Clay, Kiko and Boyett all have a chance to put up stats and measurables that give them a good shot of reaching a big payday in the NFL. And you wonder why I'm so high on the defense going into next year.
• The Diamond Boys have struggled recently, but things don't get easier in the Pac as Cal heads to town this weekend. The #10 Ducks need some of the bench and younger guys to step up to keep them in the post season conversation.
• Moseley has a great video interview up with Tacoi Sumler. jcgoducks had a post this week about what unit you're most excited about seeing in the spring game, and for me it's the wide receivers. If we can get some play making wide receivers to compliment our potent rushing attack and big play defense, the sky is the limit for the Ducks this fall.
• YAAAAAY, another version of the BCS!!! Color me still not excited about the idiots that came up with the BCS creating the next iteration of the BCS. Should we just call this BCS 2.0 or BCS '14 (like Windows 95)?
• Lastly, don't forget to check out the big discount given to the ATQ faithful for ordering the book The Maniac & Me: What I've Learned from Loving a Duck Fan. If you're a maniac, and if you're reading this far in the Quack Fix, that means you are, then make sure to order this book and give it to the people that have to put up with you on a daily basis.

That's all the Quack I have patience for right now. Go ahead and leave any other quack you find in the comments.

A few weeks ago DCDuck made a comment regarding a book out there called The Maniac & Me: What I've Learned from Loving a Duck Fan. Well, the author of the book noticed the comment and sent me an email wondering if she could offer an exclusive discount for Addicted to Quack readers to order the book.

So, if you're looking for an upcoming Mother's Day gift, or an early Father's Day gift, or you just want to read some fun stories about living with maniac Duck fans, this is the book for you. I know I'm looking forward to reading my copy! Here is a short description from the co-authors and the information for the discount.

>>>

The Maniac & Me: What I've Learned from Loving a Duck Fan is a tongue-in-cheek self help manual for anyone who loves a die-hard University of Oregon football fan.

Order the book at: https://www.createspace.com/3676458. Exclusive savings only for ATQ readers! 25% off retail. Use coupon code: 8BLFQZX3. The offer is good until May 31, 2012.

Overview:

I thought about doing a post on the complete secondary, but I realized there are a number of questions that need to be addressed with both the safeties and corners so I'm making it two posts.

Last year the corner position looked rather locked down with starters Anthony Gildon and Cliff Harris returning. Unfortunately, Gildon was lost to injury part way through the season and Harris was lost to, umm... Luckily, there was depth, while inexperienced, there was still depth behind them. Red-shirt freshmen Terrance Mitchell, Troy Hill and true frosh Ifo Ekpre-Olomu were forced to step up. Mitchell matured quickly becoming a lock down corner for the Ducks. In Oregon's heart-breaking loss to USC, Mitchell told Aliotti and Neal that he wanted to guard Robert Woods full time instead of his usual cover one side. Mitchell is also the guy that made the exciting strip on Abbrederis in the Rose Bowl.

Hill and Ekpre-Olomu ended up splitting time at the other corner position. While an inch shorter, Ekpre-Olomu is the more physical corner and was second on the team in passes broken up. Hill struggled at times last year, but ended up 11^th on the team in tackles.

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Overview:

While the defensive line boasts a lot of talent, it also boasts a lot of intrigue. Azzinaro and Aliotti have a myriad of matchups and alignments they can throw on the field to keep an offense off guard. The group that will be doing most of the clean up and play making behind them, is a little more set in stone.

At stongside linebacker (SAM) is speed demon and touchdown making fool Boseko Lokombo. In 2011 Lokombo scored 3 touchdowns, 2 on interceptions and one on a fumble recovery. Manning the middle (MIKE) will be defensive player of the game in the Rose Bowl, Kiko Alonso. Alonso had a rather inconsistent junior year and lost a lot of his playing time to Dewitt Stuckey, but he really shined on the biggest stage where he recorded 5 tackles, 1.5 sacks, was all over the field and made one of the most impressive interceptions of the season. That game really looked like Kiko had turned a corner with his play. Finally, on the weakside (WILL) is all around stud Michael Clay. Clay is as impressive as it gets at linebacker. Clay had 102 (yes, 102!) tackles last year, and that is with missing 3 complete games. In his fourth year Clay will be the anchor and leader of the linebacker unit.

Questions:

Kiko definitely progressed throughout the year last year, but a big question that remains for the linebackers is will he continue that? At times last year Kiko looked lost on defense. Whether it was a factor of trying to get back into the system after being out a year, or having Dewitt Stuckey pushing him, we definitely saw the good and bad of Kiko. Another question will be what other guys besides the big 3 see playing time? True freshman Anthony Wallace saw time last season, but outside of that, there isn't a lot of experience on the bench for the Ducks.

Projection:

If this unit stays healthy, expect to see a ton of highlights from the linebackers. The d-line is set up to create opportunities for the linebackers. The linebackers are experienced and talented. This front 7 is a match made in Duck heaven.

Overview:

I can't tell you how excited I am to watch the defense this year. It's going to be like Christmas, Easter, your favorite birthday and Fourth of July all wrapped into one. There are some new presents in freshman to unwrap, some sweets that already play each position, exciting maturation of players playing another year and an explosion of talent that leaves you saying ohhh and ahhh every weekend.

And it all begins with the defensive line.

Returning for the defensive line are 6 guys that saw significant time last year. At defensive tackle are Wade Keliikipi, Ricky Heimuli, Taylor Hart and Isaac Remington. These 4 experienced tackles average 297.5 pounds. The days of the undersized d-linemen for Oregon are over. The fun really begins when we start to look at the defensive ends. At the versatile "drop-end" for Oregon is the lightning quick Velociraptor, Dion Jordan. A 2011 first-team all Pac 12 selection and Duck leading 7.5 sacks defensive end, Jordan stands 6 feet 7 inches and 241 pounds. On the other end will be either sophomore Tony Washington or incoming 6'8" 280 pound Arik Armstead. Washington saw plenty of time last year as Oregon tends to rotate multiple people in on the defensive line, which is most likely a reason why high school All-American Arik Armstead chose Oregon. Armstead provides yet another cog in the Azzinaro/Aliotti versatility defensive line wheel. Armstead has the footwork and quickness to be able to play D-1 college basketball, but also the size and strength to bull rush on a defensive line. Expect many variations on the D-line next year. Oregon has the size to put 280, 321, 300, and 262 out there, but the versatility to put 262, 300, 283 and 240 depending on the down and distance.

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I can't decide if it's the certain seasons that I like, or the changing of the seasons that make it better. I like going from rainy to warm, to windy to cold, to rainy to warm again. Anyway, I digress, onto the quack:

• Tough weekend for the Diamond Ducks. Not only did they drop 2 of 3 to WSU, but OF Brett Thomas collided with Kevin Shepherd adding to the list of injured Ducks. A team that was on a roll and after winning it's last 11 of 13, now looks incredibly vulnerable going into the stretch run with multiple guys on the injured list.
• The Pac 12 Championships are just around the corner, and the Ducks are shaping up nicely for the stretch run. Coach Lananna is using multiple lineups to get athletes ready for their final meets. With the men's team having won 5 straight conference title and the women's team ranked #1 nationally, expect Oregon to be the favorite once again to take the conference titles this year.
• I'm sure Dave would like it if the women's basketball team was as competitive as the women's softball team. Nice to see the Ducks knocking off #1 Cal.
• I've been vocal about the marijuana story at Oregon. Needless to say, this is a problem that every university struggles with. Let me also say, if ESPN had written an article profiling the proliferation of pot use among college students and college athletes and hadn't included Oregon as a primary piece of the passage, I think I speak for most Oregonians when I say I would have been a little disappointed.
• So Maldonado is continuing to work on his range in practices. Does someone want to explain to me why Beard is still recovering from god knows what?
• Lastly, the NFL draft is this week. A number of Ducks are available and the consensus is that LaMichael James will be going first from the group. I still contend that with the recent success of Duck DBs in the NFL such as Ward, Byrd, Chung and Thurmond that Pleasant will get the first look before Darron Thomas, Kaddu, Harris or Paulson. Although, let me say this,with my allegiances to the Steelers, I wouldn't be upset if they took any one of those guys after round 2. If you're an NFL fan, what player are you hoping your team selects from the Ducks and why?

That's all the quack I got, drop the other pieces in the comments.

Quite a lot of Quack out there so let's dive right in:

• How about that baseball team? While the Ducks weren't able to pull off the sweep against the #6 rated Stanford Cardinal this weekend, they did take the first two on the road. We talked before this stretch about what a brutal couple of series Oregon was playing. In the last 9 days Oregon has played 8 games, 6 on the road against two top 10 teams. They ended up going 6-2. That is something special right there. I am really starting to wonder what kind of run these guys have in them for the post season.
• The lady Diamond Ducks have been doing a little work themselves. Oregon's softball team just finished off a sweep of Utah with 6-2 and 11-1 wins. Oregon is now 29-9 and ranked #15 in the country.
• Ken Goe has a quick take on Track and Field. I agree that I would like to see more dual meets and rivalries in Track. I still contend that when the Pac 12 Network is up and running, we'll definitely see more content around the major sports, but sports like track and field will gain a tremendous amount of exposure. That could lead to some great event and even some more dual meet rivalries.
• I really can't tell you how excited I am for the defense next year. The K.O. boys (Mike-O, Kiko, Boseko) at linebackers being a big reason for that. Kiko is definitely one of those guys that has taken his third chance and truly tried to do something with it.
• Looks like Lache had himself another nice spring game for Baylor.
• Can I haz moar defense? It is sort of amazing to consider that with how highly touted and talented this kid is, he's going to really have to work to crack the 2 deep on D-line. I'll just say it again, Oregon is loaded on defense this year.
• Finally, here are some more tidbits for you to sink your teeth into. Oregon basketball recruiting. Men's golf. Women's lacrosse. Women's tennis.

That's all I have boys and girls. Enjoy your week and make sure to drop any other quack in the comments.

Hope everyone had a great Easter holiday weekend. It was finally nice to have decent weather around here. Well, onto the Quack:

• Dana Altman continued practice of bringing in experienced guards with a commitment from JC Guard Devon Branch. The 6 foot 6 inch shooting guard had a decent offer sheet with offers from Kansas State, Virginia Tech, Maryland and Texas A&M.
• The baseball team had a good weekend as they took 2 of 3 in a series against the #5 rated Ucla Bruins on the road. The Ducks won 6-2 on Thursday and 8-3 on Friday before dropping the final game 6-8 on Saturday. The baseball team is in a very difficult stretch with San Francisco coming to town tonight and tomorrow before the team heads down to Stanford this weekend. With 5 games left, going 3-2 would put Oregon in a prime position for hosting a regional.
• The Ducks swept the Pepsi Team Invitational at Hayward Field this weekend. The #1 ranked Women's team were led by a number of athletes to power them to a win. The men needed a 1-2 finish by Trevor Dunbar and Chris Kwiatkowski in the 5,000 and a strong close by Greer in the 4x400 relay to take the invitational.
• Are you excited for a QB controversy competition? With the limited information we are getting out of spring practice, expect the microscope to be at full power for the spring game. What I don't look forward to, will be the inevitable second guessing that will come when whomever starts struggles for the first time.
• Speaking of spring practice. There are a ton of articles out there. Moseley has a piece on the offensive linemen, Fentress writes about De'Anthony Thomas, and finally a quick look at what might be happening in practice.

It was definitely a good weekend for Ducks sports. Leave any other pieces you find in the comments and check out a couple of player interviews and a video from Kelly after the jump.

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Did you know the Oregon state flag is the only state flag displaying different images on each side. On to the Quack:

• Baseball team had a strong weekend as they got back into winning things. Oregon swept the #14 ranked ASU Sun Devils, 1-0 on Friday, 3-1 on Saturday and 4-3 on Sunday. After an awful trip to Texas State, it was good to see the boys get back to winning again. Sunday was the Aaron Jones show as he went 2-3 from the plate and drove in the first three runs. Next up will be Ucla this weekend.
• Guess what? The men's golf team is ranked #12 and just swept the Stanford Tourney Titles including a one stroke decision of #8 USC.
• George Schroeder has a piece on the "what might have been" front for the Ducks or Beavers if they could keep some of the in state basketball talent at home. This is definitely something Altman needs to improve on. There is plenty of talent in-state for Oregon to recruit, yet the tradition right now is for it to leave. I'd like to see some of these kids stay home, especially when their families have legacies at Oregon.
• Are you ready for some football yet? Well Fentress takes a quick look at the defensive backs in his spring preview.
• Also, spring practices start tomorrow and Oregon is looking to fill in for some big time losses. I know there are some guys going to step up for graduates like Paulson and Kaddu. I know there will be some position battles like QB or kicker, but I am most interested in finding out what happens with the WRs. Last year was mostly a disaster for the WRs, and the one guy that had a stellar game in the Rose Bowl, Tuinei, is now gone. I'm still concerned about what we have at that position, and whether or not they'll be able to get on the same page with a new QB quickly enough.

Final basketball game tonight. How does your bracket look? That's all the Quack I got for now, leave anymore in the comments.

With the soon to be advent of the Pac 12 Network, the University of Oregon has decided to explore the option of independent status. This is an unprecedented move for an automatically qualifying school. Oregon is trying to join the ranks of Notre Dame and BYU with their choice of disbanding from the Pac 12 and going independent with their football program.

When reached for comment, Athletic Director Rob Mullens said:

Larry Scott has made the blueprint for how to create profitability from an AQ school. Oregon will work with its sponsor, donors and media relationships to create a self-sustaining athletic department and provide an unique environment for its student athletes.

In the short term, Oregon is looking to only make its football program independent while its non-revenue and basketball sports continue to be a part of the Pac 12. Oregon is going to rely on some of its major donors for funding and access to make their independent status profitable. Obviously, Nike and Phil Knight will play a major role in the success of Oregon's athletics. Phil Knight was quoted:

We are exploring options that allow us at Nike exclusive access to Oregon's program. This will give us the ability to negotiate on Oregon's behalf the media contracts and exhibition potential of the Oregon brand.

When asked if this would mean the withdrawal of relationships with other university products, Phil Knight responded:

To make this successful, if that means we need to withdraw the relationships we have with other universities, we'll explore that option. We're determined to make the University of Oregon the premiere university nationwide from an apparel, brand and scholastic standpoint as well as an athletic one, we'll do everything within our power as a company.

Situations are unclear right now when this transition will happen, but what is clear is that Oregon, the athletic department and its major sponsors are intent on looking at options that give Oregon flexibility on scheduling, recruiting and promoting the Oregon brand. There are doubts on whether a small school from the Northwest can go rogue and make independent status successful, but with the connections and framework already laid out before it, this seems like a risk worth taking.

Click HERE for more from AD Mullens and Phil Knight

Did you know Eugene was the first city to have one-way streets? Onto the Quack:

• Spring practice is right around the corner and I'm sure everyone's eyes will be fixed on the position battle or the Quarterback. It should be interesting to see how each of those guys does as they are put to the test, but just like the last time the QB position was up for grabs, I don't expect to see any resolution until late in the fall. Another position that is up for grabs though is kicker. Beard struggled to get back on the field last year after a quad injury, and Maldonado was shaky at times. I'm not too concerned about kick off, since Oregon has yet to give up a kick return for a TD in the Chip Kelly era, but when you need a 37 yd field goal to put the game into overtime, I want to have someone we can count on.
• Oregon lost a heart breaker Sunday evening to Utah on a home run that bounced out of Aaron Jones' glove in the ninth inning. The Ducks did get the series win though as they won 5-3 on Saturday, and 3-1 on Friday. It seems like the bats are starting to slow for the Diamond Ducks as they have entered Pac 12 play. The loss puts them at 15-6 on the season and 3-4 in the conference.
• NFL draft is right around the corner and Ted Miller answers some Pac 12 questions. Personally I think LMJ is going to go higher than a lot of people expect. While media and paid columnists may be idiots at times, NFL scouts usually aren't. I know they've seen the success of Duck running backs in the league (Stewart, Blount, Morris, etc) and I'm sure they've seen enough tape on LMJ to realize he is more than capable of running between the tackles and carrying a larger load than a 3rd down back.
• Moseley continues his spring preview with a look at the offensive line. I'm excited about the guys we have coming back (York, Clanton, Grasu, Cody) that have extensive game experience. But I'm also looking forward to seeing what a couple of guys that were highly touted (Fisher, Stevens, Yruretagoyena) coming in can do with an increased work load.
• Lastly, make sure you catch up on some of the other Duck sports news floating around right now. Oregon Lacrosse fell short at High Point. Oregon Track looks undervalued with good performance in LA. More on Women's Softball and their Civil War match up Women's tennis, Men's Tennis, and the #1 ranked Women's Track.

There's your Quack to start off your week. Leave any other pieces you find in the comments.

Dave: With the recent firing of Doc Sadler, the coaching rumors are hot and heavy in Cornhusker country. A name that keeps popping up for the vacancy is one Dana Altman, a coaching legend in the state of Nebraska, who just happens to be the head coach of our Oregon Ducks. This would be a chance for Altman to go home, to a place that was once considered his dream job. However, it also represents a clear step back, to a place where basketball is a massive afterthought. Nebraska has only six NCAA Tournament appearances, and none since 1998. Its well off the recruiting path, and in a much tougher conference. So, knowing that going in, should Dana Altman go back to Nebraska if offered? And, more importantly, would he?

Matt: If I'm Dana Altman, I take the job. I know there is a huge buyout for Sadler, and adding Altman's to that would be an undertaking for any university, but let's not forget that Nebraska just moved out of the money pit that is the Big Xii, and into the B1G Ten's mansion. So I don't think money will be the issue. If Nebraska wants him, they'll be able to make it work... more on this later.

For Altman though, this is an opportunity to return home, be a savior for a school he's always wanted to work for and get out of the putrid Pac 12. Let's be honest, looking at the quality of competition and opportunity to move up from here, the Pac 12 isn't helping him. We can't even get our conference champion in the NCAA tourney. Even if Altman is incredibly successful at Oregon later, what job is he going to take that will a) be better than what Oregon offers (money, facilities, support, etc) or b) better than what Nebraska can offer (B1G Ten competition, Altman's home, a lot less scrutiny)? This is Altman's chance to make his one last move. He can swoop into Nebraska, pick up on his old recruiting trails (anyone see how well Creighton is doing lately, I don't think Altman will have problems recruiting in Nebraska) get Nebraska on the right trajectory as a program, eventually make the NCAA tourney and be the hero of his home town.

Lastly, what's keeping Altman at Oregon? He doesn't have a bunch of recruits that he has made promises too (most of them have already left). He got Oregon to back-to-back 20+ win seasons. He ushered in Matthew Knight Arena, and he has now taken a team that was in the bottom half of the Pac for a number of years to the top half and a post season berth. Basically he brought consistency to a terminally inconsistent program. I'm sure he feels like there is more to accomplish, but he won't be leaving Oregon high and dry and he put Oregon in a much better position than when he arrived.

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Two years ago after scudderfan won the annual ATQ Bracket Challenge, he suggested we take his prizes down to the Athletic Department and see if Chip Kelly would sign them so we could auction them off and give the proceeds to a very worthy cause.

You see, one of ATQ's members had a child that was born with a debilitating disease called Osteogenesis Imperfecta. It's a disease that effects the connective tissues of the bones, causing brittleness. Children go through life breaking bones and in tremendous pain from the simplest activities.

So we took scudderfan's idea and ran with it. Axemen23 contacted Chip Kelly and asked if he could come down and have him sign a visor for our auction. Kelly obliged and even contributed a signed football. Qrsouther contributed an autographed Mike Bellotti football and The Sports Brewery chipped in an autographed Ernie Kent basketball. We also put up a widget for people who weren't fortunate enough to win an item but still wanted to contribute. In all this little community was able to raise over $1,200 that went straight to the people needing help battling this disease.

Well scudderfan is at it again.

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