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Often, in sports, making the right decision matters more than making the highlight reel. This idea might be even more true in the college level, where younger players are prone to getting excited and hunting for the spectacular shot or throw even though it all counts the same on the scoreboard. So, Oregon Football offensive coordinator Will Stein has stressed the value of selfless football and simple plays to his quarterbacks. The media asked the Ducks OC about quarterback play during practice.
“Everybody wants these 50-yard bombs every play,” Stein said about some players' tendency to go for the highlight play all the time. “It's not reality. Let's score touchdowns. How do you score touchdowns? Get it to your playmakers fast. That's it. It's not rocket science.”
Oregon Football player development
Coming off a disappointing Pac-12 championship loss to the Washington Huskies, the Oregon Ducks want to build on the good habits that led them to an 11-1 record and a slot in the championship game. On that front, Will Stein is pleased with his quarterbacks' showing during camp, while also admitting that they are also getting used to the team's offensive system.
Oregon Football's move to the Big Ten Conference means that they will face some of the best and most aggressive defenses in college football, so their QBs will need to learn how to play consistently selfless and smart football. Thankfully, new developments like in-helmet communication allows Stein to communicate with his players directly during games.
“Just hearing the coach-to-player communication,” redshirt freshman QB Dante Moore said. “And then seeing, just hearing, you know, what Coach Stein is thinking. It's great just to go through the calls and just be out there on the field and communicate with everybody like that.”
Moreover, Stein's advice on smart quarterback play should be easier to put in practice considering the Ducks' talented receiving corps. Players like Evan Stewart, Tez Johnson, and Traeshon Holden, along with tight ends Kenyon Sadiq and Terrance Ferguson compose an imposing offensive line.
The state of the Ducks
Besides his quarterbacks, the Ducks OC himself wasn't short on his praise for his receivers.
“I'd like to see Terrance Ferguson and Kenyon [Sadiq] their production go up. Because if they're catching the ball, I think they're super dangerous. Traeshon [Holden]'s done a phenomenal job. I don't consider him a third wide out. I think we got four or five guys that can really put on a show every single game. So it's just a matter of us doing an excellent job in our game prep, personnel, specific plays for specific kids, because we got a lot of talent,” he said.
Moreover, Stein uses former Duck and now Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix to teach his players his preferred style of play, emphasizing the value of choosing simple throws and not forcing the touchdown bombs to win football games.
Oregon Football has a solid base to challenge the dominance of Michigan Football, and it's up to the players to put Stein's offensive concepts and teachings to the test.
