Players playing on the merit of outplaying their competition in practice, in games, etc…should always be the method of choosing who starts and who doesn’t. It’s what use to give college football coaches power and authority over their programs. It’s what’s made some programs and coaches legendary.
You choose starters based on their NIL deals and such, you’re destined to fail.
Jonathan, honest question. Have you actually heard Coach Shep saying anything that would indicate he'd select his QB in such a way? I've not, but maybe I've missed something.
What I have heard Shep say is that he seeks to love and support his players off the field. Then on the field, it's war.
Personally, I love the guy. Hoping some of what we see in his character translates into success with wins--even if it takes a little while.
Just be patient, first years are tough, at any level. I am more concerned and focused on culture, fundamentals, what type of systems and concepts they put together...wins will come down the road. Shep didn't make OSU's bed with the troubles of the last 2 years, but unfortunately will likely have to sleep in it for the short term. Be supportive and show up and show out, good times will return again.
agree, JS. and thinking about Marge Gunderson's quote (commenting from WTBeav), from the movie Fargo. "I'm not so sure I agree 100% with your policework there Lou..." aka, stay tuned--the kids are alright :) Go Beavs.
I'm doing my best to remain empathetic with this dialogue. It may well be a situation where someone has been deeply hurt by people of faith--which happens all too often, unfortunately.
I haven’t heard it from Coach Shepard, however I remember an era at OSU when evangelism ran roughshod over things like winning games and putting the best players on the field.
So, yeah, I’m more than a little wary of those who talk a big game about their deity rather than sticking to the measurables that come with the career they have chosen.
Win GAMES, coach. Do that and you’ll have many more opportunities to “influence young men.”
I am reassured by Shep's strong Christian faith. It is authentic. I am now Jewish, so it does not reinforce my beliefs. But the fact that the HC is grounded in something bigger than himself and does not believe the world revolves around him is a very good thing. It is the egomaniacs in sports or any business, that cause the most trouble. Those who stay humble and give credit to others who I find reassuring knowing that is the correct path
I heard it 30 years ago from people who were in a position to know. But if you think I’m gonna name names and throw people under the bus at this late date just to satisfy your skepticism, you’re mistaken.
Pete Carroll is a faith-based coach. He does pretty well, don't you think? What about Spencer Danielson at Boise State? There are dozens of others in college and the pros who are successful. It is kind of weird you have a negative association with faithful people, so long as they are sincere. Shep is no Jim Baker
There are successful people in all walks of life, some “of (a) faith,” others not. Chris Peterson is a Scientologist, apparently. How about Mike Leach or Dennis Erickson?
I have a negative association with people who talk a big game about their faith because far too many of them are wolves in sheep’s clothing.
I prefer the admonition of St. Francis:
“Go and preach the Gospel; use words if you must.”
MM phoned it in last year. his checking account balance was/is waaaay more than mine last year, this year. as i've written many times, pay these 'athletes' AFTER they've performed. you know, like the rest of the working world operates. my SD doesn't pay me in advance for me "saying/thinking" of what i can do--they pay me AFTER i've met metrics/met goals. this college pay2play is so backward thinking and gives these young kids such a false sense of, well, everything...
Totally agreed but that is not historically how it has worked in sports. Partially that is because they can get injured in the game, preventing them from meeting their potential. So up front payments are basically for potential output and an insurance plan for the player. This is why many of us support paying ALL players in ALL sports in college. They are risking their bodies and future potential playing for the college, which has value. All studies show that college sports initiate donations to the whole university and are the best marketing to new students.
He also had no offensive line production, certainly with any consistence, to ever build any consistency. Constant uncertainty makes anyone inconsistent.
Agreed. Murphy is a statue at quarterback. He's not a dual threat. If he can return to the form of 2024, he'd be an effective pocket passer, but he is not the kind of QB who can consistently run away from a pass rush to escape a sack.
Pro athletes with big contracts get a wider berth because ownership wants proof that they made the right investment. Nine TD's and 8 interceptions shows that whoever ponied up the NIL money for Murphy made a poor investment. They should have divided up the $1.5 million and given 10 kids from the state of Oregon four-year full rides. They could have ended up with 5 engineers, 3 business majors, and 2 educators. Those would be much better stats and a much better return on investment.
It will be Murphy, but Atkinson should probably. Atkinson played well in every game except the last two...at Auburn and vs South Dakota in the FCS Playoff. He can fling the ball. In a 9-3 season he was 268 of 407, 3,611 yds, 34 TDs, though he may not be dual threat enough for the Pac. He was FCS Freshman of the Year. That's not just in the Southern Conference, but all of FCS.
Um John. In fact I’d rather have an Offensive lineman run the ball over Maalik Murphy run the ball. Big arm, big stature, big statue behind the line of scrimmage
My problem with Murphy is not his lack of running but throwing too long on all the long routes and into the ground on all the short routes. He can only make completions in the 15-20 yard range. He had a complete lack of touch when inside or outside that range.
I am definitely going to listen to the Jon Petricof interview. I have really enjoyed watching their softball and volleyball games. Kudos to him for seeing the potential and taking a chance!
Whoa, Rob! Any student, or visitor, spending time ON campus at UO will perhaps be most impressed by MATTHEW KNIGHT ARENA! As an 80s grad student who loved the swaying bleachers of Mac Court (over 100 times--"jump Blair, jump!"), gotta say that in many ways the new arena is an impressive upgrade.
Okay, Hayward Field isn't bad either. But it doesn't have the Knight name on it.
I went to a Beach Boys concert in the late 70’s and sat up in the third balcony with my 8th months pregnant wife. Truly rocking and rolling she was sure she would go into labor. Previous to that I was sitting about five rows back from front court at a UCLA game when Ronnie Lee And Greg Ballard played for the Ducks. They lost by one point. I have never been in a more electric atmosphere. Mac Court was an experience.
The Nike campus blew me away. My daughter works there in the executive office....SHE LOVES IT! Got to see King James last week, Serena the month before.
Not really...check out the elite schools and who dresses them out...Nike not going anywhere. If anything, they are quietly consolidating within. Adidas and Under Armour make crappy shoes. They are grossly uncomfortable.
We have a niece who was Bill Gates' assistant's, assistant for several years. Fielded phone calls ("Bill, Willie Nelson is on the line") as part of her job. The Microsoft campus sounds similar to Nike, only with probably more $25,000 bi-monthly paychecks checks being distributed to folks at the top. (Another niece had the job of rolling the cart around, handing out the checks.) We went up a couple times to catch the stage productions put on by the employees (who got time off to do it) and their friends. "Grease" was especially fun. Definitely not the jobs I've worked over the decades.
My daughter has a Business Degree from Oregon. She saves them thousands monthly with datametric auditing. She feels very valued there and this was her dream job :).
Nike needs all the help it can get from young business people. They are an absolute mess as their stock continues to sink past 10 year lows. I sold all mine that I inherited from my dad after a 30% drop. It got cut in half again after I sold out
Nike is an interesting stock to track. Clearly one of those "wish I'd bought it early" stocks, selling for 23 CENTS August 1986. Moved to $59 August 2016, then up to $177 August 2021, surviving Covid. Good time to sell, since it's been declining since. Down to $41 now. STILL not bad if you'd bought 40 years ago--160 times your original investment. If you'd bought in 20.
John Donahue took over the company in 2020, went digital sales (Amazon's got lots of Nike), but for whatever reason it was a bust. Elliot Hill took over in 2024, changing the strategies, but hasn't worked out. Yet. Company still has $46 billion in annual revenue, so who knows?
Yes, Adidas was down for decades (it was THE track shoe when I was in HS when Nike was just getting started). Now, it is again on top, 50+ years later. I don’t have that long to wait for a turnaround. Under Armor is another once hot sports marketing company. They have been down longer and never as hot or as high. I would probably go with that first. But I do not do fashion retail for just this reason. Tech, industrials and materials for me
For those that think Nike is going bankrupt...they outfit the elite schools of NCAA Sports and the NFL...They ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE...The idea is to buy low...It's a great time to BUY NIKE!
I know we are fairly close to the Bay Area, but even the (old) Giant 68 is a bit distant to pick up cleanly in the Sacramento Metro Area. There are three sports stations here (SacTown Sports 1140 AM; ESPN 1320; and Fox Sports 1390). Another station is a talk station, 650 AM KSTE, but it stepped pretty big into sports last year by becoming the (formerly Oakland) Athletics' flagship station.
There are many other stations that may jump at the chance, or they may be indifferent, but I thought I'd let you know about these possibilities for Sacramento.
Keep it going, John. You are really reaching for the stars. Keep reaching!
I could go for a Duck "payday" game. Have no idea what constitutes that number. Against a SEC team in Las Vegas or LA. Think Georgia, LSU, 'Bama, Florida, TAMU, Texas. Season opener.
Drinking the hot dog flavored water: JC, a week or 2 ago, you predicted the starting Beaver QB and it wasn't MM. You had inside information (as usual). I know OC Mitch Dahlen wants to take the big shots downfield, so it's gonna be whoever can deliver the deep ball on target. Tomorrow's scrimmage will likely reveal the starter against Houston Sept 5. Tough opener for whoever gets the call.
John, you continue to remind me of a young Sid Hartman. When I moved to Minnesota in 1982 after college for my first job (and to get married), he was already at the end of his newspaper career that spanned 40 years. He had a terrific column that was widely read. It was distinguished by all its "friends of Sid" who were the top sports names in the country, like George Steinbrenner, Bobby Knight and all the Vikings and Twins famed (this was before the Timberwolves franchise, but he had the scoop on that as well from his affiliation with the NBA in the 1940s and 50s when he was Lakers GM). You have that same broad and deep network. And like Hartman, who after the paper took on weekly gigs with WCCO radio and his own weekly TV show, you are multi-media. Hartman lived to over 100 years old. He stayed very active in the sports media well into his 90s. When I first knew him, he was mid 60s. I think you will have the same long and successful career.
Players playing on the merit of outplaying their competition in practice, in games, etc…should always be the method of choosing who starts and who doesn’t. It’s what use to give college football coaches power and authority over their programs. It’s what’s made some programs and coaches legendary.
You choose starters based on their NIL deals and such, you’re destined to fail.
Coach Shepard is talking a LOT about his faith. So my only hope as a Long Suffering Beaver Fan is this:
Just don’t decide who starts based on who attends Bible Study or talks the biggest game about their “personal lord and savior.”
We’ve been through that before during the Pettibone era.
I don’t care what someone does on Sunday. Go dance under a full moon and sprinkle chicken blood, for all I care.
Just compete and win on Saturdays.
WeavTheBeav
Jonathan, honest question. Have you actually heard Coach Shep saying anything that would indicate he'd select his QB in such a way? I've not, but maybe I've missed something.
What I have heard Shep say is that he seeks to love and support his players off the field. Then on the field, it's war.
Personally, I love the guy. Hoping some of what we see in his character translates into success with wins--even if it takes a little while.
Just be patient, first years are tough, at any level. I am more concerned and focused on culture, fundamentals, what type of systems and concepts they put together...wins will come down the road. Shep didn't make OSU's bed with the troubles of the last 2 years, but unfortunately will likely have to sleep in it for the short term. Be supportive and show up and show out, good times will return again.
agree, JS. and thinking about Marge Gunderson's quote (commenting from WTBeav), from the movie Fargo. "I'm not so sure I agree 100% with your policework there Lou..." aka, stay tuned--the kids are alright :) Go Beavs.
sing it, Jean. sing it...:)
Thank you, Suzie.
I'm doing my best to remain empathetic with this dialogue. It may well be a situation where someone has been deeply hurt by people of faith--which happens all too often, unfortunately.
It does make me grieve.
agree.
Spot On.
I haven’t heard it from Coach Shepard, however I remember an era at OSU when evangelism ran roughshod over things like winning games and putting the best players on the field.
So, yeah, I’m more than a little wary of those who talk a big game about their deity rather than sticking to the measurables that come with the career they have chosen.
Win GAMES, coach. Do that and you’ll have many more opportunities to “influence young men.”
WeavTheBeav
I am reassured by Shep's strong Christian faith. It is authentic. I am now Jewish, so it does not reinforce my beliefs. But the fact that the HC is grounded in something bigger than himself and does not believe the world revolves around him is a very good thing. It is the egomaniacs in sports or any business, that cause the most trouble. Those who stay humble and give credit to others who I find reassuring knowing that is the correct path
Beautifully stated, Brian.
Whenever there is a lack of specifics, and a lot of vagueness, there is a lot of speculation, because that is all we have.
I agree. I don’t know much about Coach Shepard, aside from his public statements. Nor do most of Beaver Nation.
As the Zenmaster said, “We’ll see.”
Thank you for sharing the Atheist perspective on Beaver football.
Amen Brother! Testimony!
Who was Rahim Muhammad's "personal lord and savior?"
Please name me one player under Pettibone who played because of his religion.
I heard it 30 years ago from people who were in a position to know. But if you think I’m gonna name names and throw people under the bus at this late date just to satisfy your skepticism, you’re mistaken.
Well, I heard otherwise from people on the team. I'm sure can't remember any backup who was better than a starter.
Pete Carroll is a faith-based coach. He does pretty well, don't you think? What about Spencer Danielson at Boise State? There are dozens of others in college and the pros who are successful. It is kind of weird you have a negative association with faithful people, so long as they are sincere. Shep is no Jim Baker
There are successful people in all walks of life, some “of (a) faith,” others not. Chris Peterson is a Scientologist, apparently. How about Mike Leach or Dennis Erickson?
I have a negative association with people who talk a big game about their faith because far too many of them are wolves in sheep’s clothing.
I prefer the admonition of St. Francis:
“Go and preach the Gospel; use words if you must.”
You are nuts if you think Murphy is a dual threat, he runs like a baby giraffe. Atkinson is way more of a running threat, hands down.
Last year his affinity for running was less than a cat's attraction to water.
MM phoned it in last year. his checking account balance was/is waaaay more than mine last year, this year. as i've written many times, pay these 'athletes' AFTER they've performed. you know, like the rest of the working world operates. my SD doesn't pay me in advance for me "saying/thinking" of what i can do--they pay me AFTER i've met metrics/met goals. this college pay2play is so backward thinking and gives these young kids such a false sense of, well, everything...
Totally agreed but that is not historically how it has worked in sports. Partially that is because they can get injured in the game, preventing them from meeting their potential. So up front payments are basically for potential output and an insurance plan for the player. This is why many of us support paying ALL players in ALL sports in college. They are risking their bodies and future potential playing for the college, which has value. All studies show that college sports initiate donations to the whole university and are the best marketing to new students.
He also had no offensive line production, certainly with any consistence, to ever build any consistency. Constant uncertainty makes anyone inconsistent.
Sorry, Murphy's aversion to running when pass blocking broke down was almost comical.
Agreed. Murphy is a statue at quarterback. He's not a dual threat. If he can return to the form of 2024, he'd be an effective pocket passer, but he is not the kind of QB who can consistently run away from a pass rush to escape a sack.
Pro athletes with big contracts get a wider berth because ownership wants proof that they made the right investment. Nine TD's and 8 interceptions shows that whoever ponied up the NIL money for Murphy made a poor investment. They should have divided up the $1.5 million and given 10 kids from the state of Oregon four-year full rides. They could have ended up with 5 engineers, 3 business majors, and 2 educators. Those would be much better stats and a much better return on investment.
Will there be any streaming of the big radio show? I'm in Sacramento and would like to listen in. IHeart maybe?
Jay, Daniel, Ben, you could find the online site for the radio stations listed and see if they stream their content.
"Portland (620 AM), Eugene (102.9 FM), Medford (107.9 FM), Roseburg (1490 AM), Klamath Falls (960 AM), and Fox Sports Newport (92.7 FM)"
Same here, we're in Houston.
Love to see it Phoenix.
It will be Murphy, but Atkinson should probably. Atkinson played well in every game except the last two...at Auburn and vs South Dakota in the FCS Playoff. He can fling the ball. In a 9-3 season he was 268 of 407, 3,611 yds, 34 TDs, though he may not be dual threat enough for the Pac. He was FCS Freshman of the Year. That's not just in the Southern Conference, but all of FCS.
Um John. In fact I’d rather have an Offensive lineman run the ball over Maalik Murphy run the ball. Big arm, big stature, big statue behind the line of scrimmage
My problem with Murphy is not his lack of running but throwing too long on all the long routes and into the ground on all the short routes. He can only make completions in the 15-20 yard range. He had a complete lack of touch when inside or outside that range.
I am definitely going to listen to the Jon Petricof interview. I have really enjoyed watching their softball and volleyball games. Kudos to him for seeing the potential and taking a chance!
Whoa, Rob! Any student, or visitor, spending time ON campus at UO will perhaps be most impressed by MATTHEW KNIGHT ARENA! As an 80s grad student who loved the swaying bleachers of Mac Court (over 100 times--"jump Blair, jump!"), gotta say that in many ways the new arena is an impressive upgrade.
Okay, Hayward Field isn't bad either. But it doesn't have the Knight name on it.
I went to a Beach Boys concert in the late 70’s and sat up in the third balcony with my 8th months pregnant wife. Truly rocking and rolling she was sure she would go into labor. Previous to that I was sitting about five rows back from front court at a UCLA game when Ronnie Lee And Greg Ballard played for the Ducks. They lost by one point. I have never been in a more electric atmosphere. Mac Court was an experience.
I was always in the student section, and man sometimes I was looking for the best way out--those wooden bleachers were BOUNCING!
The Nike campus blew me away. My daughter works there in the executive office....SHE LOVES IT! Got to see King James last week, Serena the month before.
Mike is going to bankrupt if they don’t change their politics. Adidas is taking over.
You sound almost giddy that a German company is beating an American company.
Not really...check out the elite schools and who dresses them out...Nike not going anywhere. If anything, they are quietly consolidating within. Adidas and Under Armour make crappy shoes. They are grossly uncomfortable.
We have a niece who was Bill Gates' assistant's, assistant for several years. Fielded phone calls ("Bill, Willie Nelson is on the line") as part of her job. The Microsoft campus sounds similar to Nike, only with probably more $25,000 bi-monthly paychecks checks being distributed to folks at the top. (Another niece had the job of rolling the cart around, handing out the checks.) We went up a couple times to catch the stage productions put on by the employees (who got time off to do it) and their friends. "Grease" was especially fun. Definitely not the jobs I've worked over the decades.
My daughter has a Business Degree from Oregon. She saves them thousands monthly with datametric auditing. She feels very valued there and this was her dream job :).
Nike needs all the help it can get from young business people. They are an absolute mess as their stock continues to sink past 10 year lows. I sold all mine that I inherited from my dad after a 30% drop. It got cut in half again after I sold out
Nike is an interesting stock to track. Clearly one of those "wish I'd bought it early" stocks, selling for 23 CENTS August 1986. Moved to $59 August 2016, then up to $177 August 2021, surviving Covid. Good time to sell, since it's been declining since. Down to $41 now. STILL not bad if you'd bought 40 years ago--160 times your original investment. If you'd bought in 20.
John Donahue took over the company in 2020, went digital sales (Amazon's got lots of Nike), but for whatever reason it was a bust. Elliot Hill took over in 2024, changing the strategies, but hasn't worked out. Yet. Company still has $46 billion in annual revenue, so who knows?
46 Billion boys...Nike is not going ANYWHERE...Markets come and go, much of it is organized from within...It's actually a GREAT TIME TO BUY NIKE!
Yes, Adidas was down for decades (it was THE track shoe when I was in HS when Nike was just getting started). Now, it is again on top, 50+ years later. I don’t have that long to wait for a turnaround. Under Armor is another once hot sports marketing company. They have been down longer and never as hot or as high. I would probably go with that first. But I do not do fashion retail for just this reason. Tech, industrials and materials for me
Wouldn't ever count this company out. Still better athletic shoes than Adidas or Under Armpit
For those that think Nike is going bankrupt...they outfit the elite schools of NCAA Sports and the NFL...They ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE...The idea is to buy low...It's a great time to BUY NIKE!
Schools:
Oregon
Texas
Alabama
LSU
Georgia
Ohio State
USC...
Get the picture?
Any streaming opportunities in the Phoenix AZ area? Lots of retired Ducks fans here who love the sunshine ☀️
Beavers, Huskies and Cougars too.
Everyone from the Pac NW after 65 years in the rain wants some sunshine. LOL!
I know we are fairly close to the Bay Area, but even the (old) Giant 68 is a bit distant to pick up cleanly in the Sacramento Metro Area. There are three sports stations here (SacTown Sports 1140 AM; ESPN 1320; and Fox Sports 1390). Another station is a talk station, 650 AM KSTE, but it stepped pretty big into sports last year by becoming the (formerly Oakland) Athletics' flagship station.
There are many other stations that may jump at the chance, or they may be indifferent, but I thought I'd let you know about these possibilities for Sacramento.
Keep it going, John. You are really reaching for the stars. Keep reaching!
Even with all the weird shi# happening with college athletics, the country, and the world, life is a gift…I hope everybody enjoys a stellar weekend.
thank you, Kevin :)
I could go for a Duck "payday" game. Have no idea what constitutes that number. Against a SEC team in Las Vegas or LA. Think Georgia, LSU, 'Bama, Florida, TAMU, Texas. Season opener.
The challenge with this is you give up a home game, which is worth a ton in tickets, parking, and concessions. Not sure how it would pencil out
Drinking the hot dog flavored water: JC, a week or 2 ago, you predicted the starting Beaver QB and it wasn't MM. You had inside information (as usual). I know OC Mitch Dahlen wants to take the big shots downfield, so it's gonna be whoever can deliver the deep ball on target. Tomorrow's scrimmage will likely reveal the starter against Houston Sept 5. Tough opener for whoever gets the call.
John, you continue to remind me of a young Sid Hartman. When I moved to Minnesota in 1982 after college for my first job (and to get married), he was already at the end of his newspaper career that spanned 40 years. He had a terrific column that was widely read. It was distinguished by all its "friends of Sid" who were the top sports names in the country, like George Steinbrenner, Bobby Knight and all the Vikings and Twins famed (this was before the Timberwolves franchise, but he had the scoop on that as well from his affiliation with the NBA in the 1940s and 50s when he was Lakers GM). You have that same broad and deep network. And like Hartman, who after the paper took on weekly gigs with WCCO radio and his own weekly TV show, you are multi-media. Hartman lived to over 100 years old. He stayed very active in the sports media well into his 90s. When I first knew him, he was mid 60s. I think you will have the same long and successful career.
Hats off to Oregon State for opening the season at AP No. 23 Houston and then hosting AP No. 12 Texas Tech.
BUT - Doctor, Doctor, Mr. AD, you're the one who's ailing me!
The brilliant scheduling of Scott Barnes.
AMEN!