Ducks Gone Wild

Emily at Maui Brewing Company
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.

The 2010 off-season has , without a doubt, proven already to be the most embarrassing 6 weeks or so in the history of the program. I am not sure whether it is coincidence, recruiting players with questionable backgrounds or a lack of discipline but the national media has caught wind of the story and made Oregon out to look like Miami West. One has to to think that if LaGarette Blount doesn't throw that punch back in Boise in September that the criminal accusations against James and Masoli are news only in Oregon rather than in the college football world and the the DUI by Kiko Alonso is only known about in Eugene. In cases like this I think that perception is reality for all outsiders and the perception unfortunately is that Oregon is a school that recruits thugs and questionable guys in order to win big. Can the Ducks turn this thing around? If LaMichael James and Jeremiah Masoli never play another down at Oregon (I believe this will be the case) I still think the Ducks can go out and win 8-10 games next year but they probably won't be the favorites to win the Pac 10. One thing about Chip Kelly that I have noticed is that he is not the great media communicator that Bellotti was. You will never see Chip in a future career as a TV broadcaster while Mike is perfect for the job. I think now everyone is in waiting mode to see if the grand jury thinks a case should precede against Masoli and how the James case folds out as well. The starting backfield of Oregon may well have a completely different look when the Ducks play New Mexico in September than most folks would have figured just a few weeks ago.