SB Nation User Blog: ntrebon

Morning Quack Fix: More on Bellotti to AD, Rupp going pro and Frohnmayer's retirement

ntrebon — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:31:41 -0000

Good morning Quack addicts. Here's your latest fix

Moseley has a blog piece about the Ducks heading into the second week of voluntary workouts. Of note, LaMichael James reports that he is fully recovered from his shoulder injury.
John Hunt has his own piece on Bellotti's transition into the athletic director role, as he highlights the differences between Kilkenny and his successor. Hunt also includes some insight from Barry Alvarez who, after becomin Wisconsin's all-time winningest football caoch, became the school's AD in 2004.
Bruce Feldman runs down the top 10 toughest non-conference football schedules for 2009. Oregon checks in at #5. Feldman judges USC's schedule to be the third toughest, with no other Pac-10 teams making the list.
Ted Miller continues his "Don't be surprised if..." series by looking at which schools might have coaching changes after next season. His conclusion? All ten coaches will be around for the start of the 2010 season. In another blog entry, Miller discusses the standings from the Director's Cup, in which the Pac-10 again had a strong showing.
Andria Wenzel has a weekly roundup of Oregon baseball players who are participating in summer baseball. Included is a brief update by second baseman Josh Hogan on his time with the Corvallis Knights of the WCL. Highlights include Antony Kreitz who earned Player of the Week honors for the Hawaiian Collegiate Baseball League.
With his brilliant collegiate career over, Galen Rupp has gone pro after signing with former Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson's management company. Good luck to Galen -- hopefully he will continue to see a lot of success as the next level.
Finally, the Statesmen-Journal has a piece on the end of Dave Frohnmayer's run as the president of the UO, a position he held for 15 years,

Well, that's about it. Please post any comments or other newsworthy links below.

Go Ducks!

Morning Quack FIx: Recruiting and Other Prep Odds and Ends

ntrebon — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:43:36 -0000

Not a whole lot out there in Duckland today. But, in happier new, only 72 more days until football!

Ted Miller has some links which include a look at the Les Scwhab Bowl. The first is a live chat of this year's Oregon prep all star football game in which future Beaver QB Jack Lomax led the North team to a 32-14 victory over the South. Lone in-state commitment Taylor Hart played for the South team. The complete rosters can be found here (including the officials and chearleaders who participated in the game). The second is a feature from the Portland Tribune that looks at the reincarnation of the game that was formerly known as the Shrine Game or Oregon Bowl.
Duck Territory takes a look at another Oregon 2011 recruiting target in Antwaun Woods, who apparently made quite the impression on USC coaches after a camp. But, in good news for the Ducks, it sounds like Woods is interested in leaving California for his college career.
Duck Territory strikes again with a feature on Canadian WR Lemar Durant who participated in the recent Oregon Nike Camp. It looks like Oregon is interested in him at the safety position, though it sounds like he'd prefer to stay on offense at this point.
Ted Miller blogs about why he thinks rushing may be down next year in the conference. The biggest factors? Big turnover on the offensive lines and what has to be an improvement in the passing game.
Nick Daschel of BusterSports continues his ranking of the top 50 Pac-10 coaches with the mercurial Dennis Erickson coming in at #9. Erickson has spent nine years coaching three different Pac-10 teams and has had success at all three stops. But, as Nick points out, the real question is how long he'll remain at ASU. Should his constant searching for a better job affect his ranking in a list like this?

And, that's it for today's quack. Feel free to post any other links or comments below.

Go Ducks!

Morning Quack Fix: Recruiting news, Boise State, and some basketball

ntrebon — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:02:15 -0000

Good morning, Duck fans. Not a lot of excitement out there this morning. But, here's what I could find:

Justin Hopkins from DuckTerritory.com has piece on four NC prep football players who will be visiting Oregon today (and OSU and Cal later in the in the week). Three of the four already hold offers from Oregon -- and their high school coach thinks the fourth will pick up an Oregon offer after the visit. Lots of good info about the four. Duck Territory also caught up with Oregon commit Terrance Mitchell over the weekend, so check that out as well.
And, for those of you needing a 2009 football fix, here is yet another preview of Boise State, this time from DuckTerritory.com.
John Hunt writes that Braxton Lane will decide whether to sign with the Rangers or play for the Ducks by the end of the week. The actual deadline for draftees to sign is August 15, so he still has plenty of time to make up his mind. I really don't have a feel for how this will turn out. By all accounts, Lane was hoping to go in the first five rounds. The Rangers have been aggressive in the draft in recent years, often going well above the suggested slot value to sign players. So, I don't forsee Lane holding out for fourth or fifth round money being an obstacle to them.
Given trumpetduck's basketball preview fanpost from yesterday, I thought I would post Jon Wilner's updated projections for 2009-10. The biggest difference? Trumpetduck appears to more bullish on both Arizona schools.
GoDucks.com has a list of the summer ball destinations for the Oregon baseball players who will be participating. There's also a quick recap on how some of the players performed during their first week of play.
Moseley's piece from yesterday focused on the impact of assistant athletic director for student-athlete development James Harris on Oregon athletes. Harris joined the athletic department in 2007 from Nebraska and quickly branched out from his area of expertise (i.e., nutrition) in helping start the O Heroes program.
Oregon had 15 track and cross country athletes garner All American honors. Of note was Galen Rupp who earned two more All American honors, giving him a school record 14 overall. Congratulations to Rupp and all the other Oregon athletes who earned this remarkable distinction.

As always, post your comments or other news below.
Go Ducks!

Morning Quack Fix: Slow Tuesday Edition

ntrebon — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:28:32 -0000

Not a lot of Duck news out there this morning. Here's what I could find.

Moseley has some interesting links from this past weekend, which include notes on Masoli, Athlon's preseason all-conference picks and an interview with outgoing Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen.
In non-Oregon related uniform news, Condotta has (another) preview of UW's new duds, and it looks like Boise State is getting in on the fun, too.
Nick Daschel of Buster Sports is ranking the top 30 Pac-10 coaches of the last 50 years. Coming in at #30 is Tyrone Willingham, who earns the spot for his work at Stanford.
Caleb Tommasini (1st team) and junior pitcher Geoff Nichols (honorable mention) made the Pac-10 Baseball All-Academic team. Given their stats (along with the struggles of the team this year), the requirements for earning the distinction must have eliminated much of the conference. Jack Dukeminier (1st team) and Monika Graf (2nd team) also made the conference academic teams for men's and women's golf, respectively. In addition to Graf, three other Ducks earned Honorable Mention.

And, that's it. Please leave any comments or other links below.

Go Ducks!

Morning Quack Fix: 5.19.09

ntrebon — Tue, 19 May 2009 12:28:39 -0000

Good morning Duck fans. Let's get straight to the fix:

Nick Daschel runs down the top 10 linebackers in the Pac-10 (1-5 and 6-10). Casey Mathews comes in at #6 and Spencer Paysinger is listed as a guy who could make the list by November. I know I have mentioned this before, but I am really looking forward to watching how our linebacking crew play and develop.
Mike Huguenin (of Rivals.com) has a list of 10 "known" players who will move in to starring roles this season. LeGarrette Blount is the only Pac-10 player to make the list. And, a note that should get you excited about what a healthy, in-shape Blount could do next year: In 2008, Blount was limited to only 10.1 carries per game. I know people claim that Blount feasted on tired defenses serving as Jeremiah's backup -- but, I can't wait to see what kind of production Blount can give us with what should be close to twice as many carries.
Ted Miller argues against those who claim the Pac-10 might be down next year as he lists five early questions for the Pac-10. And, Oregon could play a role in a providing positive answers for the conference in all five questions.
Anne Peterson has an AP story up on the proposed Rooney Rule that is currently working its way through the Oregon legislature. In case you missed the details, the rule would not be limited to including minority candidates in head football coach searches, but would include searches in all sports, as well as for the athletic director position.
After this weekend's sweep of the Pac-10 outdoor track championships, George Schroeder writes about the men's team quest to complete the triple crown, with national championships in cross country, indoor and outdoor. And, Oregon is favored to win the outdoor national champtionship next month -- which would complete the feat.

As always, post your comments and any links I missed below.

Go Ducks!

Morning Quack Fix: 5.12.09

ntrebon — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:23:36 -0000

How do you like your morning quack? I take mine with coffee. Lots of coffee. Black. Enjoy.

Ron Bellamy writes about the Kamyron Brown transfer, including quotes from Brown, who appears to be taking it as well as can be expected. Brown cites a desire for more playing time as his sole reason for transferring. Though, if the Armstead rumors are true, someone was going to be forced out as the Ducks were already at their scholarship limit. Still, I have to respect Kamyron for the way he's handling it and for sticking around last year after his close friend Drew Viney transferred. It's too bad it didn't work out.
Wazzu completed a sweep of Oregon in baseball yesterday, routing the Ducks 10-2. The Ducks are on a five-game losing streak, and things don't look to improve much as the Ducks head to take on conference-leading ASU on Friday.
In football news, Nick Daschel of Buster Sports lists the top six centers heading into next season. Shocking, I know, but Oregon does not make the top six. Jordan Holmes is listed in the "Others to Watch" section -- along with the players from the three other schools (UCLA, Stanford and Cal) that did not make the top six.
Jon Wilner, of the Mercury News, blogs about the projected finish to next year's football season. Oregon comes in at three, though he mentions that it' was a close pick between the Ducks and Cal for #2. OSU fans, on the otherhand, may have more of a bone to pick after being picked fifth, behind UCLA.
In softball news, junior Neena Bryant and freshman Samantha Skillingstad were named to the All-Pac-10 Second and Freshman teams, respectively. Congrats to Bryant, who has earned at least second-team conference honors in all three of her years here at Oregon.

As always, post any thoughts or comments below.

Go Ducks!

Morning Quack Fix: 5.5.09 (Cinco de Mayo Edition)

ntrebon — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:45:20 -0000

Well, with spring football over, we've hit a slow period in the coverage of Oregon atheltics. Here's your abbreviated quack fix. ¡Salud!

The Ducks have announced three more football games to be televised next season, with the Utah, Cal and USC games joining the Boise State and and OSU games with television agreements. Of those, Utah, Boise State, Oregon State and possibly USC will be shown nationally on ESPN. Ted Miller notes the TV games for the rest of the conference, as well.
The Nashua Telegraph (NH) has another flattering piece up on Chip Kelly, stating that he is, "among top offensive strategists." While I have no problem with this claim, the article has the following gem that refers to three NH coaches (Dan Mullen, Gary Crowton and Kelly) as being, "in the top one percent of college football's greatest offensive minds category." This is the sort of sentence that Fire Joe Morgan would have had a lot of fun with. While the first half of the sentence indicates some statistical rigidity and something provable, the latter part is some bullshit category that cannot be proved.
The ODE has a story about what's in store for the football team over the next few months. For the players, that means working on individual goals and hitting the weight room; the coaches will be out on the recruiting trail.

As always, contribute your thoughts or other newsworthy links below.

Go Ducks!

Morning Quack Fix: 4.28.09

ntrebon — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:52:59 -0000

Good morning Duck fans. Here's your daily fix.

Yesterday was the final competition day of the spring and the Oregon defense won again thanks to what sounds like a terrific day by WTIII -- Kelly estimated that Thurmond had six or seven picks throughout the drills. And, keeping with another trend of the spring, the punting was less than impressive. eDuck also has their practice report up -- with more praise for Thurmond. They credit the senior CB with *only* five picks, though four were thrown by Masoli.
Moseley has a feature piece up today on Casey Mathews and his emergence as a force at middle linebacker as well as a leader. As others have noted throughout the spring, the talent Oregon currently has at linebacker is such that we have not seen for awhile. The development and play of this unit is something I am very interested in watching this fall. John Hunt also posts his thoughs on the linebackers, noting that group is relatively young and confident.
In Duck draft news, Andy McNamara has some notes up about the draft -- including a few firsts. The BleacherReport runs down the rosters of the Texans and Redskins in order to estimate the chances of Jeremiah Johnson and Jaison WIlliams sticking, respectively.
The Ducks also play a single baseball game against the Beavers today at Goss Stadium. Jeff Smith notes that the propsect of playing OSU has helped pick up the spirits of the team after a sweep by the Huskies.

As always, feel free to post your comments and any other links of interest below.

Go Ducks!

Morning Quack Fix: 4.14.09

ntrebon — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:56:45 -0000

Let's get right to today's fix:

In case you hadn't heard, former player and assistant coach Bruce Snyder passed away yesterday. Schroeder has a touching article he wrote last fall about Snyder's battle with cancer. It sounds like he did all he could -- the odds were just stacked against him. RIP Bruce Snyder.
The seventh spring practice was held yesterday. Moseley blogs about some new faces on the offensive line. Of note, NaDerris Ward is working out at tackle after being burried on the TE depth chart. It doesn't sound like Moseley is convinced the move is permanent -- he will be watching to see if Ward is still with the OL on Wednesday. Moseley's print article from yesterday discusses the state of Oregon's defensive backfield, which has been hampered by injuries to many of the expected starters. However, the younger players have apparently been stepping up. Chris Courtney of eDuck contributes his notes from yesterday's session. Of note, the steady play by Rory Cavaille and Remene Alston this spring has continued.
Yesterday, it was Steve Greatwood's turn to blog. He has a short piece up in which he mentions Jordan Holmes and Nick Cody for their play thus far.
Gregg Biggins of ESPN has a blog entry up noting that Oregon has offered a scholarship to prep wide receiver Josh Harper. Scout has Harper listed as a 4 star WR and the #29 WR overall.
The details of new women's basketball coach Paul Westhead's contract have been released. As has been reported elsewhere, the contract stipulates that Westhead need only reside in Eugene for seven months out of the year. The article also notes that Westhead will have a significant increase in the money he can allocated to his assistants compared to the Bev Smith era.

As always, leave your comments or other links below.

Go Ducks!

Morning Quack Fix: 4.7.09

ntrebon — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:40:29 -0000

Good morning Duck fans! Most of the news out there this morning is on yesterday's practice. Let's get right to it.

Moseley blogs that the first practice this week did not have the intensity of last week. Chip Kelly is waiting for a leader to emerge on both sides of the ball that can help motivate the team through rough patches. Chris Courtney, of eDuck, has notes from yesterday's practice, which cover some of injury updates, the inconsistent play from the wide receivers, and the improvement of DT. However, one of the biggest developments yesterday was the return of LeGarrette Blount to practice, though he was held out of most drills. Finally, John Hunt has the best quote, play and sign from yesterday.
Moseley has a piece up on the improvement of Jamere Holland (which also includes a video). Holland developing into a legitmate threat at receiver would be a huge boon to this team, which has its share of talent and potential at the WR spot, but not a lot of proven commodities.
Bruce Feldman runs down the 10 teams he thinks has the best shot at winning next year's BCS title. The Ducks appear to come in at #11, as they are listed as the first team to miss the cut. However, two 2009 opponents show up on the list: USC (#5) and Boise State (#7). Of course, Notre Dame comes in at #10, so take the list for what you will.
The final news item of the day is a blog piece by Ted Miller that discusses the Oregon legislature possibly enacting a "Rooney Rule," that would require public universities to interview at least one minority candidate when looking for a football coach.

As always, leave your comments and other links below.

Go Ducks!