Rob Mullen’s deserves to enjoy this! I hated the Taggart hire, but Cristobal has been a great hire. I’m glad he may be a “lifer”.

Admin wrote:

I watched the Outback Bowl and was blown away by the mention that the Iowa Hawkeyes have had only 2 coaches since 1979. It would be really nice to have that kind of stability.

I only see one potential glitch: Miami. It’ll open again, and the pull of “home” is always strong. I truly feel it’s the only job Mario would look at.

I'm feeling better about Oregon's head coach now than I have for a long time.  Losing Kelly to the NFL was a gut punch and I wished him well.  I was not crazy about elevating Helfrich to HC; however, that was in sync with Oregon's history of promoting from within.  I thought "Let's give the guy a chance."  We did and he drove the team down down down. 

Helfrich benefitted a lot from having Mariota on the team, but he took a team that made it to the CFP and within two years weren't even bowl eligible.  There were so many things Helfrich handled poorly, from Colt Lyerla to the 2015 Alamo Bowl.  I think he was a decent OC and could detect the potential in high school players (Mariota is an example).

And then there was the disaster of hiring Taggart.  Yes, Oregon went from 4-8 to 7-5.  So they were 'less worse' . . . but, his exit was so sleazy.  I usually don't celebrate someone's downfall, but there was definitely a sense of satisfaction when Taggart got fired by FSU.

I was initially skeptical about Cristobal, but I have been pleased with what he's done with the team.  My greatest concern is the overhanging threat of him leaving for a different program.  I'm really looking forward to what he's going to do in the Rose Bowl and who he will hire as OC.

Go Ducks!  

Jiffy Jeff wrote:

oldretiredguy wrote:

Possible, but I think he's totally invested here right now. Maybe if he brings us a NC, then he might go elsewhere.

Loyalty to and from a school is no longer a given in this industry, so it stands to reason that at some point he will look to move.  He has a good thing going right now and probably winced at how hard and how fast Willie fell once he bolted for his "dream job."  And I would hazard a guess that he would also take note at coaches like Saban or Dabo, who are not at their "dream jobs" but are making the most of a great fit while delivering the goods.  

Well, I would be ok with Mario as a lifer. The minute we hired Taggart, I had a bad taste in my mouth. He struck me as a windbag self promoter from the get go. Most annoyingly, it seemed like Oregon was lucky he came to save our awful program, like football didn’t really start until Willie showed up.

Contrast with Mario, who has been humble, acknowledged those who came before him, put an emphasis and value on legacy...

I am proud of what our program is: wins and losses for sure, but integrity and hard work. It’s a reflection of the man in charge. I hope he retires here.

oldretiredguy wrote:

I would be absolutely fine with MC retiring here: I just doubt that will happen. 

MC did say Oregon was his dream job, in his mind a destination. I see him looking to replicate what Saban has done. I think, after working for Saban, that is the bar MC has set for himself. It seems that MC is 100% bought into the Oregon Ducks. I don't know if even Miami could pry him away.