Which Quacker is that? JShufelt? JTLight? JTakimoto? Why are they always with the J? Who knows?
I shouldn't be mean. Like nation-states, each blog has a "interests, not friends" sort of relationship with the other blogs. With some blogs (who will go unnamed), we have a sort of Cold War Detente. With other blogs, we tolerate their presence. Some blogs, we look forward to their Center about Cougars.
And some we just plain hate. For example, Driveline Mechanics. You call that an unconventional look at baseball? Here's an unconventional look at baseball, the Phillies are good. They might win it all. You can thank me later.
And Third Quarter Collapse? THAT WAS OUR IDEA FIRST! Nobody collapsed better in the 3rd quarter than Cal. Nobody!
So, when you get a blog that you have strong same interests with, you don't want to enrage them. And we seem to have a good relationship with the two Oregon blogs. Addicted To Quack is a particularly fun one. I don't know why we get along so well. Probably because we are all a bunch of hippies. California hippies. Oregon hippies. We're all the same. Long haired, 140 lbs, stunningly gorgeous Jews. All of us. Except for that JShufelt guy. I think hes only moderately gorgeous.
So, with the upcoming game against Oregon, we decided to contact our Quark-loving friends and see what their thoughts were on the upcoming game.
Also: The CGB has been posting a lot lately. To not be forgotten are other excellent posts: See Maharg shotgunning a beer; some more photos from the Cal game, and videos of the awesome marching band performance, see my post-game thoughts and overly generous grade to Riley; our discussion of the Top25, and see our once-per-month post by CBKWit. Also, Hydro's amazing analysis and a discussion regarding running up the score. Plus, YouTube Thursday, and the Roundtable.
Honestly, do you like your jerseys?
Seattle Quacker: It's likely that 396 Duck fans would give you 396 different answers. I got chills when Oregon took the field in all white versus the Huskies last season. I think the yellow helmets are abysmal. Some of the combos look nice. Then there's Oregon's game last week at Arizona State. If you look like that, you'd better score 54 on the home team. As for the jerseys specifically - The "Bellotti Bold" font is cartoonish and makes some of the numbers hard to distinguish. That, and reflective silver names on the backs of white jerseys might as well be invisible. But...if young players like LaGarrette Blount say "those unis are cool so I think I'll go play at Oregon...", then I'm cool with it. Give Blount the ball. I'll go get new glasses.
If you could pick one Cal player to not play in this week's game, who would it be and why?
Seattle Quacker: Alex Mack, Cal's all-everything senior at center. He's good. He's smart. He's a great leader. Offensive success begins and ends with cohesion up front. Take Mack out of the lineup and everyone else will suffer.
Miss Tedford much?
Seattle Quacker: Nah. Maybe a couple years ago. Chip Kelly seems to be working out.
Did you want Karl Dorrell to be fired?
Seattle Quacker: No. Nor did we want Bill Doba fired. For obvious reasons.
jtlight: We didn't want Tom Holmoe fired ever. Ah 2001.
Where would you prefer to live? In hell or Corvallis?
Seattle Quacker: Trick question. We see right through you.
What will Donald Duck dress up as for Halloween this year?
Seattle Quacker: Shasta - the University of Houston mascot that The Donald pummeled at Autzen last year.
Who is your second favorite team (excluding Cal since they are your favorite team)?
Seattle Quacker: Whoever is playing the Huskies.
Which would you prefer? To get shutout by Cal and lose by 70 points? Or to lose to Oregon State by 1 point?
Seattle Quacker: I asked the audience and they said "D" - a hot branding iron in the eyeball.
Who is the #1 O player Cal fans should focus on?
Seattle Quacker: Chris Harper. In two games he's gone from true freshman QB with an iffy arm to an interesting prospect at WR. He had a huge TD grab with seconds remaining in the first half against UCLA. He busted a 62-yarder late against ASU. It's not often a true freshman leads the Ducks in receiving two straight games. It's even more impressive that he did it while sharing the field with Jaison Williams, Jeff Maehl and Terence Scott.
Who is the #1 D player Cal fans should focus on?
jtlight: Nick Reed. Hands down, this guy is one of the most fun players to watch. He's undersized and doesn't look like much, but he is one of the best defensive ends in the country. He never gives up, and is leading the league in sacks and 2nd in tackles for loss (behind his counterpart Will Tukuafu). Though there are other players more talented than Reed, he makes plays because he plays every play like it's his last.
Why the hatred for Allioti (thats the D Coordinator)?
Seattle Quacker: Hate is a tough word. Most of us simply agree that Allioti has given it his best shot and hasn't come through. When Oregon's D is expected to be great, they're just okay. When the D's supposed to be just okay, they're worse. Oregon has to develop a group of linebackers capable of dominating a game more than once every 10 years. Detailed breakdowns often reveal guys out of position or over pursuing, leading to missed tackles and big plays. So the fans see fundamentals as an issue and that reflects on the coaching. The anti-Allioti bandwagon got pretty full after the play-action fiasco against Boise State. Some of us have been on that bandwagon for many years.