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Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Oregon Ducks Football: Season Preview
Offense: A
The Ducks were the nations highest scoring team last year, averaging over 47 points a game, and this year Chip Kelly wants the offense's pace to be even faster. The offense returns six starters (QB Darron Thomas, RB LaMichael James, OL Mark Asper and Carson York, TE David Paulson, WR Lavasier Tuinei) but lost their top two receivers and three offensive linemen. But with these uncertainties comes the highest preseason ranking in Oregon Ducks football history. While the offense loses the aforementioned players, the returning core of Thomas, James and Kenjon Barner have the offensive unit looking as strong as ever. Oregon's backfield is as strong as any in the country. Players like lineman Darrion Weems rotated regularly with the first team offense and will transition into a starting role nicely.
Quarterback: A
Starter: Darron Thomas
Darron Thomas comes back for his second year under the helm after possibly the best season a Duck quarterback has ever had. Thomas showed his dual-threat skills with 486 rushing yards and 2,881 passing yards. Thomas had 346 passing yards in the national championship, but could have made some better reads against Auburn's defense (throwing two interceptions). Thomas has shown leadership ability all off-season and has set the standard for all his teammates through his actions.
Brian Bennett is an intriguing prospect that will back-up Thomas. Bennett showed his strong arm and fast feet in the spring game. Fighting for the 3rd spot will be incoming freshman Marcus Mariotta and walk-on Dustin Haines. There is a strong chance Mariotta could redshirt if the other QB's stay healthy.
Running Backs: A+
Starter: LaMichael James
The Ducks have the best group of running backs in the nation. This platoon of running backs is led by LaMichael James, who led the nation in rushing yards last year, finished 3rd in the Heisman, and is 20 yards away from being the Ducks all-time rusher. Kenjon Barner is no scrub as a back up either. In the lone game Barner started (New Mexico, 2010), he had 147-yards rushing, 60-yards receiving, and five total touchdowns.
Fighting for the other spots will be redshirt freshman Lache Seastrunk, walk-on Ayele Ford, and incoming freshman De'Anthony Thomas. Seastrunk and Thomas are both 5-star recruits and came to Oregon with high expectations. More than likely Seastrunk will be the Ducks’ third running back option with Thomas either redshirting or playing special teams and playing the “tazer” position.
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: B+
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: B+
Starting Receivers: Lavasier Tuinei, Josh Huff, and Justin Hoffman
Starting Tight End: David Paulson
The Ducks lose their top two receivers in Jeff Maehl and Drew Davis, but have plenty of depth coming into replace them. Josh Huff and Lavasier Tuinei should be the top receivers for the Ducks but it's a mystery after that. Players like Daryle Hawkins, Justin Hoffman and Nick Cole are just a few players who could be in the mix.
And don't forget about the four newcomers to the team: Rahsaan Vaughn, Devon Blackmon, Tacoi Sumler and B.J Kelley all will have the opportunity to contribute this year. And the starting tight-end will be star David Paulson with redshirt freshman Curtis White and true freshman Colt Lyerla battling for the second string spot.
Offensive Lineman: B
Starters: LT Darrion Weems, LG Carson York, C Hroniss Grasu, RG Ramsn Golpashin, and RT Mark Asper
As mentioned earlier, the Ducks lose three starting linemen from last year's team. However the Ducks have plenty of depth at the position and are better positioned than the 2009 season when they lost three starters as well. Coming into the 2009 season the offensive linemen had a combined 19 starts while this 2011 group has a combined 55 career starts. This group will face an instant test against the size and speed of the LSU defense.
Defense: B+
While Oregon’s offense is what most football fans know about the team, Oregon’s defense is still one of the top in the Pac-12 and often goes overlooked. The Ducks return five starters from last season’s national championship game run, and Oregon must replace key seniors Casey Matthews, Spencer Paysinger and Kenny Rowe. But with how much the Ducks rotated players on defense, usually around 25 players a game, the team should still have a great unit going into the 2011 season.
Defensive Line: B
Starters: Terrell Turner, Taylor Hart, Ricky Heimuli, and Brandon Hanna
The ducks lose three of their four starting defensive lineman, and as mentioned earlier, most notably defensive end Kenny Rowe. The Ducks also lose both defensive tackles, Brandon Bair and Zac Clark.
Returning are seniors Terrell Turner and Brandon Hanna as the starting defensive ends. And on the inside of the line, returners Ricky Heimuli, Taylor Hart, Wade Keliikipi and Isaac Remington will battle for the two starting defensive tackles spots.
With how much the Ducks rotate, seeing seven or eight different defensive lineman each game wouldn’t be a surprise.
Linebackers: B-
Starters: Dewitt Stuckey, Michael Clay and Josh Kaddu
The line-backing unit is easily the weakest on the team. The Ducks replace the longstanding production of Casey Matthews and Spencer Paysinger, now in the NFL.
The starting Ducks linebackers are likely to be Dewitt Stuckey, Michael Clay and Josh Kaddu. With this starting unit, reserves Derrick Malone, suspended linebacker Kiko Alonso, up-and-coming star Boseko Lokombo, and true freshman Anthony (Prime Time Player) Wallace all will likely see the field regularly.
With this unit being so weak, the Ducks will constantly be rotating fresh bodies. Look for any of the reserves to earn a starting spot at some point in the season.
Secondary: A
Starters: Cliff Harris, Anthony Gildon, John Boyett and Eddie Pleasant
The Ducks’ secondary may be it’s strongest overall unit.
Both safeties Eddie Pleasant and John Boyett return, as well as flashy (currently suspended) cornerback Cliff Harris. With senior Anthony Gildon in place to secure the final spot in the defensive backfield, Oregon has an abundance of sophomores and freshman ready to secure their spot on the second team.
The second and third team corners are Dior Mathis, Scott Grady, Troy Hill, Terrence Mitchell, and James Scales. Out of this list, Hill and Mitchell were most impressive in spring ball. For the safety positions, Erick Dargan and Brian Jackson are the primary reserves with Avery Patterson splitting time as a corner and safety.
Overall Preview: Ducks finish 13-1 Pac-12 Champions, Rose Bowl Win
Best-Case Scenario: Ducks finish 14-0, Crowned National Champions
After falling just short a season ago, the Ducks come into 2011 more motivated then ever and take care of unofficial business. With the offense being carried by Heisman Trophy winner LaMichael James and Davey O’Brien award winner Darron Thomas, the Ducks offense takes another step forward.
Worst-Case Scenario: 7-5, end season on a three game losing streak
Thursday, August 4, 2011
USA Today Coaches Preseason Poll: Where the Voters Went Wrong
Today, the USA Today Coaches poll was released with an incredible eight SEC teams (5/6 in the SEC West) in the preseason top-25. The Duck Nuts, who write with as little bias as possible, are flabbergasted that this east coast bias has become so extreme. While the SEC is the best conference in college football, the Duck Nuts aren’t denying that, they don’t deserve to have this many teams ranked this high. (FULL LIST HERE)
The first issue that we have is that the coaches’ poll is unbelievably biased. A total 6 of the 59 coaches who decide the poll are from the SEC. One coach in that list is Steve Spurrier, who was so famously caught with a bizarre vote a few seasons ago and admitted he has an assistant vote for him.
Alabama coach Nick Saban is also on the list, and admits he doesn’t know who and where to rank teams. If coaches like these two are voting in a poll that decides who plays for the national title, how valid can this poll really be?
Yes the SEC has won the previous five national championships, they are clearly the best league in college football, and they deserve to be credited for that. The grind a team in the SEC faces for a full season is more intense than any of the other power conferences.
Many will argue that it shouldn’t matter what league the SEC teams are in. If those eight teams are good enough to be ranked that high, they should be there. We would agree. Several of these teams have major flows and are ranked too high.
Arizona State and West Virginia were both robbed by the coaches. ASU, who many believe will win the Pac-12 South, comes in at No. 26. They return 20, count that 20, starters and finished the season on a three game winning streak.
Penn State is always tough in Beaver Stadium under Joe Pa, and will have Robert Bolden back for his second year under the helm behind the likes of: Georgia, Mississippi State, Auburn and Florida.
All of the teams in the SEC ranked above Arizona State, West Virgnia and Penn State have some serious flaws. Let's start with Auburn, who only returns eight starters, who was underrated last year but this year appear to be overrated due to the fact they just won the national championship.
Georgia's top running back Caleb King, who was slated to be their top offensive threat, was dismissed from school and plans to enter the supplemental draft. Georgia will also miss their all world wide receiver A.J. Green this season, who was selected in the first round of the NFL draft. Georgia is also still in the process of changing their defense to the 3-4. If Georgia's Mark Richt has one more bad year, he could be out of the head coaching position in Athens.
Mississippi State will have to replace all three starting linebackers from last season and will take a hit on the defensive side of the ball.
Florida brings in a new coach and offensive coordinator, and is making a major change on offense moving from the spread to a pro style offense. At best even with Florida's top of the line recruiting, this change will take a few years to get the personnel and system aligned correctly.
For these reasons we believe that the new poll is yet another example of east coast bias showing it’s ugly head. And while the SEC is the most dominant conference in college football, eight teams is a gross over evaluation.
Agree or disagree with what the Duck Nuts have to say? Comment below and be sure to follow our blog. Look for our podcast, soon to come.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Randy Moss: Hall of Famer or Quitter?
The recent retirement of Randy Moss got the Ducks Nuts thinking about his legacy in the NFL. Here is what we think:
Chris: With his spectacular catches and his spectacular mouth, Randy Moss has cemented himself as one of the greatest receivers in NFL history. Moss burst on the scene in 1998, finishing the season with 17 touchdowns ( a rookie record) and a trip to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl. Moss was known as the freak and rightfully so because he is the most athletic receiver the league has ever seen.
Alex: Slow down there turbo. Randy Moss is a freak of an athlete, but he is not the most athletically gifted receiver of all-time. There's a guy whose name rhymes with Larry Mice, who might have something to say about that.
Not to quote the idiot, Collin Cowherd, but there are are only a handful of guys in all of sports who are so incredibly gifted, that they can put in no effort and still be a first ballot HOF player. A Charles Barkley of the NBA. A Manny Ramirez (had he not been busted, twice) of the MLB. And of course, Randy Moss of the NFL.
When I look back at the player that was Randy Moss, I'll remember the man who quit on four cities. One of them twice. As the great Darrelle Revis said, "He's just a slouch”.
Chris: Randy Moss is a much better athlete than Jerry Rice, but that's another discussion for another day. There truly has not been a player like Moss in NFL history. With his combination of size, speed and acceleration, he became of the center of the defensive gameplan and always gave defensive coordinators headaches. Moss not only could get the deep ball but could take a screen pass or a reverse to the house. I was witness to Randy Moss completely obliterating the Cowboys on numerous Thanksgiving games.
Alex: I remember Moss in his prime as well. But no one will ever touch Jerry Rice. Not in raw skill. Not in athleticism. Not in statistics. Moss isn't even close. Jerry Rice, also never quit. You may remember Randy Moss for his skills, but I'll remember the wasted talent. In the era of prima donna wide outs. Moss takes the cake. Look at his last season in the league: he was thrown away by three different teams! It was this play which got him cut by the Vikings, where he quit on a play when his team desperately needed a touchdown.
Chris: Last year was an abberation for Moss. The Moss I remember had arguably the greatest season ever for a receiver with 98 receptions, 1500 yards, and 23 touchdowns. Moss also did it with consistency, playing 10 seasons with 1,000+ receiving yards, which is 2nd most in NFL history. To close out my argument I'll leave you with one more stat: Moss had 153 receiving touchdowns, tied for 2nd most in NFL history.Moss was straight cash homie.
Alex: One phenomenal season doesn't define a career. With the 2007/2008 Patriots Moss and Brady made for the best tandem since Young and Rice. However, I cannot support a guy who for his entire career played at 75% effort. If that. Moss should not be commended, but condemned. Good Bye. And good riddance.
So what do you think? Is Moss a quitter or a transcendent Hall of Famer? Let us know by commenting and make sure to follow us.
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