Sacrificing the Gift

A couple of weeks ago, I did a piece about losing momentum with the marketing of Oregon football. I really liked the piece and thought I would reprise the piece here.

The thing that brings this to mind is capitalizing on the opening of the new Operations Center. The Oregon athletic department has been spoiled by the demand for football tickets over the past decade. There was a waiting list of people looking to buy in... with the rising prices over the last few years, though, that waiting list has eroded to all but nothing.

We saw last year how difficult it was to sell out less than marquee games. I place the lame for that squarely on the shoulders of an Athletic Department that once had the balls to put up a billboard in Times Square.

They seem to have accepted that winning will take care of fans in the stands; but it doesn't always work that way.

Without further adieu, here is the article from a couple of weeks ago:

A couple of weeks ago, the University of Oregon lost the matriarch of a family that literally defines the program with the passing of Elfriede Prefontaine. Few Oregon fans think about Elfriede as they review the legend of her son in their minds. She played no real part in either of the major motion pictures about Prefontaine's life; but make no mistake, without Elfriede, there would be no "Pre" legends.

It is believed that Prefontaine's attitude towards track and life are a direct reflection of Elfriede. Of course, as any man knows, the lessons from the mother are often subtle, but in some cases, such as this, they become a direct reflection of the matriarch.

Prefontaine's most famous saying is a direct reflection of Elfriede's toughness. "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." This saying attributed to Prefontaine explains his approach to every race.. IT was never about a "time" and always about winning; giving every race your best.

Let me say that Prefontaine was different in just about every sense of the word. A former team mate of his at Oregon told me once about Prefontaine's approach to one particularly grueling workout. To lighten the mood, Pre stripped down; ran naked, but he still ran every workout to win the workout. There was never a reason for not giving everything to the moment at hand.

Prefontaine was also very intelligent in an understated way. The saying he made famous is a derivative of the words of Aristotle. In <i>Nicomachean Ethics</i>, Aristotle  says that each human being should use his abilities to their fullest potential. This seems mightly reminiscent of Prefontaine's quote. Aristotle contends that human achievement requires a certain purpose and autonomy. In the view of Aristotle, people should take pride in being excellent at whatever they do in life. This is a statement that to not fulfill your full potential shows a lack of character; a lack of virtue.

Re-read Prefontaine's quote and you can see that it is a restatement of Aristotle's view on potential.

For the Oregon athletic department, the question is, are they sacrificing the gift?

The University of Oregon has been incredibly lucky over the last few decades to have incredible support from a number of very well known benefactors as well as the lesser known boosters who have become the backbone of a now elite program.

But there is a disconnect that threatens to tear down the very foundation that has been built. Right now, the athletic department looks almost complacent in the success that has been achieved.

No one denies that Oregon athletics are in a "golden age" of success. What happens when that success wanes just a bit? What happens when the football team has back-to-back 8-4 seasons? The athletic department has raised prices out of necessity, but they have begun to price out the backbone of the program and that is a dangerous problem for the long-term health of the program. No one can count on contending for a national championship every season; there will be "down seasons" at some point.

In the SEC, where football is a way of life, there are waiting lists to get season tickets for the elite teams. The Pac-12 has always struggled with the notion that there are plenty of other options. People in Oregon have so many other things to do with their money and time; hunting, fishing, camping, hiking. You name it and there are Oregon football fans that will replace their time and money on Saturday afternoons with those activities. When the team goes 4-7 as Tennessee did last season, will Autzen still pack in 60,000 for every game? Or will fans take their $600 plus for season tickets and use it for other activities?

This is where the athletic department is failing fans of Oregon. To stay with the truly nationally elite programs and ride out the leaner seasons that do not end in BCS Bowls (or playoffs beginning next year), the fan base has to feel more passionate about attendance; it has to become their priority. In a state that offers so many wonderful opportunities to enjoy nature, people need to feel that Saturday at Autzen is more important than elk hunting.

Oregon fans are notoriously passionate on Saturdays at Autzen. Slowly but surely, though, some of those most ardent fans have left the building to watch from the comfort of their seats at home. This comes from the complacence of unprecedented success. That will change; will those lost fans come back when the team falters?

The athletic department has rested in their laurels, to some extent, over the last several years. Where's the hype? Where is the excitement surrounding the beginning of the season? It has been gone for quite some time. The funny part is, with the closing of practices, the athletic department had an amazing opportunity to capitalize on the lack of information through hype building, but chose to "let the product speak for itself." That is fine when the team is ranked in the to five and a national title contender, but it does not work for a team that goes 8-4.

The athletic department owes it to the program and its fans to begin generating excitement around the program. Yes, the non-conference schedule last season left something to be desired, but the professionals that are supposed to market the team spent more time apologizing for the weak schedule than pointing out the exceptional opportunity the softer schedule presented for those who normally do not come to a game, but have been wanting to do so for quite some time.

In the Portland area, listening to common radio, I rarely hear about anything related to Oregon athletics. There is no television advertising, no radio, no billboards. Nothing here suggests that there is an elite football team less than two hours away. There is no hype surrounding anything about the football team.

Covering this through traditional media does little good. Sports writers, news broadcasters and radio hosts have to cover multiple programs and tend to give a bland approach to stories surrounding the team.

Games against teams like Nicholls State are a great opportunity to get non-traditional fans into the stands. At these opportunities, Oregon has repeatedly missed the mark.

Bland stories about players being named to awards watch lists do not create the kind of hype that makes a ticket to a football game have meaningful value to a fan. It's time for the athletic department to make Oregon fans have the kind of passion to "be there" that fans of other elite programs have on Saturdays. 

If they don't, they are sacrificing the gift for all fans.

Vanderdoes cleared to play?

That's the rumor floating around tonight. Vanderdoes had originally signed a National Letter of Intent with Notre Dame then, sometime after, decided that he would prefer to play for UCLA.

The speculation was that a health issue with a close family member played a significant role in the decision.

I don't necessarily agree with the decision to allow him to play because I feel it sets a strong precedent that negates the while concept of what the signature on the contract means.

Yes; the old debate "well, the coach can leave so why can't the player" will be bandied about, but the reality is that each has a contract and within the contract are terms and conditions that must be met for the party to negate the contract. In the case of the coach, there is a buyout. Yes, in many cases the buyout will be covered by the team that hires the coach away... but if you think that the coach does not cover that cost you are wrong. Even if the team pays 100% AND pays the coach whatever they otherwise would have, the coach has to count that buyout as income... and he gets hit with the tax bill for that amount...

Nonetheless, on appeal the committee apparently believes that the Vanderdoes situation deserves a hardship appeal. If that is the case, then there must be compelling evidence that someone close to Vanderdoes had a significant change in health. Let's hope that the rules regarding what constitutes a hardship and what does not get clarified.

If not, we could see a lot more recruits being wooed after signing a NLI... and when they decide to switch, don't be surprised by the multitude of reasons they attempt.

There is a current player on the Oregon football team who, after he had signed the NLI was still recruited by a football coach at another Pac-12 school. It was shady and sleazy, but it happened. The player was told "don't worry, we can get you out of that still." Now that a player has gotten out of a NLI, don't be surprised to see a lot more willing to take the chance.

It is a mighty big coincidence that one of the assistants on the UCLA staff was also an assistant at the aforementioned school that attempted to continue recruiting a signed Oregon player. (No, it was not the Trojans.)

A sign of the times? Maybe, maybe not. But it is a precedent. Whether it becomes a bad precedent or not remains to be seen.

Life and Football

One is just a game; the other, is where our purpose lay.

Today Oregon fans were greeted with news of a decommitment from the class of 2014. This one was different than just about any other, though, as the talented player, Jordan Hoiem, had decided that his zeal for the sport of football was gone.

Vanished. But not into thin air. Hoiem has struggled for quite some time with this decision as has been reported by several outlets. The thing is, though, football, like any athletic endeavor, requires a commitment beyond what most normal people ever experience. This wasn't "tee-ball" he was preparing for, it was Pac-12 football; at one of the elite schools in the nation; big boy football.

The amount of dedication that must be given to the sport is immeasurable. Yes, there are rules about how much practice time an athlete can spend, but that does not change the nature of a nearly full time job playing football... oh, yeah, and they have to go to school full time while playing.

The dedication goes beyond the mere practices themselves; football is a physical sport that takes a toll on the body. It is a very mental sport that requires the kind of laser focus that can wear many young men down quickly. Again, all while going to school.

And, if a college football player dares to speak his mind in a non politically correct way? well, take a look at Colt Lyerla and Johnny Manziel for examples of how they are treated. Essentially, the players are told to keep any opinion that is too strong one way or the other to themselves. They are ridiculed not just for mistakes on the field, but for those things that they say in what little free time they possess.

That's a lot of pressure. And it takes uniquely talented and determined young men to become the best of the best.

Many years ago, I too was faced with a decision. As a kid, I had spent much of my youth playing all sports including football. As a sophomore, I transferred to a different high school two weeks into the school year. Knowing we were moving I had not practiced with my original school. When I arrived at Churchill, there I was ready to play, but practice requirements had me ruled out for all but the final game.

I was recruited to run cross country and decided I did not want to spend my time practicing if I was not going to play, so I switched. But that decision wasn't really difficult. The difficult decisions would come later.

It turns out that I had a lot of natural talent for distance running and I took it very seriously. I gave up all other sports to focus. I trained hard; up to 100 miles per week in the summer. At the end of my junior season, though, I took a trip to California. One morning while on a light 6 mile training run, I just stopped. I realized I was running not for love of being a distance runner, but because it was something I was good at... that was my last moment as a distance runner.

That decision was difficult.

Any sport that you choose requires a dedication beyond compare to become one of the best. As a powerlifter, I sacrifice a lot to be one of the best. I have given up a lot of pleasures to be in the gym. Food? That is not meant for flavor, but as fuel for the body.

I was once asked if it was nice to not be sore after workouts. The person assumed that world class lifters no longer suffer muscle soreness because they are "training adapted." Oh how I wish that were the case! In order to get better I am constantly pushing my body to its limits. Lifting is a lifestyle.

Without passion or dedication, you cannot be successful at anything. Oh, there may be what others define as success, but you cannot be the best without that passion.

The physical and mental aspects of football are daunting. Without the passion and commitment to the sport, well, all of the physical gifts in the world will not matter.

Hoiem lost a very close family friend and that has taken a toll on his mind; as it would for any 17 year old kid. Death is a very difficult topic for the young. Once that aura of invincibility is gone, the mind begins to play tricks.

Jordan Hoiem is a very talented football player. He has left open the possibility of taking up football at a later point.

No matter where his life takes him, I personally applaud him for making this difficult decision now and doing so for the right reasons. Despite his loss of passion for the game, he had enough respect for the Oregon program and their coaches to announce this decision.

This allows the Oregon coaches to move on as needed. I imagine it also helps Jordan.

I remember interviewing him shortly after his commitment. I was impressed by his maturity over the phone that night. Nothing today changes that impression.

Good luck to Jordan Hoiem. May he find that path in life where passion and happiness become intertwined.

Johnny Manziel and Misperception

Once again, it seems the college football world has been set ablaze with the incendiary lifestyle of the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel.

It seems like every time I log on to the overstimulated world wide web and look at college football news, either twitter or Yahoo Sports is on fire with "johnny football news."

But, really, let's look at what we have seen recently... he was kicked out of a frat party. At Texas A&M's former Big 12 rival the University of Texas. Ummmm, so what!

What would you expect? If LaMichael James had been kicked out of an Oregon State frat party, would Duck fans care? NO! In fact, they'd probably be bragging about it becuase what Duck fan wants to think of James being too cordial with Beaver fans? I mean, really, this is news? Why? Because the Manziel won the Heisman Trophy? Slow news week indeed!

The reality is that, with the exception of a bar fight with origins that might be into a very uncomfortable racial area, what has Manziel done that has been that terrible? Nothing.

So he got frustrated with something that happened in College Station. Haven't we all had frustrations with the towns we live in at times? I have. I'll bet Tyson Coleman and Kiko Alonso have had some frustrations with Eugene at times. As have a multitude of other Duck athletes.

The difference? Manziel is willing to express his frustrations publicly. And for those expressions of frustration, people like Paul Finebaum gladly rip him into oblivion with their, supposed, unbiased platforms. Don't kid yourselves, though, there is no such thing as an unbiased opinion.

Paul Finebaum is one of the biggest "honks" for his team that exists in traditional media. When Texas A&M was in the Big 12, Finebaum spent about 0.3 milliseconds caring about the exploits of their players. But the moment that they entered into Alabama...err, SEC territory, then he cared. And, had the Aggies not beaten the Crimson Tide AT Alabama, he probably would have only given a fraction more time to Manziel and the Aggies. But the Aggies beat 'Bama and Finebaum has been on the rampage ever since.

Manziel is actually a very humble, respectful, well spoken and decent young man. I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with him in Beaverton where he had been a mentor during the Elite 11 Camp. He was personable and has an exceptional memory. He remembered A.J Jacobson from the time he had attended camp at Oregon and A.J had been covering it for Duck Sports Authority.

Manziel, like all 19 and 20 year old young men has made his share of simple mistakes. The problem is that in today's world, the things we say as innocuous quips are suddenly broadcast throughout the world.

Had some of the comments I made in passing to my Marine Corps roommate been of the twitter variety, who knows how much embarrassment I might have suffered.

I have said it about Duck players and reiterate regarding Manziel; we expect too much of these young men. They are, after all, still just 19 and 20 year old boys with minds that have not been fully developed.

To expect them to always comport themselves as we would at 40 plus years of age is an unreasonable expectation. 

And, honestly, what do we care? A 20 year old kid says stupid things. This is a surprise? I think that says more about you than about Johnny Manziel.

Absence Makes the Heart... explode?

I was out for a while helping my mother move from Cave Junction ORegon to Klamath Falls. It was sweltering that first day, over 100 degrees while yours truly did the heavy lifting and was EXHAUSTED at the end of the day. In fact, I was HAPPY for a 3 hour drive in a U-Haul!

After getting the two 26 foot U-hauls that were full unloaded, I headed home yesterday and made it safe and sound last night.

A day of rest has reinvigorated me and I will shortly have my next strong opinion out there for the world to see.

Thank you all for your patience!

Woes of the Buffaloes

Just finished posting the article looking at Colorado for Oregon's fifth game. Things do not look any better in 2013 than they did last season. In fact, in some ways, they look worse.

The best players on defense are gone and the top two linemen on offense have left. That does not spell a lot of good things for a team that finished as the worst offense and worst defense in the conference a year ago.

But this isn't really about that, my look at the team for Duck Sports Authority is posted to look at.

The bigger problem is that the decision to fire Jon Embree appears to have been one made in haste as a response to two embarrassing seasons in the Pac-12 conference. I am not sure if Colorado really made the switch to better position themselves financially or because they thought maybe they'd have a better chance at rebuilding in the Pac-12, but it appears that the Buffaloes are nowhere near respectability in the conference.

The hiring of MacIntyre looks more of a hire made from desperation. The names that were originally mentioned all fell through and it appears tht Colorado got "stuck" with the hiring of a coach whose track record is not really as impressive as it seems.

Sure, MacIntyre was able to get San Jose State turned around, but the recruiting competition he faced was nowhere near as stiff as in his new home. At San Jose State, a member of the Western Athletic Conference during his tenure, the recruiting interests of the members were widespread and created a fairly level playing field. At Colorado, he learned quickly that competing against national level recruiters like Stanford, USC and Oregon as well as competing against 11 other teams for the top West coast talent leaves very little low lying fruit that can come in and help right away.

Colorado may have better cohesion and be a more focused team in 2013, but they will still lack the talent to compete. Maybe he gets things turned around in 3-4 years, but he's going to have to do it through development of players because he is going to struggle to get ready-made talent to Boulder.

Why fear the hurry-up?

In order to comprehend who we are, we must understand where we come from. Such is a brief synopsis of Alasdair MacIntyre’s seminal moral philosophy work After Virtue.

Recently Nick Saban, Alabama head football coach, and Brett Bielema, new Arkansas head coach, have gone on record saying that "hurry-up" offenses are dangerous and bad for the game; that it creates more potential for injury.


I am not going to bore people with the entire detailed specifics, but I will say that they are actually wrong. The 2012 numbers show that the OPPOSITE is true; slow it down three-yards and a cloud of dust type football teams actually suffer higher rates of injury. That's not supposition, Nick, that's fact.

We know what Brett Bielema's problem is; he lost three consecutive Rose Bowls one of them toa  team he though he should have beaten. Never mind that he cannot keep track of timeouts and does not understand the kickoff return rules, he watched De'Anthony Thomas gash his defense for two long runs while LaMichael James methodically picked apart the rest of the defense along with Darron Thomas and Lavasier Tuinei. No, it had to be the hurry up that was the real problem.

Believe it or not, the up-tempo offense Oregon runs is not new and it is not unique. It was pioneered by Sam Wyche and the Cincinnati Bengals in the late 80's and early 90's. The Bengals were the first team to implement the hurry-up as a base offense. Tehy were moderately successful with the offense, but it was nearly perfected by a much stodgier coach, Marv Levy when Jim Kelly arrived on the scene in Buffalo. Circumstances always seemed to prevent the Bills from winning a Super Bowl, but Kelly, Thurman Thomas and the rest of the Bills made the 60 minute hurry up offense a thing of beauty.

At the professional level, especially in the 90's, it took special types of players to run this offense. Not everyone could do it and you had to have the exact right personnel. With the smaller roster sizes it was difficult to practice at warp speed. After Jim Kelly retired, the hurry up quickly retired with him. 

Chip Kelly brought it back with a vengeance. With deeper rosters in college and players more eager to listen and please without the ego of professionals, he was able to perfect a hurry-up like no one else. Cue cards. Hand signals. You name it and he thought of ways to get plays off faster and faster.

Saban and Bielema are right to an extent. Fatigued athletes demonstrate altered motor control strategies, which may increase the risk of injury. Studies have concluded that fatigue does, in fact, have an impact on the potential for injury. But most of these studies focused on recreational athletes not highly trained college football players. As stated earlier, anecdotal statistics from the 2012 season seem to suggest otherwise.

So what exactly are Saban and Bielema afraid of? Are their concerns truly about player safety or are they about job security? Nick Saban has no issue with job security, He has a job at Alabama as long as he wants and that appears to be ending no time soon. Bielema? He probably has a much shorter leash. Arkansas had limited amounts of high success under Houston Nutt and then Bobby Petrino, so their fans expect high standards. If he doesn't deliver quickly, he could be in a heap of trouble.

The real dilemma that they face is the perceived supremacy of the SEC. Texas A&M showed that speed and pace CAN take down the giant that is the Alabama Crimson Tide. If they can do it, why not Oregon?

 Do I think that Nick Saban is afraid of Oregon? No. Do I think he does not want to see all of college football; the tradition he loves of ground and pound; gone the way of the do-do bird? Yes. This is where it all lay.

Bret Bielema is from the coaching tree of legendary Iowa coach Hayden Fry who was part of the Frank Broyles coaching tree; this is old-school football from which Bielema hails. His success has come with behemoth offensive lineman and big powerful running backs.

The interesting twist in Nick Saban's opposition is that he is part of Bill Belichick's coaching tree. Yes, that would be the same Bill Belichick who last season returned the hurry-up no huddle offense to the NFL.

Stealing Lemons?

Former UW receiver Luter Leonard, once a heralded dual threat quarterback who barely saw action above the scout team during his time with the Huskies once told the Seattle times in an interview:

"The thing about life is you’ve got to adjust,”When you come into college, your goal — everyone’s goal — is to go to the NFL and be a first-round draft pick. But, you know, when life gives lemons, you’ve got to make lemon juice.”

Well, Monday Leonard was arrested in connection with an armed bank robbery. I guess if you cannot afford those lemons, you steal the money to buy them.

Jalen Jelks thoughts

Oregon received its 9th commitment for the class of 2014 yesterday in the form of 6-7, 255 pound defensive lineman Jalen Jelks.

Yes, you saw that right, 6-7, 255... and only 16 years old. Jelks is a man-child from Arizona who has had an interest in the Ducks for several months. I briefly profiled Jelks as someone to watch in May.

Jelks had impressed at the Rivals Camp Series and was starting to get a lot more attention. Combine his impressive performance with his size and youth and there is plenty to be excited about for Oregon fans.

Jelks, while big and very athletic, does have some areas of improvement like most high school prospects.  He has good pad level and a quick first step off the line. He shows good footwork and tremendous pursuit ability. He does have a tendency, though, to leave his feet when trying to make a tackle. That's easy to get away with in high school where you can dominate by your sheer size, but it won't fly in college.

Much of what he has, though, cannot be trained; size and athleticism. And he is only going to grow. He reminds me a little of DeForrest Buckner, though Buckner was a little more polished with his technique.

Maybe a better comparison is a taller version of Taylor Hart. For those that don't remember back this far, Hart was a three-star prospect out of Tualatin that signed with Oregon in 2009. Hart was 6-6, 255 when he signed and he has grown to 292 pounds. In the process, Hart has become one of the most versatile players along the Oregon defensive line capable of plugging holes in the middle or playing outside at defensive end.

Jelks has the same kind of size and athleticism to make a similar impact.

When Jordan Hoiem committed, he told me that he didn't like to compare himself to other players, he just wanted to be his own player. But it's natural for us to look at a player and wonder where he might fit and who he might closely resemble as a player.

Jelks will undoubtedly be his own player when he arrives on a college campus. Now, as is always the case this early in the process, it should be mentioned that Jelks' commitment is only as good as the paper it is written on... and that is none.

We all know that commitments in July are not binding; only a signature in February will matter.

If this commitment sticks, however, it will go a long way to replenishing the defensive line depth Oregon loses this year. With the earlier commitment of four-star JUCO defelsive lineman Tu Talia (6-5, 270), the defensive line recruiting for Oregon in 2014 is shaping up very nicely.

Welcome Back Kotter? Nah, just welcome back to The Other Side of Duck

Today, after reading a post on Duck Sports Authority, it occurred to me that I have entirely neglected my personal blog for quite some time. In fact, my last post here coincided with a trip to Hawaii last October.

Upon my return from tropical paradise, the season took hold in full and I found myself quite busy writing four and five articles every week. When those articles extended in December with the creation of the "Flock Talk" series which gave me the opportunity to express more opinion in my writing, I felt the need for the individual blog begin to dissipate.

Today, poster BigMattyO on DSA posted a link to Dale Newton's article about strength coach Jim  Radcliffe... and that reminded me of an article I had written two years ago. After reviewing my previous article it struck me that my voice had changed. Not the physical voice, but the voice I had expressed myself with over the past two years.

Anything I do, I take seriously and try to maintain some level of pride. Whether that be in the weight room, in my own personal betterment through reading challenging material like The Character of Consciousness (Chalmers, 2011) or writing for Duck Sports Authority, I strive for excellence. Do I always achieve a level of excellence I am satisfied with? No. That's what drives me, always looking to improve.

Nonetheless, I take the process by which I write very seriously. I am not always the most flexible person when it comes to my writing and that has caused some consternation.

About a year ago, I was asked to write a couple of pieces for another site, which, as long as it was not a conflict with my writing for DSA, I was completely comfortable with conceptually. In practice, however, there were some things about the process which were not appealing. For the most part, even for DSA, I have nearly full editorial control of my content. To me that is an important part of my process. If the voice I speak with, the views I share or the manner in which I choose to convey a message do not appeal to the editors or publisher, I don't like to be hacked up; I prefer that the piece just not be published.

I would actually be more okay with that than having someone take a hatchet to the piece in a way that changes what I was attempting to convey. In the long run, it led to an exchange that severed a positive relationship which is too bad, because I respect the person tremendously for his passion and commitment to what he does.

There are a lot of great Duck bloggers out there and I do not pretend to be better than any of them. My hope is not to replace the bloggers, but add my own unique style back to the mix.

One of the things that has happened as a result of my work with DSA is that my "fan" voice has begun to disappear. Make no mistake, I started writing as a fan and still consider myself a Duck fan. Nonetheless, the work I do for DSA requires a voice and point of view that has made me lose that alternate voice.

I want to gain that back.

From this point forward, I will use my personal blog as a means with which to express more opinions and other topics of interest. I will, of course, have my unique voice and much of what I talk about will be related to the topics at hand on DSA as well as different pieces which I cannot produce for DSA. Duck Sports Authority is, at its core, a recruiting website. As such, much of the content centers around recruiting and some football analysis.

One of the topics we thought was good was crossing over into "traditional" media territory with human interest stories. That did not really fit the meat, though, of what Rivals wanted from us, so we agreed to move in a different direction.

Here at The Other Side of Duck, however, all is fair. There is no corporate "guy" telling me what to write. This is my site with my thoughts. There will be a benefit, though, from my work on DSA and there will be a crossover.

So, I am back to The Other Side of Duck.