My expectations for the 2012 season? A funny Chip Kelly quip, some good wins, a bad loss or two, renewing a bunch of friendships over the fellowship of college football tailgating and a trip someplace warm for a bowl game. Even the thought of all that makes me happy. Stop... quack time!
- While closed practices may be keeping all of the media and fans from providing top-notch, generally uniformed opinions on what body language means, that doesn't stop the stream of Chip Kelly and player answers after practice. Of course, the answer to be who takes over for the departed Darron Thomas still alludes us all and we aren't going to get any real answers any time soon. Marcus Mariota and Bryan Bennett are duking it out behind closed doors and both appear to be doing quite well if vague answers are to be believed. There are some interesting quotes from Chip on the so-called "two quarterback system" and what he thinks of it both philosophically and realistically. You know what I heard? The starter will get picked and fall and even though he goes out and wins a bunch of games, everyone will want the other guy. Reliable sources my friends.
- One difference between the two quarterbacks seems to be in their feelings towards sharing time. While Bennett seems to indicate he would prefer the opportunity to get into the rhythm of the game, Mariota thinks such a system would be awesome for him. I'm looking forward to seeing some packages where both players are on the team, especially if their talents are as close and strong as people seem to indicate.
- In Men's Basketball recruiting news, the nation's top rated center, Chris Obekpa, will be visiting Oregon in late April. Obekpa cites his friendship with incoming Duck (and might I add, a person with a tremendous first name) Dominic Artis, as well as the Oregon tempo in terms of his interest in Dana Altman's program. The article raises another fine point at how good Dana has really done at Oregon, remaking the roster now for the third time and serving to increase and deliver on expectations each year.
- Lost Lettermen has a nice feature on ex-Ducks QB Akili Smith and his work towards finishing up his degree. Often times you see words like "bust", "failure" and "disappointment" when referring to Smith in regards to his NFL career. I think it should serve as a reminder. Even when things are going the best they can, your life can completely change in the matter of moments. It's times like those that amplify your true character. Even in the best of careers, the NFL spotlight is a small sliver of your overall life. Every player faces that challenge and I applaud Smith for owning his life, using his experiences to help others, and to better his own.
And finally, we here at Addicted to Quack understand that the economy is in a challenging spot right now. We offer you one man's story on how he became a guard and what he needed to do to get that gig. It involved showing off some moves.