Karrington Armstrong and Darron Thomas are getting to know one another better, a budding relationship that bodes well for Oregon’s offensive prospects next season.
“Me and him have to talk to each other quite a bit,” said Armstrong, the sophomore center with the first-team offense. “He talks to me after practices on certain snaps (and) how he likes (the ball snapped to him).
“He just doesn’t accept anything but your best, and that’s what you need in a quarterback.”
“Karrington is doing a really good job. He hasn’t had no over-the-head snaps,” said Thomas, the Ducks’ second-team All-Pacific-10 Conference quarterback.
“He’s got to be willing to speak up. He’s a young guy around three older guys, so maybe he don’t want to speak up. But as the center, you’re the quarterback of the O-line. He needs some more confidence, but that’s going to come.”
Thomas, a junior from Houston, has gotten to know his teammates better as spring progressed. They, in turn, get to know him.
“He’s doing a much better job as a leader,” offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mark Helfrich said. “That’s a big part of it, establishing those relationships. He has to learn when to yell at (his teammates) and when to put his arm around them.”
How does one improve on one of the best seasons by a quarterback in school history? How does one improve on 3,349 yards of total offense, a 150.70 passer rating, 30 passing touchdowns (to nine interceptions) and a 61.5-percent completion rate?
First, Thomas has not settled for good enough — or fast enough — in the winter and spring.
“He’s improved in every facet of his game,” head coach Chip Kelly said. “He’s improved in his footwork, he’s improved in his accuracy, he’s doing a better job with ball fakes and things like that. I think every day he’s gotten better.”
Second, Thomas has assumed the leadership role that he was not always comfortable in last season.
“That was one difference from last year to this year — I was a guy trying to learn my own stuff,” Thomas said. “This year, I got to teach everybody else. I’ve got to make sure everybody on the same page, everybody know what they doing.”
Third — and perhaps most importantly of all — Thomas has not lost sight of the ultimate goal, the one he fell short on last season. Improving on his 2010 season will include the unfinished business of a national title.
“That’s the big-time motivation,” Thomas said. “We lost. That’s the whole season. We’ve gotta come back and do big things.”
The man behind Thomas on the quarterback depth chart — redshirt freshman Bryan Bennett — has held the job virtually uncontested but has not enjoyed any satisfaction from that.
“I’m just getting more comfortable with this offense,” the Encino, Calif., native said. “Getting more quick with my reads, getting up to speed with everything.”
Bennett has wowed coaches and onlookers alike with his powerful throws, accuracy and agility throughout this spring and this past fall camp.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, he will see his first action as a Duck on the field this fall.
“He’s absorbed (the playbook) really well. Now it’s just a matter of processing it,” Kelly said. “He can spit it back to you really well, but when it’s 11-on-11 and guys are flying around, it becomes a difficult situation.”
Sophomore Daryle Hawkins has practiced at wide receiver and running back this spring, with few repetitions at quarterback, but he remains the No. 3 option in case of emergency.
“He’s a dynamic athlete that we need to get on the field somehow,” Helfrich said.
Fourth-string quarterback and Eugene native Dustin Haines returned to practice for the first time Wednesday after an April 16 arrest for excessive noise, interfering with a police officer and resisting arrest stemming from a party at his off-campus residence. Kelly would not reveal the specifics of Haines’ punishment for the incident.
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