The Beavers' sports bra uniforms... ugh.

I just had to photoshop this. I kept staring like a creep at these ugly "high-and-tight" sports bra unis.

The Beavs have a solid defense and running game, right up until they go against Pac-10 foes. It could be a long season for Oregon State.

New Team Tailgate logo for 2007-2008

Here's our new iron-on for the back of this year's spirit T-shirts.

Barney the Chihuahua is our mascot again, and he's ready to go!

GO DUCKS!!!!!

There's no escape from the Oregon/Oklahoma replay debacle

The Eugene Register-Guard has a new columnist, George Schroeder. He's taking over the writing duties from current Sports Editor Ron Bellamy, who wants to spend more time managing the sports section at the R-G. The ironic thing is that Schroeder comes to Oregon from The Oklahoman newspaper. And what does he write about in his first column? Of course, last year's Oregon/Oklahoma game.

On the surface, he seems to be a good writer, so time will tell if he does his homework, and get to know our teams and our state. It will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure of being a columnist in Oregon, where fans can be hard to deal with.

I liked what he said in this sentence though: "Evil men in swooshes did not collaborate to cheat Oklahoma. The Sooners wear Nike, too."

Too true!

Oregon has only a 20% chance of winning at Michigan

There's this blogger who feels that the Ducks don't stand a chance in the Big House at Michigan on September 8th. He has the Wolverines possessing an 80% chance of victory. And off course, he has Michigan going undefeated all season. I don't know what blue and maize tinted-glasses he's wearing, but at the very least, I just don't see Michigan trouncing Oregon (3-4 point victory for the winner), and I think the Wolverines will LOSE at Wisconsin. No way they escape Camp Randall unscathed.

I guess everyone's got an opinion, but I feel only USC and LSU have the best chance to go undefeated in 2007.

OSU's Sammie Stroughter makes an appearance at practice

According to the Oregonian's Beaver Blog, Oregon State Beavers' wide receiver Sammie Stroughter, who's been MIA from fall camp thus far, showed up for a few minutes at practice on Saturday, watching quietly from the end zone.

No one knows (or will say) what his deal is. Some of his teammates say he doesn't look happy. If it's serious "personal issues", I would take this year off, if I were him, and do whatever he needs to get straight. Stroughter is a great wide receiver, and his presence (under normal circumstances) would be good for the Pac-10. But if his head's not in the game, there's no sense in him being there, as a distraction to the Beavers, who are preparing for August 30th. For his sake though, I hope Stroughter gets to being back to his old self again.

Crybaby Felipe has left the Ducks Football team

Source: Register-Guard

Senior defensive end Victor Filipe, who redshirted last season due to an elbow injury, has elected to leave the UO football team in search of playing time elsewhere.

Filipe was passed on the depth chart by sophomore transfer Will Tukuafu after the first week of fall camp. Ducks coach Mike Bellotti confirmed Filipe’s departure after Friday’s morning practice.

Filipe finished his UO career with nine tackles, three for loss, including two sacks. He appeared in 21 games, with five starts.

"I wish him well and hope he finds what he’s looking for,” Bellotti said.

If it wasn’t a certainty before, I’d say this all but assures that freshman Kenny Rowe will play this fall.

The Linn-Benton and Salem-Keizer Oregon Clubs to Merge

The two Oregon Clubs (Linn-Benton and Salem-Keizer) are merging to form the Oregon Club of the Willamette Valley.

Personally, it's fine with me, because the noon-time luncheons before home games will still be at Creekside Golf Club in South Salem. It's a five-minute drive from work for me. (ha ha!)

Response to R-G guest commentary: Playing football in China will not adversely affect UO, the school

Leave it to yet another Eugene "non-sports fan" hippie academic to whine about the UO Athletic Department spending their private money, from ticket sales and donations, to consider (and possibly) going to China to play a non-conference game in 2009.

The thing is, lady, there have been money issues on the academic side of the University of Oregon since I was a student. Education is what you make of it, not what can be handed to you. The costs will continue to rise, regardless of what the athletic side does.

My solution is this: You want more money for the University? Go lobby the State Legislature and Congress for more public money, and leave the Athletic Department out of it.

Oregon Ducks Countdown to Kickoff MySpace Widget

I may be slow in finding out about this, but you can add this to your blog and/or MySpace page. You can get the code here:

http://admin.xosn.com/quest/Questionaire.dbml?&QID=2193&DB_OEM_ID=500

Must be nice to be Phil Knight... the best owner in college sports

Through various sources, Saturday's Oregon Ducks practice will be closed to the public and the media... because practice is being held at Nike's world headquarters campus in Beaverton.

The practice may be closed to everyone else, but do you think Nike CEO Phil Knight will miss an opportunity to see "his team" in training, on his turf? Not a chance. It must be great to have that much power and influence in the Oregon athletic department.

Team Tailgate 2007 Pac-10 Preview

Ah, college football....

It's that time of year where everyone's undefeated, and everyone's going to win the national championship. Fall practices around the Pacific-10 Conference (and the country) are well underway. Soon, we will all look forward to Saturdays, with ESPN's College Gameday first thing in the morning, then tailgating at the stadium, or at home in front of the plasma widescreen.

After reading the news from camps around the Pac-10, my opinion of how each team will finish this year hasn't changed much, and is similar to the many preseason magazines off of the bookstore racks. Here's my take on how the Pac-10 will do this year in 2007 (in order of finish):

1. USC (11-2, 7-2 conf. in 2006) – In receiving all 39 first-place votes in the Pac-10 media poll, let’s just start off by saying the Trojans are loaded with talent, across the board. They return seven starters on offense, and 10 on defense. USC will have some holes to fill at wide receiver and running back, but the new players filling those spots are plenty talented, and should be fine. The Trojan defense, again, will be one of the best in the nation. How could the Trojans lose? Well, it would be because of their brutal schedule: at Nebraska, at Notre Dame, at Oregon, at California, and hosting UCLA. Any one of those games could trip USC up. And, I just found out the backup QB Mark Sanchez is hurt. Will starting QB John David Booty be able to handle the entire load for a while? I believe so. They could lose one game at worst, but will most likely go undefeated. Look for the Trojans to vie for a national title game bid. Prediction: 12-0, 9-0 Pac-10


2. California (10-3, 7-2 conf.) – The Golden Bears luckily shared the Pac-10 title in 2006 with USC, despite losing to the Trojans earlier in the season. QB Nate Longshore and WR DeSean Jackson (a Heisman Trophy candidate) are probably the best offensive tandem in the conference. Cal returns seven on offense, but only five on defense. The Bears secondary will be green, and they may have to outscore some teams this year, but they can put up some points on the scoreboard. They have to play a couple of tough midseason games on the road against Oregon and UCLA, and they’ll try to vindicate last year’s defeat to USC, but at least the game’s in Berkeley. Prediction: 10-2, 7-2 Pac-10

3. UCLA (7-6, 5-4 conf.) – The Bruins will be breaking in their new offensive coordinator, Jay Norvell, but that shouldn’t slow down this potent offense. They have enough tools to win the Pac-10 title. UCLA has 20 starters coming back (10 offense, 10 defense). There most likely is a battle going on for the starting QB job, between two talented players in Ben Olsen and Patrick Cowan, as they seek their share of the snaps. The Bruins probably have the best wide receiving corps in the conference, and have a good running back in Chris Markey. UCLA also boasts a great defensive line, with fast defensive ends and linebackers. They get Notre Dame, California, and Oregon at home, but have to go to the Coliseum to face USC. The Bruins don’t make it past Cal and USC though. Prediction: 10-2, 7-2 Pac-10

4. Oregon (7-6, 4-5 conf.) – The second-half collapse of the Ducks was hopefully a fluke, as they try to overcome their immense number of injuries and lack of confidence late in the season, that they experienced in 2006. Oregon, like UCLA, has a new offensive coordinator (and spread offense guru) in Chip Kelly. With the seven returning starters on offense, and the seven on defense, the Ducks, behind QB Dennis Dixon, need to maintain their good offensive production (#9 in NCAA total offense in 2006), and utilize the running game more, with bruiser RB’s Jonathan Stewart and Jeremiah Johnson. Special teams will hopefully improve, but remains in question, along with their depth on the defensive line. The Ducks were abysmal at stopping the run last year (ninth in the Pac-10). Oregon arguably has the best secondary in the conference, however, with Patrick Chung, Jairus Byrd, and Walter Thurmond III, each as potential All Pac-10 candidates in 2007. The Ducks have a favorable schedule, but still will have trouble at Michigan, at home versus USC, and at UCLA. Prediction: 9-3, 7-2 Pac-10

5. Arizona State (7-6, 4-5 conf.) – The lucky thing for the Sun Devils is that it’s now 2007, and they have one heck of a new head coach in Dennis Erickson. After last year’s fall camp debacle with Nebraska QB Sam Keller quitting the team, starting QB Rudy Carpenter was miserable in 2006, compared to when he shared snaps with Keller his freshman year. ASU has 10 offensive starters returning, but only six on defense. The Sun Devils feature a decent running game with RB Ryan Torain, and the entire offensive line is back, so it should give Torain room to roam. Here’s the hard part… figuring out their win and losses. Besides hosting Arizona, California and USC, the Sun Devils travel to Washington State, Oregon, and UCLA. Not a good way for Erickson to start his tenure in Tempe. Prediction: 7-5, 4-5 Pac-10

Now, a quick look at the rest of the Pac-10:

6. Washington State (6-6, 4-5 conf.) – QB Alex Brink is one of the best in the Pac-10, and could become number one on the Cougar's career passing list by year’s end. The problem is, WSU needs to work on their running game and defense. Prediction: 6-6, 4-5 Pac-10



7. Arizona (6-6, 4-5 conf.) – The Wildcats have most of their weapons coming back, but QB Willie Tuitama needs to stay healthy (and concussion-free) for Arizona to move up this list. They do have one of the better defenses in the Pac-10, however. Prediction: 6-6, 3-6 Pac-10


8. Oregon State (10-4, 6-3 conf.) – The Beavers have a great defense and excellent running game. That might be enough to win games. Or, it might not be enough. There’s a QB battle between Sean Canfield and Lyle Moevao. And what’s worse is that star WR Sammie Stroughter has been MIA from fall camp so far (no word if he’s returning), and punter Kyle Loomis has quit the team. Uh oh. Prediction: 6-6, 3-6 Pac-10

9. Washington (5-7, 3-6 conf.) – A few bright spots this year for the Huskies include a good offensive line and decent receivers. But that will only take you so far, if anointed blue-chip freshman QB Jake Locker comes out green and gets hammered by opposing defenses. If he doesn’t complete passes, and if RB Louis Rankin gets hurt again, look for head coach Tyrone Willingham to receive his walking papers. Prediction: 2-10, 2-7 Pac-10

10. Stanford (1-11, 1-8 conf.) – New head coach Jim Harbaugh said at the Pac-10 Media Day, “I will enjoy the struggle” at turning around the Cardinal. He won’t be “enjoying” anything, if his team gives up another 50 sacks as Stanford did in 2006. The Cardinal were near the bottom of the NCAA in total offense and defense last year… I don’t expect that to change this year. You’re in it for the long haul, Jimmy. Good luck getting some of Michigan's recruits. Prediction: 0-12, 0-9 Pac-10

Well, there you have it. That's my take on the Pac-10 conference. Please feel free to let me know what you think. Saturdays are coming!

"Casey-gate" now making Oregonian look bad, not Ducks

I think it's outstanding that Dave Frohnmayer and Pat Kilkenny of the University of Oregon are standing up to The Oregonian, and emphatically denying ever offering the baseball head coaching job to Oregon State's Pat Casey.

Any freshman journalism school student knows to check (and double check) their sources. This so-called, concocted(?) "well-placed" source that The Oregonian's Brian Meehan refers to is losing credibility by the minute. Bad reporting, Meehan... bad!

The Oregonian wants to keep finding ways to pick on the Ducks

Brian Meehan of The Oregonian says that it is fundamentally wrong for the Oregon Ducks to go after OSU baseball coach, Pat Casey. A "well-placed" source (well-placed? who?) says that Oregon was trying to get Casey. I highly doubt that. What would there be to gain by it? There's no need for "etiquette training" for Oregon, because there's no story! Dave Brundage is the more logical candidate to pursue, and a better fit for our fledgling program.

Todd is honored to get published on the 'Q'

I received an opportunity on FanIQ to give my argument why the Pac-10 will be the best conference in all of college football. Several people have given me their "thumbs up" on it. Let me know what you think. Here it is, if you don't want to have to visit FanIQ (below).

Why is the Pacific-10 Conference the best in all of college football? I can tell you why in just three words… experience and depth.

Southern Cal, for one, has not only survived brutal Pac-10 slates in recent years, but has done so in convincing fashion. Teams in our conference typically beat up on each other year in, and year out, but the Trojans always seems to emerge unscathed. Plus, they’ve further proven their worth, by appearing in a few national title games in this decade alone. USC has also received all 39 first-place votes in this year’s Pac-10 Preseason Media poll.

Throughout our conference, the Pac-10 has some of the most experienced teams, top to bottom. According to ESPN, of the 240 starters from last year’s teams, 165 starters return to their respective programs. That’s nearly 69 percent of the returning starters! There’s a wealth of talent, especially at key positions: quarterback, running back, wide receiver, linebacker, safety, and cornerback. Even Pac-10 coaches are among some of the best in the nation, and have had great prior success, like USC’s Pete Carroll, Arizona State’s Dennis Erickson, Oregon’s Mike Bellotti, and California’s Jeff Tedford.

Position depth is also a factor. At quarterback, USC and UCLA are at least two-deep on their rosters, in terms of solid talent. At running back, Oregon features lots of versatility with Jonathan Stewart and Jeremiah Johnson. UCLA has arguably the best receiving corps in the Pac-10, if not one of the best in the nation. The best offensive tandem in the conference is Cal quarterback Nate Longshore and his wideout, DeSean Jackson. And either Oregon State or UCLA could boast that they have the best overall defense in the conference.

Offensively, the Pac-10 can compete with (and surpass) anyone in the nation, as four teams are ranked in the top 25, in terms of total offense in 2006: Oregon (#9 in NCAA), Cal (#12), USC (#21), and Washington State (#25). Defensively in 2006, the Pac-10 also performed well: UCLA (#9 – rushing defense), USC (#11 – scoring defense), Oregon State (#29 – rushing defense).

Basically, if you like teams with wide-open offenses and punishing defenses, the Pac-10 gives you that, and more. Head-to-head and game-by-game, our conference’s teams can challenge any other conference’s team any day. To me, that’s why I know the Pac-10 is the best, in all of college football. And, look for a Pac-10 team (hint: USC) to fight for a spot in the BCS National Championship Game again this year.

Bring on the season!

Canzano: Bellotti is a spin master trying to save his job. Also, Ducks in China?

John Canzano just can't leave Oregon and Mike Bellotti alone. First, he got on the coach for openly saying Dennis Dixon should've stayed in Eugene this summer, and now he's accusing Bellotti of being a "spin master", and deflecting the Ducks' shortcomings over the past few years on others... coaches, players, etc. So what?

This one guy (in the blog comments) brought up this point, which I have to agree with... Bellotti has brought the program success. Period. Read below:

I think a lot of us "old" duck fans still can't quite believe we are here, where Oregon could be seen as a national power. I am 36. I graduated from high school in 89, the fall I went away to college was the year Oregon went to the Independence Bowl, their first bowl in over 20 years.

Fans who have been here that long remember the pre league games against Pacific and San Jose State in Autzen that went down to the wire through the late 70's and 80's. We remember the years like when Musgrave led the team to a great start, only to break his collar bone against Arizona State and the season was lost. We remember great individual players mired on losing teams who gave their all.

We saw the Rich Brooks era (89-94), after waiting over 12 years for him to build the program, we went through those inconsistent years where we'd make a low level bowl, then go 3-8, then another low level bowl, then 4-7. Then, Kenny Wheaton intercepts a pass and suddenly, the Ducks are in the Rose Bowl. Most of us didn't cry when Brooks left, he was a plodder, slowly, painfully building from perrenial doormat to occasionally successful, and a lot of us wanted something new after 18 years of Brooks.

Belotti has been coaching now for 12 years. In that 12 years, we have 10 bowl games, we have 2 New Years Day bowls, we have shared titles, national relevence, and cutting edge glitz. To a lot of us old Duck fans, the last dozen years has felt like a long term fluke, like if we push away Belotti, we go back to the 80's. We associate the success with the man who led the team during it.

There are problems. The collapses the last few years, the bowl losses, the questionable recruits, but for many of us, its frightening to hold Belotti accountable. Its like when the Kings (I am still a rabid Duck and Blazer fan though I live in Yuba City near Sac) fired Adelman, the people cheered, but they didn't have a plan. They weren't firing Adelman for Phil Jackson, or even Nate McMillan. Change for its own sake rarely works out.

Well stated. Also, the Ducks are working on a non-conference game with Boise State, in China of all places. Stay tuned.

Feel the Earth QUACK

This is the new spirit t-shirt for all Oregon Ducks sports for 2007-2008. I think it's going to take some getting use to. But, like all late summer happenings, Duck fans anticipate the start of football, as everyone around here is excited. GO DUCKS!

It's Go Time: A look at the Ducks as they begin preparations for the 2007 season

Gotta love it the Ducks begin practice today. Just under 4 weeks to go until the Oregon home opener against Houston at Autzen Stadium. Here's a little piece from the Eugene Register-Guard to whet your appetite for college football!

Source: The Register-Guard

As Oregon primes for the football season, how about a practice primer?

The Ducks open fall camp with the first of 29 preseason workouts this afternoon. Veterans take the field at 12:15 p.m., with the less-experienced group at 4:30 p.m. as Oregon practices with a split squad for four days.

The team dons pads for the first time Friday, and will scrimmage briefly that day before double days begin Saturday.

There's much to watch for this month as the Ducks prepare for their season opener Sept. 1 against Houston at Autzen Stadium. The team's five biggest questions:

1. IS DENNIS DIXON READY TO LEAD?
The issue Oregon most wanted to address this offseason on offense was turnovers, and Dixon needed to do his part after throwing 14 interceptions as a junior. Then, after adjusting to a new coordinator in spring drills, the athletic scrambler spent the summer playing minor-league baseball rather than working out with his football teammates. Today is Dixon's first chance to prove the Ducks won't suffer from his absence this summer. UO coach Mike Bellotti believes his quarterbacks to be a strength of the team, but Dixon and Brady Leaf must show more consistency.

2. CAN THE OTHER "SKILL" GUYS BECOME MORE CONSISTENT, TOO?
There is also ample talent among the backs and receivers, but again some questions. Clearly, Jonathan Stewart has the physical tools to be a dominant back in the Pac-10 Conference. But it remains to be seen how he'll react to carrying a bigger load this fall, particularly in light of his history of injuries. And the Ducks love their group of receivers, led by Jaison Williams. He typifies a unit filled with big, fast players - players who don't always haul in passes they're expected to catch.

3. WILL THE RUN DEFENSE COMPLEMENT A STRONG SECONDARY?
With rover Patrick Chung and sophomore cornerbacks Jairus Byrd and Walter Thurmond III, Oregon has one of the top secondaries in the conference. Indeed, the unit helped the Ducks lead the Pac-10 in pass defense a year ago, though that was offset by a No. 9 ranking against the run. Key to improving that will be the ability of the UO defensive tackles to stay healthy. Three of the four players on the preseason two-deep - Cole Linehan, Jeremy Gibbs and Sonny Harris - missed significant time due to injury in 2006. And if they go down again this fall, the team can't turn to top recruits Myles Wade and Simi Fili, who each failed to qualify academically.

4. WHAT EFFECT WILL TOM OSBORNE HAVE ON THE SPECIAL TEAMS?
Osborne returns to Eugene after six seasons at Arizona State. Last fall, the Sun Devils were better than the Ducks in nearly every special teams category, and Bellotti is hoping for a boost across the board now that Osborne is back. But of primary concern is the punt-return game. Chung and running back Andiel Brown are slotted to field punts at the moment, but each struggled to hang on to the ball last fall.

5. CAN THE DUCKS RELY ON TWO NEW KICKERS?
Returner Matt Evensen, who went 1-for-3 on field-goal attempts last fall, is listed as an "or" on the depth chart, but he's below a true freshman at place-kicker in the form of Daniel Padilla. The two will also contend for the kickoff job, which becomes tougher this year after the NCAA moved the placement for such kicks back five yards. At punter, the Ducks like the leg of transfer Josh Syria, who sat out last season as a redshirt. But punting in games rather than practice is a whole different deal.

Head-to-head
Three key position battles

Strongside linebacker: Kwame Agyeman is a heady player and respected leader on the defense after starting all 13 games at the position Oregon calls "strong safety" last season. But from a production standpoint, he was unspectacular, and the Ducks want more game-changing plays - i.e., turnovers - on defense this season. If the taller, faster Jerome Boyd can show an improved grasp of the defense this fall, the position could be his.

Slot receiver: Cameron Colvin, one of the most highly regarded recruits to ever sign with Oregon, has one more chance to reach all that potential after being dogged by injuries. Colvin currently sits second on the depth chart behind the speedy Brian Paysinger, who started 12 games in 2006.

Defensive end: While Nick Reed holds down one side of the line, the other will likely be manned by a player who didn't take a snap last season - anywhere. The most familiar face is senior Victor Filipe, who redshirted with an elbow injury last fall but started five games in 2005. He'll battle intriguing transfer Will Tukuafu, who sat out last season at his second JC stop but impressed UO coaches in spring drills.

IT'S THEIR TIME
Players with big shoes to fill

John Bacon, MLB: All Blair Phillips did last season was lead Oregon in tackles with 105, post nine for loss with two sacks, intercept a pass, force a fumble and recover another. Then there was that blocked field goal against Oklahoma. Bacon may not be expected to repeat that last feat, but otherwise he'll be asked to replace Phillips as QB of the defense. He's a cerebral player who showed signs of cutting it loose in the spring.

Jeff Kendall, C: Gone after 33 career starts is Enoka Lucas, who fostered both intensity and unity on the O-line. Kendall added weight in the offseason, and he held his own in the spring. Still, the Ducks will also give all-league tackle Max Unger a look at the position in camp, even though Unger sat out spring drills following hernia surgery.

Matthew Harper, FS: The Ducks are also missing last season's second-leading tackler, graduated safety J.D. Nelson. Ryan DePalo had the first shot at replacing Nelson before injuring his knee in the spring, and he remains intent on playing a meaningful role this fall. But for now, the senior Harper will try to hold the job after playing in a reserve role as a JC transfer last fall.

Lifting the so-called "drinking ban" at Autzen Stadium

There is this editorial in today's Register-Guard discussing that the Eugene City Council is essentially "legalizing" public alcohol consumption at tailgaters in the Autzen Stadium area only. Well, I don't know about anyone else, but the consuming of libations at Autzen has NOT been actively enforced for many years, that I can tell. And I don't understand why everyone's panties are in a bunch now, all of the sudden. Sure, you get a few drunken yahoos (i.e. mostly students) that can ruin everyone's day, but for the most part, folks at tailgates act fairly responsibly.

Personally, I leave the drinking to other people, so the "legalization" doesn't really affect me while I'm at Autzen. But after the game?? Well, there have been a few harsh car wrecks involving other fans, going home up Interstate 5. You just have to be alert, and on the lookout.

Oregon Ducks Fall Camp Preview - Portland Tribune

The Portland Tribune has a nice article, discussing the Oregon Ducks going into fall camp. Good read!