perspective (ESPN)
Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2015 12:53 pm
Didn't see this anywhere yet so I'll throw it in:
Braden writes: Given Oregon's struggles this year, it's got me wondering, are we beginning to see the results of Mark Helfrich-era recruiting? Or are we just seeing bad scheming by the coaches? Or something else completely? It's baffling to me to think that a QB hasn't been groomed knowing that someday Mariota would be gone. It's obvious the VA/Lockie experiment isn't producing the fruits we've become used to seeing. Who's next?
Ted Miller: Who's next?
I see a lake of burning sulfur and demons rising from its depths as the great seal is broken. I see four horsemen -- a Husky, a Trojan, a Ute and a Beaver. I see death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth. I see a horrific massacre of Ducks. I see Duck confit, roast duck. I see Peking duck and duck a l'orange. I see a grinding of duck bills and much gnashing of teeth. Oh, the horror.
But lo, there is a light! There's a very distinguished looking man... he looks familiar. He is beloved by all! He turns his head -- not unlike dramatic chipmunk! -- and says, "Thou shall chill out. Please."
Oregon is 2-2 having lost to a pair of very good, unbeaten teams. The Ducks are out of the national polls in September/October when national polls are OH SO DARN IMPORTANT, WHICH IS WHY THIS IS IN ALL CAPS! They got their rear ends pummeled by Utah, worst home defeat since falling 54-0 to Washington in 1977.
Cry me a river. (I suspect that a significant percentage of young Oregon fans who read the above paragraph and went, "Wait. We've lost to Washington before? That's weird.")
Let's start with this: Did Oregon fans believe that their Ducks would win at least 10 games every season in perpetuity? Would it really be a disaster if Oregon finished 8-4 this year? Would it spell the end of an era? And/or should that put Mark Helfrich on the hot seat?
Braden, you are "baffled" that a QB hasn't been groomed to replace Mariota, a QB, by the way, who attended Oregon only because he was discovered by Helfrich. Go ask an Alabama or Texas fan about QB bafflement. You should be more baffled that the Ducks have been so consistently good at the position this century.
Know what I think? I think Oregon, at the very least, would be 3-1 and highly ranked if Vernon Adams didn't break his finger. And I also think that overreacting to a grain of sand finding its way into one of college football's well-oiled machines -- while entirely predictable based on the irrational greed of an entitled fan base -- is, well, sort of funny.
It's probably unrealistic to expect Mark Helfrich and Oregon to win more than 10 games and be ranked in the top 10 every year. Mark J. Terrill/AP Photo
Last year, Helfrich and his staff turned in one of the great coaching jobs you will witness. Yes, it helped to have an all-time great behind center, but the Ducks -- a nontraditional power playing in a a 54,000-seat stadium -- played for a national title in the inaugural College Football Playoff despite near-catastrophic injuries throughout the season.
Oregon is 0-1 in conference play. This is not yet a Duck-ocalypse.
Oregon fans, be grateful, be hopeful. And stop whining.