So..... what next?

[Natebishop3]

Do you hope we bounce back? Do you shake things up? Do you fire coaches?

I guess I'm fine with letting things play out for the rest of the season. Let them develop organically. I would play one of the young guns at QB. Adams is hurt/not that great, and Lockie is clearly not a starter. Might as well give some burn to Mahalak.

I'm not ready to throw Helf under the bus, but I really think Pellum is out of his depth. Aliotti had his faults, but he was extremely good at making adjustments at halftime and clamping down. Pellum doesn't seem to have that trait. This coaching staff has been together for so long, but something needs to change.

 

[oldmangrouch]

The buck stops with the head coach. The MSU loss didn't ruffle my feathers - but this was hideous.

 

[Natebishop3]

The buck stops with the head coach. The MSU loss didn't ruffle my feathers - but this was hideous.

I just feel like we've slowly lost our swagger since Chip left. We don't have the same confidence. I think Chip made us an elite program, and we have been slowly coming down from that as the players have graduated/moved on. Losing Mariota was the final blow.

 

[STOMP]

Not ready to throw Helfrich under the bus yet??? Nate you already did that a year ago with these same exact takes about him having no swagger and being over his head. No teams fire their coaches before the halfway point of the season, let alone teams that have been wildly successful and coming off a fianl #2 ranking. Sure this season has blown thus far, but how about taking a few deep breaths and contemplate how unbelievably fortunate Duck fans have been before jumping off the nearest bridge?

STOMP

 

[Natebishop3]

Not ready to throw Helfrich under the bus yet??? Nate you already did that a year ago with these same exact takes about him having no swagger and being over his head. No teams fire their coaches before the halfway point of the season, let alone teams that have been wildly successful and coming off a fianl #2 ranking. Sure this season has blown thus far, but how about taking a few deep breaths and contemplate how unbelievably fortunate Duck fans have been before jumping off the nearest bridge?

STOMP

By "not throwing him under the bus," I mean I wouldn't fire him.... yet.

With that said, I'm really not that impressed with him, and I think Mariota carried this program for the past couple years. I'm not the only person who feels that way. But do you think this is the same program that it was four years ago? Does it have the same feel to you?

Helfrich is 26-6 in his third season as head coach, with half his losses coming in the last five games. The most direct criticism of Helfrich is that he failed to have an adequate replacement for Mariota, the No. 2 pick in last April's NFL Draft, ready this season. Several coaches told The Inside Read that Mariota is the best college quarterback they've ever seen.

"He covered up a lot of things," says one assistant.

The transfer of quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. from Eastern Washington made for an intriguing off-season story, especially the drama of whether or not he'd be eligible come August. But for coaches who compete against the Ducks, the necessity of an elite program to have to rely on an FCS transfer to be the team's starting quarterback was viewed as irresponsible. "That shocked me," said one coach.

http://oregon.247sports.com/Bolt/How-Much-Trouble-is-Oregon-in-39800723

 

[STOMP]

By "not throwing him under the bus," I mean I wouldn't fire him.... yet.

Not that what anyone says on here factors 1 iota to what actually happens, but you were calling for Helfrich's head October of last year. With a career record of 26-6 this ominous "...yet" seems pretty silly especially since you're so prone to extreme reactions. Does it really need to be pointed out that it was Helfrich who discovered, recruited & as much as any coach developed Marcus?

do you think this is the same program that it was four years ago? Does it have the same feel to you?

Is Deforest Buckner the same as he was 4 years ago? Are you? Very little in this life is static, change is the only constant. Come the end of the year the powers that be from within the program will reset the course, not us armchair QBs. Some players will graduate or drop out while others will take big steps forward in their development. There will be a new class of promising incoming recruits. Maybe some coaches will move on for one reason or another. But as last year's early season loss to Arizona proved, we've a lot of football left until then. Yes Mariota was a great QB & it's always been pretty obvious that Lockie is not close to his equal. I don't think there is a position in American sports where a single position has more influence over a team's quality then QB. A healthy VA could potentially be a decent stopgap for the season but he's also a step down from the best player in the history of the program... of course. Part of the intrigue for me in following my Ducks is whats on the horizon and there is arguably more talent coming up then ever before including at QB.

If life is a journey, you don't enjoy the view from the top of the mountain if you haven't climbed up from the valley below. Peaks and valleys... enjoy the journey

STOMP

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

I think Mark needs to fire Don after the civil war this season, if he doesn't he should really be on the hot seat going into next season.

We should really be watching the "waiver wire" of coaches this winter.

 

[oldmangrouch]

Serious question:

At this point, can anybody point to anything positive? Can you point to anything and say "that makes me optimistic"?

The injuries to Tyner and Marshall are an important variable beyond Hef's control. Not everything is beyond his control. He recruited these kids and it his his job to have them ready to play. If he doesn't get things back on track and give us hope for next season....then he deserves to be on the hot seat. If the team shows major growth over the rest of the season, his job should be safe. He controls his own fate.

 

[Natebishop3]

Not that what anyone says on here factors 1 iota to what actually happens, but you were calling for Helfrich's head October of last year. With a career record of 26-6 this ominous "...yet" seems pretty silly especially since you're so prone to extreme reactions. Does it really need to be pointed out that it was Helfrich who discovered, recruited & as much as any coach developed Marcus?



Is Deforest Buckner the same as he was 4 years ago? Are you? Very little in this life is static, change is the only constant. Come the end of the year the powers that be from within the program will reset the course, not us armchair QBs. Some players will graduate or drop out while others will take big steps forward in their development. There will be a new class of promising incoming recruits. Maybe some coaches will move on for one reason or another. But as last year's early season loss to Arizona proved, we've a lot of football left until then. Yes Mariota was a great QB & it's always been pretty obvious that Lockie is not close to his equal. I don't think there is a position in American sports where a single position has more influence over a team's quality then QB. A healthy VA could potentially be a decent stopgap for the season but he's also a step down from the best player in the history of the program... of course. Part of the intrigue for me in following my Ducks is whats on the horizon and there is arguably more talent coming up then ever before including at QB.

If life is a journey, you don't enjoy the view from the top of the mountain if you haven't climbed up from the valley below. Peaks and valleys... enjoy the journey

STOMP

It just seems to me that the truly successful programs have larger than life coaches. Guys like Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, and Pete Carroll. I saw Chip in that same vein. A guy that could uplift an entire program because of who he is and how he does things. I think it's possible for any team to find success, but as players graduate and football evolves, can the program stay at the top of the heap? I'm just not sure if Helf is that guy, but I'm not an expert by any means. Just sharing my thoughts, which is all I ever do. I'm sure most of you know a lot more about football than I do. I've watched it for most of my life, but I've never claimed to know it all. I never really played that much, and I couldn't tell you the differences between various defensive sets, or offensive play calling. I just have opinions on what I see, and then I share those opinions. That's really the point of a forum, right?

 

[STOMP]

Serious question:

At this point, can anybody point to anything positive? Can you point to anything and say "that makes me optimistic"?

You mean besides being the winningest program in the conference the past decade & 2 National Championship appearances in the past 5 years? Having respected long-tenured coaches, opulent facilities and a stream of highly regarded recruits pilgrimaging each year from across the country to visit their "dream school?" For some reason Joey thinks you guys are "ridiculous."

"You're going to have bumps, relax"

http://www.csnnw.com/ducks/joey-harrington-just-reminded-us-what-oregon-all-about

STOMP

 

[tlongII]

You mean besides being the winningest program in the conference the past decade & 2 National Championship appearances in the past 5 years? Having respected long-tenured coaches, opulent facilities and a stream of highly regarded recruits pilgrimaging each year from across the country to visit their "dream school?" For some reason Joey thinks you guys are "ridiculous."

"You're going to have bumps, relax"

http://www.csnnw.com/ducks/joey-harrington-just-reminded-us-what-oregon-all-about

STOMP

Dammit! I was just about to post that!

 

[Sinobas]

I can't tell the difference between the Ducks and 49ers anymore. Football season is ruined. Ever notice that the 49ers were rarely on TV when they were good, but now that they suck ass, they've been on every god damn week.