The Hot Properties

Roundball Shaman · October 16, 2019

It’s a tough time to be a former Oregon Duck. Three former Ducks - all of whom each being seen as hot properties until very recently - are all struggling right now.

Chip Kelly has had all kinds of trouble since leaving the Pacific Northwest. He’s in the middle of a particularly bad year at UCLA right now. UCLA brought him to be a savior of the program but it’s been less than a stunning success. He has had a miserable record in SoCal thus far.

Marcus Mariota was a second overall draft pick in 2015. Now he’s been benched and many commentators are calling him a bust. Always a hard label to shake off. He was brought in to transform the franchise. Didn't quite happen.

And now, Scott Frost...

At Oregon, these guys were dynamite. Since they went their own ways, you’d have to say that Frost has been the biggest individual success of the three from what Scott did in Florida. We’ve seen it before. One day, you are HOT. A little time goes by, a new job, something changes, and you go from Hot to Not very fast.

Athletes and coaches thrive on success. None of them do very well with rocky times and losing. They aren’t used to it. This tests their character in ways they aren’t comfortable with. Some guys handle it fairly well, and others just seem to look lost.

Of the three, the one with the greatest chance of success from now on is most likely Frost. It’s during a time of difficulty that the character of a man comes out. He’s getting his chance to meet the Big Red challenge.

Landlord · October 16, 2019

NUance · October 16, 2019

The same could be said for Jim Harbaugh, Lovie Smith, Willie Taggert, and half a dozen others. All these guys were hot commodities at previous gigs. A lot of these guys will be successful again if given enough time. But some--maybe most--are on the hot seat, and won't be given the time they need to get their teams to the top.

The thing that's different with Frost is we are all in with him. He's the golden boy native son with a nice long contract. He is here for the long term. And he WILL turn things around. It may not be apparent to people, but we are making progress. Have patience.