CC: Brian's Hopes for Helfrich Are Improving
[I am poking some fun at Brian in the headline of course]
Well the Mark Helfrich / Scott Frost advocates for UM coach(es) should be pleased - the Oregon fan base is very unhappy with them, not just for last night but the WSU game as well. So it should be quite easy to overpay and draw them to the Midwest since it sounds like Phil Knight won't be overly eager to stand in the way of raising Helfrich's salary up from $1.8M to oh $6M (Brandon style!).
Did some skimming of quite a few Oregon boards and they are calling Helfrich very bad names - he has lost Chip Kelly's innovation, the players are not coached as well, the run game is dying, better recruits but worse results, adjustments at halftime are no longer there (guess they forgot the MSU game quickly) etc. Media is piling on as well.
Many here accuse Shaw of just riding Harbaugh's coattails. That stuff goes away after about 2 years IMO - Shaw is in year 4. Helfrich on the other hand is on full suspicion of riding coattails.
To be fair Oregon's OL is a huge mess right now but for those of us who watched the game last evening, that was a total domination on both lines of scrimmage and you just can't win when your lines stink. Oregon's coaches are now saying Mariota is not 100% either.
Anyhow some sampling from various stories I skimmed - this is from the media, not even the fans comments which as you can imagine are much more negative:
But what we don't know and can't yet see is whether Oregon's coaching staff has what it takes to keep the Ducks program at the level they inherited it. Gone is the Chip Kelly edge and creativity on offense. Absent are Nick Aliotti's gambling and guts on defense. The overall performance was sloppy. All that was familiar from the most successful Oregon era ever on Thursday were some of Kelly's leftover players and that signature "O" at midfield. That's "O" for obsolete, right now.
Ouch
The Ducks could not overcome a poor performance on both sides of the ball, puzzling play calling on offense and a lack of effective adjustments on defense. The ire in the stadium, and I'm guessing in your living room, turned toward the Pac-12 Conference officiating. As if it were the officials calling that bland game plan, failing for the second consecutive season to have Oregon ready to play against a more inspired, better-prepared, willing-to-go-for-it-all bunch coached by Rich Rodriguez.
Pow
It was a mismatch, alright. Not the players. The guys in the headsets. Arizona exposed Oregon, especially after some careful halftime adjustments, piling up 13 third-quarter first downs.
Bam
It's coaching that I now wonder about most at Oregon. Oregon has lost its mojo. I can see it. You can see it. The NCAA football selection committee can surely see it. Can Mark Helfrich's staff regain it? Or are they in over their heads?
No 100-yard rusher, again. A pass-happy offensive game plan, again. Five sacks. Two fumbles. Amid all that, suddenly, a decision by Helfrich on a critical second-half drive to put the ball repeatedly in the hands of freshman running back Royce Freeman and that beleaguered offensive line instead of relying on Mariota. "It's on me," Helfrich said.
Shazam
There were suspicions last season, even with a 10-2 record and an Alamo Bowl, about whether the program had taken a giant step backward. Losing to a BCS-bowl bound Stanford program you could live with, but losing at Arizona? Now losing to Arizona twice straight? Helfrich is now 3-3 in his last six Pac-12 games. He's 8-3 overall in conference play. Kelly's conference record in four seasons: 33-3.
Dayum
Right now, the University of Oregon shouldn't be worried about whether it can climb with one loss back into the national playoff hunt. It should be worried about whether the coaching staff has what it takes to keep Oregon as relevant as it should be. Kelly took Mike Bellotti's program to four straight BCS bowl games. He played for a national championship. He made no apologies, and no excuses. He didn't walk off to the NFL, he swaggered away. There is nothing innovative about Oregon right now. Nothing edgy. Nothing mysterious. They're solved, totally and completely. Not from a talent standpoint, but from scheme.
Not good
When Chip Kelly took the Ducks to the national title game in 2011, only one player was drafted off that team: linebacker Casey Matthews in the fourth round. And I think most never expected Helfrich to be the next Chip Kelly. It's clear Kelly is a once-in-a-lifetime coach, a guy whose vision and style is changing the game, but I'm not sure anyone expected this kind of slippage. And yes, there has been slippage. Major slippage.
Yada yada
..the Ducks have become a very sloppy unit. Undisciplined. Bone-headed mistakes. Schematically out of position. And that, is coaching. To their credit, after Knight left, the Oregon coaches stepped to the microphones and owned their performance.
Sounds familiar
I don't understand the bonehead mistakes the Ducks continue to make under Helfrich. For the most part, I think Oregon recruits a high-character athlete. These are smart kids, and from my limited interaction I believe these are good kids. But under Helfrich, silly personal fouls were a problem last season, and again this season we are seeing lapses in judgment.
Regardless, it's far too early to say Helfrich's job is on the line. But discipline, both in conduct and execution, are major reflections of a coach, and right now, those are two areas the Ducks are lacking.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:24 PM ^
I don't like hiring guys that were assistants to geniuses on one side of the ball. Assuming that it wasn't all Chip Kelly would be a very dangerous plan, in my opinion. It gets even worse with Frost.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:36 PM ^
Ironic to see dominant line play from a RR team, had he paid some attention to the OL and DL his time here may have been different.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:44 PM ^
Yes it was very strange. It was like watching a spread based Stanford out there last night.
I am not a huge Shaw fan due to the snore fest and cautious nature but after thinking things through, we all fall in love with razzle dazzle but what wins? Two good lines, and a competent QB. Shaw does that every year at Stanford. The RBs, WRs, and even to a degree LBs and DBs are razzle dazzle. I am watching Teryl Austin with the Lions and they have 1 special player in the back 7 in Levy but the DL has been bad ass this year and its transformed their defense from underachiving to somehow top 5 in the NFL (still early!) despite a bevy of injuries.
Everyone is going to focus on RIch Rod's spread last night but it was the OL and DL that killed Oregon. Oregon had better skill players - they just were mauled most of the game. Which is how Stanford wins. And Bama. Wisconsin compensates for a lack of high twitch athletes and boner QBs with great OLs. Even Iowa who has almost no skill athletes is respectable most years as they always have 1-2 NFL OL on that team.
It's a freaking cliche but the game of football is won at the lines (as long as you have a competent QB)
October 3rd, 2014 at 7:29 PM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 7:32 PM ^
It's a good thing we dominate the trenches then.....wait, what?
If you want to point to one reason to fire Hoke, it is that we are ABJECT FAILURES at our primary team goals - toughness and the lines.
October 3rd, 2014 at 6:11 PM ^
I mean, Rich Rod basically developed four pro offensive linemen (Lewan, Schofield, Molk, Omameh), and the line (Graham, Martin, RVB, Roh, and various guys like Jibreel Black, Greg Banks, Renaldo Segesse, BWC) was pretty much the only reliable part of the defense.
He had two DT recruits flip to Arkansas on signing day one year, and had trouble bringing in OL once his seat warmed up. But it's not as though RR undervalued linemen or failed to develop the ones he got.
October 3rd, 2014 at 7:01 PM ^
Fair enough althought I'd put guys like Molk, Lewan, Schofield, Martin and Graham separately from those other guys you listed.
I do think the year he recruited 5 WRs (the best being Dileo) and 2 OL (I think that was 2010) was a quite awful decision. That was after only 3 OL in 2009. Then in 2008 he only recruited 2 DL guys - Martin and Omameh. Followed that up with only 3 more in 2009. Some very strange decisions in terms of depth and planning for 2-3 years down the road.
Maybe it was some high profile misses on 4 stars but I'd still rather get some 3 stars on OL and DL and hope to develop them, OL especially is one position the stars dont seem to matter much with the right coaching.
October 3rd, 2014 at 6:46 PM ^
Most of Rich Rod's linemen were underclassmen who were getting manhandled by redshirt upperclassmen playing for other teams. If Rich Rod had been given the five years that Bo, DB's supposed "mentor," advocated, you would have seen what a Rich Rod OL full of upperclassmen could do.
In retrospect, Rich Rod did a great job to get to 7-6 his third year. Rich Rod was 7-6 his third year with every year being better. Brady Hoke was 7-6 his third year with every year getting worse. Yet Rich Rod was fired and Hoke was retained.
That has NOTHING to do with offensive line play and everything to do with an "offensive" athletic director.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:36 PM ^
I agree 100%. This is my issue with Dan Mullen (w/ Urban Meyer) and Narduzzi (w/ Dantonio). Mullen has not had high powered offenses in 5 years as HC with Miss State despite being a supposed "spread guru" - meanwhile Urban had a machine offense last year (yes with better players but Urban did it at BG, Utah, UF, OSU).
Dantonio built awesome defenses (2002!) at OSU and now at MSU. People just assume you peel of Narduzzi and its the same thing.
Any guy associated with Saban (not named Bobby Williams) is apparently now a guru. Etc
It reminds me of all the coaches who got a gig in the NFL just by being part of Brett Favre coaching for 15 years.
That doesnt mean it CANNOT work but you need to give these guys 3-4 years on their own - like a Shaw, to prove themselves. Just being in the same room as a guru doesnt make you a guru.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:53 PM ^
Dantonio was a C3/C1 guy. Narduzzi's defense is his baby.
October 3rd, 2014 at 6:04 PM ^
You don't think Dantonio has evolved in a decade? He was at Cincy at 3 years and MSU now 7. Narduzzi post 2009 the entire fanbase wanted fired. When stuff goes wrong Dantonio basically steps in himself, the beat writers said he basically let the OCs (they have 2) hang themselves the first 3-4 games last year then insisted they do things his way.
From the beat writers on Mlive Dantonio spends most of his time with the defense and the offense is (relatively) autonomous (not in a Brady Hoke - just tell me what you plan to do on Saturday, way) up to a point of fu** up it requires him to step up. He is very involved with the defense and to think he has not evolved since 2003 is not realistic.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:35 PM ^
We should get the head coach of that winning Arizona team, he turned that program around in just a couple seasons.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:27 PM ^
the guy who couldn't keep the Oregon ball rolling?
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:35 PM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:28 PM ^
So why would we hire them?
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:32 PM ^
Oregon has a bad game and now nobody wants Helfrich? The body of work they put together up to this point without Kelly has been really good overall. We would be stupid not to try and get this coaching staff in AA.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:36 PM ^
Oregon could lose 2 or 3 more
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:42 PM ^
On a side note, what does this tell us about Sparty? Oregon trashed their D.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:48 PM ^
Actual comments on a drive by to RCMB today as I was curious how they'd explain this away:
- If we replayed today we'd crush them
- This is why teams that play a team AFTER we play them luck out - even when we dont win we beat teams up to a point they become much worse
- As I told everyone, if we played Oregon 10 times, we'd win 7. That just was one of th other 3 times
- Oregon is much worse than it was when we played them. They were only down 3 OL when we played them, they are now down 5.
- If you watched Mariota last night he was far less mobile than against us. If we got that Mariota we win by 14.
I could go on but that is the gist.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:59 PM ^
started against Sparty. I think those are their normal starting tackles. Oregon was missing four OL against Arizona. Sadly, I don't think last night's game tells us much about sparty's defense.
October 3rd, 2014 at 6:17 PM ^
They had an All American LT go down with an ACL in fall camp. They moved Fisher from RT to LT to offset that - he handled Calhoun very nicely. I dont know the name of the 2nd string tackle they started at RT who took Fisher's place but THAT guy went down at the beginning of the 2nd half so they put in their 3rd string RT for the 2nd half vs MSU. From there Oregon's offense went bonkers on MSU's defense.
I think Fisher has gone down with injury since and was not out there versus Zona. Not sure if any of the guards or centers are different than vs MSU.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:36 PM ^
LOL, he was one step ahead of the NCAA.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:38 PM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:43 PM ^
Conversely, does that mean that Kevin Sumlin's popularity will sink like a rock if Texas A&M loses to Mississippi State?
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:51 PM ^
No. But Sumlin is not even a reasonable option. He has a huge buyout and a loaded team at AM.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:42 PM ^
If that happens they will probably end up having one hell of a season and just about everyone will be knocking on his door.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:49 PM ^
The Gators will be all over him, once Muschamp implodes.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:53 PM ^
I pull for the Gators every week for that reason. I'm hoping they win atleast 9 games, that should keep him safe.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:58 PM ^
@tenn, LSU, Mizzou, @UGA, SC, @FSU. No way they get to nine.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:51 PM ^
Then we can hire a 5-7 Kevin Sumlin. Boom! No way we lose whatever happens between Miss St and A&M.
No on a serious note unless Big Bert improved Arkansas a lot, A&M looks very vulnerable to upset. They still dont play defense down there, something Sumlin didnt do at Houston either. He really needs to hire a defensive guru - maybe GERG is available.
October 3rd, 2014 at 6:00 PM ^
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October 3rd, 2014 at 6:41 PM ^
Yes, Florida is the x-factor. But Dan Mullen would be a fantastic hire for Michigan. I would enjoy watching him and Urbz battle it out with equal resources.
October 3rd, 2014 at 6:29 PM ^
This Dax Prescott is a boss. Seems like a helluva player, just what any coach on a warm/hot seat needs, QB to come in be a world beater.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:48 PM ^
Not a fan. The guy is not even close to being on the same playing field as Chip Kelly.
October 3rd, 2014 at 7:14 PM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:48 PM ^
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October 3rd, 2014 at 6:05 PM ^
Whichever coach comes in should either recruit a QB or preferably bring in a graduate transfer that fits their system.
October 3rd, 2014 at 6:25 PM ^
QBs usually commit early. The top 30+ prospects are spoken for months before we get a new coach. How many grad transfer QBs pop up? One or two a season. Our roster should be able to accomodate various coaching styles. The QB as a featured ball carrier won't be one of them.
October 3rd, 2014 at 7:40 PM ^
First of all - any of the QBs who were considering Oregon would immediately be considering Michigan. And some that weren't but would still be a good fit.
Shane could run that system. He can run, and he actually passes better when he's on the move. Speight might not be the best fit, but then again maybe not. He's a load to bring down and although he's not as juky as Mariota, he can still run with it.
Let's not assume right away that any of our QBs would be a poor fit for that offense.
October 3rd, 2014 at 8:47 PM ^
nor did I think was the poster to which I replied.
To answer your points, I think all of the QBs Oregon was recruiting committed already. Poaching their commitment strikes me as unethical. It's not easy to pull kids from the west coast either. Might we possibly get someone good to switch their commitment? Sure, but it's not something I have confidence in and I don't feel great about going for a late add with Malzone already committed.
Shane is a decent runner as a scrambler or an occasional call to keep the defense off balance, not sure how he would fare as a featured runner. I'll admit to not being an expert on Oregon's offense. If Wilton is a good fit for it then I know even less than I thought. Would it even be fair to him to try to plug him into that kind of a system? It may not be hopeless, but none of this makes me comfortable about our QB situation if we hired Helfrich.
October 3rd, 2014 at 7:13 PM ^
How about a better idea...
We get a coach, because he's a good leader, not because he has a trendy X and O formula. You know, a quality that is timeless.
October 3rd, 2014 at 6:03 PM ^
To be honest I really like 99.9% of the stuff Brian puts out but his comment about Frost being a good head coaching candidate here was one of the strangest things I have heard or read on this blog.
October 3rd, 2014 at 6:11 PM ^
We are all in desperation mode at this point. I can at least understand Helfrich from a (a) hey he is cheap! and (b) hopefully some halo effect from Chip Kelly standpoint. Frost I dont get - guy was a QB coach who has been a coordinator all of 17 games in an established system w/ the best QB in the nation at the helm. There are probably 6-7 guys on this board with coaching background which could get Oregon to 8-4 with that tail wind.
That said I look forward to the "23 reasons Bob Stitt should be our next coach" piece coming next week :) I think we'll be the only fanbase outside of CO that will be educated on how Stitt happens soon.
October 3rd, 2014 at 6:54 PM ^
talking about winning games this season. It's silly in terms of finding a new coach. People are greatly overplaying how unattractive our job is. It's going to be top ten in pay, with outstanding resources and facilities. Those things outweigh a lot of negatives. PSU had similar positives and infinitely greater disadvantages a few years ago. They did okay even without having to overpay.
Not only are Frost's credentials skimpy, I dislike the idea of hiring anyone whose dream job is another team in our conference. Calvin McGee would be a better candidate. Not that I think he should be on anyone's lists either.
October 4th, 2014 at 2:48 AM ^
I think an Athletic Director who watches film with you every Sunday might not be such an attractive prospect for most head coaches. Especially if you're an elite coach with a good resume and a history of winning your way.
October 3rd, 2014 at 6:07 PM ^
I hope they win on Saturday.
October 3rd, 2014 at 6:09 PM ^
Just give me a coach that can lead, have a team prepared to play and gets the most out of his players he recruits. If that happens any system they run will work, and all the assistants will look smart.
October 3rd, 2014 at 6:18 PM ^
I'd hate to have the best offense in the nation. It'd make me just as spoiled as Oregon fans.
October 3rd, 2014 at 6:45 PM ^
But their rapid success has gone to their heads and now they are all shocked and outraged wen they don't score 60+ and win by 3 TDs. I tell duck fans I know to enjoy it while they can because that level of success is hard to achieve but even harder to maintain. Needless to say I was not sad when RR took them down last night.
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October 3rd, 2014 at 7:08 PM ^