Coaching changes

Good news for the program, Riley is finally cleaning a little house.....errr Newhouse. I actually think Greg Newhouse is a good person and coach, he's done well for the program. But it is good see some moves before spring practice. 

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Final Thoughts on OSU's Basketball Season

I watched the Arizona game last night. I watched Joe Burton. I don't know this kid, but I'd say he's got issues. Physically he is a really big guy, mentally he is a 2 yr old. Yes, the Arizona players got physical with him, but I saw him grabbing/pushing the entire time he was on the court. I saw him turn the ball over. Shit, I saw lot's of amazingly stupid plays by OSU players- I don't want to single out Burton. But if I played for Arizona I would have literally kicked him in the balls(I think one AZ player grabbed them...oh well). Arizona's 3 pt trifecta completely deflated OSU at the start of the second half. The whole thing felt like AZ imposed it's will on OSU and OSU accepted the imposition.

Cunningham looked good, but again mentally weak. How do you forget to stay hydrated between games? Come on man.....

I still think CR is not the right guy. The team reflects him. 'nuff said. 

OSU's football team has injury issues coming into this spring. Katz is out, Rogers is out, Bishop is out. Geez. I guess it's good that other kids will get reps. 

Nike Store- HQ report 2

After the Civil War I reported that the Nike Store at Nike HQ was inundated with University of Oregon gear. I wrote it off because Oregon was in the Rose Bowl. 

Now, report 2. It's March 2011. Oregon's basketball team or any other sport, is not in national championship contention- that I know of.

Guess what the merchandise mix is in the Nike Store at Nike HQ? 

99% University of Oregon

1%- one OSU sweatshirt and one visor to be specific- I will publish the items as soon as I get them in a good light.

BTW- Nike doesn't allow anyone to take pics of their campus store- I tried to get them, but failed.

Don't forget to vote on whether OSU should drop Nike or not. The poll is on the right side of this blog.

BTW- Did I mention the University of Oregon is under investigation by the NCAA for recruiting violations?

OSU doesn't need Nike, or it's UofO connections. Distance is a good idea right now. What if Phil Knight get's implicated with recruiting violations? OSU doesn't need to associate with an organization like Nike. 

6 Players? Really?

As I said after the last loss to Oregon, Craig Robinson has lost his team. This ship has sank. OSU fielded half a team in an embarrassing loss to ASU. 

The burning question is whether or not De Carolis takes care of business and fires CR. If he lets this go on, we will see another embarrassing result similar to OSU's women's team. 

Having to discipline half your team after this year's pathetic performance is a really bad sign. These kids are probably good kids, clearly they don't respect their coach.

(photo source: AP)

Paea shines, Quizz not so much

Paea breaks the all time bench press record for the NFL combine:


Stephen is projected to be a late first round draft pick. There is no shortage of teams that need someone who can stuff the middle like Stephen can. Too bad his teammates at OSU were so lacking last year, Paea is a rare specimen that wasn't exploited enough.

I stated previously that I thought it was a bad idea for Quizz Rogers to leave early. I still believe he would have gained more getting his degree and finishing his career strong. Quizz ran a 4.64 40 yard dash at the combine this weekend, which is not horrible, but not that great. Usually players prepare to run their very best 40 time at the combine, if this is Quizz's best, he probably runs a 4.7 on average. This explains why there weren't many break away runs during his highly productive college career. The NFL network is projecting Quizz to get drafted in the 3-4 rounds, and NFL Spin Zone did research on the success rate of players drafted in those rounds- 46% of the players are successful. However, a much smaller % who were successful were RB's. The research based success on 4 yrs in the league, starting 1 or more games, not starting but contributing. I don't think Quizz won't get drafted, but I do think it will be a mid-late round pick. A team will give him a shot just like they did with Frank Gore or Leon Washington. The question is whether or not Quizz will be durable when 300lb'ers slam him repeatedly since he doesn't have the speed to avoid pain trains. Quizz is great at making shifty moves ala Barry Sanders, but unlike Barry- Quizz can't outrun danger. Barry ran a legit 4.3. Even if Quizz gets shifty inside the tackles, he will get blasted by LB's and DB's. Unlike college, NFL LB's are consistently vicious. That said, Quizz is young and probably hungry(not having a degree will help that).