SB Nation User Blog: Takimoto

ESPN Page 2 Article on Oregon Ultimate

Takimoto — Sat, 30 May 2009 07:50:34 -0000

ESPN Page 2 Article on Oregon Ultimate

Many of you are already familiar with the story, but I enjoy Mary Buckheit's writing and thought it was noteworthy.

Lee Corso suffers minor stroke, expected to recover

Takimoto — Fri, 29 May 2009 00:43:58 -0000

Lee Corso suffers minor stroke, expected to recover

On the good side, the article does say he is expected to be fine for the first GameDay of the year. This means that any last remnants of that Lou Holtz rumor can be put to rest. Thank goodness.

EVERYBODY JUMP UP AND REJOICE! A GOOD TRANSFER FOR ONCE!

Takimoto — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:32:44 -0000

EVERYBODY JUMP UP AND REJOICE! A GOOD TRANSFER FOR ONCE!

Dave Libbey, easily the worst referee in the history of referees, is done with the Pac-10. I don't feel bad about any of the transfers anymore, this is the greatest news in the history of news. Have fun with really unnecessary calls in your home gym West Coast Conference!

The Exodus Continues. Chris Harper to Transfer

Takimoto — Wed, 27 May 2009 00:32:00 -0000

The Exodus Continues. Chris Harper to Transfer

Nothing official yet, but Ron Bellamy seems to be saying it's gonna happen. On the heels of Roper and Pfugrad, I'm starting to get concerned. Granted, the Harper transfer rumors have been swirling for months, but still. Is it Chip Kelly making the transfer option more out there to players who don't earn spots? Are players having trouble adjusting to the new regime? I want answers damnit!!

[Editor Note]: Here's a link to a Rob Moseley story about this.

Summertime Conversation Starters, Episode 1: The Phantom Handoff

Takimoto — Tue, 19 May 2009 04:11:04 -0000

So since AtQ has been a bit of a ghost town as of late, as the only major things going on are track kicking ass and baseball limping to the finish, how about a sort of Ducks, sort of not survey to generate some banter? Oh, and as always, a poll.

1. If you could be any Duck athlete, past or present, for one season, who would it be?

2. Who is your favorite current Duck athlete?

3. What's the best sporting event you've ever attended?

4. Complete this sentence: Dan Fouts ________.

5. Favorite color?

6. Favorite sport to play and to watch?

My answers:

1. Aaron Brooks in 2006-2007. The big shots, the great play, the Elite Eight. That woulda been fun.

2. Walter Thurmond III. If you're an athlete, you're in the entertainment business. So entertain! We're outrageous suits, rock a sideways flat top for an entire season! Have fun! You can get away with a lot of stuff in terms of appearance and demeanor that you couldn't in most other jobs, so you might as well enjoy it. A close second would be Matt Humphrey.

3. Civil War 2008. And it's not close.

4. Dan Fouts should be hired away at any price to be Oregon's play-by-play announcer.

5. Orange. I know, right? Hey, I was a Giants fan first. Gimme a break.

6. Favorite to play: baseball or golf. Favorite to watch: March Madness basketball, or baseball.

Poll

Dennis Dixon sees Derek Anderson on the side of the road with engine trouble. What does he do?

Stop to help, because Dixon is a saint and will always help his fellow man, even if he is a douche.

29 votes

Drive right on by, and maybe give Anderson the finger.

3 votes

Run him the eff over. Then back up and do it again.

4 votes

Call the cops and inform them of the dead hookers that Anderson no doubt has in his trunk.

27 votes

63 votes | Poll has closed

Reeeealy Early Basketball Thoughts: The Roster

Takimoto — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 05:38:25 -0000

I know, I know, it's supposed to be all football, all the time until January 9th around here, but indulge me. I like hoops, and this whole Mike Dunlap fundamental extravaganza has got me excited.

Note: most of this was written before the Kamyron Brown transfer and the Malcolm Armstead signing. I tried updating it, but be aware in case i missed anything.

The Vets

Tajuan Porter-G: TP has to be the man 100% of the time for this team to be successful. When he's hot, he makes everyone around him better. When he isn't, he's not only a defensive liability, but he's taking his shots anyway and taking looks away from his teammates. I understand the need for TP to get his shot, but forcing up bad looks is no way to get into a rhythm. It also remains to be seen whether he can be a dependable point guard with some passing ability. There are times when I'd rather have ~~Kamyron Brown~~ out there distributing than TP, and that's never a quality you want in your #1 backcourt player.

Garrett Sim-G: The more viable option amongst the point guards, Sim still has a long way to go before he is an effective Pac-10 point guard. He showed flashes of brilliance, scoring in double figures nine times including a season-high 28 against Utah. But only three of those games came in Pac-10 play, where he averaged only 4.7 ppg. He also never dished out more then four assists in any game last season. We know he can shoot the 3, but a big part of Ernie Kent's offense relies on a PG who can create off the dribble and get to the hoop. With three years to improve his ball handling and penetrating ability, we should expect to see Sim as an integral part of Oregon's basketball future.

Kamyron Brown-G: If only he weren't the worst perimeter shooter in our backcourt. He's almost definitely the best passer on the team, and if we had consistent frontcourt scoring and an offense that was more reliant on ball movement he'd be our best option at point guard. But Ernie Kent's offense requires a point guard that can create his shot off the dribble, and only creates passing opportunities when the point guard is a big-time scoring threat. I'd compare Kamyron to Brady Leaf: a talented athlete stuck in completely the wrong system for his skill set.

Matt Humphrey-G: If any of the freshmen have the ability to step up as the team leader of the future, it's Humphrey. He has the fire and the attitude necessary, and has the skill set to be able to take a team on his back when they need him. He's already proven to be a scorer both on the perimeter and off the dribble, and thrived off of crunch time minutes against Stanfurd and OSU. He should be a heavy rotation mainstay for the rest of his Duck career.

Teondre Williams-G: The mystery wrapped in an enigma on this team. Due to injuries and a lack of PT when healthy, we never got the chance to see what Teondre is capable of last season. His time to really see action may not come this year either, as the only departing member of the backcourt is Churchill Odia, who spent most of the year on the bench with Williams. He was recruited as a guy who can get to the rim and score off the dribble, and could be utilized as a weapon when opposing defenses take away the perimeter.

LeKendric Longmire-G: I don't know what to think. At times, he seemed to be the slasher I hoped he'd turn into, a player that could finish at the hoop and hit the occasional 3 to keep defenders honest. He was the vocal leader, jawing with opposing players and getting his teammates hyped. His free throw shooting isn't absolutely horrendous anymore. But for the Ducks to succeed next year, I think LeKendric needs to make "the leap". If anybody has the demeanor to be THE emotional leader next year, it's him.

Joevan Catron-F: If it were up to me, he'd never see the court. He's got great big man footwork, and can bang on the boards. He's also 6'5". It's just too bad. If he were 6'9", he'd be a good player. But he's not. He doesn't have a perimeter game or ball handling skills that can be counted on at the D-1 level, and while he plays bigger defense than 6'5", he doesn't play big enough to be effective against Pac-10 bigs. And he's shown very little improvement during his time here. With the incoming slew of forwards, could this be the "produce or sit" year for Voltron?

Drew Wiley-F: If you combined Maarty Leunen and Luke Jackson, you'd have Drew Wiley's best case scenario. He's got the prettiest shot on the team, and showed last year that he can really stroke it if he gets his looks. He's trapped behind Catron in terms of getting minutes, and has the ability to earn more floor time if he can improve his inside game and his rebounding.

Josh Crittle-F/C: My first thought on Josh Crittle last year was, "Good God he's enormous!" And he proved to be more than just a big body last year. By my eyes, he, along with Humphrey, showed the most improvement on the roster last season. His post defense isn't great, but it's fundamentally better than Dunigan's, as is his rebounding positioning. Offensively, he's very raw and is in need of a lot of work both with his feet and his hands. I would love to see Ernie use both Crittle and Dunigan in the same lineup more next year, especially if Jacob, Wilson, and Singler turn into viable forward options off the bench.

Mike Dunigan-C: It worries me that we could be seeing another Malik Hairston instead of a bonafide star. As much as I love Malik, he never really developed into the potential lottery talent he could have been, and Dunkigan showed as many flashes of underachiever last year as he showed flashes of All Pac-10 big man. Apart from bulking up, one of the keys for his development will be working on the little things in his post defense, i.e getting better position at the start of possessions, as well as his rebounding technique. He's got good offensive instincts, and I think he's one of the players on our roster Dunlap will impact the most.

The Newbs

EJ Singler-F: Last year's Gatorade player of the year in Oregon and the brother of Duke's Kyle, EJ is a versatile forward that can play both inside and out. He averaged 21.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.4 blocks last season, leading South Medford to a sixth-place finish at the state tourney. He is known as a "glue" guy, and can bring a lot to the team off the court as well as on it.

Jeremy Jacob-F: Listed at 6'8", Jacob looks to be the a type of player this team's really missing: a 4 that can bang inside. He was the leading rebounder (9 a game) at Chipola CC in Florida last year, a team that finished third in the national JC tournament. He has three years of eligibility left, and has a great chance to contribute immediately on the glass.

Jamil Wilson-F: The "big fish" of this recruiting class, Jamil Wilson is a versatile forward who has the ability to contribute immediately as a freshman. Offensively, he has a very polished inside game and can shoot it up to 20 feet. Scout.com compares him to Marvin Williams athletically. Marvin Williams is in the NBA, so I'm okay with this. He is a good ball handler, and a better finisher. Bob Rickert sees a lot of Grant Hill in his game as well. I'm excited to see him in action next year.

Malcolm Armstead-G - The newest Duck should see plenty of the floor next year. A teammate of Jeremy Jacob at Chipola CC, he is known for being able to make his teammates better, and being a more than capable floor general. He's left handed, quick, has good penetrating ability, and can and will hit an open 3. Sound familiar? He was garnering interest from schools like Memphis and Kentucky, but wanted to come in and play immediately. And with our current point guard situation, he's got a great shot at doing just that.

Poll

Of the new recruits coming in, who are you most excited to see play?

EJ SIngler

12 votes

Jamil Wilson

20 votes

Jeremy Jacob

4 votes

Malcolm Armstead

11 votes

47 votes | Poll has closed

Takimoto's 10 Most Important Ducks for 2009: #1-3 "The Triplets of YouTubeVille"

Takimoto — Tue, 05 May 2009 04:03:50 -0000

The moment you've all been waiting for. Don't worry, Justin Roper is still at #10. First, let me preface this with a short theory: if the Internet didn't exist, the 2009 Oregon Ducks would not be a Top-10 ranked team.

Of all the D-1 (I refuse to conform with that FBS bullshit) teams in college football, Oregon is the team of the future. We are at the forefront of college football exploration, from offensive schemes to uniforms to marketing. We make huge splashes nationwide in the form of billboards and diamond plating, and have PR'd our way into a place as a perennial conference threat. Most of all, our teams have a high propensity for making highlight-reel, replay-worthy plays, be in in the form of big hits, trick plays, more big hits, or sideline antics. Last season was a veritable gold mine for YouTube-worthy plays, as evidenced by 071903's recent post, which is chock full of amazingness. A side effect to the hype machine however, is that the team has to live up to the hype, and after rising to #2 in 2007, expectations are at the highest in Oregon history. We lost three important skill players, three starting offensive linemen, and a host of defensive players. Our highlight ability is what is keeping us so highly thought of in the national media. Anyway, on to the top 3...

1a. Jeremiah Masoli
1b. LeGarrette Blount
1c. TJ Ward

I'm lumping these three together. Sure, Masoli and Blount will touch the ball a little more than TJ Ward. Sure, we could survive a bad game from Blount if other things happen. But if we're going to have a BCS-caliber season, we need these three more than anyone to take their game to the next level. Let's start with TJ.

TJ Ward

last season's leading tackler, with 101 (64 solo)
his only INT came @ Purdue last year. He also had 8 pass breakups, 2nd on the team
forced four fumbles, including two against Cal

YouTube highlights:

INT vs. Purdue

Hit on Shane Vereen

Stripping Jahvid Best (incidently, this is TwistNHook's favorite porno)

Hit on Verran Tucker

Hit on Zac Robinson

Not exactly a highlight, but more than one instance of TJ playing really poor FS

One thing is clear: TJ Ward can hit. He can hit people really hard. The shitty part about YouTube though, and my thesis for this FanPost, is that YouTube lets us vividly remember the really amazing things about Oregon football. You have to dig a little to find the bad stuff. I couldn't find an Oklahoma State Holiday Bowl compilation video, but our pass defense was shaky at best before Dez Bryant got hurt. TJ looked really bad against Boise State, but so did everybody else on our defense. TJ has never been strong as a cover DB, which is why he's now a safety. But he has to be able to do a better job of picking up the deep threats and locking them down. Case in point, about 40-50 seconds in to the Boise State video, as well as numerous instances from the spring game where he flat out lost his recievers in coverage. Granted, that was Jamere Holland at least a couple of those times, and he's real real fast. Still. Opposing teams know TJ's gonna whap you if you come over the middle, so they can and will go challenge him deep, and this will start with Boise State on September 3rd. For the Ducks to be successful, he needs to expand his scope of dominant territory. If TJ's on his game, it lets the rover do his job, it takes pressure off the corners, and it gives the front 7 more opportunities to make big plays in the pass rush. In short, he's important.

LeGarrette Blount

1002 yards rushing (7.3 yards per carry)
4 100+ yard games, and three more of 90+, with a high of 132 against Utah St.
Oregon record 17 rushing touchdowns, including 3 against WSU, and 2 in five other games
9.3 YPC in Oregon's wins, 3.1 YPC in Oregon's losses

YouTube highlights:

Blount hurdles: Mark Lewis and a BSU defender, a Purdue defender, a WSU defender, an OK St. defender

Blount scores against: Utah St., Purdue, ASU, Stanfurd, Stanfurd again, UCLA,

Arizona

Blount breaks for a long run against: Purdue, OS, OK St.

Well shoot, if this guy isn't just a YouTube superstar. The Oregon Duck fan's infatuation with LeGarrette Blount extends back to last year's spring practices. We had just lost Jonathan Stewart to the NFL Draft, and we thought it would be tough, nay impossible, to replace a future every-down NFL running back. In walks this JC transfer from the South, and wows everybody at the '08 spring game with his raw power. Naturally it came to no one's surprise when he started running people over last season. Blount as the feature back however, draws a few concerns from me. It's not fair to compare him to J-Stew, but J-Stew had the balanced package. He could run inside and out. He knew when to try and cut it back and when to just lower his head and go through people. He had, and still has in the pros, unbelievable field vision, and could find holes better than anyone I've seen. Blount still doesn't have the outside running or the decision making necessary to stake a claim as a potential first-round draft pick and otherworldly Pac-10 running back. Concerns about his conditioning and his off-field issues have to be considered, but my main issue with Blount is his potential to become one-dimensional. Teams with good LB corps have been able to neutralize him (see USC and Cal). He has proven to be relatively easy to string out on outside runs, and this concern grows as our offensive line's health depletes. Do I think Blount will have a great year? Emphatically yes. But let's not start the Blount for Heisman campaign just yet.

Jeremiah Masoli

136-239 for 1744 yards, 13-5 TD-INT ratio
718 rushing yards (5.7 YPC) with 10 TDs
changed his number to 8, after Takimoto wore it in the band Civil War
finished 2008 strong, going 50-75 for 830 yards and 6 TDs in his final 3 games.

YouTube highlights:

Rushing: Arizona, UCLA, ASU, Stanfurd, Cal, UCLA again, Civil War, Holiday Bowl, Holiday Bowl, Holiday Bowl

Passing: Holiday Bowl, Civil War, Arizona, Civil War, UW, Civil War, Civil War, WSU, UW,

He's 1a not only because he's the quarterback, but because of three, he's the one I'm most confident about. Yes, Masoli's passing skills come with a very low sample size. He also has a great reputation as a thrower extending back to his time at CCSF, and has only improved in all facets of his game as his knowledge of the offense has grown. He looked crisp in the spring game, hooking up with Aaron Pflugrad especially well. The strong showing by the recievers can only serve to benefit Masoli, who has got to be excited about throwing to new guys like Tunei and eventually Tyrece Gaines and Diante Jackson, as well as the returning wideouts. He's proven he can win games with his arm. He can win games with just his legs. He can take a hit, and he can dish them out. There are concerns, like his fondness for throwing rockets when he could put touch on his throws. But with a summer to throw, as well as fall practice to work with new QB coach Helfrich, he can only get better. He also has intangibles. He has unwavering confidence, as evidenced by his comments after the USC game last year. The thing I like most is the "it". You don't know what it is until you see someone who has it. Michael Jordan had it. Joe Montana had it. It's that competitive fire, that extra level of in-the-moment will that makes good players great, and great players unforgettable. Masoli has it. He thrives on big games, he knows how to win any way he can, and he's not afraid to jump into the trenches and get the W. He has that swaggar that his teammates can feed off of in game situations. And he's the most important Duck for 2009.

Poll

Who is your most important Duck?

Jeremiah Masoli

46 votes

LeGarrette Blount

3 votes

TJ Ward

1 votes

Justin Roper

2 votes

The offensive line

24 votes

The backup RB

0 votes

The "other" CB

1 votes

Will Tukuafu

2 votes

Jeff Maehl

0 votes

Ed Dickson

1 votes

Casey Matthews

1 votes

Someone I completely missed

4 votes

85 votes | Poll has closed

CGB FANTASY BASEBALL WEEKLY CHATTER 3.0

Takimoto — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 03:50:13 -0000

Current Standings:

Rank	Team	W-L-T	Pct	GB	Last	Waiver	Moves
1.	NorcalNick	17-3-8	.750	-	13-0- 1	8	2
2.	The Fighting Mahargs	18-8-2	.679	2	8-5-1	7	4
3.	Fire the Starkey	17-8-3	.661	2.5	8-4-2	12	7
4.	Chevy Movie Theater	16-8-4	.643	3	4-6-4	3	10
5.	Rag's Doombringers	16-10-2	.607	4	5-8-1	4	7
6.	Bye Week	16-11-1	.589	4.5	13-1-0	11	14
7.	Dating Ur Dance Team	15-11-2	.571	5	9-4-1	9	6
8.	Balk This Way	15-11-2	.571	5	8-5-1	6	4
9.	Zoo's AstroPadres!	10-13-5	.446	8.5	6-4-4	13	7
10.	FAH Q	12-16-0	.429	9	1-13-0	1	3
11.	RollOnYouBears667	7-12-9	.411	9.5	4-8-2	2	-
12.	The Mug Club	7-20-1	.268	13.5	5-8-1	10	3
13.	BakBakWinsCyYoung'10	7-20-1	.268	13.5	4-9-1	5	6
14.	The Hydro Jr's	2-24-2	.107	18	0-13-1	14	1

This was a prime week for blowout wins, as NorcalNick put a hurt on the Hydro Jr's 13-0-1, and Bye Week shut down FAH Q 13-1. The Hydro Jr's had a good pitching week, but were DQ'd for not meeting the 35 inning minimum (which is totes too high BTW, are we changing that?).

BakBakWinsCyYoung'10 bravely holds on to fantasy cancer Chien-Ming Wang and his 34.50 ERA. Starting a pitcher at Yankee Stadium is fast becoming a dicey scenario.

Fantasy MVPs last week range from names like Pujols and Beltran to Rockies rookie OF Dexter Fowler, who hit .368 with 6 steals last week.

The most coveted player in the CGB league is still Barry Zito, who took a shutout into the seventh inning last night in the Giants' 5-4 win over the team of players whose parents don't love them.

Statistically, The Fighting Mahargs, Fire The Starkey, and Balk This Way are off to hot starts offensively, while Chevy Movie Theater and Dating Ur Dance Team have the hot pitching staffs. NorcalNick is just flat-out slaying everybody at everything.

As per usual, rec this bad boy and de-rec last week's episode.

Poll

How interesting is the CGB Fantasy Chatter to you?

Interesting, but I'm in the league

11 votes

Interesting even though I'm not in the league

3 votes

Not at all interesting

3 votes

I want T-bred to do Fantasy Chatter from now on

1 votes

18 votes | Poll has closed

Takimoto's 10 Most Important Ducks for 2009: #4-6 "The Abstracts"

Takimoto — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:13:41 -0000

We're still waaaaaay to early in practice to know who will be in the starting 22 on the Smurf Turf, but it doesn't mean these players still won't be extremely important come September 3rd.

#6: The starting CB NOT named Walter Thurmond III

Our DBs are extremely banged up, with TJ Ward, Talmadge Jackson, Willie Glasper, Marvin Johnson and others sitting out practices this spring. Talmadge and Glasper are the two ranking cornerbacks, and have the most overall experience of anyone not named TJ or WT3. Talmadge had 30 tackles and two interceptions last year, getting most of the playing time when Thurmond was nursing injuries. Rob Moseley's depth chart from the first week of practices had Talmadge on Thurmond's side - as well as competing with Javes Lewis for time at rover - and Glasper on the other side with Anthony Gildon, who has been receiving the bulk of the first team reps opposite Thurmond this spring.

Regardless of who is out there come September, they will be challenged. Coaches are well aware that WT3 is not only a draft talent, but is having an outstanding spring. The success or failure of the "other" CB will play a role in the success or failure of the pass D as a whole. Depth doesn't appear to be a huge issue however, once everyone takes the summer to get healthy. Gildon, along with fellow redshirt freshmen Kenjon Barner and Scott Grady, are getting plenty of reps this spring which should help in the long run.

#5: The Lightning to LeGarrette Blount's Thunder.

Much like our DBs, our running back corps has been taking lumps this spring. In addition to Blount's foot injury, LaMichael James has been held out of all contact following shoulder surgery and Remene Alston was lost for the rest of spring drills, also with a foot injury.

Andre Crenshaw has been the constant throughout spring practice, and should stand to be the #2 entering fall. We have seen what Crenshaw is capable of, as he served as Jonathan Stewart's backup following JJ's injury in 2007, most notably rushing for 133 yards in the ground assault the Imperial Army laid on the city of Seattle. He brings a balanced rushing style, not necessarily a power back, though he's not gonna run away from anybody either.

Many of us are clamoring for LaMichael James and his speed-based skill set, which would be a palatable complement to Blount's power game. We've never really had a true burner at RB, and I think everybody's excited to see what it'd be like. If analogies are your thing, Blount is Woody, and LMJ is Buzz Lightyear. It remains to be seen, however, how his shoulder will handle full contact football, and he hasn't seen any meaningful action other than being a scout team superstar last year, so let's not jump to conclusions just yet. In any event, a second back will be extremely important both to take some of the weight off Blount's shoulders, and to provide a different running style to prevent opposing defenses from getting complacent. Two-back sets with James and Blount would be verrrry interesting to watch. Not to say I'm rooting for anybody ;).

#1D: The Offensive Line

Nothing makes me more nervous for this season than the thought of a less-than-very-good offensive line come fall. Neither Blount nor Masoli have proven at this point that they as runners can overcome poor blocking like a J-Stew could. And this group is just as banged up as the DBs or the RBs. I should have called this section "The Infirmary".

We do have a fair amount of returning experience on the line, with currently-injured C.E Kaiser and Jordan Holmes both appearing in every game last year, with 14 starts between them. Oft-injured Bo Thran also returns, and naturally has an injured knee. Redshirt freshman Nick Cody has had a strong spring taking Kaiser's reps at right tackle. Mark Asper looks to be penciled in at one of the guard spots, with Holmes and Carson York at some amalgamation of center and the other guard. Darrion Weems, who as a side note is probably the biggest person I've seen since Haloti Ngata was here and is one of three or four Ducks who has legitamately frightened me in person (AJ Tuitele is defeintely another), was seeing considerable time with the first string line until he tweaked his knee at last Friday's scrimmage. Other notable linemen include former DT Conrad Davis and former TE NaDerris Ward.

A poor second scrimmage last week worries me about this unit, but Steve Greatwood is great(wood) at his job - better than anyone in the country last year in fact - and with all summer to get healthy we should see a solid and high-performance unit on the field next season.

Coming soon...THE TOP 3! And if the O-Line's ranking is any indication, this may be a close one.

P.S Here's a poll that has nothing to do with anything.

P.P.S The Ducks that I have looked at and been legit scared are:
Anthony Trucks - just crazy ripped and one of the more intense players I've seen brfore a game starts. He just would sort of pace and stalk in the tunnel before running out. And this was to go run drills. I can't even imagine what he was like during DuckVision time.

Blair Phillips - See above.

AJ Tuitele - Easily the scariest player I've ever seen. We were standing in pregame tunnels prior to the '06 UCLA game, and I made the mistake of yelling, "Let's go AJ!" at him. He looked at me with a glare that said, "I want to rip your nuts off, take the sperm and impregnate some women, wait nine months, and eat your kids in front of you. Oh, and then EFFING KILL YOU!"

Darrion Weems - He looks harmless, but his overall mass is just menacing. To put it in perspective, he's like a brontosaurus. Sure they eat plants, but he's still an effing dinosaur. By comparison, Haloti was a blue whale: also huge, but I didn't fear him. I'm not really sure Haloti had baleen instead of teeth though.

TJ Ward - If Weems is a brontosaurus, TJ Ward is an allosaurus: a big, stalking, Jurassic killing machine. And in case you're wondering, yes I have been watching Jurassic Fight Club on the History Channel.

Poll

Favorite band with a horn section?

Tower of Power

5 votes

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band

9 votes

Huey Lewis and The News

5 votes

Earth, Wind, and Fire

14 votes

The Green Garter Band

4 votes

Other (to be explained in the comments)

3 votes

40 votes | Poll has closed

Takimoto's 10 Most Important Ducks for 2009: #7-10

Takimoto — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 04:03:20 -0000

As many of you may be aware already, I tend to think that others care about my opinion. So I offer up to all the AtQ faithful, my thoughts on the Ducks who will most greatly influence the 2009 football season, one way or another. My list isn't necessarily on-field performance, but overall influence.

#10: Justin Roper

Yes. I am well aware that Justin Roper is not most Duck fan's first choice for starting quarterback. He's not my first choice either. But, by all accounts, he's been the most consistent performer thus far this spring. Jeremiah Masoli hasn't been throwing the best balls, and he's reverted back to his skittish in the pocket ways. I don't think this is something to be concerned about, but Roper's play this spring as well as in the fall should push Masoli to perform and won't let him sit back and let the season come to him. "Winning the day " implies competition, and Roper's steady play so far is providing that at the quarterback position, and assuring that whoever opens the season as the starter will have earned it.

#9: Casey Matthews

Now, I think that this year's linebacking corps is extremely talented and should have no trouble replacing Jerome Boyd. Spencer Paysinger is a special athlete, and some of the younger players like Eddie Pleasant, Kiko Alonso, Bryson Littlejohn, and DeWitt Stuckey get me all giggly-like. Personally, I think Matthews' performance will dictate the overall performance of the unit. This is a fast group, and Casey's speed could come under scrutiny, especially picking up RBs and TEs in pass coverage (see the Boise St. game). But he's an incredibly smart player, and a solid tackler, and his experience will be as much an asset as his on-field skill set.

#8: Will Tukuafu

The only returning starter on the defensive line, the growth and improvement of this young unit stems from Tukuafu asserting himself as a leader and as a talented athlete. He's already having a good spring, as are many of his linemates like Kenny Rowe and Brandon Bair. Replacing Nick Reed as an emotional leader is a tall task, and Tukuafu's ability to do that will make much of the difference in getting the line ready for a Top 10 caliber season.

#7: Jeff Maehl & Ed Dickson

Jamere Holland is having a terrific spring. But Jeff Maehl is still the most important receiver on the roster, and Ed Dickson is the most talented pass catcher. None of the potential quarterbacks throw a consistant deep ball, which is making me take Holland's strong performance with a grain of salt. If Holland goes deep and no one can get him the ball, it negates much of the speed that Holland brings to the table. Maehl and Dickson are an essential complement to Holland in that finding Maehl and Dickson in the short to intermediate passing game helps Masoli or whoever may be throwing passes gain confidence and get into a rhythm to throw the deep ball. On a kind of side note, Ed Dickson's enourmous and amazing. Let's freakin' get him the ball.

Top 6 to come at a later date. Feel free to guess in the comments. And as an added bonus, here's an NFL Draft related poll!

Poll

Who will have the best career of these "unsexy" Day 1 draftees?

Donald Brown

17 votes

Josh Freeman

5 votes

Darius Heyward-Bey

9 votes

Hakeem Nicks

27 votes

Louis Delmas

3 votes

LeSean McCoy

14 votes

75 votes | Poll has closed