cesame":1l6giizu said:
Oregon will likely take a step back at QB (just because Vernon Adams is damn good), but they've gone to Rose Bowl's and National Championships with guys like Jeremiah Masoli and Darron Thomas. Prukop may not be Mariota or Adams, but he's probably better than Masoli and at least as good as Thomas imo. Masoil's accuracy was inconsistent at best and Darron Thomas was just a system guy with some decent tools and good leadership. I think it's very reasonable to expect Prukop to be at that level, especially considering the weapons coming back at RB and WR. Oregon is returning everyone. It's really a QB's dream. Oregon's been #1 in scoring in the conference since 2007 and I don't really see that changing. The defense OTOH...... hard to tell until it's official if Pellum is fired or staying. The talent is certainly there on defense to be a top tier defense in the PAC, which is where they've been since 2009. Before this year they've finished top 3 in scoring defense every year in the PAC other than 2011 (5th). Pellum really needs to go. He's Oregon's Nick Holt right now.
But without Adams, that offense looked terrible. I think Freeman is a good player and will have a nice NFL career someday, but I think this season revealed that he can't carry an offense the way some elite RBs (McCaffrey) can.
I get Colt Lyerla flashbacks hearing you guys hype Prukop. Honestly, none of us know a lot about him, but what little we do know should temper enthusiasm. He's never played a game against a power conference opponent. His mechanics suck. He's an extreme running QB who weighs... 200 pounds. And even in the FCS, he was only .500 as a starter. His record in close games and shootout games is terrible. And he'll be a transferring QB, which means there will be an adjustment period of some duration. He's a senior but his situation is closer to that of a true freshman in many ways.
I'm glad you brought up Masoli because I think that is probably the best comparison that could be made. Masoli was also a transferring player who was more athlete than QB. Masoli also played the 1st year after transferring, in 2008. And posted nearly as many rush TDs as pass TDs. Masoli was a very good running QB but his passing numbers were below average.
Masoli though, was 3 inches shorter yet 20 pounds heavier than Prukop. So his build made sense for a running QB. If Prukop adds weight then fine, but if he doesn't, I wouldn't expect a 200 pound QB to make it through the season running several times a game.
I think mostly though, Duck fans have to appreciate how special it is to have Adams and Mariota back to back at QB. I would argue that they are the two best QBs in college football the past two years. Adams averaged 10.2 yards per attempt, which is pretty nuts. And his adjusted yards per attempt, which factors TDs and INTs, was a stupid high 11.2. You guys aren't replacing a QB, you are replacing a super star. The drop from Vernon Adams to a guy that's probably going to be 2008 Jeremiah Masoli is going to be huge.
The best point you make is about Pellum, who was just demoted recently. I don't really buy that Oregon's defense is full of talent, but a good DC hire could turn around a defense almost regardless of talent.
cesame":1l6giizu said:
WSU/UW.... these teams because of their recruiting need to ride a hot streak the entire season to win the conference as far as I see it. The talent just isn't there compared to the rest of the conference and especially Stanford and Oregon. I compare them both to ASU. They compete in every game but not good enough to win them all or only lose 1 or 2 games. They've made strides but there isn't much that says they're ready dethrone either Stanford or Oregon
If recruiting classes decided things then USC would be saying "Pete who?" What is far more important is how coaches develop their players. Case in point: Troy Williams, Jeff Lindquist, and Cyler Miles all had the same prospect rating as Jake Browning.
One thing I really respected about Chip Kelly and Chris Petersen during his BSU days was how both of them were so good at turning low level recruits into NFL prospects. That hasn't really continued for Oregon after Kelly left, though Petersen is still working his magic, now more than ever, at UW.
UW just had 3 defensive players go in the 1st round, and a 4th player went in the 2nd round. Some of those players, Peters and Shaq, are already stars in the NFL as rookies. This last year he pulled a top end LT and RB out of thin air and got Browning to be a good QB well ahead of schedule. His defense is a bit of a no-name defense, but it was best in the conference.
So in terms of developed talent, I think UW is tops in the north. And it's not like their recruiting classes have sucked either, they've ranked in the top half of the conference in each of Petersen's two years here.
UW got jobbed against Utah and crapped all over themselves despite dominating the box score against ASU, but otherwise, they looked like the most complete team in the conference in the 2nd half of the season. At the end of the season UW's offense was rolling (and very balanced) and their defense didn't let up at all.
I don't see UW as being like ASU. ASU actually has much better recruiting classes than a lot of people realize, better than Oregon in fact, but they haven't translated those recruiting classes into success or dominance. UW has been the opposite, maximizing their good but not great recruiting classes and turning a lot of no name players into studs with NFL futures.
In regards to WSU, it's hard to tell how much of 2015 was a fluke for them, but if they can repeat 2015's success, then I think they will be good enough to be favored against Oregon next year. Leach is not a bad coach and now that his players are finally buying in it seems like the result on the field is getting somewhere. The QB for WSU is under-rated IMO. Yeah he's a system guy with concussion problems, but he's a tough QB who plays very well in the clutch. When WSU went into the Apple Cup without him, they were completely obliterated. And if not for a shanked FG, they would have beaten Stanford last year.
JSeahawks":1l6giizu said:
I really hope uncle Phil is going to buy us a good dc. I know he had a meeting with helfrich and the athletic director after the bowl game.
I'm hoping for either Clancy Pendergast or Todd Orlando. Worried it might be Justin Wilcox.
Meeting with the HC and AD after an embarrassing loss is pretty interesting... I honestly have no idea what he would say.
Wilcox was good at all his stops before USC. And at USC he was "okay". It would bum me out if Oregon hired Wilcox because I think he would fix that D the same way he did at UW. He seems to do best with lesser ingredients.
