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!