We have a top 10 NFL pick at QB. Two top picks on defense, one of the most talented RB/WR's in the nation and the best center in the nation. ...and the team gives up to a team who is not even in our league skill-wise. And, the head coach stands there...arms crossed...adjusting his headset. The fire is gone. All that CK built is gone in a flash. Bye-bye BCS streak. Hello, toilet bowl. I've been a Duck fan since the last 70's. Long time since I recall a team simply giving up and getting rolled by a mediocre opponent. I would not be posting any of this rant if we lost by a few points or even a score. MH needs to go. He's weak.
You're missing the point. I've witnessed a lot of letdowns. But, the last time I remember the team getting rolled because the team was laying an egg and not playing hard was the Emerald Seattle Bowl - a game I was at. Twice in once season. The loss to an inferior team. Missing a BCS game and breaking a long streak. Mark is not ready. I didn't say he should be fired. I said he'll be gone in two years. He's not ready.
The loss to Stanford was understandable. They're a very good team. Chip Kelly lost a game to a tough opponent every year as well. But this loss to Arizona is something we have not seen in many years from this Ducks team. I know Arizona is a solid team, but they are an unranked 6-4 team, the type of team we usually eat for breakfast. We've seen these Ducks come out to slow starts, but they've always gotten it going, and our defense has never looked so atrocious. But yeah, I wouldn't bag the guy after one loss. College football is a tough sport...expectations are so high, and teams that are good kinda have this all or nothing attitude. What other sport is one and done like college football? If this were basketball, or the NFL, we'd still have a chance to redeem ourselves in the playoffs. Great teams have stinker games every now and then.
He just stood there with a dumb look on his face and adjusted his headset. All night long. Mark inherited the keys to a one loss, BCS bowl winning team that returned key talent and depth and every position. In our two losses we have had 18 penalties to the opponents 4 and 5 turnovers to the opponents 0. Not only has Mark not fostered and encouraged a defensive and offensive leader on the field, he himself is not a leader. The guy sure is smart, but he is not leading. Hello crap bowl! Mark's honeymoon is over.
It has been amazing how many key penalties the Ducks have suffered the past 3 weeks while their opponents somehow seemed to go all game without a flag... truly amazing. It only cranked up the absurdity having the Fusky announcer piling on and agreeing what with the benefit of replay should have been no calls and disputing Zona's few slaps on the wrists. penalty ticker Oregon 8 Zona 2 Oregon 10 Utah 4 Oregon 10 Stanford 2 STOMP
I recall Chip getting our asses whupped on by Cupcake State. A team that in their best year wouldn't be a .500 team in the PAC-12. And he turned out OK.
This may seem an over-reaction, but bear with me for a moment. In fairness to Mark, these kids were recruited on Chip's watch. I'm wondering if it was really the NCAA investigation that sent Chip fleeing into the night - or if he saw this coming. When Colt quit on the team, it seemed like an anomaly. Now I wonder if Colt was just the tip of the iceberg. When a team without hope quits on a coach you can kind of understand it. When a one loss team with a shot at the Rose Bowl quits on their coach - that is something else again. While the coaching staff is hardly blameless, there must be more than a few bad apples in the locker-room. Chip recruited them, so at least 50 cents of that buck stops with him.
I just don't know... Chip is a leader of men. He's a brash, arrogant, egotistical guy, but he is a leader. The team took on his personality in a way, and with him gone it seems like they've sort of lost that edge. I do not for a second believe that Chip would have allowed this team to just quit like that. Think about this, with Baylor losing we would have moved up into the top four, and with a couple losses we could have been back in the title game. Just seems short sighted by the players. I like Helf, but this is seriously concerning. You brought up Lyerla, and I was thinking about that earlier. I wonder if Lylerla was just the beginning of Mark losing the respect of the players.
I respect your position. I disagree. Chip inherited a Bellotti team that had lost seven games the previous two seasons and had not been to a major bowl since 2001. We all know what Mark inherited. We have self-destructed. Our penalties and turnovers show an unfocussed team. I think Colt is a headcase that would have problems anywhere, but Mark hasn't shown strong leadership with regard to player-media relations either. I reserve the right to quickly change my opinion, but right now, Mark's leadership skills and abilities are in question. All his life he's been the quiet guy in the background. Leadership is not for everyone. ASU, in one year, goes from the most penalized team to one of the lowest under Graham. Graham is a strong leader who now has his team competing for a championship. Mark is not the guy...
Amen. Even more so when your team loses the edge and instead of being a sharp sword, becomes a blunt stick... Looking to next year and the players we lose...next year has the potential to be very very ugly. Where can I get a "We Want Bama" shirt?
I am not giving up on Mark like this. Maybe this team just wasn't as good as we all thought. Our D-Line and LB's don't exactly create fear to any team.
