Friday, December 30, 2011

Alamo Bowl Light?


The Girls in Hood River
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Oregon and Wisconsin both have incredible offenses but the winner of the Rose Bowl will be the team whose defense makes the most stops. I see a high scoring game that will likely make folks think of the battles between Michigan State and Wisconsin this year more than say last night’s Alamo Bowl. Look for Oregon to score quickly and Wisconsin to score on longer drives. The key question will be if Oregon’s defense is too winded to stop Wisconsin from scoring late in the game. I’d compare Wisconsin’s offense to a Stanford’s though with much better skill position players. Obviously Oregon blew out the Trees but the Ducks won’t have as large of a speed advantage and it should keep the game closer. The Badger’s QB Russell Wilson will have A class wideouts compared to the C level guys Stanford was throwing out there. Oregon will need to bring pressure on Wilson or he will pick apart the young Duck corners on play action as I see the Ducks attempting a lot of selling out to the run early. On the other side of the ball I think Wisconsin has some major questions defensively. They have a lot of size on defense but size isn’t the best defense against Oregon on the edges. The Badger linebackers will need to make tackles in space – if they don’t look for a bunch of explosion plays from LMJ, Kenjon Barner, Huff and DAT. If Oregon can score early and often Wisconsin will lose both the chance to have Ball kill clock and keep Oregon’s defense on the field for long sustained drives plus Wilson will not have the play action in his arsenal. He is deadly on play action just like Andrew Luck and the Ducks were able to shut him down for the most part as they forced him to throw almost every play in the final three quarters. Watch Oregon carefully there first few drives – is DT throwing accurate balls and are the wideouts making catches? If so this game could get ugly fast. If Oregon is not crisp and has a case of the drops like what happened against USC Wisconsin will be in the game all day and has a great chance to win if they can establish the run early. Oregon wins their first Rose Bowl since 1917 (is there a single Duck fan who remembers that game still alive?) by a score of 38 to 31.

Friday, December 02, 2011

Preseason Projections Reviewed


Vacation to Maui
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Here were my projections pre-season. included are notes as to what really happened . . .

North: Well reverse WSU and OSU and I nailed this one the injury to Jeff Teul was the biggest factor here I think.

1. Oregon
2. Stanford
3. UW
4. Cal
5. WSU
6. OSU

South: Well I whiffed on UCLA I guess but as expected this division was a joke in 2011.

1. USC
2. Utah
3. ASU
4. UA
5. CU
6. UCLA

Champion in a blowout UO over Utah at Autzen Stadium. I am calling it a few hours early but like Oregon big tonight over UCLA.

Pac 12 Offensive POY: Andrew Luck Not that I went out on a limb here but got this one correct . . .
Pac 12 Defensive POY: Shayne Skov Skov was hurt in September on the bad grass of Tucson Mychal Kendricks from Cal ended up winning

Freshman of the Year: George Farmer USC Farmer didn’t play until mid-season and played RB – Marqise Lee and DeAnthony Thomas were both dominant and shared the award

Breakout Star: Markus Wheaton OSU – Wheaton had a good season but only scored 1 TD – If I were to pick again I take Curtis McNeal from USC or Keith Price from UW

Coach of the Year: Kyle Whittingham - The cupboard was pretty bare for Utah at the skill positions overall a disappointing year one in SLC. David Shaw won it but I think that Lane Kiffin should have.
Hot Trend for 2012: At least two new coaches in the South – Got this and well really should have said it would be 3


Trending Up: WSU – This may have come true had they been healthy at QB this year.

Trending Down: UA – UA was not in a bowl this year and fired their coach Mike Stoops mid-season

Bowling: UO, Stanford, UW, Cal, Utah, ASU – UCLA got a waiver and is eligible even though they will finish 6-7

Don’t be shocked if: Utah “wins” the South with 4 conference losses – Had they not crapped the bed against CU this would have happened instead UCLA pulled off the feat despite getting boat raced 50-0 in their final game versus USC

Team I could be very wrong on: OSU – Nope OSU was in the words of Dennis Greene “what we thought they are”

Call me crazy but : One of either Mike Stoops or Rick Neuheisal don’t survive October – Surprisingly Rick made it to late November I was wrong on this one – Stanford could have lost to USC and Cal but Luck pulled those both off and well Oregon destroyed Stanford.but I was correct on Mike

Fairly certain: Only one Pac 12 team will play in a BCS bowl and it will be Oregon in the Rose Bowl – I hope this doesn’t happen, it will be a raw deal if Stanford doesn’t make the Fiesta Bowl

You heard it here first: Stanford beats Oregon but loses two other games in league play – I was wrong on this one – Stanford could have lost to USC and Cal but Luck pulled those both off and well Oregon destroyed Stanford.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Civil War


Fall in Beaverton
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
The 2011 Civil War was certainly civil though not much of a way. Man I felt like I was watching a game between Oregon and a 1-AA team not our in state rival. The fans were not fired up, no one Duck nor Beaver who I talked to, figured the game would be competitive. There was way less tension than we have seen in this rivalry for quite some time both on the field and in the stands. Oregon, though it was playing for a P12 North title, seemed to treat this as more of a scrimmage and the Beavs were just undermanned. Had Oregon been crisper in the first half this game could have finished with a Ducks score in the 70’s. What has happened to Oregon State? This was a program that just two years was playing for Rose Bowl – now they’d be lucky to win the WAC. I think Riley has done about as well as possible for them but with both UW and WSU improving (not to mention the rise of Stanford) it is just that much harder for another team in the Pac 12 North to compete for titles. Oregon State is clearly losing the recruiting wars on the offensive and defensive lines and it is leading to a team that can’t run nor can stop the run. On to the P12 Championship game. Does anyone really care? Does anyone think that lame-duck Rick has any chance of winning this game? Ticket prices are at gouge level and the P12 is taking away much of the in game amenities that Oregon fans enjoy such as the fog horn and Duck Vision. I know they want more of a neutral atmosphere but in trying to find that goal they are turning off Duck fans. Let Autzen be Autzen and make it a reward for winning the North. Oregon 52 UCLA 6.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Oregon/USC Review


Taiwan Beer
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Well the wounds are licked and I am ready to talk about the USC/Oregon game. First off the Trojans deserve a hell of a lot of credit for a great game plan and near perfect execution. Matt Barkeley was incredibly accurate and Marquis Lee was just masterful in positioning himself to make some very tough catches. I didn’t think the Oregon corners did a bad job of coverage I think that Lee, Woods and Barkeley just were that spectacular that all they needed was an inch of spacing in front of the Db’s fingers to make the play. Oregon can look back at so many things that could have gone different and kick themselves but crying over spilled milk is pointless. Bottom line is that they were dominated at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and made too many mistakes in the first three quarters to have a good chance to win. The comeback was great but the last 30 seconds were confusing to me. I don’t like the chances of Maldonado hitting from 30 let alone 37 and with 8 seconds and 2 timeouts I would have thought they should do a quick throw for 10-15 yards to have a better chance to make the kick. The Ducks need to move on quickly and now can concentrate on winning their first Rose Bowl since 1917! Helmet sticker to Kenjon Barner who showed he can run between the tackles and is a huge receiving threat. He should pick up the slack big time in 2012 with the almost certain to be NFL status of LaMichael James.

Friday, November 18, 2011

A little bit on Stanford a little bit on USC


Vacation to Maui
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Oregon’s victory over Stanford last Saturday was one of those rarest of rare feats. A victory on the road over a top 5 opponent. So far this year it has only been accomplished by LSU, Texas Tech and TCU. Rankings wise this was the best true road win in the history of the program breaking the mark of the 1997 team who beat a #6 Washington team in Montlake. Oregon made Stanford look slow and confused and Luck lacking playmakers was off his game. Oregon is clearly peaking right now and I think they could give any team in the country a run for their money right now. On to USC . . . USC’s top 22 players are probably among the best if not the best in the country but the team lacks depth and is facing some injury issues. USC also has had major issues playing games in the state of Oregon lately. USC if they bring their “A” game can give Oregon a run for their money as they have a QB who is similar to Luck but without the mobility and a much better receiving core than Stanford’s. USC needs to build up a large lead and kill clock because Oregon will wear down the Trojan defense in the fourth quarter. A factor to look out for is the weather, it may snow and I think that may hinder both teams. The lower a score game the better the chances USC has to win. Will USC be mentally ready for this game or will they fold up their tent? I think this years squad has shown more mettle than the Trojans have brought in awhile and that is due to the leadership of Matt Barkeley. They are not eligible for a bowl this year (screwjob by the way) but still can claim a P12 South title despite what the league says. Look for Barkeley to connect with Lee and Woods and McNeal to have a nice game running. USC leads at half but Oregon runs away late in a game much like last years. Oregon 44 USC 31

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Oregon/Stanford Preview


Fourth of July
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Well unless there is a major upset in the actual Pac 12 Championship game today's game in Palo Alto will crown the Pac 12 champion and the winner will at worst find themselves in the Rose Bowl. Since spring practice ended I've liked Stanford to win this game but with the losses they sustained at TE and WR in the last few weeks my thinking has switched to an Oregon victory. The Ducks defense have found their footing and are playing quite well on a yard per play average. The Ducks are forcing a lot of three and outs and the offense is coming back and scoring the next drive - that is deadly. Everyone knows this will be a game of contrasting styles - of speed versus strength and option spread versus power sets. Both of these teams can really execute well on both sides of the ball and make few mistakes, the winning team will likely be the one who's defense can make a stop in the fourth quarter when both squads should be gassed. Health wise Oregon is in better shape than Stanford though the Ducks will likely again be lacking Anthony Gildon at cornerback. Stanford on the other hand is missing Ertz and likely Levine Toilolo as well. In addition Chris Owusu Stanford's fastest offensive player will be out. Andrew Luck will still have all of his backs available plus Coby Fleener and Ryan Whalen but this is clearly a diminished corps from what they had been bringing out earlier in the season. I look for Nick Allioti to bring a lot of pressure on Luck and to mix things up a bunch by dropping his defensive ends in to coverage from time to time. Stanford has been great against the run all year but I think Oregon will be able to get their typical 250-300 yards yet again. I think Chip throws the entire kitchen sink at Stanford and you may even see some sets with James, Barner and DAT all on the field at the same time. Luck may be getting all the press but if Darron Thomas can play an efficient game and have his completion percentage in the high 60's and not make any big mistakes it should put Oregon over the top. In a game that will be an ESPN Instant Classic I like the Ducks to prevail 38-34.

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Oregon/Washington Review


Vacation to Maui
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Well Vegas certainly nailed the point spread just about right on for the Oregon/Washington game but many national pundits had claimed pre-game that Oregon should be on upset alert. This of-course didn’t happen for a few reasons. Oregon’s defense played the game of the season and despite Washington attempting to establish a running game Chris Polk was working really hard for his yards. The Dawgs then got in to the mode once they were down a few scores where they had to throw and this lead to Keith Price making poor decisions. The Oregon defense consistently got penetration on Price and the secondary blanketed the excellent UW receiving corps. This lead to six sacks and a bunch of hurries as well and Price was forcing throws and seemed jumpy all game. On the offensive Darron Thomas played a solid game aside from his early fumble. The Oregon running game was dominant as usually. The only real complaints have to be the odd decisions to continue to kick long field goals with Maldonado and a case of the drops by the wideouts. Oregon could have easily won this game by 30 or more but I think the team overall is very happy with the outcome. Helmet stickers to the entire Oregon defense and to LaMichael James.

Oregon/Washington Review


Vacation to Maui
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Well Vegas certainly nailed the point spread just about right on for the Oregon/Washington game but many national pundits had claimed pre-game that Oregon should be on upset alert. This of-course didn’t happen for a few reasons. Oregon’s defense played the game of the season and despite Washington attempting to establish a running game Chris Polk was working really hard for his yards. The Dawgs then got in to the mode once they were down a few scores where they had to throw and this lead to Keith Price making poor decisions. The Oregon defense consistently got penetration on Price and the secondary blanketed the excellent UW receiving corps. This lead to six sacks and a bunch of hurries as well and Price was forcing throws and seemed jumpy all game. On the offensive Darron Thomas played a solid game aside from his early fumble. The Oregon running game was dominant as usually. The only real complaints have to be the odd decisions to continue to kick long field goals with Maldonado and a case of the drops by the wideouts. Oregon could have easily won this game by 30 or more but I think the team overall is very happy with the outcome. Helmet stickers to the entire Oregon defense and to LaMichael James.

Saturday, November 05, 2011

Oregon/Washington Preview


Sunset Sail
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Washington certainly has the best skill position players that Oregon has faced this season and I expect the Dawgs to put up a lot of yards and points. The key for Oregon I think is getting some points in the first half. The Ducks should eventually be able to wear down the Dawgs in the fourth quarter but if they find themselves down a few scores at half time that will be much harder to do. Keith Price is a very accurate passer and a dual threat guy with many options. In Chris Polk the Dawgs also have a potential All-American running threat - perhaps the best Montlake has seen since Corey Dillon. Washington has really improved the talent quotient on both sides of the ball but as was witnessed in their games versus Stanford and Nebraska the Huskies have major problems stopping the run.If you can't stop the run versus Oregon you are not going to beat them unless you score Td's virtually every drive (see Stanford game in 2009). I think the Ducks will let the reins loose on LMJ and Barner and the combo should put up 300 between them. In a high scoring battle Ducks win 55-43.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Oregon/WSU Review


Oregon vs Nevada
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Oregon played likely its worst game of the season on offense and struggled against the passing game of the Cougars but all in all I am not seeing the need for alarm that some folks are. DT and LMJ did not look themselves but more importantly both got the chance to shake off some rust. Bryan Bennett was excellent in the second half and because of this I feel that Chip may decide to make a switch at QB early in the Washington game if DT isn’t feeling it for some reason. The lack of big plays on special teams and defense ended with the Ducks blocking an extra point and returning a pick six. Will DeAnthony Thomas be the best offensive player in the nation by 2013 – kid seems to have something very special and will be interesting to see how they use him when James and Barner move on. Kenjon Barner was again excellent and Chip has clearly been keeping is carries down in case they need to lean on him if LMJ just can’t be his normal self for the next three games. Sometimes a team needs a challenge to fight complacency and I am glad that the Ducks got pushed a bit before the meat of the schedule which will seem them face three straight top 25 teams with two of those games on the road. I look for a great week of practice from the players in anticipation of facing a hostile Husky crowd who’s year would be made by knocking off the Ducks (or “zeroes” for you leg humpers out there . . .) Big boo on the noon start time – I could avoid never have that again and be happy . . .

Friday, October 28, 2011

Oregon/WSU Preview


Sunset Sail
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Washington State has a more experienced roster than Colorado and certainly more offensive playmakers however all I see that meaning is that the Ducks win the fashion of around 58-24. The Cougars even if they bring an A effort under the Marshall Leubenstall passing attack doesn’t have the talent on the defensive line to disrupt Oregon’s rushing game. The Ducks should easily be able to rip off long runs all day and should again approach 400 yards rushing as a team whether or not LMJ or Darron Thomas play. I’ve really been happy with the play of the defense the last few games, they’ve been forcing three and outs which is just deadly against the Oregon offense. Cliff’s situation is obviously up in the air so look for the Cougs to try and challenge Mitchell, Gildon and Hill early and often. The Cougars can move the ball down the field through the air but have only real run well against less talented squads like UNLV and Colorado. Oregon’s depth is helping them cruise through this easier stretch of schedule and I think Chip is saving up James for the stretch run. They’ll only play Barner as long as they need him. Tra Carson and Ford should see many carries and with it being a home game I think we will see a good deal of play from walk-ons yet again. This should be an easy win , I’d be surprised if the Ducks struggle early like they did last year versus the Cougars up in Pullman.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Oregon/Colorado Review


Maui Tropical Plantation
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
I mean is there really much to discuss on this one other than Cliff Harris’ bonehead punt return (which really is meaningless aside from preventing the shutout). Oregon toyed with the Buffs and could have easily put up 60-60 points. Colorado is really feeling the effect of the roster turnover that Embree oversaw. This is a really young team that has no chance even playing on the same field as a team as loaded as Oregon. The Ducks showed great depth at both QB and running back and the first quarter brought back memories of last year’s New Mexico game. Colorado looks like they are about as good as the 2009 Cougs which is not good at all. I’ll check back in two years to see how this team has changed but I’d be shocked if they aren’t the #6 team in the Pac 12 South until 2013 at the earliest. Helmet stickers to Josh Kaddu who had a Charles Jefferson versus Lincoln first half and to Bryan Bennett who showed off both a strong arm and good running ability. Back to Autzen for the Cougs before the season gets a lot harder (well maybe not too sure about that Husky run defense) in Seattle on November 5th.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Oregon/Colorado Preview


Trip to Gearhart
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
I will admit it I have seen about 5 minutes of CU this year and can name hardly any of their players. From all the stats and results of this year, not to mention the point spread, I have no reason to think Oregon will have any problems winning this game. So for non-gambling Oregon fans what are the things to look for in this almost assured to be a blow-out game? Health. Can Oregon survive this game without an injury to a key player? The Ducks have been not as lucky this year as they were in 2010 with avoiding the injury bug. All Duck fans have to hope that no one goes down against CU and if they do it is not for any long period of time. Second biggest question is QB play. I think it is safe to say that DT will be starting but could we see Bryan Bennett after halftime or even earlier? Hopefully Oregon can get up 21 or 28 by half and let BB get some throwing time which he hasn’t had much time to showcase. Third can Oregon break 300 yards rushing again? I think the chances are quite good and I think that Kenjon Barner will get over 200 yards as LMJ sits another game. I’d like to see Tra Carson get some more carries this week and facing a less than stellar defense missing its top linebacker I think the chances are good. Final score Oregon 58 Colorado 22.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Oregon/ASU Review


Fresh Hop Fest at Oaks Park.
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
A bit late yes but just wanted to write a bit about the Oregon/ASU game. I was lucky enough to be able to go to the game which was the first one I have attended since Nevada. The Sun Devils came to play and are a team who plays much like a classic Dennis Erickson squad. Hard hitting aggressive defense and an offense that likes to get vertical. In addition like many Dennis Erickson teams of the past the Sun Devils sometimes play out of control and this leads to stupid penalties (see Burfict, Vontaze). For the second time in two weeks Oregon fans had a throw up in your mouth moment when Darron Thomas grabbed his knee and exited the game. In came Bryan Bennett for his first meaningful playing time and to the delight of all Duck fans Bennett led Oregon to back to back td drives and put the game away. I am not sure we learned much about Bennett’s ability to throw the ball but I think it is pretty clear that is more of a running threat than Darron Thomas is. I don’t think ASU had any idea he was so quick and Bennett made them pay when they didn’t spy him. Oregon put up over 300 yards on the ground which was a pretty impressive performance against what was considered the Pac 12’s top defense. Had it not been for a pointless clipping penalty by Lavisier Tuinei, Kenjon Barner would have put up 200 yards rushing which would have meant four straight games an Oregon running back put up that figure or better. Kenjon proved that he can put up a 30 carry game, run between the tackles and still showed the flashes of his breakaway speed. We had a Cliff Harris spotting as well who might have made the key play of the game with his pick and long return of a Brock (6 foot 8!) Osweiler. Helmet stickers to Kenjon Barner and Mark Asper. Oregon by the way has now won 15 consecutive conference games it would take another 13 to break USC’s remarkable run in the previous decade. This week Oregon is off to Boulder in a game I expect Oregon to give players like Bryan Bennett, Tra Carson and Rashuan Vaughn some meaningful playing time. The game might not be as large a blowout as one may expect (giving 34 points on the road to a conference foe is pretty absurd) but Oregon should easily win.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Oregon vs Cal Review


Oregon vs Nevada
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Oregon’s victory over Cal last Thursday was in many ways a typical Oregon game versus a Pac 12 opponent. Cal’s defense came out tough early and their offense was able to put some points on the board and make it a competitive game at half time only to see Oregon run away with things in the second half. For Oregon LaMichael James was dominant the entire game however the offense only really started to roll when Darron Thomas was able to make downfield connections with Josh Huff and DeAnthony Thomas in the passing game. Once the receivers became a threat Cal couldn’t key on James and this led to Oregon rolling on 3 straight scoring drives in the third quarter which put the game away. Keenan Allen for Cal is showing himself to a complete beast at wideout but his brother (thanks for reminding us Jesse . . .) Zach Maynard doesn’t appear to have the needed accuracy to be a true dual threat qb capable of beating at team at Oregon’s level. Cal has the looks of team that will be fighting to get to six wins and if they are not bowl eligible for the second consecutive year you have to wonder if some pressure will start to mount on Tedford. I don’t see him getting fired this year but a 5-7 in 2011 followed up by another 5-7 in 2012 could do him in. I think Cal is lucky to have him as coach as they were a tire fire before he got there but it may be time for a change of scenery for both of them. With a new stadium finally in place for 2012 and a nice recruiting base I see Cal as being a pretty plum job. Well back to the game, in particular the play that made many Oregon fan’s throw up in their mouths: the LaMichael James elbow injury. I seriously felt like I was reliving the 1988 Bill Musgrave injury, the 1998 Reuben Droughns injury and the 2007 Dennis Dixon injury all in one setting. Elbows are not made to do that. To find out later that LMJ (do we even know if he is human?) popped his dislocated elbow back in by himself on the field was pretty amazing. James was on pace to break the Oregon rushing record for the second straight game and had played himself right back in to the Heisman race. No running back at the FBS level has put up three straight two hundred yard games since Matt Forte in 2007 for Tulane. Talk is now that LMJ could actually play against ASU. If he does and play effectively it will have to conjure up memories Emmitt Smith versus the Eagles on MNF those many years back . . . helmet stickers to LaMichael James and DeAnthony Thomas for Oregon and Keenan Allen for Cal. Special kudos to Colt Lyerla on his great downfield block on Kenjon Barner’s scoring running. It was a thing of beauty. Back to Autzen next week for ASU and I will be there in person, missed the Cal and Mizzou State games so excited to see Oregon in person again.

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Cal/Oregon Preview


Sunset Sail
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Cal was the only team that was able to slow down the Oregon offense during the 2010 regular season so you’d think that they would have a good chance of repeating that formula in 2011. You could think that but you’d be wrong. I like Oregon to roll Cal on Thursday night in a manner that will be much more like the 2009 game at Autzen than the 2010 game in Berkeley. Cal has a lot of really nice young talent on the defensive side but this is also a unit that saw five of its players from 2010 drafted to the NFL or getting camp invites including first round pick Cameron Jordan who was a key piece in stalling out the Oregon offense in 2010. The biggest factor in the 2010 game being close in my opinion was that Oregon was not healthy at running back at the time that game was played in Berkeley and Cal did an amazing job of making tackles in space. It is very rare for Oregon to go through an entire game without breaking a long TD score on offense and Cal prevented this by staying in their lanes and wrapping up. LaMichael James was dinged up in that game with a painful ankle injury and was putting up huge numbers of carries per game (in fact he had gone over 25 carries in five of his previous six games at that point), while Kenjon Barner was still trying to get healthy after his scary concussion at WSU a month earlier. This year the Ducks have a fully healthy LMJ who has not had to carry the rock for as many carries per game while still leading the country in rushing. In addition to Kenjon Barner, the Ducks are able to throw two highly touted freshmen in to the mix with DeAnthony Thomas and Tra Carson at the Cal defense. Oregon will not need to ask LMJ to win this on his own by taking 25-30 carries because he will have healthy backups who are capable of running the ball against a P12 defense. The Bears also have done little over the last three seasons on the road to make me think that they will become the first team since 2008 to beat Oregon in Autzen Stadium. To slow down the game Cal will need to be able to run the ball effectively to keep Oregon’s offense off the field and at the same time have an efficient passing game to keep the defense honest. Taking a glance at Zach Maynard’s stats this year and you see a player that has thrown the ball a lot but is not playing very efficiently with a completion percentage in the mid 50’s. To beat Oregon I think Cal has to have balanced attack and complete those key third down and long situations. If he is not approaching 70% completions I find it pretty dubious that Cal will have much luck on third down. Cal sports a nice 1/2 wide-out combination in Keenan Allen and Marvin Jones who should put up some nice numbers but in the end I think Cal will have trouble running the ball consistently for the entire game and this will allow for Oregon to run away with the win. The Ducks will put up at least 250 yards on the ground and I think it will be nice day for Cal if they can put up 150. Thomas will pick and choose when he wants to pass and the strength of the Oregon running game has made it pretty easy for Thomas to be selective (note his completion percentage of over 65% and his 12 to 1 TD to interception ratio). I see the final score of this game being 55-21 with the Ducks going to 2-0 in conference play. Cal, sporting a 3-0 OOC record should remain on track to get to six wins this season and back to a bowl game after a subpar 2010 season but will be looking at starting league play 0-2 (the win versus Colorado was a non-league game). For Oregon fans awaiting the return of Cliff Harris in a meaningful role keep waiting. Terrence Mitchell has played quite well since getting picked on a bit against LSU and doesn’t show any signs of giving up his job to Harris or anyone else for that matter. After last year I thought it would be a no brainer that Cliff would be a three and out player but barring an injury to guys in front of him Harris may spend 2011 as a non-factor and this along with his character questions can’t put him in the best light to NFL front offices. My bold prediction for this week is that Cliff Harris is a Duck in 2012.

Via Flickr:
Emily and I took a vacation to Maui in September 2011 without the girls.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Oregon/Arizona Game Review


Snorkeling Trip to Honolua Bay
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
I am really going to miss Mike Stoops. Say what you want about the guy but his teams have always played hard and you have to love the guy because he is so entertaining to watch on the sidelines. However, it is clear his tough guy act has started to fall on deaf ears with his players, the fans, refs, his assistants, recruits and likely innocent workers in the fast food and roadside coffee industry who you have to imagine have felt his wrath when they forgot to add pickles to his Big Mac or put two pumps of espresso instead of three in his morning vente. The one person though that we are not sure about is his boss, Greg Byrne and ultimately I think Greg is going to make a change at coach this year, whether that be in October or December it will be happening. Going in to the season I had a good feeling that Arizona would start out roughly because face it playing Ok State in Stillwater on 4 days rest then playing back to back games versus Stanford and Oregon is the September schedule equivalent of the Bataan Death March. I don’t think any team in the country would have gone 3-0 in that stretch and very few would have won even one of those games, Arizona’s record is exactly what I thought it would be at this time. The key to them salvaging their season will actually be how they play in their next two games, at USC and Oregon State which certainly look like they may be easier than we would have thought a month ago. If the Cats can win those they all of a sudden put themselves back in to the Pac 12 South race. Well on to the game, I am a Duck fan and if you are reading this you probably want to read about the Ducks and not Mike Stoops and Arizona. Saturday night was a fun game, Oregon’s offense was in beast mode in the first half and LaMichael James had a historic night. Darron Thomas didn’t really even have to throw so I wouldn’t worry about his lack of stats in the passing game. That’s not to say I am not worried about the Ducks on the other side of the ball however. Oregon got pretty lucky in the first half because Arizona consistently shot themselves in the foot with both stupid penalties and dropped passes. The Cats left 14 points off the board by dropping long TD’s and then extended an Oregon scoring drive after a stupid penalty on a third down where they had stopped Oregon from getting a first. Right there folks is a 21 point swing and instead of a blowout you could have had a 28-24 game if Arizona eliminates those three stupid mistakes. Once Arizona got behind they had no choice but to abandon the running game and this led to a ton of pressure on Nick Foles from the Oregon defensive line (kid has a ton of heart and plays with no fear and I’d put him at worst the third best QB prospect in the 2012 NFL Draft). Foles did a very nice job of throwing the ball down the field particularly in the third quarter but it was really too little too late. With a very green offensive line he took a ton of shots and he has to feel let down by his usually reliable receiving corps. This game really should have been a bit closer than it was, how often does a player the quality of Juron Criner drop an easy touchdown reception? The Ducks clearly have to feel better about their running game so I think they will spend the bye week figuring out ways to getting DeAnthony Thomas involved in the passing game and working on establishing Josh Huff and Rashuan Vaughn as deep threats for Thomas. Defensively Oregon needs to get better in man coverage as they will be facing some QB’s this year who can sling the rock in the next month. Helmet sticker to LaMichael James who put himself right back in to the Heisman discussion with his performance on Saturday. LMJ I feel has made himself some nice money by showing to NFL scouts he is a well rounded player. Mel Kiper even took notice of this praising his play on special teams in the return game and his ability to both run between the tackles and to be a factor in the passing game.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Oregon/Arizona Preview


Maui Sunset
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
On paper this game really shouldn’t be close. Arizona has lost seven consecutive FBS games while Oregon has won twenty of its last twenty-one games in Pac 10 play (this will be Oregon’s first Pac 12 game). However there are a few major factors playing in Arizona’s favor that I think will make this game quite competitive and perhaps even Arizona can sneak out a win if the Oregon defense goes in the tank and Oregon makes some mistakes on offense and special teams with regards to ball control. In theory the way to beat Oregon is to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, kill clock with the run and use targeted play action passing to go deep when the Oregon safeties cheat up. It’s a model that was used successfully by Boise State, Ohio State and LSU and to an extent Auburn however Arizona doesn’t have the personnel on the offensive line or at running back to beat Oregon playing that type of game. Arizona, if they want to win, will need to have the type of performance that Andrew Luck had against the Ducks back in 2009. That game is the only shootout that Chip Kelly has lost as head coach and Foles is one of the few quarterbacks who has both the arm strength to and accuracy to beat Oregon deep. Oregon has had a major problem this season stopping the running game but Arizona frankly has looked pretty awful running the ball their last two games and is breaking in five new starters on the offensive line. The Ducks likely won’t need to sell out to the run instead they can drop linebackers out in to coverage or they can blitz. If Foles can get going early deep maybe that opens up some lanes and Arizona could keep the Oregon offense off the field for large chunks of time. Oregon will be brining the heat early and often and draws are a great counter to frequent blitzes. The crowd, the field and the weather could all be factors that give Arizona an advantage in this game. Does Oregon lose a key player due to the field conditions and does a slower track slow down Oregon’s playmakers in space from creating long touchdown runs? Will the ZonaZoo disrupt Thomas’s ability to make calls at the line of scrimmage and will the desert heat sap the strength of the Oregon defense? All of these factors could easily contribute to Oregon both scoring less points on offense and giving up more points than they are used to an explosive, yet inconsistent in the Red Zone Arizona, offense. On the Ducks side do we see the emergence of Cliff Harris back in the return game and more importantly the defensive backfield? I’d expect the Ducks to run a lot of nickel and dime sets, if you have both Harris and Gildon on the field it will make it that much tougher for Foles to throw at will. Foles won’t be able to pick on the freshman corners with Harris in the game and this could open up chances for Gildon to make an interception or two. I think this game could very well be a repeat of the 2010 Oregon/ASU game in Tempe. Final score Oregon 44 Arizona 36.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Oregon/Mizzou State Review


Maui Brewing Company
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
As expected Oregon/Missouri State was a blowout. What was not expected was Missouri State driving the ball down the field on the opening drive and putting up seven points on the Oregon defense. Clearly the Bears defense was extremely undermanned against the Ducks but their offense was decent early and put up some relatively nice rushing totals. If Oregon can’t do a better job of stopping the run they could drop a few games in the Pac 12 regular season particularly to schools with mobile QBs (Stanford, UW and Cal area all coming to mind). Darron Thomas looked like he was playing on the JV level in NCAA 2012 because his receivers were open at will but deep and short. LaMichael James averaged over 12 yards per carry and Colt Lyerla is showing off some of the potential that made him such a high level recruit. It appears as if Rashaun Vaughn is showing some chemistry with Darron Thomas and he may end up being that missing outside threat the team lacked against LSU. Cliff Harris again sparingly played and is reported to have some type of wrist injury. I think it is very likely he takes a lot of snaps versus Arizona as the Cats will be throwing a ton on Saturday. DeAnthony Thomas continues to show why he is one of the most exciting offensive players in the country. Oregon actually had Missouri State re-kick after their kicker launched a ball out of bounds. Thomas proceeded to take the kickoff back to the 44 yard line bettering Oregon’s yardage by four yards over what the penalty placement would have been at.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Oregon vs Missouri State


Trip to Gearhart
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Oregon versus Missouri State is clearly just a glorified scrimmage. For the Ducks the main goals will be avoiding injuries, working out the kinks in the running game, integrating Cliff Harris back in to the defense and seeing what they have from some of their young players who haven’t had much game time. I’d expect a score of around 63-0. Missouri State will likely not have as much time of possession nor rushing yards that Nevada was able to put up and Oregon will probably try to run slower drives in the second half to eat up clock. I’d expect to see Bryan Bennett play most of the second half at quarterback and for LMJ to sit down early as well. I don’t see any reason to risk the health of Kenjon Barner and Josh Huff so I think they will sit out as well and try to get healthy for Arizona in eight days.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The Top 5 Oregon Non-Conference wins of the pre-BCS Pac 10 era


Kahana Sunset
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Aside from the improbable Rose Bowl/Cotton Bowl run of 1994 and 1995, the Oregon Ducks in the pre-BCS Pac 10 era (1978-1997) were the definition of mediocre. Terrible no, their counterparts up the road in Corvallis can take that title. Oregon was a slowly building program under Rich Brooks that typically played just well enough to lose to the better teams in the Pac 10 and would pull a home upset from time to time but typically found themselves in the bottom half of the Pac 10 and on the outside of the bowl picture. Oregon typically followed the model of playing one team from the Big 10 or Big 8 and two teams from western part of the country to round out the OOC schedule. Here are my picks for the Top 5 non-conference wins by the Oregon Ducks from the pre-BC S Pac 10 era:
5. 1995 Oregon 34 Illinois 31 – Illinois was certainly no juggernaut but they did have two future NFL draft picks in their linebacking core in Kevin Hardy and Simeon Rice and were a consistent bowl participant in that time. This was a close exciting and a bit higher scoring game they perhaps would have been projected with Gang Green facing off against the illini. This back and forth game was won by the Ducks when safety Jaiya Figueras forced Illinois to fumble and then recovered the ball in the endzone. This was the first of Mike Bellotti’s many home wins at Autzen Stadium in a season that saw Oregon go to the Cotton Bowl.
4. 1994 Oregon 40 Iowa 18 The Iowa Hawkeyes had some glory years under the legendary Hayden Fry but at the time of this game were a mediocre program as Fry’s career came to its end. No one expected anything out of Oregon who had gone 5-6 in 1993 and had just lost back to back games to Hawaii and Utah in pretty convincing fashion. The Ducks put together a 40-18 win that not many around the country would notice. The win over Iowa did however turn around Oregon’s season and the players gained a lot of confidence from the solid win over a traditionally strong Big 10 team. The next week the Ducks would be noticed by the entire college football world as they would go down to LA and knock off the heavily favored Trojans and would go on to their first Rose Bowl since the 1950’s.
3. 1989 Oregon 44 Iowa 6 – Iowa did not have a very good 1989 season however the next year they would find themselves in the Rose Bowl and in the previous 7 years before that they had been to bowls. This era was probably the height of the Hayden Fry era and for that 1989 game to start the Hawkeye’s season they were ranked in the Top 5 of the AP poll. Oregon was coming off a very disappointing 6-6 campaign that had stared out great for the Ducks. They had climbed as high as 12th in the poll and had a 6-1 record with only a close loss to #2 in the country USC. However, Oregon would lose a 22-21 game at Autzen to Arizona State and in the process also lose star QB Bill Musgrave. Without Musgrave the Ducks never won another game and had no national expectations for much success as they had not played in a bowl game since 1963. To almost everyone’s surprise the Ducks went on the road to Iowa City and pulverized the Hawkeyes who were one of the few teams to ever be ranked in the Top 5 to start a season and not have a winning record. You could say Oregon ruined their season before it even started. The Ducks on the other hand took the momentum from this game and ended up winning their first bowl game since 1963, an Independence Bowl win over Tulsa. In the 26 seasons previous to 1989 Oregon played in zero bowl games, since 1989 Oregon has only failed to play in a bowl game 4 times.
2. 1987 Oregon 10 Colorado 7 This low scoring affair was played in Boulder, Colorado to start the 1987 season. Oregon had just seen their best QB since Dan Fouts, local boy Chris Miller move on to the NFL as a first round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons. In his place stepped in a freshman from Colorado that virtually no one had ever heard of named of Bill Musgrave. Musgrave lead the Ducks to a win over the steadily improving Buffs in his very first start. All of a sudden Oregon fans had something that had been lacking since the days of Mel Renfro and that thing was hope. The Ducks would finish 1987 with a winning record but were denied a bowl bid mainly because of a mid-season four game losing streak.
1. 1990 Oregon 32 BYU 16 – BYU was on top of the college football world of beating then #1 and defending national champion Miami the week before in Provo. Perhaps they overlooked the Ducks or perhaps it was Musgrave and Autzen magic at play but the favored Cougars were physically beat down by Oregon in this game. Ty Detmer would have over 400 yards passing but BYU could not get any running game going at all and Detmer would throw five picks three of them to Darryle Smith. I am still not sure that Autzen has ever been louder than it was for this game. The game was shown to a large audience on ABC and gave great exposure to the program nationally.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

The Girls of Summer


The Girls of Summer
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Collage of the little ladies enjoying their summer!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Oregon/LSU Pre-game Notes


Inflatible Duck
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
1. This game will be decided by Oregon’s interior offensive lineman versus LSU’s young defensive tackles. For anyone who watched the BCS title game you’ll know that Nick Fairly’s ability to penetrate the interior of Oregon’s offensive line caused the Ducks a ton of problems in the run game and made them one dimensional. To Oregon’s advantage Auburn’s shaky secondary gave up a large number of yards to Darron Thomas and company but Chip Kelly perhaps stuck with the run a little too long. LSU is pretty young at DT and as far as we know doesn’t have anyone who is at the level (yet . . . true freshman Anthony Johnson may turn in to a Nick Fairly type player but I am not expecting it in his first college game). Oregon is replacing 3 offensive line starters yes however the only truly green player on the line will be Hroniss Grasu who has earned the starting center position after a very tough fall competition with both Hamani Stevens and Kerrington Armstrong. Most folks are pointing to having to replace Jeff Maehl as Oregon’s biggest question mark but I think replacing Jordan Holmes is bigger. Because Oregon takes virtually every snap from the shotgun Grasu is going to need to concentrate on getting off the snaps correctly every time while still dealing with some very talented young defensive tackles.
2. I see both Jarrett Lee and Terrance Mitchell being challenged early. Despite all the memories many fans around the nation have of Jarrett Lee throwing 7 pick sixes as a freshman he was a fairly accurate thrower in his junior year. 89 passes with only 1 interception shows that he can be an accurate thrower. He won’t be asked to throw the ball 40 times to win, what he we will be asked to is make 7-10 key throws throughout the course of a game to extend drives. I think Oregon will try to sell out to the run early and this will give Jarrett Lee a chance to go deep with a play action attempt perhaps on the first or second drive. Look for LSU to test Terrance Mitchell early as Cliff Harris will not be playing. If Jarrett Lee can throw at the 65% completion rate on say 24 attempts I think that LSU will likely win the game.
3.Who do the intangibles favor? LSU played their last game in Dallas so the whole “huge video screen” factor should not be a problem for them, could it distract Oregon? I think the turf favors Oregon a bit as LSU doesn’t often play on that surface but LSU played there last year in the Cotton Bowl so it is mitigated a bit. Fan wise I am expecting a more than 2 to 1 advantage for LSU, the stadium will be loud the beer will be flowing and you can expect 50K+ crazy LSU fans to do their best to disrupt the Oregon offense. Oregon has been no stranger to controversy over the last few seasons so I am not expecting the Willie Lyles/Kiki Alonzo/ Cliff Harris dramas to really have any effect on the team. LSU however has kept their nose surprisingly clean the last few years before the bar brawl. Will they be able to handle the media scrutiny and will Lee be accepted as a team leader in place of Jefferson? Finally will the roof be open? Oregon’s players are not used the humidity so I think they’d prefer a closed roof situation while LSU would prefer it to be open and for it to be a muggy night.
4.27 Points. If the winner of this game has 27 points or more I’d expect that winner to be Oregon. If it is less than I see LSU winning. The Tigers will try to eat up clock and ideally get an early lead and kill clock. Oregon’s habit of slow starts on offense before bowl games and early season games versus decent (ie non New Mexico) could cost them yet again in this game. Going back to Kelly’s time as an OC the Ducks have struggled in the first half on offense in games with long layoffs before them. LSU has the best defense that Oregon has likely faced in Kelly’s time so if the Ducks aren’t crisp on offense early it is going to put some massive pressure on Oregon’s defense to keep the score close until the offense can find it’s rhythm. In the end I think Les Miles finds a way to win this won in a game that will remind many of the BCS Title Game. LSU 24-UO 22.

Friday, August 26, 2011

2011 Predictions


Big Al's
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Will the champion of the first season as the Pac 12 have the same champion as the final season of the Pac 10? Will any team not named USC emerge from the South to become a Top 25 team? What coaches are we not going to see on the sidelines in 2012? Here are my best guesses:

North:

1. Oregon
2. Stanford
3. UW
4. Cal
5. WSU
6. OSU

South:

1. USC
2. Utah
3. ASU
4. UA
5. CU
6. UCLA

Champion in a blowout UO over Utah at Autzen Stadium.

Pac 12 Offensive POY: Andrew Luck
Pac 12 Defensive POY: Shayne Skov
Freshman of the Year: George Farmer USC
Breakout Star: Markus Wheaton OSU
Coach of the Year: Kyle Whittingham
Hot Trend for 2012: At least two new coaches in the South
Trending Up: WSU
Trending Down: UA
Bowling: UO, Stanford, UW, Cal, Utah, ASU
Don't be shocked if: Utah "wins" the South win 4 conference losses
Team I could be very wrong on: OSU
Call me crazy but : One of either Mike Stoops or Rick Neuheisal don't survive October

Fairly certain: Only one Pac 12 team will play in a BCS bowl and it will be Oregon in the Rose Bowl

You heard it here first: Stanford beats Oregon but loses two other games in league play

Monday, August 22, 2011

Lache and the LSU Brawl


Cooper Mountain Nature Park
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Despite what local fish wrap scribe John Canzano may say I don’t see a groundswell of Oregon fans “turning on” Lache Seastrunk. Who could blame the kid for moving on? For one he was caught in the middle of the Willie Lyles saga through no fault of his own getting dragged through the mud by the media. Secondly, his grandma who raised him is ill, third he was buried on the depth chart as low as 6th according to some observers and finally he was homesick. I hold no ill will towards the kid, to slam a kid over transferring is classless and anyone who did that should take a long look in the mirror. As for how this effects the on the field play I see it as being a non-factor in the short term though could have an effect long term on depth. Since Oregon will most likely sign 1 if not 2 highly rated running back recruits this year I think the Ducks will be fine in the long term as well.
As for the bar brawlers down at LSU I am not naïve to think that this doesn’t happen all over the country all the time. I do however think that this may indeed cause Jordan Jefferson to eventually get suspended and possibly get kicked off the team for it as more facts and witnesses come out. You can’t physically assault members of the armed services to the point of hospitalization and not face major scrutiny from the public and from law enforcement starting quarterback for a SEC team or not. On the field I think this is big if Miles does the unexpected and pulls Jefferson. From all accounts that guy is much improved when it comes to throwing (really how could he not after last year) and if he can show early that he can throw accurately Oregon then needs to respect the pass and can’t bring 8-9 man fronts to stop the run. If Jarrett Lee were to play LSU will be one dimensional, I don’t know enough about the JC kid to know if he can be a dual action QB but asking him to start his first game in Cowboys Stadium is a whole lot of pressure. If Oregon can get early points on LSU and force an abandonment of the run LSU will have problems winning. I don’t feel confident breaking down this game until we know who is actually playing. I am assuming that Cliff and Kiko Alonzo will both be out for Oregon, no idea yet about LSU if anyone takes the fall.

Friday, July 08, 2011

Pre-Camp Pac 12 Projections


Trip to Gearhart
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Since USC is not eligible to play in the Pac 12 Champ game if they win the South then the second place team will play in the title game. Here are my early projections. A lot can happen between now and the start of the season with injuries, academic casualties and late transfers (Jeremiah Masoli anyone?).

Pac 12 North:

1. Stanford
2. Oregon
3. UW
4. Cal
5. WSU
6. OSU

Pac 12 South:

1. USC*
2. Utah
3. ASU
4. UA
5. UCLA
6. Colorado

Champ game I like Stanford over Utah played down on The Farm.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

The Pac 12


Trip to Gearhart
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Wow today is the final day of the Pac 10 - tomorrow the conference welcomes Colorado and Utah. Think of how close we came to being the Pac 16 - Utah might still be in the Mountain West or in a remnant of the Big 12 while Texas and Oklahoma (and who knows who else) would be forming the Eastern division of the Pac 16. I think Larry Scott did the best that he could and the change overall is a good one but I will miss the traditional schedule , probably more so in basketball than football.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Evie Scores A Goal!


Soccer Practice a video by pete4ducks on Flickr.

Evie has been playing soccer the last few months . . .

Friday, April 29, 2011

First Round Draft Recap


Vacation in Kihei
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Winners in round 1: - New Orleans - Cameron Jordan could have gone top 15 - Mark Ingram very nice pick as well I think New England should have kept the pick and taken him

Jake Locker - for getting taken that high - basically will only cost himself 10-15 mill rather than about 45-50 mill by staying at UW

Cleveland: Got a crapload for that #6 pick . . . we will see what they do with those picks this year and next . . .

Baltimore: Jimmy Smith could prove to be the steal of the draft

NY Jets - awesome pick I think to get the kid from Temple at that pick - awesome motor they may have snagged a long term start with por bowl upside at pick #30 . . . that's a hell of a pick . . .

Detroit - Fairly and Suh playing next to eachother in a 4-3 scheme - that is scary no one will be running inside on the Lions for the next decade . . . Fairly has a rap for taking plays off and being dirty but i am okay with a DT being dirty as it is the league (he just needs to watch himself on way after the ball hits or he is gonna have people diving at his knees . . . )

Losers: Titans - Why not just keep Vince Young if you are going to invest a pick that high in Jake freaking Locker? I mean they are basically the same guy except Locker isn't a character risk - guys who throw for such low completion percentages I just don't see being long term successful in the NFL . . .

Dquan Bowers: Evidently he basically has the same medical condition as DeJuan Blair however Bowers according to some teams needs micro-fracture surgery - Bowers with a clean bill of health probably goes at worst 5th . . .

Minnesota - I actually kind of like Ponder - very smart kid, can make NFL throws but clearly the Vikes wanted to get him later but couldn't trade down - however wear they are picking today odds seem quite good that one of Mallet or Dalton will available - Minnesota could have gone dtackle there which is gonna be a huge need position as they are ancient there . . .


The jury is out:

Von Miller is a beast but clearly more suited for the 3-4 than the 4-3 - Dareus might have been the better choice for Denver if they are gong with a 4-3 defense - I think Denver and Buffalo could have swapped picks and both teams would have been better off . . .

Newton - I am not calling this pick a loser yet but i give it a 90% chance of being one - the franchise is pretty moribund and needed to placate the fans with a sexy pick but the fact that Newton has only made 50 throws inside the pocket makes me think he is light years away from being a pro-set qb . . .

New England - tough to doubt Bellichek but he didn't get a pass rusher in the first round and passed on Ingram as well - Solder's tape from the senior bowl made we kind of skeptical - dude has a weird body almost too tall . . . looks more like a power forward than a left tackle

looking forward to round 2 and 3 tonight . . .

Friday, April 01, 2011

Final Four

I like Kentucky to defeat Butler in the champ game. Looking forward to Saturday hopefully we get two more close games, the tournament has been quite exciting despite the low quality of play we have seen.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

The Big Island


Whale Watching
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Emily and I thinking about going to the Big Island in September without the kids. Does anyone have any advice on what to see and do there. I obviously want to go to see the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park but realize that it is a really long drive from Kona where we would be flying in to and likely staying.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Sweet 16 Picks


Soccer Practice
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
First week of the tourney was a lot of fun but not "great basketball". I think folks need to accept that college basketball is not the NBA and that the level of play we saw in say the mid 80's isn't coming back. The NCAA Tournament is simply a fun event with all sorts of twists and unexpected moments. Here are my picks for the Sweet Sixteen Winners:

Ohio State over Kentucky
UNC over Marquette
Duke over Arizona
UConn over SDSU
Kansas over Richmond
FSU over VCU
Butler over Wisconsin
Florida over BYU

Monday, March 14, 2011

Chalk?


Luau at the Grand Wailea
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
First thoughts on the brackets (taken from someone who has not watched much hoops this year). Could this year be like 2009 when you see 4 #1's in the Final Four again? I think the crop of 2's is really weak and the 3's have very good chances for early knockouts (Cuse, Uconn and Wisconsin). I can't get too worked up about it but UAB should not have gotten in and USC was a weird pick as well. I'd have taken Colorado and St Mary's - the WCC was down a bit but SMC played about as hard of a OCC schedule as they could have possibly gotten but they had some bad losses (USD for one and losing to UP by 17). I think there is going to be a lot of seed upsets in the 6-11 , 7-0 and 8-9 games but these are not upsets in all reality. Almost all of these games are pickems or 1-2 point spreads. When the dog wins those they aren't upsets. As for real first round upsets watch Belmont and Bucknell - I think at least one of them wins and wouldn't surprise if either did. I hate going chalk for four one seeds but it is tempting - I do like K-State as a possible Final Four team but the record for 5's going to the Final Four is really spotty. Utah State will give them a tough game but the Aggies have a terrible habit of playing just well enough to lose in the First Round (er Second Round now) of the tourney. As a final note good luck to Oregon in the CBI. Normally I'd pass on playing in something like that but any chance of getting Altman some more time to work with his kids is a positive in my book . . . Weber State has 6 road wins this year which is solid but they are missing their top scorer.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Thoughts with Quake/Tsunami Victims


Sunset from the Grand Wailea
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Quite a tragedy unfolding in Japan hope for the best for that country and all involved. Thankfully that country, unlike Haiti a few years ago, has very stringent and thorough building requirements and that has certainly prevented it from being an even greater tragedy. This was a massively strong earthquake. I am hoping that no one was hurt in Hawaii and that the damage was minimal. It sounds like Kihei had some flooding. This photo was taken in Wailea a week and a half ago, I'd imagine the waves probably made it up to the spot it was taken from.

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Maui Recap


Whale Watching
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
We got back from Maui 5 days ago - tough to go from sunny and 82 to Oregon in February and to go from a life of leisure to a life of routine. We had a great time swimming and relaxing. Aside from those activities we fit in time to attend a luau, go zip-lining, tour a plantation, visit the Maui Ocean Center, attending a luau and going whale watching. Maui seems like it could be home for us someday - life moves slower there - the sun is always shining and the sight of water brings me a sense of peace.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Soccer Practice


Soccer Practice
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks
Evie has been taking at soccer class at the park and rec center. I think daddy enjoys it more than her but she has for the most part participated and is one of only two girls. She appears to be fairly coordinated and likes sports. Her biggest area of improvement probably is that she will pick the ball up with her hands a lot. Four year old soccer is pretty funny - I'd compare it to the herding cats. The coaches have to have a lot of patience . . . off to Maui in two days!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Black Helicopters and Presidents


Cannon Beach January 2011
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
President Obama was speaking out at Intel in Hillsboro today. About 15 minutes ago his big black helicopters flew right over our building in Old Town on the way to PDX. So I guess I can say I was about 50 feet away from the President. I actually was about 10 feet away from Bill Clinton in 1992 but that was during the campaign before he was elected. He spoke at Mac Court when I was a senior in high school. 6 days till Maui!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

8 More Days!


Cannon Beach January 2011
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Wow some snow in the Portland area today - it just makes me want to be in Maui even more - we have 8 days until we leave which means a whole lot of packing and prep work this weekend to get the 4 of us ready to go. So looking forward to the warm sun, relaxation and to doing some snorkeling . . .

Friday, February 04, 2011

Super Bowl


Mady at the Playground
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
I've had very little desire to watch sports since the BCS title game but can't miss the Super Bowl I mean that would be anti-American or something. I really enjoy watching Aaron Rodgers play and a Green Bay Super Bowl victory would be a nice parting FU to #4 from Ted Thompson and Aaron Rodgers. Green Bay 27 Pittsburgh 20 . . .

Friday, January 28, 2011

27 Days till Maui!


Our Family in Kihei
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Off to Maui in 27 days yeah! Winter has been quite mild in Oregon and this week has been down right nice but it's no Maui. Looking forward to sun, relaxation, snorkeling and getting away from our hectic routine. This is our family in Kihei last January, as you can see Mady was just a little itie baby then , now she is almost 24 pounds and taken her first few steps. We are staying at the same place as last time we were in Maui in Kihei. It is a great location for young children with a protected beach nearby and grass out in front that is perfect for running around all day when you are a little one . . ..

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

New Camera


Around the House
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Emily really spoiled me for Christmas this year and got me a Sony DSLR-A390. I haven't had too many opportunities to use it yet. We went out to Cannon Beach last weekend but I forgot my batter charger and the battery was almost dead so we only we are able to get about 20 shots in of the beach. I am looking forward to having a real zoom lens and to be able to greatly expand my ability to get creative with my photography. I am really looking forward to breaking it out in Maui next month!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Oregon vs Duke


Oregon vs Duke
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.
Too much has changed. Wow what a whirlwind since I posted last. The Ducks go 12-0 and then lose a heart-breaker in the BCS title game. We said goodbye to Mac Court and hello to Matt Court and well life for me continued at a breakneck pace. The girls are getting bigger, we looked at about 300 houses and then finally found one that worked for our unique family situation and my office moved from the burbs to downtown Portland. Looking forward to going back to Maui in a month. Here is a shot from the Oregon-Duke game at the Rose Garden. It was all downhill from here for Oregon , it was certainly a pleasure to see a team of Duke's caliber play live . . .