After i sent this, my friend asked me to post it on this board. I hesitate to post it because it is such a long email and I don't really think that my opinion should be all that important. However, I have decided to share it.
Here is what I feel about UO football.
#1. I didn't think that Helf was the best hire, but he did offer continuity and stability of the staff. My argument was that Petersen also offered that continuity since he had coached at Oregon with most of the staff that was remaining. Petersen also had successful head coaching experience., and was just more seasoned. He seemed like an unusually fortuitous fit.
#2 Helf is BECOMING more seasoned. He doesn't have the same resume that he did when we hired him. He is, no doubt, on a learning curve.
#3 Character and respectability count with me. From what I'm hearing Helf has both...but I really can't know
#4 When Oregon did so extremely well under Kelly, too many people gave the credit to the fan base, Phil Knight's donations, the uniforms etc. The truth was that Kelly had a superior system and a stable long term staff much of which went back to the Rich Brook's era.. That was a perfect combination. Great staffs win football games.
#5 So much of the Oregon fan base wanted to hire a coach that understood the spread offense. An offense is transitory. Football is always evolving. Bellotti knew that. That is why Mike went to the spread. Tedford didn't know that and that is why he ran the Oregon offense at Cal after defenses were more capable of defensing it. You have to stay one step ahead in the evolutionary process. The things that don't change are the fundamentals. You must have a coach that stresses fundamentals.
#6 Chip Kelly's don't just come along. Bellotti knew that. That is why he dug him up out of New Hampshire. That is also why he hired him as his replacement. However, the fans (and the national hype) gave too much credit to themselves and Phil Knight for Oregon's success. Yes, the Oregon fan base is passionate. Yes the facilities have made success easier. Yes the Oregon branding is outstanding. Those things all help, but they were not the foundation for Oregon's great success.
#7 It is fine to continue to hope for excellence, but if we demand it we just might find ourselves in the same situation that UCLA was in when John Wooden retired. They demanded that they get another John Wooden....dream on!
#8 Oregon fans had a very high set point on their expectations. It was inevitable that a proverbial bump in the road was going to send our band wagon fans screaming for the coach's head. Big time college football is competitive. There are 11 other schools in the Pac 12 that are all trying to be the next dynasty. The arms race war is in full swing. We may have the best facilities, but a lot of our rivals also have impressive facilities.....and better weather....and world class academics. It isn't automatic that Oregon football,( or even USC football for that matter) is going to be a dynasty.
#9 Cooler heads are more reasonable heads. Football fans are passionate. Football fans are emotional. Football fans can be aggressive , angry and even down right mean. Let's try to pull back from the emotion. If Helfrich is going to continue to take this program in the wrong direction, it will be apparent soon enough. I realize that he had a Heisman Trophy QB carry his team to greatness. Remember Helfrich identified and recruited that unheralded superstar to come to Oregon. So, Mark should get credit for Mariota.
I saw a post on educk that read "I'd even settle for having Bellotti over Helfrich right now" Many Oregon fans are spoiled and unrealistic. We all want a national championship team. All fan basis want that. However, if in insisting to get that kind of program we end up destroying a good program it will be self defeating....just like it's been at USC. Having a good program and a clean program isn't exactly a worst case situation. The ball is in Helf's court. Let's see if he is developing a young team or destroying a good football program. I honestly am not sure. I'm interested in finding out.
