Morning Quack Fix: More "trash talk," Ducks prepare for opener, looking at the spread in the NFL

by jtlight on Aug 28, 2009 7:56 AM PDT in Morning Quack Fix

It's game week! That's right, the Ducks are preparing for an actual football game. It's no longer September 3rd. It's now simply Thursday. Let's get to the quack:

The players are getting ready for the BSU game, especially Mark Asper, whose in-laws are huge Bronco fans. Asper claims that the BSU game is like his USC game. And LeGarrette Blount jumped on the "trash talk" bandwagon, saying that Oregon owed BSU an "ass-whuppin." So BSU fans have something else to get all indignant about.
But despite any talk that's happening, the Ducks are preparing with intensity and focus. The players are excited for the game, but know it's important to not be too excited. And the team has the senior leadership to make sure emotions stay in check.
In offensive line news, it sounds like Bo Thran is still struggling with injuries, though youngsters Darrion Weems and Nick Cody are pushing for playing time. Also, true freshman Everett Benyard III has been impressive, but will be playing with the scout team for the time being.
With the season starting, the depth chart is starting to be set, and the scout team has been named. The only real surprise is Diante Jackson being with the group, as I had thought he would see some playing time this year, though this could just be due to his being a freshman and missing most of fall camp. Also, the team captains have been named: Masoli, Holmes, Tukuafu, and Thurmond.
With more and more college teams running shotgun/spread offenses, Doug Farrar of the Washington Post is taking a look at what that means for the NFL. As Farrar points out, the most explosive offense in NFL history (2007 Patriots) ran over 50% of their offensive plays from a shotgun formation. Overall, Farrar does a good job of breaking down the good and the bad with these systems, and how they translate into the NFL. There is a lot of ridiculous claims about how the spread will translate into NFL success or failure, so it's nice to see someone take a deep look into this issue.
Lastly, Ken Goe gives from the Oregonian gives a little love to Oregon, says that Oregon is set up to push for a Pac-10 title.

GO DUCKS!

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If you need a Ducks fix

the 2000 Holiday Bowl win vs. Texas is going to be on at 7pm PT tonight on ESPN Classic.

--Dave
Addicted to Quack, SBN's Oregon Ducks blog

by David Piper on Aug 28, 2009 8:01 AM PDT reply actions

…is to come to Mac Court tonight at 7, or tomorrow at 10am or 7pm, to watch the second home Ducks event of the year live as volleyball takes on San Francisco, Eastern Washington, and Missouri State.

Ducks are ranked No. 14 preseason, and USF and MSU both made the (64 team) tournament last year.

Defending the SEC in Addicted to Quack and the Pac-10 in Team Speed Kills and And the Valley Shook.

by AllSaintsDay on Aug 28, 2009 3:10 PM PDT up reply actions

Great article by George Schroeder from the R-G talking about cheap shots in perspective
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/sports/19314261-41/story.csp

The point: Your cheap shot is my highlight.

--Dominic, Addicted to Quack

Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.

by dvieira on Aug 28, 2009 8:31 AM PDT reply actions

eh....

While the overall point of the article was good, and a reminder that you should be consistent if your team is handing out cheap shots (yes, Wesley Mallard’s hit was extremely cheap), to compare TJ Ward’s hit to either BSU hits last year is just flat out stupid.

TJ Ward hit a player in the helmet (with his forearm mostly, as opposed to the crown of his helmet) that was leading with his own helmet. Ellis Powers hit a QB, arguably late, and led with the crown of his helmet. Johnson’s hit was very similar to Mallard’s. Neither should be defended.

--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog

by jtlight on Aug 28, 2009 8:52 AM PDT up reply actions

Though Mallard's was not on a quarterback.

You are right though, it was the one of the filthiest (and admittedly awesome) hits you’ll ever see.

Addicted To Quack [dot] com; Six-hundred and ninety-four yards of total offense.

by qrsouther on Aug 28, 2009 4:45 PM PDT up reply actions

That Hit, that was on ESPN for daze, was, as I understand it, the reason why the rule (or the interpretation of the rule) was changed.

by DONALDUCK on Aug 28, 2009 9:47 PM PDT up reply actions

Go Ducks!

Can I get a little Go Ducks!!

by muchas g on Aug 28, 2009 8:31 AM PDT reply actions

DuUUucks Go!

Are there enough Duck Highlights on Youtube to watch for 7 day straight??

by trumpetduck on Aug 28, 2009 8:41 AM PDT up reply actions

GO!!!!!_____________________________________________________________DUCKS!!!!!

by frozenfowl74 on Aug 28, 2009 10:56 AM PDT up reply actions

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Now, with that said, the stadium is going to be much, much louder this year because the windows are into the boxes and in my judgment based on what I heard last fall and what I see, I don't think there's going to be a louder stadium in the country.

"Unless it's Oregon."

-Lloyd Carr, on Michigan's Big House reconstruction

by MarineCorpsDuck on Aug 28, 2009 12:43 PM PDT up reply actions

DUCKS!!!

May we hand you your taints on a silver platter...

by 071903 on Aug 28, 2009 12:47 PM PDT up reply actions

GO!

Addicted To Quack [dot] com; Six-hundred and ninety-four yards of total offense.

by qrsouther on Aug 28, 2009 4:45 PM PDT up reply actions

D U X !!

by DONALDUCK on Aug 28, 2009 9:48 PM PDT up reply actions

Rec’d for:

And LeGarrette Blount jumped on the “trash talk” bandwagon, saying that Oregon owed BSU an “ass-whuppin.” So BSU fans have something else to get all indignant about.

"It’s spelled S-H-U-T-U-P-I-M-S-M-A-R-T-E-R-T-H-A-N-Y-O-U"

by JShufelt on Aug 28, 2009 8:50 AM PDT reply actions

In Blount's defense

They do deserve an ass whuppin. I mean, it’s a simple fact don’t ya know?

Yes we will

by echris on Aug 28, 2009 9:13 AM PDT reply actions

Wtf?

Here’s a USC blogger who predicts an 8th place finish for Oregon this year. In the Pac-10.

And, that’s not all. OSU is tabbed to finish 9th and UW 6th. There are some other entertaining nuggets as well.

by ntrebon on Aug 28, 2009 9:42 AM PDT reply actions

and UCLA third as well

stupid people shouldn’t blog.

--Dave
Addicted to Quack, SBN's Oregon Ducks blog

by David Piper on Aug 28, 2009 9:43 AM PDT up reply actions

They do have a couple of future stars over here in CB Thurmond, DE Tukuafu, LB Paysinger, Rover-back Ward, LB Matthews, but the rest of the defense has very little in terms of proven players.

I really didn’t need to read beyond this. A “couple” usually means two. Yet he lists five. One short of half our defensive unit by his own claim are "future stars’. But he’s saying the Ducks defense is bad? USC’s defense has also has “very little in terms of proven players”, yet I’m sure he’s expecting that unit to be the next coming of the ’85 Chicago Bears.

I’ll be saving this one and checking in with 3peatTrojans at the end of the season, ’cause that should be fun.

Last time I checked, there is no "Hall of Average." - Oregon Football Coach Chip Kelly

by JConant on Aug 28, 2009 10:50 AM PDT up reply actions

More ironic?

The SportingNews.com home page is featuring its no. 7 team as it counts down its top 100. Oh, wait, it’s Oregon? And is that Jeremiah Masoli they’re calling a Heisman dark horse? For what it’s worth, they review OSU at #16.

Last time I checked, there is no "Hall of Average." - Oregon Football Coach Chip Kelly

by JConant on Aug 28, 2009 10:53 AM PDT up reply actions

Wow. That might be the most poorly researched preview I’ve ever read. I mean – he literally glanced at a chart of returning starters, and last year’s depth chart, and made two paragraphs out of it. Even with his “explanation” at the end. Awful, awful, awful.

It’s like he’s saying Oregon is returning only 11 players, and they aren’t replacing any of them.

"It’s spelled S-H-U-T-U-P-I-M-S-M-A-R-T-E-R-T-H-A-N-Y-O-U"

by JShufelt on Aug 28, 2009 11:07 AM PDT up reply actions

And yet he fails to apply the same approach to other teams. Who would you rather have, Oregon’s up-and-comers sprinkled around a core of all-conference caliber starters, or Washington’s allotment of returning starters?

Last time I checked, there is no "Hall of Average." - Oregon Football Coach Chip Kelly

by JConant on Aug 28, 2009 11:22 AM PDT up reply actions