As Good As the Ducks Have Been, They Will Be Better

If you take a look at the truly great athletes in any sport, they combine tremendous natural ability with the work habits of a journeyman fighting to hang on in the league. Jerry Rice, Michael Jordan and Walter Payton worked harder than anyone else. Tiger Woods spent his winters at Stanford ripping two irons into the wind. NL Cy Young winner Roy Halladay is one of the hardest workers in baseball.

Each one of the Ducks’ leading players have a specific skill or habit they could focus on to improve their play in a significant way. Good players who want to be great never stop refining their games:

Cliff Harris could take some reps daily on the Juggs machine.

Harris is a rare combination of cockiness, confidence, exuberance, talent, instincts and God-given ability, but he would have 10 picks this year if he had better hands. He gets in position to intercept a lot of balls, and leads the team in ints, breakups and passes defended, but he can improve his break on the ball and his finish, complete more of the great plays he creates.

This offseason Casey Matthews used work on the Juggs to improve his hands and reaction time, and it’s paid huge dividends in his game this season. He’s had 3 ints, and he made each with his hands in the open field rather than cradling the ball to his chest.

If Harris is serious about being the next great lockdown cornerback, he will put in the work to improve his hands, timing, anticipation and recognition. He will learn the film study habits that made Kenny Wheaton, Steve Smith and Rashad Bauman great players. His instincts are tremendous and his ability to leap, close and find the ball are exceptional. Does he have the work habits and inner hunger to make the most of his superlative natural talent?

LaMichael James must recommit to the one-cut-and-go.

LMJ is the best running back in the country, a dazzling talent. His two assignments for the bye week are to heal his bumps and bruises, and spend some time in film study and practice to refocus on getting upfield north and south and making the most out of every carry. Find the crease and be quick. Trust his speed. Get the most out of every run, even if it’s turning -2 into +2 and 1 yard into four.

James had a subpar game against Cal. He was banged up and battered, and constantly confronted with a swarm of yellow jerseys. His best carry of the night was the third and five late in the game, when he hammered straight ahead through the pile for seven. The strength and will he showed on that carry showed his greatness as a runner. Beat up and hurting, he got the seven most important yards of the night. He is far more than a flashy speedster. He has the heart of a champion. A great football player who cares more about winning than individual honors, he achieved an important one this week when he was named to the Pac 10 Academic All-Conference team, one step closer to his most cherished personal goal, making Academic All-America.

Kenjon Barner had a good game as the counterpunch in the Cal game, and with his health and conditioning closer to 100%, the coaches will no doubt use him to keep James fresh and fast in the last two games.

Darron Thomas can improve in the pocket, progress through his reads more efficiently, and eliminate the fumbles.

DT has been fabulous as a first-year sophomore starter. His poise, progress and command of the offense have exceeded nearly everyone’s expectations at the beginning of the year. Oregon’s perfect record is directly attributable to his rapid growth. Don’t misunderstand, everyone has made a contribution; this is a TEAM in the finest sense, but the Ducks couldn’t have cleared all these hurdles without Thomas’ superlative first year.

But Darron would be the first to say he has things to clean up. There are plays to go through five progressions, and plays where there is only time for one or two. He has to sense what the defense is giving him, and take that decisively. He has to improve his recognition of the moment a play is breaking down, and choose the best option quickly. Helfrich and Kelly have done a great job of developing him, and Thomas is hard worker in film study. His last three games will be among his best.

The offensive line can have quicker, fresher feet.

Cal had a great scheme for Oregon, and it started with too much penetration up front. They harassed and disrupted everything, and the offensive line was beaten time and again at the point of attack. These guys can play better. They have played better, and they will finish strong with a week to get their legs fresh and their minds cleared.

As effective as the offensive line has generally been, the future looks brighter. The Ducks have an incoming recruiting class of some the fastest, most agile linemen in the country, including Jamal Prater, Tyler Johnstone and Andre Yruretagoyena. These guys combine strength and agility in a combination rarely found in high school linemen, able to pancake at the line of scrimmage and run up the field and get after people at the second level. Oregon has always had hard-working linemen with good coaching and good technique, but the next generation has even more athletic ability. The proud tradition in the Oregon offensive line is sure to continue.