MSC - Calling out our resident Oregon Duck

[ziggy]

So lets here your thoughts on the pathetic display in Boise on the field, the punch, and the now the aftermath and the suspension.

[Wolverine]

Absolute right thing to do.  His college career is now finished, and he pretty much has no shot at the pro level.

Here's a guy who was suspended for academic reasons (I believe), so this is his second chance, and he blew it.  He not only punched a dude in the face, but THREATENED FANS IN THE STANDS.

No excuse.  No do-over.  He's done, and deservedly so.

[Reality]

He will get a pro shot tho, the NFL couldn't care less about character.  1000 yds and 17 t.d.s while not automatic, is good enough to get a camp invite.
What did he look like during that jr. season?

His goal now is to get in mega shape for that camp, not like that Ohio State running back who got invited to camp but whose personal life was in such disarray he ran like a 5.1 40, ended up getting arrested again and jailed.

[msc]

Sorry, for the delayed response, ziggy.  I haven't been checking the board much in the off season.   

What can I say other than that was the worst thing I've seen as a Duck fan.  The game itself was horrible.  I knew we'd have a hard time replacing three, very good, senior offensive lineman.  But not being able to get a first down for an entire half ... uggh. 

And if the pathetic display on the field weren't enough, then we get to have LeGarrette punch a dude in the head and go after the fans to add further insult and embarrassment to the team, university and fans. 

There is no excuse for what LaGarrette Blount did, period.  He was wrong in every way shape and form.  I think had he not gone after some fans, it probably would have been a 3 or 4 game suspension just for the punch.  The University had to make a statement that this is not acceptable and this is not what the Ducks are all about.  In a way though, I think they were backed in to a corner.  This was essentially the first game of the year, national tv, every member of the media watching, the brand new commissioner of the Pac-10 in attendance.  The UofO had to set a significant precedent and they did. 

All that being said, I don't think the punishment fits the crime.  Let me re-state:  LaGarrette Blount was wrong and what he did was reprehensible.  However, these are 18-22 year old kids, who play a violent, testosterone filled sport, who make mistakes and sometimes get carried away in the heat of emotion.  Obviously that happened here.  But fights break out in sports quite a bit and to suspend a kid for an entire season for this mistake is overboard, IMO.  While wrong, he was provoked and again, I think the going after the fans was the nail in his coffin, plus the other factors I mentioned above. 

It's unfortunate all around, but some things are more important than winning. 

[ziggy]

Sorry, for the delayed response, ziggy.  I haven't been checking the board much in the off season.   

What can I say other than that was the worst thing I've seen as a Duck fan.  The game itself was horrible.  I knew we'd have a hard time replacing three, very good, senior offensive lineman.  But not being able to get a first down for an entire half ... uggh. 

And if the pathetic display on the field weren't enough, then we get to have LeGarrette punch a dude in the head and go after the fans to add further insult and embarrassment to the team, university and fans. 

There is no excuse for what LaGarrette Blount did, period.  He was wrong in every way shape and form.  I think had he not gone after some fans, it probably would have been a 3 or 4 game suspension just for the punch.  The University had to make a statement that this is not acceptable and this is not what the Ducks are all about.  In a way though, I think they were backed in to a corner.  This was essentially the first game of the year, national tv, every member of the media watching, the brand new commissioner of the Pac-10 in attendance.  The UofO had to set a significant precedent and they did. 

All that being said, I don't think the punishment fits the crime.  Let me re-state:  LaGarrette Blount was wrong and what he did was reprehensible.  However, these are 18-22 year old kids, who play a violent, testosterone filled sport, who make mistakes and sometimes get carried away in the heat of emotion.  Obviously that happened here.  But fights break out in sports quite a bit and to suspend a kid for an entire season for this mistake is overboard, IMO.  While wrong, he was provoked and again, I think the going after the fans was the nail in his coffin, plus the other factors I mentioned above. 

It's unfortunate all around, but some things are more important than winning. 

I was disgusted with their performance, they got totally dominated at the line of scrimmage.  I am not sure if Chip Kelly has it, we will see.

As far as the Blount thing, I don't want to be misunderstood, but he got treated like crap.  The U of O really pissed me off with how they handled the whole thing, and of course BSU handled it like crap as well, and the National media blew it completely out of proportion.

First with the punch.  Ok you can't justify or excuse a punch.  At the same time the part that trips my wire is that the entire situation could have been avoided if the kid from BSU hadn't got in his face and then slapped him on the shoulder, in a crowd with a bunch of other BSU players.  So while I can't justify what he did, I can also put into perspective, and recognize that the BSU player learned far more from that punch than any stern talking to from Coach Peterson (which is all he got).  He needed his chain jerked, and no one at BSU or the national media will do it.  Want to know why this kind of taunting happens?  Because no one will ever have the ba!!s to jerk someones chain about it.

BSU then made the entire situation much worse.  The video operator at BSU played the punch over and over and over.  Next thing you know the fans are all over Blount, adding to the taunts.  If the video operator hadn't escalated things then Blount would more likely just left the field, because the crowd wouldn't have gotten into it.  What happened to BSU?  Nothing!  that is how this kind of thing gets worse and worse.

The thing that fried me though was how U of O handled it.  He deserved to be suspended no doubt.  A full year suspension is out of proportion to the crime.  There are punches all the time everywhere in sports and no one gets a full year suspension, unless they go into the stands.  I have heard a bunch of people patting U of O on the back for taking a stand, but still letting him keep his scholarship, when they should have just cut him loose.  That pisses me off, like U of O was a victim in all this and they have acted so magnanomously (sp?).  BS.  Lets be real about Blount.  He is not the sharpest tool in the shed.  Academically there is no way he should get into the U of O.  He has been on the margins all along.  The U of O though has to take some responsibility, and of course he should get to keep his scholarship.  You recruited him, you are stuck with him for a whole year.  It isn't like he can walk away from the Ducks and play for someone else immediately.  That is because he signed a scholarship.  Why should the Ducks be able to walk away risk free if he can't?  This "we are going above and beyond for this poor wayward soul" is just a bunch of garbage.  They new what kind of person and player he was, and they chose to look the other way on the kind of person he is, because he was such a good player.

[msc]

I agree with you, ziggy, that the punishment did not fit the crime.  An all around bad situation.  I would have liked to see a 4 game suspension.  I think that would have been sufficient for a punishment and also would have allowed LeGarrette to showcase his skills in the second half of the season and potentially have a shot at the NFL.  He'll still have a shot, but it's significantly harder to make it without the opportunity to show your skills on the field. 

The BSU big screen operator is another good point.  That shouldn't have happened and most venues don't replay altercations and questionable calls for that exact reason. 

As far as Chip Kelley, time will tell.  I'm not ready to throw him under the bus yet, as I've been a fan of his as the offensive coordinator.  I think our biggest challenge was graduating three, stud offensive lineman.  It's tough to replace three guys that talented on the line without a steep learning curve and I think we're seeing that.  It's not like we have the benefit of being 3 deep at every position like USC. 

[msc]

I thought this was an interesting article relating to the punishment not fitting the crime perspective ...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-zirin/legarrette-blount-and-the_b_279554.html

[Reality]

would one of you two tell me what you guestimate his pro chances are based on what you saw of his Jr. season?  1000 yds and 17 t.d.s

[ziggy]

would one of you two tell me what you guestimate his pro chances are based on what you saw of his Jr. season?  1000 yds and 17 t.d.s

The back he most reminds of is Eric Dickerson.  Long, lanky, very fast, but big enough to pound (in the purely football sense of the word) a guy or two.

As far a gray matter, well let me just say, he isn't brightest bulb.  He could have a 3-4 year career, but I just see him being dedicated enough to really be a star.

[msc]

I tend to agree with ziggy on the mental part.  He is a big, strong back.  One of those guys that can carry a few college defenders on his back while he picks up extra yards.  He definitely has the frame to be successful at the NFL level. 

Reality, it's also important to note that his 1,000 yds and 17 tds in 2008 were earned while splitting time at tailback with Jerimiah Johnson.  It was a solid 1-2 punch with Blount being the big bruising back and JJ being a quicker, faster, more agile back.  Point being if Blount weren't splitting the carries with another darn good back, those numbers (at least the yardage) would have been significantly higher.   

[jn]

I hadn't realized that the video operator had replayed the punch.   Not smart at all.

I tend to agree with the assesment that yes, what Blount did was really stupid, but it's not actually all that surpising. As msc said, we're talking about young men who are rewarded for being hyped up and violent.