It made me recall this post from almost a year ago.

"Angry, you are so crazy!"

Is it crazy now?

This is the transcript from another board:

Guy 1: Mike Leach. Isn't he out there somewhere? He has a very progressive offensive mind. Might still be looking for a job.

Guy 2: Nah…that's too much out of the box thinking for Riley/Decarolis.

Guy 3: Leach would be a heck of an offensive coordinator.

Looks like there are a bunch of us crazies out there. Beware of the crazies!

I still think this would be a great hire and contradict yet keep up with what the Ducks are doing in a fascinating way. It would be the innovative, aerial version of that offense.

My wish list:
1. Mike Leach, offensive coordinator.
2. Matt Wallerstedt, defensive coordinator.

The coaching and recruiting upgrade from those hires would have the Beavs fighting the Ducks for the Rose Bowl every year. Does Bob D have the 'nads to make a change? Probably, were it not for the kidney thing.

I will probably receive a lot of backlash for saying that, but I have to stick to my guns. The bottom line is that I question whether Langsdorf donated his kidney for job security. Seriously, how can anyone fire a guy who did that? He's another lifer, so we have to hope someone "poaches" him, and in the meantime ponder what could have been.

Eek, I called this game a glorified scrimmage. I was trying to think why I was fooled into thinking that. All I could come up with is that I wanted it to be a glorified scrimmage, and figured maybe I could force my will on the team.

So much for parapsychology.

Someone made a good point in the comment section. Paraphrasing here, but they basically said UCLA has a lot of athletes, and when they come fired up to play they'll beat walk-ons. It's an astute observation; that's exactly what happened. We were "out-athleted." When I saw UCLA jacked up in pre-game, I knew the game would be more difficult than I figured.

On to the game…

There were so many problems with performance tonight, but they all revert to one issue: poor recruiting. I might start a new feature called "worst walk-on of the week"  (I like the alliteration) or "Pankey vs _____" where we insert players in college football who are worse than Keith Pankey. Justin Kahut, maybe? Look, I'm sure these guys work really hard, and that's great and all if they're building confidence and character, but as I fan I frankly don't give a shit if Mike Remmers gets a chance in life. I want to see fast 4+ star athletes flying around, making plays, and winning games. The Horatio Alger stuff is for that walk-on and his family to revel in, not me. As Dennis Leary said, "Life is hard, get a helmet."

There were specific coaching problems. For example, Riley still doesn't understand clock management. It's simple, and works like this: call timeouts when there are 2 minutes left and the other team has the ball. There. That's it. The reason you do this is because (a) the opponent is not going to rush to the line of scrimmage to get off a play and (b) if you get the ball back, your QB will rush to the line of scrimmage to get off a play.

But, it's pointless to harp on coaching foibles when the guy is locked up for a decade.

I digress.

There was a point where I wanted the Beavers to lose. I think it was late in the 3rd quarter, when I realized they weren't playing smart, efficient football, when their conditioning looked poor, when I imagined the Ducks steamrolling them. I just figured it's better to lose this game and expose the sheep in wolf's clothing. Now we don't have to hear deranged fans talk about how the defense is great for shutting down Brock Mansion of the Cal squad that almost lost to Washington State. Now it's all out in the open. The Beavs have won with smoke and mirrors–kick returns and low turnovers. While great, those are not the kind of things you can rely on every game.

Ryan Katz continues to make the same poor decisions. He hasn't improved his decision making since game one. I've been biting my tongue and being patient since I know the rule that "Riley's offense is complex and takes a year to learn blah blah." You can blame the offensive line–on many plays it was obviously their fault. But the o-line is much better in pass blocking (than run blocking) and when he had time he just couldn't make the throw. It's now all on him. He's the QB, he's the man, and he continues to make bad decisions. Example: on a 3rd & 4 he had a WR cutting short across the middle, looked at him, and threw a ten yard incompletion. So yeah, be the hero with that canon of yours, big guy. We're all impressed in the same way we're impressed with high trucks with big wheels. Anyway, I'm really starting to sour on this guy. I love heady football. I've never been in love with big arms, height, speed, etc. Give me intelligence and savvy from the QB spot. Give me a Honda at the QB position, not a tricked out Hummer.

It's time to start thinking about next year, when the personnel should improve. But I'm already frustrated because I know it will take the staff five games before they realize who the players are, or they'll fall in love with a Mike "Horatio Alger" Remmers II, or they'll…ugh, not even worth it.

As far as the rest of this season: I think WSU and Stanford will be wins. We'll squeak into some crappy ninth tier bowl, Beaver fans will be joyous about the extra weeks of practice, everyone will say "next year is the year!", and when that time comes we'll all be a year older and little balder saying the same things about the next year. To be a Beaver fan…

Happy gameday, Beavlettes.

I'll be watching this UCLA game closely for signs the Beavers can beat the Ducks. I noted all those things earlier in the week–sustained drives that result in TDs instead of FGs, conditioning on D, etc.

I'm really curious to see if Hawaii can do anything versus Boise State. I suppose as Beav fans we should want Boise State and TCU to win, but I just can't find myself routing for BSU.

Oh, and go Huskies.

Cheers,

Angry

The schedule started with a fury, and now we're in the lull of Washington, California, UCLA, and Washington State.

This is a critical juncture of the season. If the Beavers are to have any chance at a Rose Bowl berth, they need to use these games to their advantage, focusing on improving their weaknesses and refining their strengths.

For example, the second half of the Washington game saw the defense make strides, only to wear down in overtime. The positive is that they found their inner will; the negative is they eventually tired. The lesson is that they're going to need to be a lot more conditioned to run with Oregon. Hence, conditioning needs to become a priority. Along the same lines, developing depth should become a priority. A deeper Beaver team means a fresher Beaver team, and one that likely would have beaten Washington. This is why it's so important to get players in the game when there is a blowout. Now is it clear why I was so furious at Riley last week for keeping the starters in? It was a missed opportunity. Sure, you could say leaving the starters in conditioned them more, but that is something that needs to happen in practice, not games. Another point worth mentioning: UCLA runs the pistol with some elements of the read option. They're not very good at it right now, which presents the defense an opportunity to see that offense once again, stop it, and build confidence.

On offense, long, sustained drives needs to become the norm. Throwing bombs versus Oregon, even if the Beavers convert them, will be doing the Ducks a favor. Riley likes to wax poetic about the identity of his squads. Well, we're seven weeks into this thing and now know what the Beavers are. They are not winning with talent, so they better start out-executing. If Oregon State wants an identity that will work this season, it's ball control on offense and a non-stop motor on defense. Both require mental toughness and discipline, the traits of all great underdogs.

And finally, Ryan Katz needs to grow up, starting this weekend. It's finally clear what the team needs him to do, so the period of no criticism is now over–at least from this blogger. Any quarterback can throw bombs. I'm sure we've all done it on the school yard…it's the natural inclination to tell your pal to run a fly route and then you throw it as far as you can, but it's not smart, efficient, or disciplined football. The passing game is a strength of this team. Refining it would entail check downs, converting 3rd downs, scrambling when the opportunity is there, and essentially taking what the defense gives. To feel confident about the final quarter of the season, the Beavs must use these glorified scrimmages against UCLA and WSU to define, refine, and develop the small semblance of an identity they've managed to build. What I want to see is a maximum effort, executing machine.

So yes, I am expecting a win, but the measure of victory will be in the details.

34-17, Beavers

I was looking at the Ducks' schedule earlier trying to guess where they'd slip up. While scrolling through the games, it hit me that Beaver fans have had an excuse for every Duck victory. Maybe excuse isn't the right word. They just find a way to abate Duck victories. I thought it would be interesting to ponder Beaver fans' mindset playing the same schedule. Correct me if and when I'm wrong.

That's how I see it. Am I off my rocker?

I don't think so. Beaver fans are quick to dismiss what the Ducks do, yet their team could not accomplish the same feats. It's a second rate mindset that reeks of bitterness. The reality is the Ducks are not only better than the Beavs; they are better than everyone. There is no room for criticism. That is the weight a #1 ranking carries.

One final point: I contend the Ducks' success is good for the Beavers. As a Duck fan astutely noted earlier, it means more revenue and respect for the conference as a whole, but more importantly, the Ducks dominance (and a 3rd consecutive Civil War) puts pressure squarely on the Beavers program. Put another way: the larger the Ducks' footprint, the less patient Beaver fans will be with the status quo.