It always comes back to your parents, doesn’t it? Everything depends on your easily-influenced youth.
One of the first things I learned in life – that my parents, especially my dad, hammered into my head from an early age – is that no matter what you’re doing, if you put all of your effort in and try your best, at least you can hold your head up high in the case of failure. As cliché as it sounds, its true, and it is very relevant to this year’s Oregon football team.
Because too often last year it seemed like the players let their heads down and weren’t committed.
I know it’s not easy to step between the lines on any given Saturday and play college football, no matter the level, but especially Division I. My goal isn’t to sound like an armchair quarterback, or, worse, a journalist bemoaning a lack of effort. Life’s hard enough without people taking pot-shots in the paper. But at the same time, there are 57,000 people at Autzen Stadium, 20,000 students on campus, and hundreds of thousands – millions? – of fans throughout the state, the region, and the nation that deserve a display of effort.
I know how hard it is to keep your head up at times on an athletic field and how easy it is to, conversely, slip and say, “screw it, I’ve got a scholarship, win or lose.” But when effort slips and it seems like nobody cares, then I’ve got problems with losses.
There are a lot of expectations on the team this year; can a poor 2006 season be turned around? On paper, yes – much of one of the Pac-10’s leading offenses returns, and the stellar pass defense will only get better. Patrick Chung will continue to assert himself as one of the best defensive players in the conference, and could certainly end up on national awards watchlists at the end of the season; more importantly, he’s a leader on a squad that’s lost senior leadership the last few years, including to injury (Brent Haberly comes to mind).
The Ducks’ defense could be more than just average next year – but the problem is they’re thin, especially across the defensive line. While they may have enough bodies if defensive linemen start falling to injury this season, three of those are redshirt freshmen, and another – Will Tukuafu, who could earn playing time if he continues in fall camp like he played in spring practices – is a sophomore transfer. While Duck fans have seen this before when it’s been the defensive backfield as the big question mark, it’s never a good situation to have a question mark on your team, period.
Unfortunately, questions arise for the offense, too – namely, the same question that has haunted Mike Bellotti since Kellen Clemens’ ankle was injured against Arizona in 2005. Dennis Dixon or Brady Leaf? Which of these two is your team’s best quarterback? Dixon is physically gifted and, with his speed, able to break open defenses in different ways – but does the interception to begin last year’s game at Cal still haunt him? In many ways, that pass was the tipping point; the Ducks went from darkhorses ranked No. 11 in the nation, to a spiraling, ugly mess. Add in that, no matter how much he was studying his playbook at night or throwing spirals in the outfield after games, Dixon was still away from his teammates and focusing on minor-league curveballs instead of Pac-10 defenses and Chip Kelly’s new offense.
Would that inspire confidence in you?
Yet Leaf seems to be nothing more than an above-average clone of Clemens, but without the New York Jets quarterback’s (limited) running abilities, leadership, or throwing accuracy. True, Clemens only really blossomed as a senior, but will either Dixon or Leaf establish themselves and develop, too?
I hate to question Dixon’s leadership – enough people have elsewhere – but what if balls and strikes and center field stick in his mind if the team starts to struggle? Michigan will be a huge test for the team – a team that is ranked preseason No. 5 in the nation, a gigantic, loud stadium, and the bright national spotlight. Will Dixon crack like he did in Berkeley?
I hope not. I hate seeing anyone fail, especially not somebody with the talent and ability to lead the team and be a star. Anyone who saw this Oregon team firing on all cylinders last year knows that the offense is scary, and adding Dixon’s running ability into the mix only makes it scarier.
There’s a lot to look forward to this coming season – a big trip to the Big House, hosting the preseason top two teams in the Pac-10, not to mention the Civil War. I just don’t want to see campus – or the student section, for that matter – turning apathetic in October. This team has the talent to tackle the big teams in the Pac-10 and challenge for the title; I don’t want to see them roll over and waste the opportunity.