Kelly vs now, are the Ducks in a better position now?

[Alan]

I heard an interesting question on the radio the other day, in paraphrasing it was basically this. Do Ducks fans feel the Ducks are in a better position going into the second season of the Lanning era then they were during the Kelly era. Sure almost every game was a blow out due to the new blur offense not being defended well. We went to the natty twice and lost. During the Kelly era our smaller quicker lines always got beat by the big SEC type lines and we lost. We certainly recruit better raw talent now. Our NIL funds seem to be plentiful . We have a young and hungry coaching staff who recruit well……. I am just listing some things to consider before answering the poll question.

[OregonFan4Life]

This is a few years premature to ask this question, Chip’s Oregon team was consistently in the top 5 and I still think that 2012 team was the best team in the nation, so it’ll take Dan a few years to match what Chip brought. Granted Chip did take over the program in much better shape, Belotti left it in good shape and Mario destroyed the roster. With how Lanning is recruiting and hitting the portal I think he is more likely to win a natty than Chip, but not sure he can have the consistent success Chip had at Oregon.

[73duck]

The second title game was under Helfrich, but I agree it could be considered Kelly era (as could the years when Kelly was OC). They were also one DAT block away from a likely title game against Notre Dame that they would have been favored to win.

Those teams steamrolled SEC teams like MSU and Tennessee, and should have beaten Auburn twice. What was Kelly in the PAC? 41-6? Plus, they were mostly blowout wins that got about a half dozen HCs fired.

Lanning's team got physically beaten up by OSU. Kelly knocked an OSU team out of the Rose Bowl.

I am very pleased with the job Lanning is doing, but sheesh, people forget so soon.

[buckmarkduck]

I heard an interesting question on the radio the other day, in paraphrasing it was basically this. Do Ducks fans feel the Ducks are in a better position going into the second season of the Lanning era then they were during the Kelly era. Sure almost every game was a blow out due to the new blur offense not being defended well. We went to the natty twice and lost. During the Kelly era our smaller quicker lines always got beat by the big SEC type lines and we lost. We certainly recruit better raw talent now. Our NIL funds seem to be plentiful . We have a young and hungry coaching staff who recruit well……. I am just listing some things to consider before answering the poll question.

We were probably in a better position then, because if DAT just blocks, in 2012, Kelly’s 4th year, we play a bad Notre Dame team and win the natty. With the playoffs, we wouldn’t ever have that chance. We always have to play the best SEC team. Kelly wouldn’t be able to beat a top tier SEC team. I believe Lanning will get us to the playoffs, possibly even this year. But We will see if Lanning can ever get out trenches to a spot that we can overcome UGA or Bama.

[Duck07]

So I answered Yes largely on the basis of we know we ultimately fell short of winning a NC under Chip and that is still an open question for Dan.

On the grounds of "going into year 2" there's no reason not to be hopeful with how Dan leverages the new world of CFP to build his team.

That said, Oregon as a program under Chip was in a very unique position due to everything we already know about the Blur during that time. Year 2 is when that hype really started to build and I don't know if Dan can make Oregon as "captivating" as those Chip teams were but he does have the potential to take them just as far and possibly win it all.

[pezsez1]

We were in a much better place in Year 2 of Chip.

That said, the Chip Era was always lightning in a bottle. It was fast and furious, but we all knew it wasn't sustainable.

Feels like Lanning is building something with more staying power. The bigger question is whether he'll be here long enough to see it through.

[dthomas=ddixon]

We were in a much better place in Year 2 of Chip.

That said, the Chip Era was always lightning in a bottle. It was fast and furious, but we all knew it wasn't sustainable.

Feels like Lanning is building something with more staying power. The bigger question is whether he'll be here long enough to see it through.

Couldn’t have said it better myself. The Chip era was a very unique window of opportunity where we were practically playing a different game than the rest of the country.

Lanning doesn’t have that advantage and is having to win the old fashioned way. Like you said though, it will likely result in something longer lasting.

[OrTDuck]

I've always wondered, now even ten years later, why so many Duck fans repeat Oregon being "one DAT block away" from a National Championship in 2012?

Not singling anyone out here at all, as I've read a variety of Duck fans in a variety of places make the claim.

Do people not remember the MM play was with 6:00 minutes left to go in the FIRST quarter with the score 0-0?

Sure it changes the dynamic of the game a bit; but, with nearly a whole game left, does going up 7-0 with 6:00 left in the first quarter make that game essentially a lock? If so, how? Certainly it might put a small amount of pressure on Stanford; but, with like 50 minutes left in the game, I doubt they change up too much. Shoot, after taking over on the "missed block drive" doesn't Stanford immediately go 15 plays for 73 yards and a TD? Does that not happen if Oregon scores first? If Oregon scores there and Stanford answers, isn't it 7-7 with 3 full quarters left to play?

If one rewatches the series, yes the missed block opportunity was tough. But isn't MM short arming a 2nd and 3 yard screen pass to DAT at the Stanford 8 -- that looked to be going to get at least 5 yards and a 1st and goal -- that DAT had to go down to one knee to catch which then looses 3 and makes a 3rd and 6 at the 11 yard line nearly as much of a killer? 1st and goal at the 5 with momentum, doesn't Oregon have a good shot at getting that 7-0 lead anyway?

Kind of reminds me of the start of the second quarter of the Auburn/Oregon BCS Championship game. If Thomas reads unblocked Fairly correctly on 3rd and 2 from the Auburn 3, LMJ walks in and Oregon goes up 7-0. Does Oregon win the NC game there going up 7-0 with 3 quarters to play? Well, it would have been nice for sure, but it just alters the dynamic of the game, which likely plays out slightly differently over the next 45 minutes, but probably isn't the decider there either.

To offer an opinion of the original question, I would have to unfortunately vote the CK period.

Back then, you could sneak in and win one game for a title. Now it requires beating two top teams, which is obviously a tougher road (and soon may be 3 games to win an expanded playoff).

Continues to favor teams stockpiling talent. You see something like TCU pulling the shocker against Michigan, then just appear to have little left in the tank for the challenge that Georgia represented.

I feel positive about DL; but, I think it's still an open question whether the "Georgia D" will transition to at least a regular top 25 - top 35 type defense with good but less than Georgia's massive stockpile of talent on D. I'm wondering if the "secret sauce" if the D might be being so loaded in the front 6-7, it allows Georgia to play it so safe on the back end, that just about everyone else doesn't have the offensive firepower to keep up.

Without the same level of talent, which is getting better but likely is still years away (even WITH a lot of recruiting wins on D), does the D look more like Oregon in 2022 and not Georgia in 2021 the next few years? If even partially true, do Dan and Tosh have a plan B to work around some of the areas it falls short? Questions I don't know and make a title seem further away than under CK. Chip obviously had a lighting in a bottle offense; but, Oregon also had talent and knew who they were and what they wanted to do on defense as well. With Dilly gone, until we see a bit of Stein, I'd say Chip at his best was fairly plugged in on both sides of the ball in that era -- while Oregon in 2023 will still be figuring both out.

[buckmarkduck]

No more winning a half a title by beating a bad Michigan team in the rose bowl. Any and all titles before the BCS, should have an asterisk at best, and probably not exist. Does anyone care about titles won before the Super Bowl?

[webfoots2001]

Kelly had the advantage of being the OC for two years, retaining most of the staff, and having had input on a lot of the players on the roster in his first years.

Lanning is starting from scratch with an entire new staff and obviously wasn’t impressed with a lot of the talent he inherited. Last season compared more to Kelly’s first seasons as OC with Lanning installing new offense and defense and working around players that may not have been the best fit. I think judging Lanning’s year two vs Kelly’s year one will be a better evaluation.

[Phalanx]

I'm surprised this is a question; it feels like almost pie-in-the-sky optimism vs. something that actually happened. Other than some recruiting victories, the new coaching staff has accomplished very little thus far and is nowhere near being in a position to be compared with Chip's legendary tenure. Maybe let's beat the Huskies, or even the Beavers first before talking about historical comparisons.

[Alan]

I'm surprised this is a question; it feels like almost pie-in-the-sky optimism vs. something that actually happened. Other than some recruiting victories, the new coaching staff has accomplished very little thus far and is nowhere near being in a position to be compared with Chip's legendary tenure. Maybe let's beat the Huskies, or even the Beavers first before talking about historical comparisons.

I am surprised at your response, I see so much better potential with Lanning, granted he may be gone ina couple of years….. hope not. But the recruiting is so much better than chips hate of it. I see Lanning building a program not j like Chip who I felt was the first to use the Ducks as a stepping stone. Mario did start building a beefy O an D line but Lanning is certainly caring on. With the recent recruiting classes I think it is obvious someone is willing to put Oregon in the top small group of NIL funds….. I think the Duck program is much better with more upside than the Kelly era, the time of the blur offense with no idea how to defend it is over, we are back to football.

[Phalanx]

Right, and you saw better potential with Mario as well. You seem bent on diminishing Chip's accomplishments here in multiple threads. I have a feeling Lanning will surpass Mario, but it will be an amazing feat if he can even approach the Chip/ 1st 2 years of Helfrich era. If we ever get another coach that can have us in the National Championship conversation several years in a row and playing in the championship game two years after he is gone, then I will say he has equaled Chip. Until that time, I will be happier to at least be the best team in the Northwest by the end of the season, which hasn't happened yet under Lanning.

[pudgejeff]

Right, and you saw better potential with Mario as well. You seem bent on diminishing Chip's accomplishments here in multiple threads. I have a feeling Lanning will surpass Mario, but it will be an amazing feat if he can even approach the Chip/ 1st 2 years of Helfrich era. If we ever get another coach that can have us in the National Championship conversation several years in a row and playing in the championship game two years after he is gone, then I will say he has equaled Chip. Until that time, I will be happier to at least be the best team in the Northwest by the end of the season, which hasn't happened yet under Lanning.

That's kind of where I'm at with this too, unless you think in the next 3 years the Ducks will be winning a national championship and competing for/playing in another then the only answer is Chip. That's what it would take to be in a better spot. I feel like people really forget how good those Duck teams were.

[Duck07]

I thought this whole exercise was about "going into year 2" - at which point, we were busy kicking our starting QB off the team for stealing laptops from a frat house, too.

Sure the year ended in the title game (and we effectively had had 3 years of Chip) so if anyone is really curious, we hired Chip in March 2009 and all of the posts are on here leading up to that 2010 season.