Eyes on Eugene

This would have been the year to write an insider's story following the Oregon Ducks throughout the season.

Maybe someone will.

I'm thinking of two of my favorite sports-related books from years past: David Halberstam's The Breaks of the Game, a chronicle of the Portland Trailblazers following their 1977 NBA title, and George Plimpton's Paper Lion, the hilarious account of the author's brief, satirical attempt to play quarterback for the Detroit Lions in 1963.

Some things that would make this year's story about Oregon football interesting include the dynamic play and leadership of All-Americans Marcus Mariota, Hroniss Grasu and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu.  All three turned down surefire NFL money to return to Oregon for a final run at college ball.

In this day that is in itself remarkable.

Another angle is the tension inherent in the program as second-year coach Mark Helfrich, an Oregonian from Coos Bay, attempts to solidify his coaching career in the long shadow cast by Chip Kelly, who led the team to unprecedented success before moving on to the NFL.

Kelly has been deified in some circles, though people tend to forget that he lost a number of "big games."

Many critics find Helfrich lacking, inasmuch as this is his first head coaching position and he was perceived as shaky last year, leading the Ducks to an 11-2 record.

The second-year coach is on the hot seat, one heated by the imaginations of a rabid fan base.  So are offensive coordinator Scott Frost and first-year defensive coordinator Don Pellum.

Last year's record would please most fan bases around the country, but Oregon, behind the money of Nike and Phil Knight, is unique--or thinks it is in many cases.  Helfrich is in an unenviable situation.

Unfortunately, Oregon is either going to make it to the new College Football Playoff this season or people are going to demand the coach's ouster. Not fair, but such is the twisted nature of the college football beast now--at least in Oregon.

That's a weird story, telling in its primal "win-at-any-cost" mantra.  It should be documented closeup, along with the personalities that shape the team.  This is a big football story steeped in a morality play about the direction of college sports.

There are some interesting cats at Oregon right now.  Bright guys like Tyler Johnstone and Bralon Addison (who are both out for the season) and preternaturally gifted players like Mariota, Thomas Tyner and the new kid, Royce Freeman, who will soon be a household name.

There are some animals. Jake Fisher is a prime example, a big tackle who plays with nearly unhinged violence.

There is a boatload of emerging athletes, possibly stars, including the fastest high-hurdler in the U.S., Devon Allen.

Oregon has some monster players, a roster as gifted as any other in the league.  What does the future hold?

Can the center hold on what many believe is Oregon's last chance to win it all, carried to the promised land by the magnificent, generational QB Mariota?   Because UCLA, USC, virtually all the usual heavyweights, are bouncing back and Stanford has had Oregon's number the past two seasons.

There are so many "ifs" one cannot help but be caught up in them--legions of Oregon watchers, here and around the country, are curious.


TS