I said earlier, Willie brought in a heck of a staff. Leavitt is an outstanding coach....a hot head, but a great coach. And he can recruit.
The article about the jersey numbers is a complete spin-off of some of the things that Urban Meyer started doing at Bowling Green....and took to Utah....then to Florida....then to Ohio State. Most of his former assistants have done similar things. I'm not sure if Taggert has a connection to Meyer, but I'm sure he's had assistants on his staffs who have.
This tactic has worked for some of his former assistants, but has not been received well by others. Charlie Strong tried it at Texas and it failed miserably....funny thing is, now Herman is doing the Meyer schtick and it's seeming to go over well (probably because there's a similarity to Strong's tactics and Herman's).
Meyer threw all of the players out of the locker rooms when he got to UF (and his other stops)...then he wouldn't let them wear team gear or colors.....then he has "winners" and "losers" where the winners eat steaks, while the losers have hot dogs.
It's a gimmick, but it seems to work w/ these youngsters. It's similar to what the military does with boot camp - they break you down...then build you back up.
looks like Taggart and crew are hitting the road hard for 2018 recruiting. Last weekend they rec'd a remarkable 7 verbal commits and 5 of them are Rivals top 250 players. Two safeties, CB, TE, RB, OT, and OLB from all over the nation....OR, 3 CA, CO, FL, NC
Colt Lyerla escapes from corrections center
Former five-star recruit and Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla escapes correction facility; warrant issued for his arrest.
After his escape, a warrant has been issued for his arrest. According to the Oregonian, Lyerla escaped through an open window on the correction center's first floor.
Lyerla had been at the Washington County Community Correction Center where he was serving a 6-month sentence from an arrest and conviction of drug possession, just his latest run-in with the law.
The former Oregon tight end has had a lot of trouble with the law since his departure from the Ducks in 2013. He was convicted for cocaine possession in 2013 and was then arrested in 2014 for suspicion of driving under the influence, but it was later dismissed. This year, Lyerla has twice been arrested on drug and forgery charges.
Lyerla was one of the greatest prep recruits to ever play within the state of Oregon and was a five-star recruit as part of the 2011 recruiting class. He played his first two seasons for the Ducks, but then left the team during the 2013 season to prepare for the NFL Draft. Lyerla went undrafted but signed with the Green Bay Packers as a rookie free agent. He was cut during the preseason after an injury.
Guy had such a bright future then it just imploded due to drugs.
Former five-star recruit and Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla escapes correction facility; warrant issued for his arrest.
After his escape, a warrant has been issued for his arrest. According to the Oregonian, Lyerla escaped through an open window on the correction center's first floor.
Lyerla had been at the Washington County Community Correction Center where he was serving a 6-month sentence from an arrest and conviction of drug possession, just his latest run-in with the law.
The former Oregon tight end has had a lot of trouble with the law since his departure from the Ducks in 2013. He was convicted for cocaine possession in 2013 and was then arrested in 2014 for suspicion of driving under the influence, but it was later dismissed. This year, Lyerla has twice been arrested on drug and forgery charges.
Lyerla was one of the greatest prep recruits to ever play within the state of Oregon and was a five-star recruit as part of the 2011 recruiting class. He played his first two seasons for the Ducks, but then left the team during the 2013 season to prepare for the NFL Draft. Lyerla went undrafted but signed with the Green Bay Packers as a rookie free agent. He was cut during the preseason after an injury.
Guy had such a bright future then it just imploded due to drugs.
Leavitt restores the 3-4 which suits me just fine.
I felt that one of Oregon's biggest shortfalls in their defense was a lack of
experienced big bodies in Hokes 4-3 defense. So it was.
They had sufficient talent and strength at linebacker and that continues into
the upcoming season. Their defense was led by a true freshman linebacker
named Troy Dye who was credited with 99 tackles, good for 2nd in the PAC.
Here's an interesting read about Leavitt's LB's in 2017 if you're interested.
I felt that one of Oregon's biggest shortfalls in their defense was a lack of
experienced big bodies in Hokes 4-3 defense. So it was.
They had sufficient talent and strength at linebacker and that continues into
the upcoming season. Their defense was led by a true freshman linebacker
named Troy Dye who was credited with 99 tackles, good for 2nd in the PAC.
Here's an interesting read about Leavitt's LB's in 2017 if you're interested.
Just waned to mention that Oregon QB Justin Herbert is looking great. I'm a bit surprised at what I've seen
again and again as I view the videos from practice and the spring game. He came on in the closing half of 2016
and did a fair job of salvaging what was left of an abysmal season. He threw 80% completions in the spring
game and his accuracy downfield was nothing short of remarkable. And he's only a sophomore. He's also a
homegrown product from Eugene... what do you know! It woh't take long for Duck Nation to embrace him if
he continues to play well after the 2017 season begins.
With all the talent returning on offense (including RB Royce Freeman back from injury for his Sr. year) I expect
to see a resurrection of the Oregon scoring machine. At this point I think they'll win 8 games -- more if their
defense kicks in with a new DC -- but anything is better than the defense they showed everyone last season.
Good riddance Brady Hoke.
again and again as I view the videos from practice and the spring game. He came on in the closing half of 2016
and did a fair job of salvaging what was left of an abysmal season. He threw 80% completions in the spring
game and his accuracy downfield was nothing short of remarkable. And he's only a sophomore. He's also a
homegrown product from Eugene... what do you know! It woh't take long for Duck Nation to embrace him if
he continues to play well after the 2017 season begins.
With all the talent returning on offense (including RB Royce Freeman back from injury for his Sr. year) I expect
to see a resurrection of the Oregon scoring machine. At this point I think they'll win 8 games -- more if their
defense kicks in with a new DC -- but anything is better than the defense they showed everyone last season.
Good riddance Brady Hoke.
What's the word on the ducks' offense? Complete overhaul in termonology? If that's a smooth transition then they still have to deal with changing a defense for a second time in as many years. Think about that. There on Juniors and Seniors that have run 3 different defenses. Ducks might be needing to score 40+ just to secure the win.
Connelly's S&P has their offense #2 in nation, defense #77 and the Ducks winning by at least 6 in 9 games with two clear defeats (STAN, UW)
https://www.sbnation.com/college-fo.../oregon-football-2017-preview-schedule-roster
68%+ win probability over Nebraska, Utah and Wash State looks a bit much to me...
https://www.sbnation.com/college-fo.../oregon-football-2017-preview-schedule-roster
68%+ win probability over Nebraska, Utah and Wash State looks a bit much to me...
Possibly very true
I just read someplace where a respected pundit ranked the Duck offense at #2 in the country. Wish I could remember where I saw it.
It surprised me to see the Duck "O" so highly ranked anywhere but I see how it is possible. Taggart's offenses are pretty upbeat and
have been good for 40 points per game lately. Herbert better remain healthy or it will take a miracle for Oregon's "O" to maintain its
scoring potential.
As far as the Duck defense goes, it's all up to Jim Leavitt so we will see how he responds to the current situation. Here s what people
are saying about him.
"Because Taggart apparently has gone all-in by reportedly handing Leavitt a four-year deal at what is said to be the highest salary for
any Pac-12 assistant ever" In my opinion that means Taggart and the Duck front office expects to see results fast.
About the only positive I can predict about the Duck defense with any reasonable
certainty at this time is that Oregon's defense is loaded with linebackers that will be
playing Sundays.
As far as the rest of their defense goes I just dunno. But anything has to be better
than Brady Hokie's sense of humor.
certainty at this time is that Oregon's defense is loaded with linebackers that will be
playing Sundays.
As far as the rest of their defense goes I just dunno. But anything has to be better
than Brady Hokie's sense of humor.
Willie Taggart has the Ducks trending on the recruiting trail in his first full class. After landing the job in December and a nice close to the 2017 class, finishing No. 23 in the class rankings, Oregon has surged into the top 10 of the class rankings. June alone has seen commitments from ESPN 300 prospects Warren Thompson and Notre Dame flip Braden Lenzy. The Ducks now have eight ESPN 300 commitments, which is already twice as many as last year’s class. In the 13 years ESPN has ranked recruiting classes, Oregon has never finished in the top 10, and only inside the top 20 three times -- 2011 (14th), 2012 (18th) and 2015 (15th). Under Taggart, Oregon is casting a nationwide net as prior staffs have, but the ties to the Sunshine State are proving to be a game-changer. If Oregon wins on the field this season, Taggart can keep this momentum going and a first top-10 class is a strong possibility.
