Takimoto's 10 Most Important Ducks for 2009: #7-10
by Takimoto on Apr 25, 2009 9:59 PM PDT
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PrintAs 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!
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or the Addicted To Quack Moderators. FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable Oregon fans.
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I agree with the Roper pick. For some reason, it seems he is getting a lot of the attention coming out of Duck camp. Kelly seems to be answering questions about him after every practice and scrimmage and Masoli seems under the radar. It ALMOST feels like Roper is the starter given the attention he’s been receiving. I would have thought Masoli would be getting more pub. I mean, Masoli is still the starter….isn’t he?
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
that may be true BUT Roper has been getting a lot of attention in the media for a backup. If Masoli was the clear cut starter, why is Roper even being talked about as much as he is? I think the competition is a lot closer than people may realize
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
I know my reputation is one of a Roper homer but seriously. Masoli was one of maybe 2-3 Pac-10 QBs that supposedly locked up into the starting role. Between interviews with Chip, scrimmage reports, even Tak’s notes above. Isn’t all of this seem a little much for a clear cut backup?
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
Eh, I think it's Chip's way of pushing Masoli.
There’s nothing a coach wants less than a complacent starting QB.
Addicted To Quack [dot] com; Dear Joevan, Develop motor skills. Love, ATQ.
Guesses
6. TJ Ward
5. Chris Harper
4. Walter Thurmond III
3. The entire offensive line
2. LeGarrette Blount
1. Jeremiah Masoli
None of the potential quarterbacks throw a consistant deep ball, which is making me take Holland’s strong performance with a grain of salt.
I disagree a bit. Even if it’s inconsistent, throwing deep is still important. Stretching the field constantly opens up the close and mid range for the rest of the game. That’s less defenders to stop the run, that’s less defenders to stop the screen, and less defenders for the slants and hooks.
I don’t think It is a coincidence that our best offensive performances came when we started throwing deep.
While Holland might not get a lot stats, he’s going to be a very important player on the field.
It’s spelled "S-H-U-M-W-O-W"
This Post Fails
You guys are buying into the hype of Kelly trying to push Masoli to the next level. Masoli has been the best QB this spring. You need look no farther then the actual numbers to see why your analysis is a failure.
Through two scrimmages:
Masoli:
Att: 39 Comp: 13 TD: 5 INT: 1 Yrds: 263 NCAA QB Rating: 147.67
Roper:
Att: 29 Comp: 13 TD: 1 INT: 2 Yrds: 112 NCAA QB Rating: 74.86
These are the REAL numbers, forget what anybody says.
Now consider what each brings to the running game. Roper is athletic, sure, but Masoli has an extra level when it comes to wheels.
In the Holiday bowl, after a low scoring first half Masoli punched in three runs on the ground to breath new life into the offense and Oregon rolled Oklahoma St.
At Purdue this year, after a slow start in the first half Roper… well he got a TD out of Byrd on a punt return and a 70 yard run by Blount and the game still went into double overtime and had to be finished by Harper. While Purdue was an away game it was also against a much lesser opponent.
It’s no simpler than this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4pf1WJC7Ac
Pay attention as Masoli turns the corner. The defender makes a dive and Masoli narrowly escapes. Were he a half step slower, as Roper would be, that’s a tackle in the backfield and we lose a dimension of our offense.
Masoli is the leader this spring, last year, whatever you want to call it. In terms of bowl wins he’s the most successful QB since Joey Harrington. Talk numbers, not spin please.
Spring numbers don’t matter. Roper has been playing with the second string offense against a MUCH better second string defense. Everyone was calling for Masoli’s head before the last drive of the Stanford game last year. 3-4 games at the end of last season doesn’t guarantee you anything. If you actually see the practices and scrimmages, you would notice Masoli reverting back to shuffling his feet in the pocket, making bad decisions with the ball, etc. The same things that plagued him last year in his bad spurts. He isn’t far away the best QB. If you are relying on his numbers and not actually looking at the practices and scrimmages, you are lying to yourself. During each scrimmage, they have stopped plays, reran them, restarted things and all of it has counted in the reporters notes. Masoli is throwing to Holland (who is having an amazing spring). Who is Roper throwing to? Backup wideouts.
Before you start spouting off how numbers are important, at least try to think about personnel on the field. If Masoli had a converted defender playing running back and the rest of the second team offense, things would be a lot different for him too.
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
Masoli is playing with a shell of an offensive line, so as many problems there are with the 2nd string offense, there are more with the 1st string offense.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
2nd string guys playing on the 1st team consistently are going to be much better than a mixture of 2nd string, 3rd string and 4th string guys making up the 2nd unit that Roper is playing with. You think Masoli’s line is patchwork, at least they are playing together semi-consistently. Roper is having to deal with whomever is healthy that day, maybe.
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
It’s not just who Roper is playing with, but who he’s playing against. The 2nd string D-line isn’t near as good as the first string, and the dropoff, at this point, from 1st string O-line to 2nd string is not major at all as all of those parts are interchangeable right now.
But something that has been totally missed through all of this, is that even if Roper is totally consistent, he will still never have the arm strength or speed to run the offense consistently. I will take happy feet Masoli a million times over Roper. Masoli may not be consistent throwing the deep ball, but at least he can hit it sometimes. Roper simply does not have the physical ability to throw the ball deep, let alone do it accurately.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
same old arguments, different day. Roper is faster in the spring and more agile than he was last year. I’ve been at the scrimmages, I’ve seen it with my own eyes. He was also throwing a 15 yard out pattern on a rope (see what I did there?) better than Masoli was and had a couple of nice bombs. I’m not trying to claim that Roper should be the starter. What I am claiming is that he has definitely improved since last year and the same arguments of “well, he can’t run or pass!” need to be re-evaluated. Check out the spring game. If he just doesn’t get it done there, then he isn’t a “gamer”. From my eyes (and others I’ve spoken with) there is definitely some improvement from the off-season with him.
Just throwing this out there and I know you are going to flame me for it but last year we went 10-3 with barely any threat of the long ball. Perhaps in the current Chip Kelly offensive scheme, the long ball is just an old way of thinking.
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
The 3 losses that I can think of were lacking in the long ball, (or any distance ball.)
By the time Masoli figured out the offense around the last 2 minutes of the Stanford game, that’s when the nice lengthy throws started coming in. Passes of around 25 yards were happening more often. Now, we never saw anything like Dan Fouts era passing or Dixon-to-Paysinger or Dixon-to-Colvin ‘07, but I’m perfectly okay with routes of >5 yard outs and 8 yard curls, a la Ropert.
Addicted To Quack [dot] com; Dear Joevan, Develop motor skills. Love, ATQ.
Now, we never saw anything like Dan Fouts era passing or Dixon-to-Paysinger or Dixon-to-Colvin ‘07, but I’m perfectly okay with routes of >5 yard outs and 8 yard curls, a la Ropert.
I’m not. We need to run them, sure, but we can’t let up on the deep pass.
I’m not anti-Ropert(sic). I just need him to throw longer than 15 yards in a game, and needs to improve his reads on the option. Masoli had that down pat – at the end of the season, he ran the option just as good, if not better than Dixon. Ropert(sic) almost made me pull my hair out against Purdue because he gave up the keeper as the defense was consistently keying in on JJ. When Harper took the snaps, the option became a viable threat.
I don’t doubt Roper’s speed. I know he can run the ball. He just hasn’t shown to me that he can run the play that is our offensive bread-and-butter.
It’s spelled "S-H-U-M-W-O-W"
I phrased that badly
I meant closer to
“I’m perfectly okay with our passing game as long as there are routes of >5 yard outs…”
Addicted To Quack [dot] com; Dear Joevan, Develop motor skills. Love, ATQ.
It’s not just who Roper is playing with, but who he’s playing against. The 2nd string D-line isn’t near as good as the first string, and the dropoff, at this point, from 1st string O-line to 2nd string is not major at all as all of those parts are interchangeable right now
Here’s a quote from an entry in Moseley’s blog about the most recent scrimage: http://blogs.registerguard.com/cms/index.php/duck-football/comments/scrimmage-stats/
Both Kelly and Roper were in agreement that today was not Roper’s day. But given all the injuries on the line, the No. 2 defensive line is ahead of the No. 2 offensive line right now, and chemistry is an issue, too, when a unit is patched together like that. So I don’t think it was all Roper’s fault.
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
My point is that this argument can’t be used either way….Every unit is having issues. The 2nd string WRs aren’t great, but most of the 2nd string corners are out. The DEs are better from the O-line accross the board, and I would say the 1st string D-line is farther ahead of the 1st string O-line than the 2nd string D over the O. Both QBs have advantages and disadvantages.
Furthermore, if Roper to be #1, he should be TEARING UP the 2nd string, because overall, the quality is less. He should be able to take advantage of every thing that is given to him, but, he isn’t doing that. As far as him being faster, again, he should look faster, against 2nd string. You don’t just get faster, or throw harder. You can get smarter and more consistent, but Roper has a ceiling, and we know what that is. While I haven’t been lucky enough to see the scrimmages, in the video of practice I’ve seen, there is a significant difference between the strength of his passes, and everyone else. He just can’t throw as hard, or get it from point A to be B as fast. It’s that simple. And this becomes incredibly problematic against great defenses. If he never made mistakes, that would be one thing. But he’s just as prone to have a bad game as anyone else, and if that happens, we’re totally screwed.
As far as the long ball (comment above), that is just flat out WRONG. 100% wrong. Long passes were extremely vital in every game with offensive explosion. We did it against Oregon State and Oklahoma State quite a bit. In fact, against OSU, it set up the rest of the game.
Lastly, as far as Roper’s speed goes, even if it has improved. It is simply not possible for him to reach a point where defenses must PLAN for that. They must plan for Masoli. It’s something they must think about. The gap between first string D1 defenses and Roper is so great that their athleticism can overcome being out of position without any huge problem. And again, one mistakes, and it’s all for naught.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
I disagree with you on Roper, I disagree with you on the long ball. The long ball DID NOT set up anything. Our running game set up the long ball. We are not a passing team, we are a running team. Even Chip Kelly will tell you that. We run to set up passing, we don’t rely on long passing to set up our run.
You have not watched the second string defense as much as I have. The difference between the 2nd offense and the 1st offense is huge. The difference between the 2nd string defense and 1st string is relatively small. Roper would have to be a one man show to perform at a high level against that. He doesn’t have Blount, he has a converted defender (5th string). He doesn’t have Holland, he has scout team and backups. Don’t even give me a line about him being able to rip it up without those tools.
You also can’t say the argument can’t be used then say Roper should be tearing it up. It doesn’t make sense.
Look, I know you don’t like Roper at all and are basing almost everything on last year. I’m basing my comments on what I’ve seen in person and judging by what others have witnessed in Spring. It may not get Roper the starting job, and as I’ve said, I’m not advocating that. What I am saying is that Roper is an improved product and if Masoli doesn’t improve and drive towards fall, the competition is going to be close…regardless of your personal feelings on it.
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
As far as the long ball goes…that’s just wrong. In the first 2 drives of the Oregon State game, we ran the ball almost exclusively, because they dared us to. As we beat them. That set up the rest of the game. We proved we could throw, and throw the ball deep, and it opened up the rest of the game.
As far as the 2nd string offense goes, I’m saying that both have similar circumstances and issues. If Roper wants to be the first string QB, he should be tearing it up. He’s not.
As far as Roper goes, I’m not doubting he could push Masoli, especially if Masoli doesn’t improve. But he’s not a starting QB on a Pac-10 championship game. He doesn’t have the physical tools to get it done. When you face even decent teams with those tools, they just make the game too hard. His limited skill set takes too much of the playbook off the table against great teams. He is very easy to gameplan if you have a talented defense.
I’m not saying the competition can’t get close, or that Roper hasn’t improved. I’m saying, if the competition gets close, that says more about the other QBs than it does about Roper.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
I see more passing than running in those two opening drives...
Addicted To Quack [dot] com; Dear Joevan, Develop motor skills. Love, ATQ.
Too late! I have you in my clutches Roper Lover! Booyah!
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
The long ball DID NOT set up anything. Our running game set up the long ball. We are not a passing team, we are a running team. Even Chip Kelly will tell you that. We run to set up passing, we don’t rely on long passing to set up our run.
I can agree with most other things you’ve been saying, except for this. We are a running team, no doubt – but we get there by setting it up with mid-range and long range passing. The best rushing games we’ve ever had have been games with modest passing yards, but, for the most part, good completion percentage and/or passer rating.
There’s a torrent of the Husky game in ‘07, you’ll see we came out early with passing and worked gradually towards the 465 yards rushing we stockpiled. We came out passing early in the SC ’07 game, the next week, too. Fast forward to Civil War ’08. We all know the score and yardage total. But remember the passing game in that game? It was absolutely clicking. The OSU coverage was visibly pushing back on most every down. Then they show even a hint of blitz – and Chip sends in a PA or deep ball audible. You see them show something along the lines of Cover 2 or Cover 3, and you get yourself some driving lanes.
This opportunity would have never been available if we had Chris Harper, or even Ropert running the offense. And Chip Kelly knows as well as any man in the game how to set up a gameplan, and what you need to break out early on in order to expose later. In our case, it goes mainly passing for a couple of early drives, then pound the ball late in the game. Ask Oklahoma State how that last quarter went by.
Addicted To Quack [dot] com; Dear Joevan, Develop motor skills. Love, ATQ.
In no way am I saying that Roper should be ahead of Masoli. I’m just saying a consistent back-up is going to help Masoli not be complacent with his position as the #1. You say talk numbers, but you give me two scrimmages and a YouTube video. And why would Chip Kelly be trying to lying to the media about the performance of his players? That’s a terrible motivation technique. For my money, I’m going to believe the careful analysis of the head coach over the course of three weeks rather than statistics from two scrimmages.
In any event, I think Masoli’s going to be a great Oregon quarterback. And besides…
It's spelled "T-A-K-I-M-O-T-S-C-H-M-O-E."
I support inroywetrust in his support of The VD Special in his support of me supporting Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
You've been waiting to use that one for a while now, haven't you?
Addicted To Quack [dot] com; Dear Joevan, Develop motor skills. Love, ATQ.
I think Roper's best will be off the field
We saw at times last year Roper being the mental leader of the offense from the sidelines. He was always helping guys, pushing guys, calling in plays/dancing. He handles a part of the game that is necessary in college with younger guys, he is like everyone’s second brain that reminds them of all the things they are to busy to think about. He is now a junior and I think he will show his age and maturity and be a leader for this team, hopefully while never taking a snap. I can see Roper being the holder all season long and being voted the captain, its just the kind of teammate he appears to be. If you ask me, I’ll give him a number 10 if he can do all the things he did last year as a backup.
Ducks Go!
RIP CITY!
I’m with you on this one. At the end of the season especially, you could see Roper taking charge on the sidelines and in timeouts with the other QB’s. Being the backup QB has a definite role on the team considering how fast our offense moves. You have to have perfect coordination, communication and timing to get the plays from the coaches to the offense.
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
I do agree on this...
Roper is great for the program, and I very much like him. But if he’s our first string QB, we are not going to be as successful as we want to be.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
More of that pesky logic to offset your bias
Roper’s biggest win was against USF
Masoli is the first QB to beat OSU on a road game civil war in 10 years! then be beat Oklahoma St in the Holiday bowl.
Masoli HAS outplayed Roper this spring and this is Roper’s THIRD spring practice. It’s Masoli’s first. Roper’s only TD in scrimmage? To the speedster Holland, Masoli has strikes to Phflugrad and a walk on.
By the numbers Masoli is better, Masoli has won more big games, Masoli has more experience in the system (as per starts), Masoli can run the ball better, has a stronger arm, has already won a national title, I can do this all day guys…
If we pull Masoli for ANYONE it better be because
1. Costa’s robo knee is firing on all cylinders
2. Thomas has surpassed Masoli and therefore also Roper
3. The NCAA notifies Oregon that Dennis Dixon somehow has another year of eligibility
This whole conversation drives me batty, why would you think Roper? Seriously, show me some numbers or show me how well you can hold your lips together…
dude, 1st learn to use the Reply Button on posts. 2nd, Thomas hasn’t outplayed anyone during spring. Actually go to a spring practice or scrimmage and use your eyes.Talk to coaches, talk to members of the media. Thomas is no where even CLOSE. I know you obviously have a hardon for him since the Boise State game last year but he has done NOTHING since then and continues to do nothing in the spring. Look at my impressions, look at JConant’s posts, look at Rob Moseley. Look at the Oregonlive articles. Until you do, continue to spout your numbers. They all don’t matter. I can also come up with numbers to make Roper awesome. You know that he’s never lost a game he’s started? Big stat there! Means nothing for 09. That’s why tryouts happen every year.
Read the damn posts because you have completely missed the point of the original poster and what I’ve said. No one has said Roper should start. If anything, everyone has all said Masoli should be the starter and that Roper will (and is) making things interesting in spring ball.
In short, since you won’t read what I said…
1. Use the reply button, it helps seriously
2. Masoli is the starter
3. Roper is making things interesting
4. Roper will continue to make things interesting
And seriously, try being respectful and stop being a dick in your posts
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
by dvieira on Apr 26, 2009 7:23 PM PDT up reply actions 3 recs
okay, a reply then
There must be some confusion over my Thomas comment…
I said IF Masoli is unseated it would be because Thomas over took him. This would mean he would have to start outplaying Masoli and therefore everyone else. Nowhere in my post did I say this seems likely, if you want me to be nice you could start by not putting words in my mouth.
Looking at the raw data, the real numbers, tells the tale. I’m not concerned with what anybody on this site believes from watching practice outside of my frustration that anybody believes something so unfounded. If you, or the writer of this post, are such great evaluators of progress then go get a job coaching college football and I will gladly make a running adjustment on how much stock I put in your opinion…
As for Kelly, he is on a mission to refine Masoli. Kelly posed the question “How do we go from 9 to 1”, perfecting Masoli is the answer. Considering the numbers are so overwhelmingly and undeniably in Masoli’s favor (and they are), then, further considering that the UofO athletic department has already began the Heisman campaign it would be ludicrous to actually take what Kelly said at the conclusion of the first scrimmage at face value. Even more so when you consider that Masoli outplayed Roper in that scrimmage by the numbers. Until football begins to be scored by judges who award wins and losses by evaluation of performance in games stats and points will continue to trump anything else.
As for talking to the coaches at practice, if Kelly is willing to be quoted in the media on this do you think he’s going to drop the act because a fan approached him in the Mo?
Do you happen to be into sabermetrics?
Addicted To Quack [dot] com; Dear Joevan, Develop motor skills. Love, ATQ.
As for talking to the coaches at practice, if Kelly is willing to be quoted in the media on this do you think he’s going to drop the act because a fan approached him in the Mo?
He hasn’t changed his tune at all on this issue. He has been very straight forward. The first scrimmage, he said Roper performed better. When I was at that scrimmage, I mentioned in that thread that I didn’t see what he was talking about. Masoli out performed him “by the numbers” that day too. Chip has absolutely no reason to play any of those types of games with the media. There is enough motivation for Masoli to be the starter of the Oregon Ducks without Chip going to the media saying “Roper is catching up! Look out!”. On the second scrimmage, he said Masoli was better but Roper had some other things going that were not completely his doing.
Spring numbers don’t mean anything and I can guarantee to you that coaches will take them into account minimally when they do their evaluations. Did he make the read right, was the snap good, was the blocking scheme executed properly, did the receiver run the right route, did the QB make the right read, who was the personnel, what was the conditions under which the play was run. All of those factor into “practice”.
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
All spring numbers are good for in the end are, at most, what taste is left in the coaches mouths going into the fall practices.
And, even so, I can hardly think that Chip would christen Ropert number 1 on the practice order come August because Masoli made a bad read and threw a pick 7 months earlier against his own defense.
Addicted To Quack [dot] com; Dear Joevan, Develop motor skills. Love, ATQ.
If you, or the writer of this post, are such great evaluators of progress then go get a job coaching college football and I will gladly make a running adjustment on how much stock I put in your opinion…
Aren’t we all bloggers here? Aren’t blogs like this designed for the sake of discussion on stuff like this? Seriously, if you want to sport this bizarre, entitled attitude towards us sports bloggers, we’re not into that kind of thing. You saying that we should go be coaches before developing and posting our opinions and evaluations is just dumb to me. I hate to be so rude, but try a little harder to get over yourself.
Addicted To Quack [dot] com; Dear Joevan, Develop motor skills. Love, ATQ.
I know you obviously have a hardon for him since the Boise State game last year but he has done NOTHING since then and continues to do nothing in the spring.
I remember a certain coach, whom we’ll call “Hip Chelly” telling a certain blogger whom we’ll call “Med Tiller” the following:
Said sophomore quarterback Darron Thomas “may be our most improved [player], may be our best kid in our off-season program. He’s up to 218 pounds and can run 4.5 and can throw it.”
I appeal that the former statement, mentioned by dvieira gets redacted from the logs! And I call for a trial! You have 24 hours.
It’s spelled "S-H-U-M-W-O-W"
Objection!
How dare you confront me with logic and facts! My emotional responses known no bounds! In all seriousness though, poster in question was discussing “on the field” numbers and statistics in his arguments. Chip may say that Thomas was the most improved but there are no game-style statistics to back that up. Poster would have to say Chip is just using that talk of Thomas to push Masoli into the starting role. From a pure statistical point of view, in the context of the discussion about pure statistics between Masoli and Roper, I stand by my statement.
I don’t personnaly believe that he has contributed nothing. Your notes from “Med Tiller” actually back up my argument that statistics are not the only factor in judging someone’s success during Spring.
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
As well, the Athletic Department has already launched the Masoli for Heisman campaign...
…it’d be one of the sillier things I’ve ever seen to see him unseated before the season starts.
Addicted To Quack [dot] com; Dear Joevan, Develop motor skills. Love, ATQ.
aye, true on this. Very good point.
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
who has a bias?
seriously, read the post again. He’s the 10th most important player for a reason. SPOILER ALERT Masoli’s definitely in the Top 6. I don’t think anyone in this thread has definitively claimed that Justin Roper should be the starting quarterback. So show me you can read or show me how well you can hold your lips together.
It's spelled "T-A-K-I-M-O-T-S-C-H-M-O-E."
I support inroywetrust in his support of The VD Special in his support of me supporting Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
my problem with your evaluation
But, by all accounts, he’s been the most consistent performer thus far this spring
All accounts? I see one account, that being a comment made by Kelly at the conclusion of the first scrimmage. To make the “all accounts” statement feasible you have to forget both the overall numbers and the fact that Roper looked like he did against Purdue in the second scrimmage. That’s regression.
In your posts, you are relying on Spring numbers and Kelly and crew are obviously not. Spring numbers do not matter. That will always be a difference because of all the reasons I mentioned before. Spring numbers are not the only factor in a successful drill. Don’t forget how Masoli looked in his first few games. He was no picnic either. No QB was great at Purdue. We were bailed out by our running game and special teams.
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
By the numbers...
I’m not just going by spring numbers. That isn’t true. I have referenced everything, as far back as Roper’s first start in the Sun Bowl. I wrote about Purdue, talked about Masoli’s late season surge, and finished by talking about the spring numbers. In the “Roper” debate that’s everything we have to go on.
People spend allot of time talking about “everything before Stanford”, I believe that to be a fundamental inaccuracy when considering Masolil. Masoli didn’t get much of anything meaningful in fall camp last year. He stepped into the Washington game cold and did a hell of a job. From then on he was learning as he went. As he progressed the coaching staff opened up the offense a little more for him, as they added things he hit the learning curve as any QB would. The “Stanford Drive” was his coming out party. That is when it “clicked” so it speak. All QB’s have that moment. For Dixon it was the 3rd quarter against Huston his Senior year.
I reiterate, I am not being myopic in looking only at the spring number. A cursory glance at my posts will show you that I have been very inclusive with the information. The reason the spring numbers means something to me is because it was this spring that “Roper’s consistency” started to become a topic of consideration. If that is where the conversation originated it is only fair to use the data from which the opinion came in debating it.
I will restate my opinion: Kelly knows Masoli knows he’s the starter and needs a way to motivate him, that is the whole story. In the end this post wasted a spot that could have been used on Eddie Pleasant, who the coached are practically fapping to this spring.
I will restate my opinion:
Chip Kelly lying to the media about the performance of his starting quarterback would only serve to alienate Masoli and would be a less-than-ideal way to start off his tenure as head coach.
You never made mention to the consistancy comment until three comments ago, and all the posts above it read like you were misunderstanding what I was saying, that a good performance from Roper will help Masoli’s growth.
In the end this post wasted a spot that could have been used on Eddie Pleasant, who the coached are practically fapping to this spring.
And this is why it’s Takimoto’s list and not Cpassmore’s list. The beauty of the blog network is that anyone can write an article, and if you’d like to write your own version of the list, I’d love to read it. There are plenty of players that the coaches are excited about, including Scott Grady, Bryson Littlejohn, Kenjon Barner, David Paulson, and Brandon Bair, and only ten spots on this list. And who knows? Eddie could be in my top 6.
It's spelled "T-A-K-I-M-O-T-S-C-H-M-O-E."
I support inroywetrust in his support of The VD Special in his support of me supporting Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
by Takimoto on Apr 26, 2009 9:19 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Well said
If he spent half as much time on a similar post as he has debating his opinion here, then I think it would be something I am interested in reading. I am also interested (as well as a lot of folks in ATQ) in the Top 6 from Tak.
May we hand you your taints on a silver platter...
Wasted a spot?
Dude, just try to be a little more courteous.
Addicted To Quack [dot] com; Dear Joevan, Develop motor skills. Love, ATQ.
meh, its his opinion. Personally, I think that if Roper is the lightning rod for Kelly to motivate Masoli as Cpassmore alludes to, then his place in the above list is all but assured. That would represent a very influential person come 2009…speaking strictly as a conspiracy theorist.
I’m with Tak on the feasibility of that however.
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
Lots of coaches make remarks to the media about a particular player in order to motivate them. I don’t think that’s what Kelly is doing though. I think it has more to do with giving props to Roper for performing really well in the Spring even though he knows he won’t be starting and for the way Roper carries himself on the sideline as a backup.
On another note, given the propensity for our starting QB’s to go down with injuries (knock on wood), Kelly may be expressing excitement over having a quality backup who is performing really well in case the worst happens. That way our team doesn’t collapse if our starter goes down like 2 years ago.
by westspec on Apr 27, 2009 3:55 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
I only read a few of the posts, not all, so if I repeated any sentiments, I apologize
1. Darren Thomas, while having TONS of potential and upside, is not the starting QB. No where close. He had 1 good quarter against a secondary playing prevent D. I could have completed those passes.
2. Roper isn’t a bad QB by any standards. I hate to admit this, but me and some friends were discussing in class how Roper would be perfect for our system. He isn’t athletic enough to run the Oregon offense (meaning, he isn’t a running back that can throw), but he is athletic none-the-less. Don’t be fooled. That 6’6" is lanky and has legs that can motor. Again, just not enough for the Oregon offense.
3. Masoli had 3 good games last year. This does NOT entitle him to the starting position for this next year. Granted, he was way improved at the end of the year. But was this a fluke? We will find out soon enough.
4. And finally, the Ducks have so many question marks than at QB this year, should you really be discussing this? Or should you be worried how the offensive line is going to do, because with a shitty OLine, it’s not going to matter WHO your QB is.
I support Takimoto in his effort to support Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
by The VD Special on Apr 27, 2009 10:22 PM PDT reply actions
And finally, the Ducks have so many question marks than at QB this year, should you really be discussing this?
Seriously, how often have we had that problem? No time in recent memory. I think the point of the countdown is to mark influential Ducks and there is some debate as to Roper’s value. most of the thread deals with Roper’s value as a backup in pushing Masoli to be better and as a leader of the team on the sidelines. Trust me about the concerns of the O-line. They are there for sure. Also, I’ve heard talk about how good our secondary is before. I’ll believe it when I see it when it comes to D.
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
Not sure if you were disagreeing with me or not..
Let me know so I can defend myself vigorously if necessary :-)
I support Takimoto in his effort to support Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
by The VD Special on Apr 27, 2009 11:42 PM PDT up reply actions
nah I think you nailed it. Point being that the list by Tak was to list out most influential Ducks for the upcoming season. Trust me, there will be some o-line in there. We’re only through 7. When those guys come, I’m sure we’re going to have some discussions about them and the fear most of us have about the o-line play
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
1. Darren Thomas, while having TONS of potential and upside, is not the starting QB. No where close. He had 1 good quarter against a secondary playing prevent D. I could have completed those passes.
Not sure anyone would disagree. I love the guy, and I think he’s the future of the program, but I don’t think anyone is so disillusioned that he should be the backup QB. But maybe some are, there are some pretty crazy people out there.
In regards to the prevent D, that’s a bad argument because, that was the worst prevent defense I’ve ever seen, if that’s what they were running. The football was flying over their heads, as someone was catching it in stride. If you let a receiver get past you in a prevent, you have an awful defense.
2. Roper isn’t a bad QB by any standards. I hate to admit this, but me and some friends were discussing in class how Roper would be perfect for our system. He isn’t athletic enough to run the Oregon offense (meaning, he isn’t a running back that can throw), but he is athletic none-the-less. Don’t be fooled. That 6’6" is lanky and has legs that can motor. Again, just not enough for the Oregon offense.
I think it’s a faux paux to say Roper doesn’t have the athleticism for Oregon’s offense. I’ve seen him break off good runs. He’s got long strides which make him deceptively fast. Maybe he doesn’t match Dixon in agility, Masoli in power, or either in speed, but that doesn’t matter as much as making the right read on the option. That’s where my trust in Roper falls short.
3. Masoli had 3 good games last year. This does NOT entitle him to the starting position for this next year. Granted, he was way improved at the end of the year. But was this a fluke? We will find out soon enough.
I know, Apples and Oranges, but was it a fluke he was First Team All-NCFA? Or the JC National Title?
4. And finally, the Ducks have so many question marks than at QB this year, should you really be discussing this? Or should you be worried how the offensive line is going to do, because with a shitty OLine, it’s not going to matter WHO your QB is.
Agreed. But it’s quiet, and not a lot of news. We need SOMETHING!
It’s spelled "S-H-U-M-W-O-W"
I know, Apples and Oranges, but was it a fluke he was First Team All-NCFA? Or the JC National Title?
Not at all. I’m not discounting what he did last year. Or what he’s capable of. In fact, I think if healthy, he’s going to be lethal this year. But the point is, WE DON’T KNOW
I support Takimoto in his effort to support Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
by The VD Special on Apr 28, 2009 10:19 PM PDT up reply actions
this has been cool. Masoli, Roper, both sides of the argument well said. Tell you what
can’t be refuted : we got weapons. And VD? The OLine? We’ll be fine, but if you find
comfort in worrying about it, I won’t get in your way.
agree
we have been reloading flawlessly the last few years. It has been our strength and anchor since the move to the spread. Our guys will tear it up. Oh and we have the best coach in the country, sweet.
Ducks Go!
RIP CITY!
I believe you'll be fine
But everything I’ve read about the Oregon OLine so far hasn’t been pretty. Granted, it’s spring ball, so I take it with a grain of salt, but I’m not at the Oregon practices, so I go off what I read from people who have
I support Takimoto in his effort to support Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
by The VD Special on Apr 28, 2009 10:18 PM PDT up reply actions
That is the biggest worry we have at this point. Unfortunately the line has been absolutely obliterated with injuries, with out top 3-4 players either out or hampered by injuries. I am fairly confident that Greatwood can get the line together if its healthy for fall camp.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
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