Perspective of a Duck

As Auburn lined up last night to kick which was basically an 11 yard field goal, I sat there with my friends at the bar, praying for a bad snap, or a block, or a Boise State shank. But somehow when the camera shifted to behind the goal post and I saw it was basically an extra point...I knew it was over.

It's hard to believe that this season is over. This season in which Oregon went from a troubled off season and huge questions at key positions, to Pac 10 Champs and going for the National Title. What a ride this has been.

Supwitchugrl made their what seems to be now, annual Youtube music video, complete with scenes with cheerleaders, in Autzen, dancing mascot, and mini tractor. After that I swear there have been so many Duck songs this year that I will probably try to compile a Duck CD. The Ellen show came to campus. Sebastion Bach made a power ballad. Jimmy Kimmel put on Duck gear. Lebron James was at a home game.

LaMichael James rushed for over 1700 yards for the Oregon single season rushing record and he didn't even play in the first game. Darron Thomas emerged quietly as THE quarterback. Only a redshirt sophomore he rarely looked like a sophomore. Cliff Harris oozes confidence and play-making ability even when he scares you and drops a kick off. Josh Huff came on late and looks like the WR of the future in the wake of Jeff Maehl graduating. Jeff Maehl will make a name for himself on Sundays. He's not the sexy name but he will come in and get the job done. Kenjon Barner was probably the best backup running back in the conference and would start if not for LaMichael.

There was the 72 yard TD run by LaMichael at Tennessee where he made people miss like a video game, tip toed the sideline, and dove into the endzone to change the momentum of the game.

There was the onside kick when Oregon was down 21-3 to Stanford in the 2nd quarter and had just scored to make it 21-10. Kicker Beard caught his own kick to get the ball back and Oregon scored again to make it 21-17 and never looked back.

There was the fake punt in the Civil War to seal the game.

All that lead to this National Title game. Yes, Auburn is bigger and from the SEC. Yes, Auburn won. But they didn't blow Oregon out of the stadium like many people were claiming they would. They weren't dominate. They barely moved the ball at times. They turned the ball over too.

It was evident to me that these were two different styles of teams and the talent was pretty even although in different areas. In football, when the talent is even, it comes down to breaks in the game. Auburn got most of them. Oregon didn't. Auburn won because it had the ball last. Not because they were that much superior.

Although as a Duck fan it was a bitter bitter pill to swallow. It was hard to watch a run by Dyer when he looked like he was down, and he kept going to pick up the yardage for field goal range. You'd rather Cam just flat out beat you than have it be a controversial call in which if Oregon had known Dyer wasn't down would probably would have not stopped and would have made a tackle before he got down the field.

There was the interception by Cliff Harris in the 2nd quarter that looked solid until they overturned it and gave Auburn the ball back. Auburn touchdown the next play. Sometimes in football shit happens.

But after the sting subsided the only think I could think of was how bad I felt for these players. How special a group this was. How hard they worked. They played the "right" way. They won each day. Took it a day at a time. They forced a team curfew of 10pm on themselves before the bowl game. They were down during the season at points and always came back like one of those wind up cars you pull back and let loose. They played for Chip Kelly and they played for each other.

They at times played so fast that I couldn't even believe it. I felt I couldn't leave my seat or I would miss something. The defense had the most play makers I have ever seen at Oregon. They created turnovers. The return game was the best we have ever had. The kicking game at the least fairly solid.

I have grown up a Duck fan since I was about 8. I attended the University and screamed in the student section while avoiding the occasional puffs of weed smoke and drunken people falling off the benches. I have rushed the field several times including the controversial win over Oklahoma. I have been around before the renovation of Autzen. I was at games when the stadium was a bit rough, the facilities crude, and the parking lot full of pot holes so when it rained there were huge puddles.

I will tell you I have never been more proud to be a Duck. I feel like these kids are my brothers. I believe in this program. I believe in them more so for who they are and how they conduct themselves than how they have become the most winning team in Duck history. That is my perspective as a Duck.

The Fighter

Hello everyone:

Just to update you. I've been working part time at Kohl's doing ad set work. No, it's not my dream job but it's something until I can find that next good job. I will tell you straight up this economy sucks. It was definitely a bit of a hit in the stomach to not only lose my job a few months ago but to do it in this economy.

I'm finding I'm kind of in this weird middle ground. I'm having employers feel I'm overqualified for entry level jobs. But if you think about it from their standpoint...they have their choice of whoever they really want because the competition is so fierce. So when they don't think I'm going to stay around for an entry level office position they aren't going to hire me when they can find someone that will. Then on the other end the jobs I can work into have their pick from the pool as well and don't want to waste their time training when they have 5-10 applicants that have already done the job in specific systems.

In this middle ground I'm hoping I can find a small business that I can grow into. I'm feeling like that is my best bet. I had an interview yesterday with a graphics company in Beaverton that is in need for an HR person and the duties are pretty much the same thing I did before. So I took the bull by the horns and turned in my resume in person, thinking because it's a local business, I might have a better shot if they meet me. They had me fill out an app and come in for an interview the next day. I think I nailed it. But the guy told me he has had over 100 applicants for this job. I'm hoping my aggressiveness in coming will help me. Please dear God lol I just need my foot in someone's door.

So btw readers today is my 27th birthday. I woke up this morning with my facebook blowing up. It sounds kinda silly but it really did make me feel good. I appreciated it more than people probably realize.

I just saw the movie the Fighter and loved it. I love the grit of it. I love marky mark and Christian Bale again just acts the hell out of his roles.

I saw a bit of me in that movie. No, I'm not from the projects and I don't have a crack addicted brother. But I do have my own battles and my own traumatic experiences that have shaped me.

People ask me sometimes if it hurts getting tackled and some people don't understand why I like getting hit. It's not really that I like getting hit. I like hitting you before you hit me. I like you trying to stop me and me running you over or making you miss. That feeling is a metaphorical feeling for overcoming obstacles in life. It's why I play better with a chip on my shoulder. I take all that anger and pain and funnel it.

I become a different person. Plus I have no fear of being physically hurt really. Ive had so many injuries and things happen that I know short of a freak accident that I can come back and heal from most anything. I'm not invincible but I don't fear pain.

I see football as a battle. It's a war game. It's not ever going to be alright to actually call it war because I'm not in Iraq. But it's game based off the attribution of land and resources. The strategy of it is a war game. Football is a hell of a lot more mental than people realize. It's physical chess. Coach 1 moves a piece here at a weakness. Coach 2 sends a rook here to block. Coach 1 tries to outflank team 2. Coach 2 sends in reserves.

So because of this my teammates are very important to me. They fight for me. I fight for them. We fight together for one goal. Move the ball. Stop the ball. Get the ball. It doesn't work if we are 11 individuals. In football, you can't get away with a Kobe Bryant and role players. If I don't pass protect the quarterback gets sacked. If no one blocks I don't care who you have with the ball you won't move it. If no one blocks it's 11 defenders against 1 person with the ball and even if you are Reggie Bush that is horrible odds.

On defense it's the same idea. You are mostly in certain assignments, zones, and reads. If everyone does their job you stop the ball. The second you don't trust your teammate and try to freelance is the second you open a lane and they cutback for a touchdown.

Because of this and the natural bond you have because you are all getting the crap beat out of you physically and you like it...your teammate is your family.

So when I am getting tackled a lot, and I get knocked down and keep coming back for more, it's not really about me. It's about my team. I'm fighting for them and they are fighting for me. We fight together. That is when you really start winning.

I have played sports my whole life. Everything you can think of. I was pretty decent and most of them. None of them have come close to giving me this feeling I get when I play football. I fly around and I'm free. I'm rewarded for courage. The connection I get from my team is different than any other sport.

As much as I get annoyed by the Brett Farve saga I can understand why he wants to always come back. It's addicting.

So you can knock me down, get me against the ropes, but football has taught me I can fight back and I will hit you in the mouth.