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ATQ's "20 in 20" No. 15: Patrick Chung

ATQ continues the rundown of the best 20 Ducks of the last 20 years. Checking in at No. 16? Patrick Chung

Scott Halleran

Patrick Chung was one of the best players on my favorite Oregon Duck teams.  When my fandom was really hitting its peak was when Chung was busy being a four-year starter and being a play-maker as the do everything rover back on defense.  He has started more games on defense than any other player with 51 straight games.

What many people don't know about Patrick Chung is that he enrolled at the University of Oregon when he was just 16 years old.  The difference between 16 and 18 years of age is pretty large and the size and maturity difference between 18 and 22-year old starters is also vast, making Chung a certified bad-ass coming in to college.

Chung was a dynamic return man and voted the top special teams player as a junior.  It feels like he led the team in tackles every year because he was always around the ball on defense.  In actuality, he finished in the top 3 in terms of tackles on the defense every year he played.

During the Patrick Chung years on Oregon's defense, if you had taken someone to a Duck game who didn't know that much about the team or how football worked, you could have told them to watch #15 on defense and they would've enjoyed the game.  That's how good and dominant Patrick Chung was throughout his career.

I think the the play that best defines how much of a football player Patrick Chung was and not just a safety, rover, or defensive back, is the blocking he did against Michigan on an interception return.  Chung was a kick returner, forced fumbles, played in the box, covered receivers, and even knocked over corn fed 300+ pound Michigan linemen with ease.

Chung finishes as the fourth-best tackler all time at Oregon with 384 and was a two-time first-team all-conference selection.  There's never going to be a player exactly like Chung in an Oregon football uniform again and to hold someone to his standard would be unfair.

Patrick Chung was drafted in the second round, pick 34, by the New England Patriots.  He played with the Patriots until 2012 when he was released and then signed by the Eagles for the 2013 season.  He is now signed once again with the Patriots.  Chung was a starter in Super Bowl XLVI for the Patriots.

What's your favorite play that Chung made while at Oregon?