A few college football notes… and more on Blount
After taking a week off, I never got around to talking about the Oregon-California game.
First, let me say I don’t want to take anything away from the Ducks. Nick Aliotti’s defense was as good as I’ve EVER seen it. I mean EVER. Against a team with real talent. The offense perked up, too.
But can I add one thing? California may have been the worst-prepared good team for a big game I’ve seen in a long time. That was a pathetic effort that just had to embarrass the Bear coaching staff. I mean, horrible.
The Beavers? Well, everyone is waiting for the inevitable turnaround but I’m not so sure it’s ever going to come this season. The skill position talent is OK, but the lines on both sides of the ball are really struggling and without that, the rest of the offense and defense are mediocre, at best.
And one more thing about Blount:
The thing I liked the least about what went down yesterday was the idea that Chip Kelly (with Mike Bellotti’s approval) decided to change the rules of Blount’s suspension because he didn’t think Blount would be able to do it without the carrot of playing football on the end of the stick.
See, this is EXACTLY the wrong message. What Kelly has done is change the rules in midstream, because he figured they’d be broken, anyway. He knew Blount wasn’t going to stick around under the original punishment (go to class, come to practice but never play in a game) so he changed the rules to make it easier on him.
What would you think about a U of O professor who gave Blount a history test but after seeing the player wasn’t going to pass it, yanked it back and handed him an easier one? It’s the same thing.
What are you teaching at Oregon? You can say you care about Blount but if you really did, you’d teach him that football isn’t the whole reason for college. Instead, Kelly gave in and basically admitted the only reason Blount is at Oregon is to carry a football. And, oh — by the way — Chip Kelly also acted in Chip Kelly’s best interests by allowing the guy a chance to come back and play.
And he’ll play. I’ve heard people say they don’t know if he’ll play much or not. My guess is, given the time to do so, Blount will be in excellent playing shape and will play A LOT. Kelly obviously likes the power back to go with the speed back — we saw that last season, and right now he doesn’t have a power back until Blount arrives.
And one more thing — why not make some of those “ladders” Blount has to climb public? How will we really know he’s climbed any of them? Are we going to have to take Chip’s word for it? Like we took his word that Blount would never play another game in a Duck uniform?
College football, Oregon Ducks, Oregon State Beavers | Dwight Jaynes | October 3, 2009
Chip Kelly, Dwight Jaynes, LeGarrette Blount, Mike Bellotti, Nick Aliotti, Oregon Ducks
What about the report that Blount had lawyers applying pressure? Think that may have changed some things Dwight? Coach Kelly may have been put in a no win situation. It is easier to bash the Ducks though.
I’m a little surprised at the surprise here. I’m one of those people who files things away and remembers them.
I considered the University of Oregon to have lied about the extent of Dennis Dixon’s knee injury. I’m not saying they did in a courtroom sense, but I do remember that’s how it felt to me.
I’m not saying I predicted any of this, but when the coach and Bellotti were sitting there at the original conference, the U of O B.S. deflection shield was still in place because it never left after Dennis Dixon.
I was really upset when it turned out Dennis Dixon’s injury was much worse than they let on. I had hopes of a title shot and a Heisman.
Once you get burned like that you don’t listen to every little thing that comes out of these people’s mouths.
The phony part now is waiting ’til November, and all the ladder B.S. If you’re going to take this route wait ’til….I don’t know….the second quarter against the Cougars?
If they need a ladder, it’s to climb out of the pile of their own B.S.
For all those who disagree with Kelly, there are those who believe he made the right decision.
Ted Miller at ESPN: “Time for the self-righteous to put a sock in it.”
And Ken Goe of the Oregonian:
“Bottom line, I’ve made mistakes and done things I wish I could take back. So have my children. I’ll embrace anybody who admits wrongdoing, shows contrition, serves penance and changes his or her life. I believe in second chances, and redemption, and I don’t think a young person should have his or her life defined by a poor choice in a big moment.”
Yep Jaynes publicly has said to give a muderer like Vick a second chance, yet Blount should never play another down for Oregon.
Gee could it be he has a chip on his shoulder because the ducks don’t bow at his feet?
When you talk of hypocrosy Jaynes, make sure to take a good look in the mirror
Wait, where in the hell was it said that Kelly changed the rules so blount could pass the test?
That seems an awful lot like a made up dynamic to me.
TONS of duck fans and “reporters” laways talked about how much better Tedford was than Bellotti. they all talked about how Tedford had Bellotti’s number…
Now Cal is “the worst-prepared good team”… LOL
OREGON stuffed them. Give them ALL the credit.
Since you are retired, I won’t bust you for taking the week of a meaningful game when you could have taken this week off with WSU in town… Kind of like CLOWNZANO piping off all week leading up to the Civil War last year about how OSU was going to kill Oregon, then after Oregon’s big win… being missing in action!
I hate to break it to you Dwight, but the kid is there to play football. His brightest possible future financially involves playing the sport he’s excelled at his entire life. I went to college to gain knowledge, but more importantly strengthen my earning power. If Oregon wasn’t going to be able to offer that “carrot”…he would have had to go elsewhere. (DII) If he didn’t, his draft stock would continue to drop and so would his earning power. Would you stay in a situation that is actually hurting your future? Is this the ideal reasoning for this given situation? Maybe..but maybe not.
Chip Kelly knows his kid better than any of us. If he thinks that he can have the biggest influence on this kids future..and possibly change him for the better…is it so bad that he uses 4 final college football games as a “carrot”? Really? Do we want to screw with this kids future because of a couple of bad decisions and a REALLY bad breakdown on national television? Is that going to help make him a better person?
What is a college football coach’s main concern? Some would argue to win games. Others may argue that it’s to see kids graduate and be a positive influence in their lives. With this decision, I think that Chip Kelly may be killing two birds with one stone.
I dunno, Dwight. My own feelings about the Blount suspension have changed over time, so it’s easy for me to see how Kelly might also have second thoughts. I think he got it right the second time.
Having said that, I see your point. In fact, it’s similar to my own concerns that the grand ideals of the LeGarrette reclamation plan were unrealistic from the very beginning. The hope that Blount’s suspension would refocus his attention upon school and sorting out his inner demons, including whatever anger issues he may or may not have, or his lackadaisical approach toward his future, is pushing up against the harder reality that once Blount gets back on the football field and salvages whatever draft status he can, he’ll be signed with an agent and gone from the UO, back on his original path and away from the greater salvation realized through the discipline and personal growth developed through education.
Just the same, I don’t think Kelly made Blount’s road to redemption any easier. He just gave him more incentive to stick it out. One hopes Blount will rise to the challenge and makes the most of it. I think Kelly has offered a better alternative than for Blount to drop out completely.
Kelly hasn’t lost any credibility with me over this. On the contrary, he’s enhanced in my esteem by demonstrating the strength of character to reexamine his decision in search of a better outcome–at the cost of inviting more criticism upon himself.
As for conceding that Blount is primarily at Oregon to play ball is hardly a revelation. In fact, I think this matches the more cynical view that you’ve expressed repeatedly over the years about the hypocrisy of big-time college student athletes. The fact that Kelly is striving to help Blount develop something more than just his football talent and seems personally invested in Blount’s greater success beyond Oregon and the football field is precisely what I hope a good coach would do.
I agree that Blount should not be reinstated, given all the facts. Listening to yesterday’s press conference, I felt as though Kelly made this decision for possible reinstatement, and I was warming up to the idea. But now it sounds, though, like Blount, his family, and some lawyers may have “stiff-armed” the Oregon Athletic Department here. In retrospect, I don’t think this was Kelly’s decision; he’s currently acting under advisement. Otherwise, Blount would be suspended all year.
Dwight,
You’re old, creepy and ugly. That is all.
No Dwight,
We should take your word for it. You are right their with these guys everyday. You know every detail of everything that has transpired, so now your word is right on.
What you write and say changes 180 degrees from one minute to the next, just like the wind. A bunch of hot air. You are as hypocritical as some of your other non athletic buddies in Portland.
Man, they have thin skins down in Yoo-gene.
the standard penalty for what blount did is a 2 game suspension – he will have served at least 7
that is almost 4 times the maximum penalty
how many games did the michigan player miss after he punched the notre dame player???
how many games did maualuga miss after he punched a guy at a frat party???
you and canzano are duck haters
lets hear what you have to say about other players punching people – you wont because they dont play for the ducks and you dont hate them
“why not make some of those “ladders” Blount has to climb public?”
Frankly it’s none of your business. It’s a private matter between Blount and his coach. If the Oregonian disciplined you or gave you a bad review they would never post it in the break room for all to see.
I agree with Nick completely! However, the “ladders” are pretty darn obvious Dwight!
Continue to:
1) Attend class & study hall sessions!
2) Pass mid-terms!
3) Attend counseling sessions!
4) Attend team meetings & practices (except for scheduling conflicts with any of the above, of course)!
And I couldn’t agree with Ted Miller more:
Ted Miller at ESPN: “Time for the self-righteous to put a sock in it.”
AND the analogy with a college professor and a test is AbSURD!
Lets move on. It’s out of our hands, there is nothing we can do about the situation.
Great article Dwight.
Was there ever really any doubt that LGB was coming back?? I mean come on folks! The statements from Eugene right after the ‘incident’ were about as carefully worded as any political speech I’ve ever heard.
They set this ‘season long suspension’ up to not really be that at all. The only thing they had to hope for was a 3-1 start. Anything less than 3 wins would have been too obvious. With 3 straight wins as cover, however, they were free to formally comment on how ‘great’ LGB was doing and how the compassionate thing to do was to give him another chance.
It’s all about football in Duckland right now, no matter what blather they are spewing.
I love this rumor of a legal angle with Blount. He was on scholarship and practicing with the team. What legal recourse did he have? Would a court rule that Chip Kelly was REQUIRED to play him? People need to think just a little before buying into nonsense like that.
And Dwight, if you listen to Chip, he said that he told LGB that he would never play again so there WASN’T that dangling carrot for him. He would have to change for the better on his own. After talking to many people, including LGB and seeing the way he was carrying himself, Chip decided that he earned a chance to come back IF he continued down the same path over the next month plus.
You took what Chip said and completely flipped the meaning of it. Where did Chip say that LGB was going to fail if not given the chance to play again? We know you’re opinion on this and that’s fine but don’t just make up what Chip said.
And Franklin, I love the conspiracy theories…Oregon played this perfectly. They suspended LGB as a cover and then after they would obviously beat Purdue, end the longest winning streak in the country against Utah, and then beat sixth ranked Cal, they would have the ability to reinstate LGB. What a brilliant plan!!! They just needed to prove they didn’t need LGB to win games and then bring him back to help the team. Fantastic!!!
Kelly changed his mind. He admitted there is no manual for this. He reached out to different people, sought their advice, and amended his decision.
Too bad more of our “leaders” aren’t so thoughtful.
Dwight Jaynes, in his best John Canzano impression “The thing I liked the least about what went down yesterday was the idea that Chip Kelly (with Mike Bellotti’s approval) decided to change the rules of Blount’s suspension because he didn’t think Blount would be able to do it without the carrot of playing football on the end of the stick.”
Excuse me, Dwight, but can you provide even a shred of evidence to support this claim? I mean, other than your own jaded opinion? I will save you the time–you can’t.
Yeah, great article, Dwight. Now you owe the Oregon coaching staff an apology, too.
Are you EVER wrong?
Yeah, we love football in Eugene, Duck football. We love our players and our coaches. That is not only our right, some think that it is our duty. For all, it is a privilege.
Some think that our team has come together because of exceedingly strong principles, hard work and sacrifice, hammered out on the anvil of experience. Some think that it is OK to have football playing as a career choice and that college is a suitable place to develop that skill.
Some students come to college without an adequate social skill set. Excellent teachers (coaches) help young people develop those skills. Mediocre instructors teach x’s and o’s, forgetting about the person within the person.
I am prouder of the University of Oregon than of any school with whose name I am familiar. I think more of Chip Kelly than of any coach of any sport of whom I can think.
I hope, Dwight, that you are around to see and experience what Mr. Blount becomes. I think that that experience will make a man out of you.
Kelly did not change his mind. Only a fool would believe that, which BTW is exactly what they are counting on. Just go back and read the initial statements by Chip and Co., they knew exactly what they were doing.
65-38…they knew what they were doin then too huh?
Couldn’t agree with you more, this whole thing wreaks of Lawrence Phillips, just like Shroeder said and he is a huge Duck fan. You can tell by the angry Duck fans posting in this blog that deep down inside hey know you are right, they post arguments with no substance but plenty of name calling. Anyway glad someone has the balls to deliver a straight up opinion.
The University of Oregon is first and foremost an educational institution, which includes an athletic department. This SCHOOL is trying to send a message that embodies the tenants of their MISSION STATEMENT by taking something that started out bad, but through a teachable moment can turn into something with a positive end result. This story will unfold as the years go by for LGB, but this is certainly not about LGB alone. EDUCATION in general, and THE POTENTIAL FOR GROWTH IN YOUNG PEOPLE are at the heart of what is going on here. In essence LGB is serving as a poster boy who will help others whether he succeeds as an individual or not.
We don’t need a single positive result, we need as many positive results as we can get. What kind of stories do we like best? Cinderella? Pygmalion? What do we do when we come up against an obstacle that is really difficult? Do we quit? I hope not! And when we reach our goal, we have a real reason to be glad about it! And, even more than that, we have a story to tell!
Spot on, E Man.
Dwight – as usual tunnel vision and a little misrepresentation of the facts. It was actually the professionals brought in to counsel Blount that convinced Kelly there needed to be a possibility of a return for it to promote the success of the plan. The plan was about Blount, not about how some retired guy in Portland sees the world.
What nobody has addressed here is who pays for all of this?
Dr Harry Edwards (more on him later) isn’t cheap. I am sure Tony Dungy isn’t either. My question is if a non football player had they same issue (probably would of been arrested) wouldn’t they have had to pay for all of this? This year U of O tuition went up 13% how it is fair that LB gets all this expensive “FREE” care? Oh I know it is a teaching opportunity. Well a costly one.
Note: on Dr Harry Edward. I suggest people Google him and they will find that he has quit a history with controversial issues in sports. My question is was he there to help LB or just further his agenda. I heard the interview on 95.5 The Game and the old tough life growing up black male struggle rhetoric replayed. Hey what about the ten of thousands of black males that don’t act out? Remember “All Behavior is learned and all behavior can be unlearned” after 5 chances I think he simply waited for the system to again give him a pass on someone else’s dime. There is no accountability in they way this was handled and doubt there ever will be in LB’s life until something really goes wrong. Two words – Donte Stallworth!
Coach Kelly what happens when LB blows up again? Are you ready to submit your resignation?
Are you comparing this situation to Dante Stallworth drinking and driving and killing a man? Wow. Robert, you’ve had some idiotic posts…but this takes the cake.
Uh no, he said this could end up like that if it isn’t actually dealt with. I don’t even have very good reading abilities and I could figure that one out.
ean…you don’t think that’s a big leap? Give me a fuckin break
It always starts out small. But yes that is a big leap but not one that is outside the realm of possibilities. Keep it clean man, like I said when you lose your head and start cussing you aren’t exactly backing up your point.
TO :The Stump
Sounds like you just don’t see the path some athletes go down with Drugs Alcohol and being out of control. They all end up in a BAD PLACE. I watched the OSU and ASU game and saw 8 players for ASU that are from Centennial HS in a VERY BAD place, Corona CA and they didn’t throw any punches because they can handle difficult situations like a mature person.
I hope this is the event in LGB’s life where he stops and looks at where is going and chooses a better path…He certainly has had many people in his corner and been given many chances.
I hope this isn’t to deep for you.
BEAVS win in Arizona 28-17 after 40 years. I watched most of game. they were up 14-3 when I tuned in.
Don’t think i will watch Duck game they were up a bunch when i tuned in.
I might have bet one dollar on that game.
As a college football fan I gave up on the concept of integrity in the sport long ago. If you’re still looking for it these days – good luck with that. The very structure of NCAA football is so convoluted and bent around money for a favored few that to believe integrity matters is absurd. Unless you decouple college sports from the colleges – essentially creating minor leagues – this will never change. So complaining about the results from a crap system without seriously discussing changing the whole system in the first place is as meaningless as you can get.
Say what you want about this, but it’s not about having Blount on the field for UO’s biggest test of the year. Blount’s first potential game will be AFTER the Ducks play USC.
Yeah because USC is in first place not Stanford.
I wasn’t able to watch the WSU at Oregon game. I know that WSU’s quarterback got hurt. Was he sprawled out on the turf, unable to move? Or, did he get up, and just not go back in?
Wow! Can someone please, please! Explain the issue here? The guy plays football, a violent sport. The guy played really, really poorly (as did the whole team) and was angry and on edge. Undoubtedly someone somewhere said something to exacerbate his anger and sent him out of control. He took full responsibility, has apologized and evidently is working back to being a full part of the team. Chip, being the coach made a decision and now is reconsidering given all that has transpired as is his choice and duty.
Everyone, and I mean everyone has had bad behavior, behavior that each and every one of us is ashamed of. Some as adults and others as children. On occasion it gets us punished. Even those who commit illegal acts are judged and all factors are considered. Parole boards even hear those that kill, rape etc. and some are even released. L.B. was wrong but can only provide improved behavior as a remedy in hopes for a shot at redemption. Who are we to deny ANYONE a chance at redemption? Let him play at some point and let him improve himself through his athletic endeavors. His failures are disproportionate because he was on television. Don’t let that fact determine his ultimate punishment.
Lastly, I find it ironic that Dwight posts a long, drawn out fight by “hockey” players when he goes on vacation. Violence is violence and putting barriers on what one accepts or doesn’t says as much about we as fans as those who participate.