After day one practice, the focus is back on football. Realignment will take care of itself.

After the first practice of fall camp reporters asked Dan Lanning what he thinks about the realignment situation and he quickly shrugged off the question.

 "Yeah, I've been worried about practice, he said. "I do not have time to read the nightly news. Maybe I'll catch up on it at midnight tonight."

Questioned further, he added, "I'm just talking about what's next."

Let the smart guys in administration figure out realignment. Coach is focused on training, execution and getting ready to win football games. That's good.

He wants more knock-back tackles, something the Ducks didn't have enough of last year. The linebackers have gotten bigger and stronger in the weight room as Jeffrey Bassa and Jamal Hill complete their transition from safety. 

Oregon's going to have to have a better defense this season, maybe dramatically better. Hill, Bassa, Jestin Jacobs and Connor Soelle give them more mobility in the middle, the ability to stay with underneath routes and get in the passing lanes. 

Lanning said, "Ultimately, you can't play linebacker the way you used to in college football. A Mike linebacker that goes A-gap to A-gap doesn't exist anymore. You got to go cover tight ends you got to go cover backs. You got to go run sideline to sideline, so that's a big piece of it."

Another vital part of the improvement is a deep, talented defensive line. Oregon is going to get more pressure on the quarterback in 2023 with Jordan Burch, Brandon Dorlus and Matayo Uiagalelei manning the edge. Blake Purchase and Teitum Tuioti will also contribute right away. 

Tackles Casey Rogers, Popo Aumavae and Keyon Ware-Hudson will give the Ducks more quickness and penetration in the middle. The depth there will keep them fresh.

In all it's a more mobile front seven, one that will enable them to clean up more plays and contain the quarterback better. The sack numbers will go up. There will be fewer breakaways and extended plays. Pressure creates bad decisions. 

This is the last season of PAC-12 football. Might as well go out and win it all, show those networks what an attractive and entertaining product Oregon football is. The best way to do that is to focused on practice, not negotiations for 2024.