That press conference was a bit different than what we have watched over the last few years. Even Jerry Allen seemed to have a slightly different demeanor this go around than in the past. He seemed a bit guarded. I got the early impression that folks are still very disappointed in how MC left and while they may understand the move, still have a bad taste in their mouth.
Dan Lanning looks every bit of a young coach that understands the magnitude of this opportunity. He was a bit nervous, you could tell his mind was racing 100 mph, and he likes to pronounce it "progrum". I believe he is going to give this program everything he has and that he is beyond excited to be the head coach. When he said his heart beats a little faster when the word football is brought up, I believe him.
But the more I listened, the more I heard many of the same things that MC said. Trust the process, doing things the right way, Oregon can get into any living room in the country. All of those things may be true but it was hard to separate the typical coach speak from what we've heard over the last four years from the person that left us. It was eerily similar to dating someone new that uses many of the same terms and expressions of an ex.
And then it hit me why so many are not completely satisfied with this hire. Many folks are looking for a two horned unicorn with the unicorn representing a National Championship and each horn representing a pillar of devotion and allegiance. With the exception of one, none of our last four coaches were true Men of Oregon in the sense that they had been around long enough to be truly engrained into the school and the state equally. True Men of Oregon understand the difficult history, the homegrown heros, the irony and duality of hearing "It Never Rains At Autzen", and the state pride that comes with growing up in or residing in Oregon. Oregon is different or shall I say unique in it's loyalty to itself. Many won't want to admit it but the fact is, there were many Duck fans pulling for the Beavers to whoop Notre Dame (and they did) for an outside shot at being crowned National Champions way back in 2001. Try the same thing with other in state rivals like Miami vs Florida State, Texas vs Texas A&M, North Carolina vs Duke. It just doesn't happen.
So what does that mean today as our Ducks have hired a new coach in Dan Lanning and what did we learn from the press conference? I think we learned Dan Lanning is a standup guy who doesn't know how to do a job any other way than rolling up his sleeves and giving it everything he has. I believe he believes everything he said about Oregon being a powerhouse, a national brand, a great place to raise a family. I also understand that being a young coach has just as many disadvantages as it does advantages like relating better to the players although I think there is too much written into that (see Nick Saban age 70) . What young coaches don't have that the older ones do is obviously the experience and I believe that was on display at the press conference. It's certainly not a knock on Dan and over time, he will obviously become more comfortable. And while I believe our new coach will pour every ounce of his time into planning, scheming, teaching, etc. his bag of wiley tricks will still not be as full as the older and more experienced coaches until it is... through experience.
All of this is to say, I like the hire for now and based on what Oregon has in the cupboard it seems like a good fit. Will Dan Lanning bring Oregon the Natty? I don't think in the first 4 years but there is a real chance he can have our team knocking on the door. If he is able to successfully navigate the PAC12, develop a genuine and lasting love for the state, and become so engrained into the history and culture of the University that it becomes part of his DNA, he could have a shot at being our unicorn that delivers the first National Championship to our beloved "progrum". Wishing him the best.
Dan Lanning looks every bit of a young coach that understands the magnitude of this opportunity. He was a bit nervous, you could tell his mind was racing 100 mph, and he likes to pronounce it "progrum". I believe he is going to give this program everything he has and that he is beyond excited to be the head coach. When he said his heart beats a little faster when the word football is brought up, I believe him.
But the more I listened, the more I heard many of the same things that MC said. Trust the process, doing things the right way, Oregon can get into any living room in the country. All of those things may be true but it was hard to separate the typical coach speak from what we've heard over the last four years from the person that left us. It was eerily similar to dating someone new that uses many of the same terms and expressions of an ex.
And then it hit me why so many are not completely satisfied with this hire. Many folks are looking for a two horned unicorn with the unicorn representing a National Championship and each horn representing a pillar of devotion and allegiance. With the exception of one, none of our last four coaches were true Men of Oregon in the sense that they had been around long enough to be truly engrained into the school and the state equally. True Men of Oregon understand the difficult history, the homegrown heros, the irony and duality of hearing "It Never Rains At Autzen", and the state pride that comes with growing up in or residing in Oregon. Oregon is different or shall I say unique in it's loyalty to itself. Many won't want to admit it but the fact is, there were many Duck fans pulling for the Beavers to whoop Notre Dame (and they did) for an outside shot at being crowned National Champions way back in 2001. Try the same thing with other in state rivals like Miami vs Florida State, Texas vs Texas A&M, North Carolina vs Duke. It just doesn't happen.
So what does that mean today as our Ducks have hired a new coach in Dan Lanning and what did we learn from the press conference? I think we learned Dan Lanning is a standup guy who doesn't know how to do a job any other way than rolling up his sleeves and giving it everything he has. I believe he believes everything he said about Oregon being a powerhouse, a national brand, a great place to raise a family. I also understand that being a young coach has just as many disadvantages as it does advantages like relating better to the players although I think there is too much written into that (see Nick Saban age 70) . What young coaches don't have that the older ones do is obviously the experience and I believe that was on display at the press conference. It's certainly not a knock on Dan and over time, he will obviously become more comfortable. And while I believe our new coach will pour every ounce of his time into planning, scheming, teaching, etc. his bag of wiley tricks will still not be as full as the older and more experienced coaches until it is... through experience.
All of this is to say, I like the hire for now and based on what Oregon has in the cupboard it seems like a good fit. Will Dan Lanning bring Oregon the Natty? I don't think in the first 4 years but there is a real chance he can have our team knocking on the door. If he is able to successfully navigate the PAC12, develop a genuine and lasting love for the state, and become so engrained into the history and culture of the University that it becomes part of his DNA, he could have a shot at being our unicorn that delivers the first National Championship to our beloved "progrum". Wishing him the best.
