Oregon looks sharp, but will the Ducks still play fast in the Big Ten?
The offense isn't so blurry anymore. That doesn't mean it's any less effective.
After the uniforms and the billboards and the Nike connection brought the Oregon Ducks to the national forefront in the early 2000s, there was a period where the success of the Oregon brand was largely buoyed by a little thing called tempo.
Mike Bellotti brought the spread to Oregon in 2005. He brought Chip Kelly in as offensive coordinator in 2007. And when Kelly took over in 2009 the evolution became complete. Oregon wasn’t just the team with a million different helmets — it was also the team that snapped the ball so quickly that it left opposing defenses gasping for air and opposing coaches pleading for rule changes.
De’Anthony Thomas graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2012 under the headline “Speed Wins.” The New York Times called it “Oregon’s speed-freak” football. Kelly simply called it the Blur: an up-tempo offense that, at its peak, had football aficionados questioning what they really knew about the game.
Time of possession? Why would the Ducks give a hoot about time of possession?