23.Jan.2013 Regarding Rod Perry, Rigid Ideology, and Recruiting to Corvallis

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Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes. — Walt Whitman

Over the past few days, I have taken heat from a handful of commenters. What bothers them most is that I waiver at times or have bias; that I don't adhere to a rigid ideology. For example, when Rod Perry was hired, I questioned it. I questioned it because of his age (a bias), passive personality (bias), the Colt's poor secondaries (observation), that Riley hired another friend (bias), lack of recruiting connections/letting a top recruiter walk, etc. But in the same post, I also wrote

  • Maybe he'll be a good recruiter (since he has LA ties)
  • He has a lot of experience, so he should be a good coach

Also, in August I said this about Perry.

I was impressed with Rod Perry's video. From what I hear, he's teaching the DBs to turn around and play the ball.

The point isn't to defend myself. What I am trying to explain is that the people getting on my case remember specific (negative) comments and forget other (positive) comments. In other words, they too, have bias (or at least selective memory). Also, opinions change as we gather information and experience. When I was a kid, I couldn't stand beets. Now I like them. When I was a kid, I loved the Beatles. Now when I listen to them, I hear dorky white guys imitating the blues. People evolve, tastes evolve, opinions change. I started to like Perry in August as I got to know him. Yet, nobody remembers this, and they harp on opinions from February. I used to like Bob DeCarolis, but Ive soured on him for a variety of reasons barely addressed in the crappy petition. Maybe one day I will go into more detail on that.

Finally, in writing a blog for four years, I'm bound to contradict myself. Like Whitman said, "very well, then I contradict myself." There's no sense beating one's self up for yielding. I'm also bound to write bad petitions and do all sorts of things that can be perceived as sub-par, inconsistent, weak, etc. I only care in the sense that the demand to not do these things has apparently been placed, or at least implied, in the first place. Sort of stunts the childlike prankster in me (and I'd hope all of us). That being said, criticize all you want. Keeps me sharp, and sometimes it's funny.

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We always hear how difficult it is to recruit to Corvallis.

I noticed the Beavers have the #41 class and a 3-star average. They're also still in the mix for a handful of 4-stars.

"Difficult" is a relative thing. People will bring up USC or Florida. Sure, difficult to compete with those schools. But most colleges aren't competing with them. OSU can compete for legit 3-star talent (which is all any school needs to win big). There's no reason they ever couldn't, they just didn't try for 28 years, and the perception morphed into reality.

It seems to me that recruiting success is more a function of coach's effort, pitch, and personality than location. On-the-field success can help, but it's not mandatory (i.e. many bad teams sign great classes). Riley made staff changes to target and boost recruiting, and right after that effort the Beavs started signing some of their best classes (2011, 2012, and now 2013). What does this say about the #1 excuse we hear? Do I need to petition Mythbusters, or can we voluntarily put this to rest? Seems like the Pollyannas want to keep it in their back pocket in case there's a bad season down the line. Looking across all OSU sports, I don't see the validity. I just see good recruiters or bad recruiters; staff's who emphasize it, or staffs who don't. The football program's recruiting success (once they improved their effort) just cements the notion.

Now, cue JackBeav to tell me Walt Whitman didn't write that quote.

106 Comments
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  • ncaa_violation says:
    January 23, 2013 at 1:59 am
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    Jack’s still googling it. He’ll be with you shortly.

    Reply
  • swampass beav says:
    January 23, 2013 at 6:26 am
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    cut the lights, angry. ya’ll having a big time in here it’s gettin’ hotter than a nanny goat in a pepper patch. gonna go catch some crappie with my pepaw i’ll check back later shit’s getting crazy in the swamp.

    Reply
  • Ackrite says:
    January 23, 2013 at 7:54 am
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    From espn

    Linebacker Keishawn Bierria (Harbor City, Calif./Narbonne) didn’t want to focus at all on recruiting during his senior season, so the 6-foot-1, 210-pound standout pushed everything back until after the season. That led to a very busy January and the possibility that Bierria could wait until after signing day to make a commitment.

    “Right now a lot of schools are hitting me,” Bierria said. “It’s late, and I’m still undecided. At times it gets difficult, but I have family and coaches that help me. It’s starting to get to crunch time, so it’s starting to get a little harder.”

    Bierria took an official visit to Oregon State on Jan. 11 and one to Arizona State on Jan. 18. That kickstart to the recruiting process gave Bierria plenty to think about.

    “Oregon State is a great school, and I feel like it has some of the best coaches in college football,” Bierria said. “They kept their talks really direct, and I felt like it was accurate information. The players were great people to be around.

    “The Arizona State visit was good. It has a beautiful campus and stadium. I was impressed by the community and how everybody is involved with the Devils.”

    Bierria said he will take two more official visits next week, with a mid-week trip set to Oregon and an official visit to Washington on Feb. 1. He said he doesn’t hold offers yet from those two schools, but he has a plan of attack for each trip.

    “A lot of guys my age are scared to ask direct questions, but that’s something I’m going to do,” Bierria said. “I’m going to look for direct answers to see if I’m a priority for their program.”

    Bierria was a tremendously productive player for a terrific Narbonne team this season, and his versatility on the defensive side of the ball is something coaches feel they can work with.

    “Some schools think I can play outside linebacker but also move around depending on the package,” he said. “In a heavier package, I can play strong safety, rover, spur, ram — there are a lot of different names for it. It’s a strong safety that rolls down toward the line of scrimmage.

    “A lot of people think I’m not big enough to play linebacker, but they say I can play strong safety. I’m just looking to get on the field. I really have no fear to go up against linemen, and a lot of schools are looking to move me around. I’ll play anywhere if it keeps me on the field.”

    At this point, all schools are chasing Oregon State, which made a terrific impression throughout the season and on his visit.

    “They’ve been recruiting me the hardest and hit me early on in the year,” Bierria said. “Right now I’m leaning a little toward Oregon State and starting to show a little favoritism toward OSU. But as I go on, a lot of schools are starting to pop up.”

    Bierria added that he wants to be able to fully experience the recruiting process and make sure he is making the right decision. He said he would like to be able to make a final decision on signing day, so he can participate in the signing day activities with his teammates, but he allowed for the fact that he might need to give himself some additional time to weigh all of his options.

    Reply
    • Beavergopher says:
      January 23, 2013 at 9:20 am
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      Looks like we are the backup plan.

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      • ncaa_viOlation says:
        January 23, 2013 at 10:22 am
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        No kidding, it’s like when you invite some friends over for a party and they say, “I’ve got some things up in the air already, but if they don’t come through I’ll be there”

        Thanks for letting us know you’ll come here if you have to.

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      • bendbeaver says:
        January 23, 2013 at 11:13 am
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        After reading that you’re thinking Beavs are a backup plan?? I’m reading that OSU is his first choice, and he’s going to see if anyone can knock them off.

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        • Ackrite says:
          January 23, 2013 at 12:09 pm
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          He is still trying to get a better offer, is why OSU sounds like a back up plan

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          • bendbeaver says:
            January 23, 2013 at 12:37 pm
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            My take is that he wants to see what else is out there and if there is a better offer, not trying to get a better offer. He said “great school” “great coaches” and the players are “great people to be around”. That means he feels really good about OSU.

            Some people like to explore all their options to avoid buyers remorse, e.g. Seumalo visiting USC.

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            • ncaa_viOlation says:
              January 23, 2013 at 12:48 pm
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              It’s a little different. Bierria wants to visit a couple of schools that he doesn’t have an offer from, and hopes to persuade them into giving him an offer, in which case he’d accept if it feels right. If they don’t offer him, he’s always got the Beavers willing to take him.

              Seumalo already had offers from pretty much every west coast school including USC, and he decided to go visit to make sure he wasn’t missing out on a better opportunity.

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          • hhh says:
            January 23, 2013 at 4:08 pm
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            except for the osu is his favorite part?

            Don’t piss your pants because he mentions another school.

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        • ncaa_viOlation says:
          January 23, 2013 at 12:13 pm
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          i think you just defined us as the backup plan. or the “fallback” plan if you want to change the wording.

          Reply
  • hellobeavers says:
    January 23, 2013 at 8:02 am
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    I can understand that people make mistakes and have to change their opinion on certain things; however, I think what I take issue with is the alarmist nature of the comments. For example, now you’re discussing how recruiting has really picked up the last three years, but it wasn’t that long ago when we only had a couple commits – fewer than almost all other schools in the country – and people were sounding the alarm bells. I was here along with a few other people trying to be rational about it. I think we considered the fact that we don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes and maybe there was a reason we don’t pick up commits in August. It would have been appropriate to be concerned and discuss why it may be that we only had 2 commits while another school had 15 – instead, many of the folks on here thought Mike Riley and his staff were just lazy and not out there trying to land a commit and it validated the belief that BDC needs to fire everyone. When BDC didn’t fire everyone then that was another reason why BDC needs to go.

    Sometimes a little rationality needs to be injected into this site. But that is usually dismissed as being a pollyanna, troll or mistaken for complacency.

    I will also concede that I am complacent towards Basketball. It doesn’t seem CR is a very good coach at this point but I don’t think he should be fired. He brings a lot of attention to the University in general, which is arguably more important than Basketball. But I can’t wait until Joe Burton is gone. I remember when he first came to OSU because I was upset that I was going to have to watch him play for the next few years. That’s now how I feel about the new Shaftenaar. He is going to frustrate the fans for as many years of eligibility he has remaining.

    Reply
    • BeavItOrNot says:
      January 23, 2013 at 8:15 am
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      Amen.

      What you call changing your opinion I call just being wrong about stuff. Notwithstanding that, not a bad post. I think what bugs us (the Pollyannas? Or is that term just come to reflect a strawman around here?) is the extremism and knee-jerking that sometimes rears its head around here and is the enemy of rationally discussing, and even criticizing, beaver athletics.

      Well and then there’s that “troll” problem we have.

      Reply
  • Ackrite says:
    January 23, 2013 at 9:03 am
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    Perry had legit question marks, just like Carroll at USC and Mora at UCLA. I think of the angry in the same way i do of a sport talk radio host, as the creator of the blog it his job to lead the conversion. I don’t think the blog would be nearly as interesting if it was just an open forum, like it was for a few weeks in the middle of the season. Angry post his observation/opinions and invites us to comment. In hindsight is always always right, no but to me that less important then having a place to get open/honest views on the Beavs. Angry is only part of the conversion but as the one generally starting the conversion he is open to more criticism.

    Angry- Glad you are back and thank you for leading the conversion. I’m not always an active participant in the conversion but Always enjoy reading your opinions as I develop my own. Same goes for Jack, Jason, gopher and the other who regular contribute to the conversion.

    Reply
    • BeavItOrNot says:
      January 23, 2013 at 9:23 am
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      To try and put a cap on the Rod Perry thing, it is not so much that your assessment of the Perry hire was wrong (at the time, I don’t even think it was necessarily unreasonable although I disagreed), it was you and others killing Riley and the Administration for not stepping up to keep Heyward and for taking so long to hire the new secondary coach. It is one example, of let’s say many, where it felt like you and others were stretching really hard to find fault with Riley when it was not properly due (and hindsight shows just how undue it was).

      Reply
      • ObjCritic says:
        January 23, 2013 at 9:30 am
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        In hindsight, we also remember that Heyward was well-liked by HS players, and seen as recruiting loss. Moreover, he was not just leaving OSU, but going to an in-conference rival, and likely taking recruits with him (it seems at least one promising DB followed him to UW last recruiting cycle). Riley’s deliberate approach proved very fruitful, and Perry apparently persuaded the staff in ways Heyward could not; db’s can play the ball when it’s in the air! Perry’s resume has also turned out to be very productive for recruiting. At the time, the deliberate process seemed a risk to maintaining verbal commitments.

        Reply
        • BeavItOrNot says:
          January 23, 2013 at 9:39 am
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          I agree with basically everything above. Except my recollection is that it was portrayed as a failure on Riley’s part, not merely as a risk. Below are some of Angry’s comments at the time:

          “So:

          Up Heyward’s salary to 150k and have him stay where he wanted to be, keep Cleveland Wallace (and perhaps Shelton).
          or
          Hire this retred who clearly doesn’t want to come to Corvallis (i.e. only a 2 year deal, delaying negotiations to shop around the NFL, etc) for 200k.

          No further comment.” [Ed: One of my favorite Angry phrases, but as it turns out, further comment was appropriate].

          “It’s Official: Riley F’d up again… Clearly the Beaver football program is worse off [Ed: yeah, clearly). They lost their best recruiter.
          Mike Riley is worse off. He looks inept for letting Heyward walk over a few thousand dollars. A raise to 120k would have kept him. Additionally, Riley risks his recruiting class, confirms his nepotism, confirms that he rewards friends who yield poor results over an up and comer getting the job done.

          Riley apologists will want to blame Bob D. Trust me, Riley can get a guy a raise if he wants to. Bob D is to blame for Riley but not for letting Heyward walk.”

          That’s just a couple of excerpts after a quick search. It was more than just acknowledging risk or thinking, incorrectly, that Perry would be a poor coach.

          Reply
          • Jack says:
            January 23, 2013 at 10:02 am
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            Missed that nepotism mention.

            Reply
            • Jack says:
              January 23, 2013 at 10:07 am
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              Or I probably just ignored it and any mentions of it at the time. Or maybe I just ignored it, as I tend to do with a lot of superfluous stuff… like the “AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!! WHEATON DROPPED A PASS!!!!! FIRE MANNION’S SOCKS!!!!!!” kind of statements… that are on every single sports blog in the history of sports blogs.

              What’s the date on that thread? April or March of last year?

              Reply
        • Jack says:
          January 23, 2013 at 9:59 am
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          I think the general feeling after it was clear Heyward was gone was that he was hired away for recruiting, recruiting is important, we didn’t (not necessarily Riley, but at least the AD) make an effort to keep him, and that meant someone in the COC thought recruiting was not important. That sentiment seemed to be bolstered by Perry’s hiring. I don’t think anyone thought Perry wouldn’t be ten times the coach Heyward was. And I think even that was a poor estimation. But look at our history with former NFL coaches and recruiting. Look at it now.

          The nepotism part was mentioned. As I recall, that was regarding Perry’s sons volunteering as coaches for the Beavs when other (hypothetical) qualified individuals could take that role instead. It’s common among all sports on all levels. I also think it’s unprofessional. But it’s so common that I think that argument didn’t get off the ground for some volunteers.

          And if it wasn’t for nepotism, we wouldn’t have Trent Bray… who Mike Riley thought was so good this past year that he kicked Jay Locey upstairs… not commenters on a blog… Mike Riley.

          Reply
          • BeavItOrNot says:
            January 23, 2013 at 10:07 am
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            My point, once again, is that it is the knee-jerk overreactions and extremism (as reflected above) that are the problem, and call into question the credibility of Angry and others making similar comments. Read those passages again (hilarious that the cut-and-paste of Angry’s own comments are earning thumbs down from the Angryannas) – they are shock-jockish. If that’s the role Angry is supposed to play on this site, so be it, but I (ironically?) give Angry and most of his insights more credit than that.

            Reply
            • angry says:
              January 23, 2013 at 11:23 am
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              You really think I don’t know I’m emotional?

              See: http://angrybeavs.com/athletics/9013

              How about pulling up “knee-jerk” reactions that were spot on? Because there are a lot. Cherry-picking a few bad ones ruins your own credibility. You are being overly emotional that we’re overly emotional (*at times*). Don’t you see that?

              Also, I think you are that poster Brownale. He disappeared right around the time you showed up, and you are basically exactly the same. Haven’t IP checked this, but spidy sense is telling me…

              Reply
              • BeavItOrNot says:
                January 23, 2013 at 11:43 am
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                I never called you emotional. I said your posts too often trend towards the knee-jerk variety and are too extreme. Rarely but sometimes even clownish. If you attribute that to being too emotional, fine. I don’t know why you post them, emotion or otherwise.

                My point is to avoid the knee-jerking and just be thoughtful instead. You seem to be defending the knee-jerking because sometimes it is right and my argument is just be reasoned every time. But maybe it’s not resonating.

                I don’t think I am overly emotional or even emotional at all about this.

                I remember Brownale but I am not Brownale (impossible that there could be more of us, right?). Your spidey sense is off. You can confirm that if you need.

                Reply
              • BeavItOrNot says:
                January 23, 2013 at 11:52 am
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                By the way, you discussed Rod Perry in your post. It was not cherry-picking for me to then discuss, and quote you on, Rod Perry. You brought it up.

                Reply
            • Jack says:
              January 23, 2013 at 11:24 am
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              But is it an opportunity for counterpoint or jest? Is there no value in any emotional reaction?

              There are those kinds of statements on every blog and in every comment section of everything related to sports all the time. Do you respond with, “You were wrong a couple times, therefore, you’re stupid now,” or do you respond with measured counterpoint at the time and leave it up everyone else?

              The former is as bad (or knee-jerk) as the original content. And I’m not saying we all don’t so it now and then. But you seem to insist on making a living off it. If you know in your heart that you’re correct, there should be no need for fifty-seven follow-ups.

              Unless it’s just fun stuff. ;)

              Reply
              • BeavItOrNot says:
                January 23, 2013 at 11:47 am
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                I don’t subscribe to the notion that all blogs are created equally. Why can’t this one rise above the rest?

                And I don’t think Angry has been wrong a couple of times, I think he has been wrong many times. I don’t have the energy to point it out every time…I tend to speak up when it reaches a fever pitch.

                And because I disagree with your premises, I also can”t agree with your point. And the 57 follow-ups is a function of my aching desire to always have the last word and my inability to not take the bait when insulted (see: RSteve503′s brilliant dissections of my remarks yesterday for reference of each).

                Reply
                • Jack says:
                  January 23, 2013 at 11:57 am
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                  An aspirin before the fever sets in has more effect than a cold cloth after.

                  And I still think the ping pong between you and rsteve would look pretty cool in Azkuba.

                  Reply
    • angry says:
      January 23, 2013 at 12:03 pm
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      Thanks.

      Reply
  • Jack says:
    January 23, 2013 at 9:11 am
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    You need me to tell you about “Leaves of Grass,” one of the most important verses in American prose?

    I believe that’s from “Song of Myself”… near the end. It’s a massive poem, and it’s as contemporary as it was in 1855.

    I thought everybody had to read this book to graduate high school… at least college?… well… except in Boston and the South.

    “The spotted hawk swoops by and accuses me, he complains of my gab and my loitering.
    I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable,
    I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.”

    Reply
    • ObjCritic says:
      January 23, 2013 at 9:17 am
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      Why at the end do you dredge up George W. Bush quotes?!? Move on man….

      Reply
    • ncaa_viOlation says:
      January 23, 2013 at 10:25 am
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      is that what wikipedia said about it? been meaning to look it up.

      Reply
      • Jack says:
        January 23, 2013 at 11:25 am
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        I don’t know. Hold on.

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        • Jack says:
          January 23, 2013 at 11:48 am
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          It doesn’t mention this quote, or many for that matter. I haven’t drilled any of the footnotes, but they look like they’re all correctly established. It’s just a good paper on the history of the book and author with little reference to its legacy.

          I do find it interesting that “Breaking Bad” is heavily influenced by it. I’ve seen some of you guys talking about the show, and I’ve heard good things from others. So I’m planning on watching it in total, season by season, on of these days. This only raises my expectations.

          Reply
          • ncaa_viOlation says:
            January 23, 2013 at 12:19 pm
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            Looking forward to discussing Breaking Bad in the future, although it’s not very fresh in my mind anymore. May need to re-watch it.

            Reply
          • whiskey soaked napkins says:
            January 27, 2013 at 5:46 pm
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            breaking bad is an excellent show. I highly recommend it to anyone

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    • angry says:
      January 23, 2013 at 11:31 am
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      Actually I never read it. Never had to in HS or college, and whenever I looked into Whitman on my own it felt too meh…like…hippie type stuff. I’ve come across his stuff randomly when reading other things (e.g. about meditation, the Civil War) and the quotes are always poignant so maybe I should try again. I’ve been on a reading frenzy…20 books in the past six months since I slowed down here. Some of that stuff might creep into posts.

      Reply
  • ObjCritic says:
    January 23, 2013 at 9:20 am
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    Even with on-field “success” UO Athletic Department is run by jerks:

    http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2013/01/state_legislator_mitch_greenli.html#incart_river

    “Craig Pintens, Oregon’s senior associate athletic director for marketing and public relations, would not consent to a phone interview on Tuesday.

    By email, Pintens responded to half of the questions with the line:

    “We maintain the confidentiality of specific candidates.”

    Mullens has said he interviewed five candidates, including two qualified minority candidates. He has refused to reveal publicly the names of the people he interviewed. ”

    An opaque approach rarely ends up saving time…

    Reply
  • Beav11 says:
    January 23, 2013 at 10:17 am
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    OT: Both Wheaton and Poyer getting some good pub at Senior Bowl Practices.

    Loved this one in particular (especially since Trufant is rumored to be practicing so well he may be a Round 1 pick):

    “Oregon State wide receiver Markus Wheaton continues to prove that he’s one of the two best perimeter weapons in Mobile this week. In one series of drills versus cornerbacks, Wheaton got into an exchange with Washington cornerback Desmond Trufant, baiting the defender to cut in line to face Wheaton on a rep. Wheaton blew by Trufant for a deep reception up the right flat.”

    http://www.athlonsports.com/nfl/senior-bowl-2013-mike-glennon-jordan-poyer-and-marquise-goodwin-rise

    http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/23/day-two-highlights-from-the-senior-bowl/

    http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/52889/pac-12-shines-on-day-2-of-senior-bowl-practices

    http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2013/1/23/3905140/live-from-the-2013-senior-bowl-reviewing-day-two

    Reply
  • locusimperium says:
    January 23, 2013 at 10:27 am
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    that’s the bottom line, I hope everyone gets it around here

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  • Beavergopher says:
    January 23, 2013 at 10:37 am
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    #Beavergopher. I will be holding a press conference this afternoon to give my decision on which sports blog I will be attending for the next four years. So excited! This will be my final decision. However I will be visiting some other sites the next two weekends and whenever the little woman dozes off.

    Reply
    • ncaa_viOlation says:
      January 23, 2013 at 12:58 pm
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      Will this be before or after Kearsley’s “Decesion 2013″ press conference today?

      Anybody know which news channel I can catch that on?

      Reply
      • ncaa_viOlation says:
        January 23, 2013 at 1:00 pm
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        Just read the Kearsley tweet he put out about it yesterday and saw this funny string of replies from his followers:

        Ed Carter ?@edwcarter

        @BK55_ERA who cares. #yawn
        Expand
        22 Jan Ed Carter Ed Carter ?@edwcarter

        @BK55_ERA please don’t pick #BYU. You are an honor code violation waiting to happen.
        Expand
        22 Jan jonny lingo jonny lingo ?@jonnnnylingo

        @edwcarter @BK55_ERA yewet troll alert
        Expand
        22 Jan Ed Carter Ed Carter ?@edwcarter

        @jonnnnylingo @BK55_ERA read my timeline. #BYU fan for life. Just don’t want #chumps on my team.
        Expand
        22 Jan Ed Carter Ed Carter ?@edwcarter

        @BK55_ERA @jonnnnylingo I will see you delivering my pizza in 4 years…if you make it that long.

        Reply
      • Beavergopher says:
        January 23, 2013 at 1:31 pm
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        Concurrently.

        Reply
      • Jack says:
        January 23, 2013 at 1:42 pm
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        I thought he was gone a week ago.
        ?

        Reply
        • ncaa_viOlation says:
          January 23, 2013 at 2:59 pm
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          supposed to be making his public announcement any time now from his school. He’s never publicly said which school he’s going to and has been stringing people along for whatever little attention he can gather, but most people are thinking he decided on BYU a week or 2 ago. He let that message leak via instagram and the BYU bloggers ran with it. Anyway, we should hear his decision coming down in a matter of minutes.

          Reply
      • carltogr says:
        January 23, 2013 at 7:57 pm
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        With the “loss” of Kearsely, does this mean we go back after Skyler Phillips…? Thought Riley had a sure get on the OL….wonder who it is, or isn’t….

        Reply
  • angry says:
    January 23, 2013 at 12:05 pm
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    Any thoughts on the 2nd half of the post? I think we need to put that myth to rest. Yeah?

    Reply
    • Ackrite says:
      January 23, 2013 at 12:23 pm
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      as a whole is shouldn’t be a reason for a poor class. It may be a reason we lose a specific recruit but not a generalization. We should be getting solid 3* with the occasional 4* kid. Which is enough talent with solid coaching to complete at a high level in the pac12

      Reply
    • krogercomplete says:
      January 23, 2013 at 3:21 pm
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      [Let me preface the following comments by saying I know nothing about the ins and outs of recruiting]

      I’d echo BeavIt in that I’m not sure what you mean by the myth. If the myth is that it is difficult to recruit to Corvallis, I’d wholeheartedly disagree. The “flavor” of your remarks is that recruiting is all about effort and saavy of the salesman, and is not impacted by the outside factors that many of us point to. I assume that is an extreme characterization of your opinion, and you would probably agree that all of these various factors have an impact on recruiting and the disagreement is really about degree. But correct me if I am wrong.

      What is the evidence that the only reason OSU was not getting 3* recruits for 28 years was because they weren’t trying? They weren’t even trying to get 3* talent? Did I misread the post?

      Reply
      • krogercomplete says:
        January 23, 2013 at 5:55 pm
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        And when I say “disagree,” I mean I disagree that this is a myth, not that it is in fact difficult sledding recruiting to OSU.

        Reply
    • bone says:
      January 23, 2013 at 4:09 pm
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      The second half of the post helps clarify your stance on recruiting, at least to me. When I have said something along the lines of “it’s difficult to recruit to OSU” I was more referring to the big time recruits or the 4* and 5* or ones ranked very high in the rankings, but there are a small select group of schools who have no trouble bringing in. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get legit talent here. There are a ton of 3* that maybe don’t get the hype or go to camps/combines as much as others.

      Reply
  • BeavItOrNot says:
    January 23, 2013 at 12:19 pm
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    Define the myth exactly. Is the myth that it’s difficult to recruit 3* talent to Corvallis? I am not sure how many folks have argued that, but I’d disagree if they have. I do think it is difficult to recruit at OSU on the national stage and to pull in elite talent (the kind of talent that typically, but not always, produces elite results).

    I agree with your assessment that the uptick in recruiting appears to be due in the uptick in effort. I think the recent coaching hires Riley made have been huge for recruiting.

    Reply
    • Ackrite says:
      January 23, 2013 at 12:27 pm
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      Are we losing the elite recruit because of Corvallis (weather, size …etc) or are program isn’t at the same level as the elite programs?

      Reply
  • jackmehoffer says:
    January 23, 2013 at 2:56 pm
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    Man, I’m going to be drunk by the end of this post…shot every time someone says: Pollyanna; troll; Jack and wikipedia in the same sentence. All we’re missing is ad hominem and we have the angrybeavs grand slam.

    Reply
  • beaverkman says:
    January 23, 2013 at 3:20 pm
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    No surprise here, but it sure looked good just about 2 weeks ago, failed.

    @hssports_olive
    Aloha’s Brayden Kearsley commits to BYU #opreps

    Reply
  • BeavItOrNot says:
    January 23, 2013 at 3:22 pm
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    Kearsley to BYU. The kid is a major league douche, but he’s good. Oh well.

    Reply
    • ncaa_viOlation says:
      January 23, 2013 at 3:34 pm
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      Well put. Total douche who I wouldn’t mind playing for us, but in the end he never would have been one of those players I would be proud to see in a Beaver uniform. Oh well…

      Around this time of year, Oregon State is one of those schools that loses recruits unexpectedly rather than gains them. Why is that?

      Reply
      • BeavItOrNot says:
        January 23, 2013 at 3:48 pm
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        Well, first off I don’t think “losing” Kearsley was unexpected. He originally committed to BYU and probably temporarily decommitted just for the attention.

        But generally to your point, my hypothesis on that has always been that, typically, the kids that wait for big signing day hoopla and interest are interested in flash. And OSU sells a lot of things, but not flash (at least as opposed to schools chasing 4* and 5* recruits). OSU seems a lot more about fit than amenities, and kids usually figure out pretty quickly whether OSU is the right fit for them. Lastly, most of the recruits that we “lose” late have many offers and are usually higher rated recruits – it stands to reason our odds are lower in officially landing those kids than the lower-ranked kids with fewer offers.

        This of course is just guesswork. I suppose some might say Riley can’t close, but you would have to consider that over the entire class, not just the ones that choose another school on signing day.

        Reply
    • bendbeaver says:
      January 23, 2013 at 3:44 pm
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      He was threatened with eternal damnation, I’m sure.

      Reply
  • beaverkman says:
    January 23, 2013 at 3:46 pm
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    Other schools, with more resources are relentless. We have to be selective, and although players may really like our coaches and players, they are looking at what program provides the most bang for their buck. At least that is what I think, it has baffled me for years.

    Reply
  • rsteve503 says:
    January 23, 2013 at 3:56 pm
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    Angry — Opinions are what we think at a point in time. They can be expected to change over time. Some folks like to be “RIGHT”, and show others to be “WRONG” , instead of just having their opinion and letting it go at that. Ego, I guess…..smallmindedness, maybe. I engage in this at times.

    You shouldnt worry about events showing an old opinion to need changing. This is a blog….its all opinions, stats, commentary, etc.

    Reply
  • Jack says:
    January 23, 2013 at 4:04 pm
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    So tonight is a late start against UW.

    I’ve watched the USC game, and there’s a lot that comes to mind when weighed with other games over the last two months.

    The first is that we have only one true PG, and that’s Barton. He needs to start now, and let the ball bounce where it may. The eyeball test is a vastly inferior way to evaluate his game. He’s a facilitator, and he would easily lead this team in assists if he already had starter minutes. As it is, even my eyeball test tells me that his A/TO is the best of the three non-frosh guards and the best of the four guys trusted to handle the ball up top (more on that below). His real +/- takes a hit because he doesn’t score a bunch. But the team as a whole has a much better +/- when he’s in.

    Starks doesn’t get the same results. He’s just not a PG. He has a great handle, but in twice the minutes Barton has, he has the same amount of assists. He’s still a danger from deep or breaking down the lane. But as a starting PG, he can’t do either as effectively. Remember that Jared played point last year, so Ahmad was able to find his game off the ball. And he was much more effective playing there. He can come in as a combo off the bench because line-ups are fluid once a game is underway. But his primary duty should be coming in and giving fits to defenses in spurts.

    Contrary to even begrudging opinions, Joe is not the best passer on this team. That would be Reid. Joe is great when he focuses, but that focus seems to dissipate the further he moves away from the rim. Jarmal, on the other hand, makes simple passes with quick decisions. And the results are much more effective. And the best part is that Reid has logged 318 minutes with only 8 TO’s to show for it. That also gives him the best A/TO (2.75) on the team. They play different positions, so their spacing should show that on every play. Joe needs to stop being used outside the lane, and Reid and Barton need to start establishing those sets.

    Berto stepped it up this weekend. It really pissed me off that he wasn’t getting calls a walk-on would get for some really obvious fouls. But maybe his game isn’t hot one weekend and cold the next, giving Pac refs a reason to give him the benefit of the doubt as we go on. He is probably the player who benefits most from Barton’s presence. And our remaining front court (Collier, Moreland, Reid, Burton) are finding him in space much more. The sooner he gets into a game, the better. And that’s probably the biggest reason Barton needs to go from the tip.

    Olaf and LMW are “this” close to not being frosh any more. They are looking more confident and comfortable, like they belong on the floor when their numbers are called.

    While Olaf has missed a ton of treys, he has always had a superb release. And I always watch him thinking, “Is this the shot that wakes the monster within?” I started to get that feeling in the second half against UCLA. After missing his first four shots, he made three of his next four against a long defense looking for him to do it. That’s about all he does right now, but there is a use for that tool.

    LMW is still tilted to the defensive end of the floor. But he is starting to look for his shots more and more. And the offense doesn’t stall with him on the floor. He provides important back-up minutes without sacrificing defense… well… actually, he makes the defense better. But defense is a team concept, not the responsibility of one guy coming or going.

    And Collier and Moreland are who are left. They do what they do, but what they do is hindered or helped by all of the above. They look better when the team plays better. The ball just doesn’t bounce their way when the team is disjointed. While defense is a weakness right now, I don’t think it’s just the beginning of the second half that kills those numbers. It’s also the end of each half where we seem to lose focus. I have to go back and look at the stats, but I’m going to guess that what I wrote above in terms of who is/was on the floor will probably tell me more.

    And I can’t believe CR and his staff aren’t seeing the same things. It was harder to see before this weekend. But everything suddenly became clear during what I assumed would be just a lost season of chaos. It’s still lost because of how league play has started. But it’s not lost in terms of us seeing a consistently quality product before the season ends.

    So now we get UW late. I like us in this game if personnel changes are made. I think we can play with them for a while if status quo rules. But I would rather see the underclassmen take more and more of a role right now.

    Reply
  • hhh says:
    January 23, 2013 at 4:15 pm
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    The perry thing was dumb because many on here blew it up because of their assumptions.They assumed he wasn’t a good coach, recruiter, nepotism etc because that’s the narrative they want to believe about Riley.

    In reality Heyward was a bad coach, decent but not great recruiter and Perry has already done better than him in every category (notice how many fresno guys we’re getting now?!? hopefully we get mcgee)) but the narrative is that Riley just didn’t have the desire to fight for heyward/push for more resources to keep him and instead went with some grandpa that he was friends with to ride out the next 10 years of 4 win seasons with.

    It makes everyone, not just angry, look like a giant douchebag and that’s why people will ALWAYS bring it up.

    When this site first start back on the old URL it made good points, validated by facts. Now its mostly just assumptions and trying to fill in the Riley narrative of mediocre coaching and nepotism. Please go back to looking at each situation with open eyes and you’ll find a lot less haters. Hell half the shit on here these days is “assuming we don’t get any good recruits, which we won’t, how bad are we gonna be next year? And in 2 years? oh boy!” or “lets fire langsdorf because he took a call from a high school coach instead of just finding james himself!” or the classic “we’ll never ever beat chip!” – mostly cause OSU doesn’t schedule Philadelphia, but ya, ya’ll nailed that one.

    Reply
    • Krogercomplete says:
      January 23, 2013 at 7:27 pm
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      That is my biggest issue. Looking for whatever possible to fit the pre conceived narrative. Sometimes there are legit gripes and the narrative makes sense. Other times, the overreaching is comical.

      Reply
  • ncaa_violation says:
    January 23, 2013 at 8:37 pm
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    Ragin decommits from BYU and commits to CAL

    Reply
    • beaverkman says:
      January 23, 2013 at 9:43 pm
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      He was somebody I think we needed, just can’t wrap my head around how we failed to get him? In the end we were not even considered. Glad we got rid of Locey, I don’t think its all on him but numbers from the state are zero.

      Reply
  • beaverkman says:
    January 23, 2013 at 10:04 pm
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    Edward WIlliams LB from New Orleans has decommitted from Texas A&M. He visited a couple weekends ago. He is also looking at La Tech.

    We need LB’s badly.

    Reply
    • beaverkman says:
      January 24, 2013 at 12:50 pm
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      Posted this question on chat today:
      beaverkman (Oregon)
      Hearing Edward Williams is not committed to Tex A&M any more, can you confirm and do you know why, grades? He visited Ore St couple weeks ago any thoughts on him ending up there or La Tech?

      Damon Sayles
      (3:47 PM)
      In speaking with my guy Sam Khan, Williams is taking visits his visits and playing everything by ear. He’s visited Oregon State and will visit Louisiana Tech this weekend. Word is that he was being asked to potentially grayshirt, so that’s the reason he has reopened his recruitment. It makes you wonder if he’ll stay close to home and choose Louisiana Tech in the end.

      Reply
  • ObjCritic says:
    January 24, 2013 at 9:53 am
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    OT – Enjoy this: http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-usc-football-another-recruit-decommits–20130122,0,4498521.story

    OSU pursuing any of these guys?

    Reply
  • ObjCritic says:
    January 24, 2013 at 10:33 am
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    Another OT – Helfrich’s deal contains exstensive and specific provisions re: NCAA rules compliance:

    http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/pac12/2013/01/22/oregon-football-contract-helfrich-ncaa-rules-compliance/1855593/

    Reply
  • angry says:
    January 24, 2013 at 12:59 pm
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    Did Sprague ever announce his big news?

    Reply
    • ncaa_viOlation says:
      January 24, 2013 at 1:07 pm
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      He’s still telling people to be patient. Earlier today he said:

      Brandon Sprague ?@BrandonSprague

      Sometime in the next 3 days. When I get the go-ahead. RT @traglia73 @BrandonSprague define soon.

      Reply
    • beaver strikeforce says:
      January 24, 2013 at 6:36 pm
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      I wonder if this piece of news is a precursor into what Sprague has to announce over the next few days.

      http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2013/01/oregon_ducks_have_paid_154716.html#incart_m-rpt-2

      Reply
      • ObjCritic says:
        January 24, 2013 at 9:38 pm
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        As crazy as his fees might sound, I know of water rights attorneys who make $500 an hour. $4K per day, $20K per week…crazy.

        Reply
      • bendbeaver says:
        January 24, 2013 at 10:44 pm
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        I think that’s basically part 2 of an older story where they’ve updated to total attorney fees.

        Reply
    • BeavItOrNot says:
      January 25, 2013 at 11:05 am
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      Complete shot in the dark, and probably not something that would spark a “meeting” as Sprague referenced in his tweet, but what if the news is Tyner announcing he was decommitting and committing to OSU? Sprague did follow Tyner all year.

      It’s probably something to do with CSNW and has no relevance to the Beavs. But, we can dream, right?

      Reply
      • ncaa_viOlation says:
        January 25, 2013 at 11:14 am
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        Really doubt Sprague or anybody else could keep something like this under wraps for this many days.

        Reply
  • beaverkman says:
    January 24, 2013 at 3:29 pm
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    He is visiting UO and UW this week, neither have offered, yet…
    @RBoydstun_educk
    Keishawn Bierria confirms visit to Oregon and says he expects an in-home from Ducks coaches early next week. http://oregon.scout.com

    Reply
    • ObjCritic says:
      January 24, 2013 at 3:47 pm
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      “Bierria added that he wants to be able to fully experience the recruiting process and make sure he is making the right decision”

      That’s exactly what Riley tells recruits to do. I wonder if that will pay off for OSU this time?

      “Linebacker U West Coat” needs some LBs….

      Reply
  • ObjCritic says:
    January 24, 2013 at 7:58 pm
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    Jack – what’s your take on current Safety commitments, Arnold, Strong, Solomon?

    Reply
    • Jack says:
      January 24, 2013 at 11:20 pm
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      Arnold – FS type who is fundamentally sound on tackles, takes good angles on the edge to avoid blocks and get to the ball, has a knack for finding the ball both over the top and through traffic. He’ll redshirt.

      Strong – Reminds me a lot of what Kenyon Barner was like as an athlete in HS. But he loves contact on the edge because he can gauge the play then run away from the block. I see him as a rover type, but I can also see him putting on muscle and becoming an OLB very much like Doctor. Probably also a redshirt, but he does have good speed and shimmy. He’s probably a better punt returner than anyone we have on the roster.

      Solomon – SS who will play on Sundays. He’s a missile, but he’s not a headhunter out of control. I think he’ll probably be our gunner on ST next year with some back up duty on D.

      Reply
    • Jack says:
      January 24, 2013 at 11:27 pm
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      Ok… I said what I did about Solomon because I have a friend in the area who says Solomon is all-world. So I went to look for his senior stats and tape to confirm, and this is what I found:

      “Solomon — who helped Murrieta Valley to an 10-2 record and second-place league finish at 4-1 — was credited with 178 total tackles, with four interceptions, six forced fumbles, four blocked punts and four blocked field goals. He also had four touchdown receptions in limited duty as a receiver.”
      http://blog.pe.com/hs-gametime/2012/12/05/football-mvps-harris-solomon-head-all-southwestern-team/

      Reply
  • bone says:
    January 24, 2013 at 9:39 pm
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    Reply
  • ObjCritic says:
    January 24, 2013 at 9:41 pm
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    This kid was offered by OSU:

    • Four-star wide receiver Devon Allen has long hinted that if Oregon were to offer him, they would immediately move to the top of his list. Well, on Tuesday, new head coach Mark Helfrich finally provided Allen with the news he had been waiting for. But the question remains: Was Allen only interested in Chip Kelly’s Ducks? Some assumed that a commitment might quickly follow, but that has yet to happen. Allen has one more visit set to Arkansas during the weekend of Feb. 1, and while the Ducks are currently seen as the leader, the Razorbacks, UCLA and Stanford continue to be in the chase. Watch out for Stanford, as this could end up being an Oregon-Stanford battle.

    Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/highschool/news/20130124/rivals-around-the-nation-recruiting-roundup/#ixzz2IxlyNZjq

    Reply
  • ObjCritic says:
    January 25, 2013 at 11:14 am
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    Rod Perry makes S-I’s top 100 super bowl pics:

    http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/photos/1301/100-greatest-super-bowl-photos-of-all-time/63/

    A photo he uses as a teaching point to OSU’s secondary – “don’t leave your feet.”

    Reply
  • yoohoo says:
    January 25, 2013 at 11:33 am
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    jack- who do you think in our class will have the best career?

    Reply
    • Jack says:
      January 25, 2013 at 1:05 pm
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      What kind of career?

      I think Haskins and Mattison are both better than anyone we had playing this past year. Brown is in the mix next year though, and I expect a really nice career at OSU from him.

      I love Jarmon and Villamin, especially with Walker and Bolden. Any or all of them can or will do well here and beyond. But I’ve never worried about our WR’s.

      I’ve always loved Harlow, but I know nothing about Lauina. I was sure Harlow was going to commit to us on the day he committed to UW. So I’m happy he came full circle.

      Our five JUCO’s (if they all make it) look like they can all contribute in the two areas we need. And their talents are such that any of them can move on to the next level with work.

      I don’t know much about Hungalu, but his junior tape makes him look like he has Skoki skills with a Wynn motor. I want to remain skeptical because I also loved Rosa coming out of HS, and injuries just dragged him down. So we’ll see.

      Jones is just a great athlete. I wonder where he’ll play. And Hunt looks like a spectacular football player. We finally get a top shelf CB coming into a great coaching situation. Add LJ Moore, and our DB class would step up from stellar to mind-boggling.

      I don’t know much about Greer or Songy. If Songy is half as good as his father was, then we got a diamond in the rough with him.

      Overall, I think this is a very good group who will just add to all the youngsters from the last two years to win a lot of games. I actually don’t see any head-scratchers as far as wondering why this or that kid is being offered a D1 ship. I see some reaches, but I also see great upside in each of them. If I had to say who I expect to be the best, though, I would say that I expect the most from Solomon, Harlow and Hunt.

      Reply
  • yoohoo says:
    January 25, 2013 at 11:39 am
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    jack- who do you think will play as true freshman next year?

    Reply

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