Is this program eroding back into mediocrity?

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duckfan96
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Re: Is this program eroding back into mediocrity?

Post by duckfan96 »

Mediocrity? No. It's called a bad year. Look at usc they dominated for years and they ain't done squat of late. Gone thru coaches. Wonder how their fans are reacting ? Do they have fans? Every school has off years, Oregons off year was 9 wins. Couple of first year coaches. Maybe give them a chance before saying Oregon is done? One good thing about a bad year or two, the bandwagon fans would be leaving. Not saying anyone on here is a bandwagon fan.
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Duck07
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Re: Is this program eroding back into mediocrity?

Post by Duck07 »

Lol, last year wasn't mediocre. We've had about one mediocre year in the last 15. If you want to see the sky fall, you'll find better reception at oregonlive, or dawgman. I'm sure they'd love to entertain the fall of the Duck with the rise of the Poodle!
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Duck24
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Re: Is this program eroding back into mediocrity?

Post by Duck24 »

I think the fanbase (or at least the OP) is eroding into lunacy. National championship game last year and a broken finger away from, at worst, a Rose Bowl bid. Yup, this program is in a dire situation.
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OregonFan4Life
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Re: Is this program eroding back into mediocrity?

Post by OregonFan4Life »

In a sense yes, but if you didn't expect otherwise after Chip and Mariota are gone then you don't have realistic expectations. I have a lot of faith in Helf, but everyone knows he ain't Chip. That's no knock on him, but it was pretty clear when Chip left that Helf wouldn't be able to duplicate what he did, Chip is a once in a program lifetime coach.


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duckfan96
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Re: Is this program eroding back into mediocrity?

Post by duckfan96 »

Chip was a great coach, but he is part of the reason this class wasn't as good as it could have been due to the violations that took place on his watch.
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pezsez1
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Re: Is this program eroding back into mediocrity?

Post by pezsez1 »

In a sense yes, but if you didn't expect otherwise after Chip and Mariota are gone then you don't have realistic expectations. I have a lot of faith in Helf, but everyone knows he ain't Chip. That's no knock on him, but it was pretty clear when Chip left that Helf wouldn't be able to duplicate what he did, Chip is a once in a program lifetime coach.
This couldn't be more true.

There will never be another Chip Kelly. He was the perfect coach to take control at precisely the moment he did. His offense was a completely new thing that completely took everyone by storm. He had exactly the right attitude to shake up the program even after the successful MB era.

It wasn't just Chip, it was the moment. The moment is gone, and so is Chip. Even if Chip came back (he's not), it wouldn't be the same.

That was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. In some ways, we've arguably peaked as a program -- we've been good enough to win a national title -- we just haven't actually won it yet.

As Helfrich has shown, though, he's just as capable of bringing us to the promise land. And someday, other coaches will be just as capable, too.

But I think some Oregon fans haven't yet come to terms with the fact that the overall magic of the Chip Kelly era was truly a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Heck, it was the kind of magical period that many sports fans will NEVER experience, even if their teams win national titles.
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Re: Is this program eroding back into mediocrity?

Post by woundedknees »

I think it's possible Oregon is capable of performing at a level that will afford a periodic shot at the title, and consistently contend for the Rose Bowl or better.

The trick is maintaining enough innovation to stay slightly ahead of the game.

The Ducks can do this, IMO, by continuing to tweak the style through things such as hiring Yost and Hoke... Bring in just enough change to keep the rubes guessing what happens next.


I do believe continuing to practice, and play, at warp speed is part of the key. I have seen no evidence of other programs reaching the level of conditioning to consistently wear down opponents the way Oregon does when the Ducks are hitting on all cylinders... If Oregon's D begins to perform anywhere near the level of the offense, we are looking at a whole different level.
Last edited by woundedknees on Thu Feb 04, 2016 7:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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gofightingducks
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Re: Is this program eroding back into mediocrity?

Post by gofightingducks »

NO, will they compete for the playoff or Rose Bowl every season? No but they will still be a competitive team year in and year out and will be relevant. Look at this season as "bad" as it was they were one Stanford loss away from playing in the conference title game and likely the Rose Bowl and had VA been healthy they would have likely made the playoff.
GoDucksIn09
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Re: Is this program eroding back into mediocrity?

Post by GoDucksIn09 »

I might be a hesitant critic of Helfrich and not sold completely on him. I do think though that the two new hires he made were decent hires and will help Oregon in the years to come. I do not think fading into mediocrity will be acceptable. Chip Kelly changed the culture at Oregon. He was a once in a lifetime kind of coach. Losing though is no longer acceptable at Oregon. Last year was a down year for Oregon compared to recent years. If Oregon struggles next year then I think Helfrich will likely be on the hot seat or fired. I think the days of Oregon being a 7 or 8 win team year after year are gone. Any coach that does that for more than 1 year will be fired. Down years happen. I do not think with the culture at Oregon nowadays that having consecutive down years will be tolerated.
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Re: Is this program eroding back into mediocrity?

Post by rentdodger1 »

GoDucksIn09 wrote:I might be a hesitant critic of Helfrich and not sold completely on him. I do think though that the two new hires he made were decent hires and will help Oregon in the years to come. I do not think fading into mediocrity will be acceptable. Chip Kelly changed the culture at Oregon. He was a once in a lifetime kind of coach. Losing though is no longer acceptable at Oregon. Last year was a down year for Oregon compared to recent years. If Oregon struggles next year then I think Helfrich will likely be on the hot seat or fired. I think the days of Oregon being a 7 or 8 win team year after year are gone. Any coach that does that for more than 1 year will be fired. Down years happen. I do not think with the culture at Oregon nowadays that having consecutive down years will be tolerated.
I think most reasonable people are still in the wait and see camp. The most positive aspect of Helfrich is that he realized that some changes needed to be made and the trigger was pulled. Bellotti was more reluctant and stubborn at times to make changes and it did hurt the program stability 2002-06. Helfrich knows he won't be given that leeway. Now it is wait and see if the changes make a positive impact.
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Re: Is this program eroding back into mediocrity?

Post by AnnieDuck »

Chip was a once-in-lifetime coach for the years he was here, but who is to say how things would have gone if he had stayed? Circumstances change. In any case, he bolted after 4 years (almost bolted after only 3 years), and that's just the way it is.
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Re: Is this program eroding back into mediocrity?

Post by gosterman01 »

It post like this that make me not want to come back after being a member from damn near the beginning. People need to jump off that damn band wagon already geez. The sky is NOT falling and NO Oregon is not eroding, give me a break wow.
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Tray Dub
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Re: Is this program eroding back into mediocrity?

Post by Tray Dub »

gosterman01 wrote:It post like this that make me not want to come back after being a member from damn near the beginning. People need to jump off that damn band wagon already geez. The sky is NOT falling and NO Oregon is not eroding, give me a break wow.
I mean everybody here is saying the same thing as you though...
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Re: Is this program eroding back into mediocrity?

Post by UOducksTK1 »

gosterman01 wrote:It post like this that make me not want to come back after being a member from damn near the beginning. People need to jump off that damn band wagon already geez. The sky is NOT falling and NO Oregon is not eroding, give me a break wow.
1. I don't get the attitude. We haven't had 4 losses or more in a season since 2007. That's 8 seasons ago.
2. Also, during that span, we lost only four home games (By 5, 3, 3, and 7 point margins). So to lose two home games to Utah (42 point margin) and Washington State (7 point margin).
3. Also this season we had the worst defensive statistics in Oregon recent history (I only went back like 15 years then gave up).
4. We made bowl history, for all the wrong reasons.
5. We've had the worst recruiting class (According to rankings) since 2009

So, I think the question is somewhat legitimate. However, I do think it's premature (like 98% of the forum), and if anything the program has taken all reasonable steps to try to avoid such an erosion. So like the majority of reasonable people, I think we can all say it's far too early to cast judgement, especially since Hoke hasn't been able to coach for even a snap.

Personally, I'd rather have members who bring up discussions even if they are sometimes logically flawed or far-fetched than those who just call people out for having a discussion. Additionally, band wagon fans are people who stop rooting for a team when they lose, but hop on whenever they start winning. Even our biggest gripers on this forum, I'd bet would watch and attend our games even if we were 0-12. So that's not even an accurate label. If we were band wagon fans, we would be posting on Stanford's forum now.

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gosterman01
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Re: Is this program eroding back into mediocrity?

Post by gosterman01 »

Good point TK. I wasn't talking about anyone really in particular, just irritated after hearing sooooo many different debby downers. It was a rough year for multiple reasons but imo we will come back even better.
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