You can take players from any position and any period of time and make your favorite Duck squad. My team would look like this: RB- J Stew WR- Samie Parker WR- Maehl QB- Kellen Clemens LB- Kevin Mitchell TE- Rosario DB- TJ Ward SS- Boyett DE- Nick Reed OL- Unger DL- Ngata
QB: Joey. His comeback at Autzen against ASU in the final minutes was superb/Dixon/Mariota/O'Neill RB: LMJ. Nobody is a close second, but I have to add Steward/Droughns/DAT/Barner/Jerimiah Johnson as the bench. WR: Patrick Johnson. The Catch/Keenan Howry/Samie Parker/Jeff Maehl TE: David Paulson/Josh Wilcox/Ed Dickson OL: Gary Zimmerman/Max Unger/Adam Snyder/Geoff Swartz/Carson York DL: Ngata/Nick Reed/Brandon Bair LB: Kiko/Peter Sirmon/Dave Wilcox/Wes Mallard (always loved his name) CB: WTIII/Kenny Wheaton's gonna score/Ifo/Cliff Harris (big brass balls on Cliff. Loved watching him play the ball). S: Boyett/Chung/Cota P: Jackson Rice K: Jared Siegal R: DAT P: Bidwell
the thread title specifies favorite Duck squad/players, which is a different question then was the best my favorite Duck is definitely Bill Musgrave, but that doesn't mean I think he's better then Mariota. Bill didn't have nearly the physical gifts that most of the guys that have come since enjoyed. He wasn't fast and his arm could be kindly described as adequate, but dude had intangibles in spades. His leadership and smarts showed in being named team captain for 3 years, being an Academic All-American, and post-UO becoming a successful NFL coach now with the Vikings as their OC. He was tough, smart, and a winner who led the Ducks to some of their sweetest tear down the goal posts wins ever. STOMP
It was fun watching him, even though we didn't attend at the same time (I graduated in 2000); he wasn't "special", but he got the job done plenty of times... he was really reliable.
Worse than Maldonado? Worse than DeAnthony "Don't block for Mariota at the 1 yard line" Thomas? (YES I HAVE A VENDETTA OKAY?!)
I have a personal grudge I'm trying, desperately, to get over. So yes, while I recognize his skill and talent, he's on the lower half of my favorite players list. But it's just me; I'm not forcing my opinion on anyone else, and I totally respect how others love him, and why. He has many great qualities. But in my mind (and possibly only my mind) he fucked up so badly in that one play, showed so much arrogance and lack of fundamental teamwork, that I have disowned him. In my mind, he cost us a trip to the Natty.
He wasn't joking. Some of the last words I've seen associated with DAT are "arrogance" and "lack of teamwork", but people have weird and irrational opinions at times. Such is life.
Like I said, I'm working on it, and I know it's me, not him. You hated Andre Miller for more than a year, so you know what I'm getting at. The question I leave you to decide the answer to is this: why did DAT not block Mariota in that game last year, instead running ahead of Mariota even though that serves no in-game purpose?
