Thursday, December 29, 2011

Ducks To Face Their Fears on Monday

LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner (seated in front) are buddies.
They got this pic on the Space Mountain ride at Disneyland.
What did Barner do once he saw this image of LaMJ crying like a little girl?
He did what any good friend would do and immediately sent it viral.
I got this off of international gossip site, TMZ.
SIDE NOTE . . . ._____________________
You would think that with internet blogs and such, you would get a lot more quality coverage of Oregon and the Rose Bowl (I know. My blog is clear proof that that's bull.).
   But really, it's hard to pick through so much blah, blah, blah, to find some really insightful analysis.
   Here's an example. Perhaps you've heard of the blog Bleacher Report? Here is a line from one contributor's analysis of the game:

In the end, this matchup is going to come down to who racks up the most points.

Genius. And he picked Oregon!  With logic like that, who could argue?
____________________________________

Brian Bennett contributed a post to the Big Ten blog of ESPN. It spells out some trends in much of the analysis I'm seeing.
Opposite offenses could attract Rose record

When they paint the end zones at Rose Bowl Stadium, they might want to consider a second coat. Because there's a pretty good chance Oregon and Wisconsin could end up trampling lots of colored grass under their cleats.

   On paper, at least, this matchup has the potential to surpass the record 80 combined points that Iowa and Washington put up in the 1991 Rose Bowl game. The Ducks average a little more than 46 points per game, while Wisconsin is just a hair under 45 points a contest. Each team has scored at least 50 points four times this season and has broken the 45-point barrier seven times.
   Bowl games between a pair of high-scoring teams are nothing new, of course. What sets this one apart, though, is how radically different both styles are and how difficult each may be for the other to slow down
"The great thing about this matchup is it's kind of like the direct opposites of offensive philosophy," Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema said. "Obviously, Chip [Kelly] and Oregon like to score at a very rapid rate, and we like to hold the ball and score as often as possible for the most amount of time. It's a very unique situation, and something that we're excited about."

Boil the contrast down to the essence, and you have Oregon's warp-speed spread attack versus the Badgers' Midwestern brute force. It's not nearly that simplistic, but for the purposes of the next couple of paragraphs, let's follow that narrative.
   The Ducks would like to snap the ball before the officials remove the pigskins from the equipment case, if that were possible. They try to hit you with as many plays in a short amount of time as the laws of physics allow. Oregon has 41 touchdown drives this season that have lasted two minutes or less and 13 that have taken less than a minute. Their last-place FBS ranking in time of possession is a source of pride.
   Even though the Big Ten is more familiar with 21st-century offenses than casual fans believe, nothing in its league can quite prepare Wisconsin for what's coming.
    "We've seen some spread offenses like Michigan that used to be like that," Badgers defensive end Patrick Butrym said. "But they didn't move nearly as fast. It's unbelievable. I've never seen anything like it."

Wisconsin doesn't have Phil Knight or flashy uniforms, and the team's main offensive strength -- its offensive line -- isn't exactly sexy. But the Badgers can be equally effective, as Kelly knows from watching some Big Ten games during pregame breakfast on the West Coast.
   "It just seems like it's a pinball number sometimes when you're watching Wisconsin games," Kelly said.
   And the offensive line provides the paddle. The front five is massive at an average of more than 320 pounds per man, and that doesn't include the fullback and tight ends that offensive coordinator Paul Chryst often employs to bludgeon people with the ground game. Wisconsin averages nearly seven minutes of possession per game more than Oregon and has had 11 scoring drives of five minutes or more this season.
   But it's not just size that overwhelms opponents. The Badgers' big uglies are shockingly athletic, and defenses often aren't ready for that until a guard pulls and plows open a gaping hole for star running back Montee Ball. Just as teams can't adequately simulate Oregon's speed, they can't exactly find scout-teamers who can duplicate Wisconsin. Kelly said that while the Ducks have faced beefy, pro-style attacks from Stanford and USC, those Pac-12 teams don't also have a high-caliber back such as Ball.
Big Ugly Badgers
   "People know what we're going to do, but a lot of teams don't see our style of offense very often," left tackle Josh Oglesby said. "That's an advantage that allows us to really go after guys early and confuse them with some sets. We've got power and we really move. The way we do it, you don't see too often."

The offensive philosophies aren't complete opposites. If Oregon were merely a finesse team, it wouldn't be averaging a nation's best 6.5 yards per carry. LaMichael James may be a smaller back at 5-foot-9, but he's no fun to bring down. Wisconsin doesn't just plod away; with the dynamic Russell Wilson at quarterback, it has a dangerous play-action passing game that can occasionally quack like a Duck.
   "When you look at our offense, it's unconventional in its own way," Wisconsin defensive coordinator Chris Ash said. "We've got some quick-strike ability with our quarterback and Montee Ball. We can score from anywhere on the field, also; it's just in a different way."
  
Projected high-scoring games often disappoint. Just look at last season's BCS games involving these two teams. According to statistics, the Oregon-Auburn BCS title game and the Wisconsin-TCU Rose Bowl matchup should each have been played in the 40-point range. The combined point total for both games: 81.
   Something about this feels different, though, probably because the contrasting styles could give each side fits. Better apply that second coat of paint in the end zones just in case.

I think he's right about this being a high scoring game. The major difference between Wisconsin and Oregon's three games with Ohio State, Auburn and LSU are the latter teams' defenses. Those three teams each had NFL-ready D-linemen. While Wisconsin is good, it's not that good.

Also, I will be interested to see when one of Oregon's ball carrying speedsters breaks into the open and starts running to the endzone. It was a shocker when that happened against the other three teams. They had the personnel to catch up to our guys and bring them down from behind time and time again.

Does Wisconsin have the men to do that? When I hear one prognosticator after another say Oregon is going to win (I swear, the ratio is like 4 out of 5 favoring the Ducks), that is what they tend to point to. Speed.

Oregon can score a lot of points on Wisconsin.

But Wisconsin is easily the most prolific offense in the Big 10. If Andrew Luck had Wisconsin's offensive line and star running back, they might be going to the national championship.

USC showed that when the QB and receivers can have a great day, they can beat Oregon. Wisconsin's Russel Wilson had great days with his receivers all season long. And then they have Heisman candidate running back Montee Ball.

Wisconsin can score a lot of points on Oregon.

So if high-scoring is the kind of game it's going to be, who does that favor?  Again, this is why everyone is pointing to Oregon. Even if the Badgers and Ducks are trading TD's, who has the better shot at scoring with less than 2 minutes on the clock? In addition, as the game moves on and Oregon can establish pace, can Wisconsin keep up?

Another way of looking at this: Compared to the other three big games, this could be the first time when Oregon doesn't have to worry so much about adjusting to the other team and just focus on being themselves. This being their third consecutive BCS game, Oregon can feel at home against a quality opponent rather than on another planet against freaks like Terrell Pryor, Cam Newton or Nick Fairley.

When Wisconsin scores, the Ducks need to smile and say, "This is fun. Now give us the ball."
Oregon can challenge high scoring Wisconsin to beat them at their own game. They can help tired Badgers up onto their feet again to get ready for the next play. They can ignore the scoreboard and just play.

They can be fearless.

And no one is more eager to do that than this guy:
Space Mountain? Maybe.
But Badgers? He don't fear no stinkin' Badgers.



Rose Bowl: Monday January 2nd, 2pm Pacific on ESPN.

May this be the year.
--KB

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

The Most Awesome Uniforms EVER!





My question is, will they actually get to wear those wings in the game? Are the wings like swords to stab would-be tacklers? Can they fly?




Luke, I am your father.
 
These uni's look like they're about $1 million per copy. They're like Oregon't finest china. Do we really want to smash-bang with the Badgers and scratch that gloss finish on the helmets?



With wings on the sides, they slid the 'O' to the back of the helmet.
 
As for those Badgers, they're supplier -- Adidas -- is unveiling a new Rose Bowl uniform for Wisconsin. And if you go to this website: http://wisconsinrose.com/ , you'll see a countdown clock to when the BIG REVEAL of these fancy uni's will be. It's scheduled for about two days, TOO LATE!
 
For one thing, an online jersey shop is apparently already selling them, and I've got the pics right here.
Adidas' and Wisconsin's weak attempt
to keep up with Oregon and Nike.

Notice the lovely rose petaling in the numbers.

 Secondly, in comparison to Nike's unveiling, timing, and overall look, Adidas is already knocked out of the ballpark.
 
 
 
 
This link to goducks.com tells the story.


BADger

Recently I was at one of those classic old movie theaters. They try to do things a little different to distinguish themselves from the main line theaters.

For instance they still use those old style square red and white popcorn boxes; not the big round horse buckets you get today.

Another cool thing they offer are genuine s'mores! Hot whipped marshmallow with chocolate bits stirred in and sandwiched between two graham crackers.

I ordered one of each along with a coke. It was tricky to get it all into the theater. I carefully balanced the s'more on top of the striped popcorn box. When I held it up, it looked a little like this.

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Mouth watering s'more on top of a box of popcorn.


You know, it's perfectly understandable for people to make fun of our Duck, It's a DUCK!  All Duck and Beaver fans have occasionally found themselves envying teams with a cougar, a wolverine or a badger. With a ferocious animal, your mascot design is off to a great start.

How does this . . .

. . . become this?
At least it should be. So where did Wisconsin go wrong with "Bucky"? At some point they apparently decided to go more cute than mean. What they ended up with was weird. The candy striped shirt gives me a headache. The beady eyes set in the malshapen head must confuse children.
"Daddy, is Bucky happy or sad? Did he get hit by a car?"
The face is made of discount fleece you can buy at JoAnn's Fabrics. It's cheeks swell out beyond it's ear-like protrusions like it had an allergic reaction to a rabies shot. You can fold laundry across the top of it's head.

Bucky is Buttugly.

And while having a badger for a mascot is cool, imagine doing the following with one . . . .



What? You were hoping for critical football X's and O's?
Wisconsin is big. Oregon is fast. Discuss.

More of that stuff later,
--KB

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Throwing out the HIP

A seven-year old who knows me pretty well asked me if Santa brought me just one present this Christmas, what would it be.

I thought about the usual politically correct answers like world peace and ending hunger. But I knew he was looking for a real answer. I told him what I really wanted. 

"A Rose Bowl win for the Ducks," I said. He smiled and nodded.

This is the third time in as many years that we in Oregon can walk into most any store and find Duck shirts showing off the BCS Bowl game they are ATTENDING, PARTICIPATING in. It's that Certificate of Attendance that you get when that was about all you accomplished.

One of the latest Rose Bowl shirts. This reminds me of what happens
 when I mess with the margins and tabs too much in MS Word.
Last year, shirts and hats everywhere told the story that Oregon was in the National Championship. And after Auburn won, that same Natty gear was marked down half price. You could still own something saying the Ducks participated in the National Championship.

I remember staring at those shirts thinking that right now, an Auburn fan is in Louisiana looking at a shirt that reads 'National Champions'.  Ours say 'National Championship'. I stared at those last three letters . . . 'ChampionsHIP'.

Maybe I can take a felt marker and cross out the 'HIP'. After a few years, no one remembers who won. I could get away with it.

I know. Pathetic.

This one is cute.
But someone didn't get the memo that
 the Ducks haven't huddled in three years.
Every Duck fan I've talked to this year feels the same way. It's time to win one. It's time to put a better ending on one of these fantastic seasons.
You know what it's like?  It's like the Christmas movie, "It's a Wonderful Life" -- my all time favorite movie next to "Starship Troopers".

The most frequent criticism of it was that in the end, Old Man Potter got away with his crime of taking and hiding the $8000. There was no vindication or retribution. Bailey didn't get any justice over Potter. 

So it goes, the thought of watching the Ducks face another tough opponent in a third consecutive BCS game is like watching Wonderful Life every December and thinking, "Just once I would like to see Bailey kick the crap out of Potter."

So I leave you with this, Duck fans. Here's to changing the ending and making it right. . . . . 


I wish you the happiest of holidays. May all of your wishes (and especially one of them) come true.

Oh, and by the way, it's always good to wish for world peace and ending hunger any time.
--KB

Thursday, December 1, 2011

It would be just like him to win.

Pac-12 Trophy
One thing that keeps entering my mind is the one question where Rick Neuheisel is concerned, What if?

A master of getting the last laugh, what if Neuheisel pulls it off? What if he gets to leave Autzen one last time pointing upward and shouting, "Scoreboard baby!"?

Neuheisel (which is German for "God cast him out of heaven") gave the following quotes at the Pac 12 Champ press conference.

"Yet, despite all the difficulty and all the adversity on the field or off with injuries or the like, we’re a game from playing in the Rose Bowl, which is the amazing thing about all of this. We’re going to take our swings."

"We do have experience in getting up off the mat. We’ve done it before. We had a very difficult loss in Tucson on a Thursday night and came back the next outing and defeated a talented Cal team, and then followed that with a victory over a very talented Arizona State team. We have experience under our belt to lend itself to getting up, finding yourself and playing much better football. Hopefully that will be the case again tomorrow night."

"It’s all about commitment. Ultimately commitment is just that - finishing what you start. I was excited that I got to stay in my role as head coach for this particular game and just do that. See if we can find lightning in a bottle and make this a game."
We shouldn't expect any less of him.

Meanwhile, Chip Kelly has his usual approach to this game. . . .
Q: Can you speak to having a chance to play in the Rose Bowl for the second time since you’ve been here?

COACH KELLY: Haven’t talked one thing about that. Our sole focus is just playing another game. We don’t play games and say, “Hey, if we win this game, we get this.” It’s not about the prize at the end; it’s about the game itself. That’s all we’re focused and concentrated on.


Q: Did you guys get to finally practice in Autzen today? What did you think about what they’ve done with your stadium? [Note: Apparently, Autzen will look a little different. Pac-12 signs will cover up Duck stuff. Don Essig won't be the main announcer. However, the Pac-12 will allow the motorcycle to lead the team in. Coach Kelly clearly shows great concern about the changes . . .]
COACH KELLY: Yeah, we practiced in there today. I think they put some new banners up and covered up our stuff. We don’t care.

Q: You don’t think about the other team’s mindset, but do you think in this situation, which is fairly unique, with Rick Neuheisel coaching his last game, did you have to prepare mentally that maybe they’re going to try some pretty tricky, funky stuff in terms of trick plays on offense and really let it all hang out instead of just sticking to some of the things they’ve done in the 12 games before this?

COACH KELLY: You can talk about that, but then you’re chasing goats. If you don’t prepare based upon what they’ve done and then just say, “Hey, I think that their mindset is going to be this. I know they’ve done this for 12-straight games, but let’s start practicing halfback passes and double reverses and all these other things,” we’d be kicking ourselves if they run the ball up and down the field like they’ve done the last 12 games. The other thing you have to be conscious of is everybody in a short week only had two days to really practice, so how much can you put in that’s new at that point in time? I think we’re prepared. It’s about understanding where your keys are. No matter what people run for a trick play, there still should be someone watching it. [Ha ha. Kelly called the Bruins goats.]

Two things that will save Oregon from Neuheisel's last stand.
1) Kelly got it right when he said that the teams have little time to prepare for each other. That affects UCLA far more than it affects Oregon.
2) The way the Ducks focus on the next thing is so solid. The next game, the next play, the next option. Even if UCLA were to jump out ahead, they would have the joy of trying to maintain that lead.

I just thought of one more factor. This isn't just Oregon's chance to win. It is their DUTY. The whole nation is counting on them to keep a terrible Bruin team from going to the Rose Bowl. The thought is so horrible, Rose Bowl officials in Pasadena will actually be rooting against their home team.

Neuheisel is frighteningly correct. UCLA is just one step away -- perhaps only one dislocated elbow away from winning it. They are the Sarah Palin of college football.
They must be stopped at all costs; and Oregon is just the team to do it.


Ya. That's the stuff.

Game time: Friday, 5pm Pacific on FOX (Not Fox Sports, the other FOX where you watch the Simpsons, Judge Judy, or reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond.)