Faster. That’s the only way to describe today’s Oregon football program. Anything you can do, they can do faster, unless you’re Cam Newton.
It took me until about mid-way through the season in 2010 to witness an entire Oregon game on live TV, and until I did, I didn’t really understand the pace at which this program exists. You could watch all the highlights you want, and get no idea of the operation. And while Oregon actually does a great many of the small things really well, their true competitive advantage is speed. It’s a simple concept, but damn near impossible to execute upon. Most any other program that tries to replicate what Oregon does ends up playing Yahoo to the Ducks’ Google. Pepsi to the Ducks’ Coke.
But even more than the speed of the Oregon Ducks, the thing that most makes me marvel while watching them is the convoy-like style with which they move the ball. Run or pass, there’s almost always a crew of blockers set up just in the right spot to continue to matriculate that ball down the field. It’s like every play turns into a punt return. The speed is one thing, but the conditioning necessary to behave like the Ducks on the playing field is just awe inspiring.
And considering that their worst experience of the season in 2010 was losing the BCS championship game by 3 points, and that their real competitive advantages are a product of program building, it’s pretty easy to slide them in at #5.
- Friday Roundup: That Was Fast Edition - December 14, 2018
- Ian Book Is Smokey and the Bandit - December 12, 2018
- Don’t Call It A Comeback - December 10, 2018
DMQ, bullshit….!!!!!Pepsi is way better than Coke.
Uh oh. Okie State in the top 4?