Category: Pro Ducks

Nike introduces ‘Sabrina1,’ the signature shoe for Oregon legend Sabrina Ionescu

Nike introduced the “Sabrina1” to celebrate its signing of Sabrina Ionescu as a signature athlete.

First came the Air Jordan. Then several other signature shoes with a professional athlete’s name attached. Now it’s Sabrina’s turn.

Nike announced that they signed Ionescu as a “Signature Athlete” and with it comes the new Sabrina1 shoe.

According to the press release:

To accompany the sneakers, Nike also cooked up a range of apparel items including a pullover hoodie, tees, shorts and socks. With this new initiative, Ionescu joins the likes of female signature Swoosh legends Serena Williams, Megan Rapinoe and Naomi Osaka. The Nike Sabrina 1 is expected to launch during Summer 2023.

The Oregon legend is coming off her best WNBA season yet with the New York Liberty. She averaged 14.3 points, six rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. She also shot 40 percent from the three-point line.

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Marcus Mariota signs one-year contract with Philadelphia Eagles

Marcus Mariota is landing with the Philadelphia Eagles on a one-year deal.

A year after playing for the Atlanta Falcons and working to get his career back on track, Marcus Mariota has signed a new one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles where he is expected to become the backup quarterback to Jalen Hurts.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Mariota’s deal is for one year worth $5 million, with potential bonuses up to $8 million. While he is expected to be the QB2 behind Hurts, there is a good chance that he could see some playing time with the amount that Hurts runs the ball, and the injury risk that he carries after missing a couple of games in the 2022 season.

Mariota played 13 games for the Falcons in 2022, throwing for 2,219 yards, 15 TD, and 9 INT. He was replaced by rookie Desmond Ridder at the end of the season and ultimately let go.

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Assessing Jordon Riley’s performance at Oregon Pro Day

Oregon defensive lineman Jordon Riley had a nice Pro Day and now scouts have the big 338-pounder on their radar.

Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Jordon Riley was most likely not on NFL scouts’ immediate radar, but after the Oregon Pro Day event held inside the Moshofsky Center, Riley might now be a blip on that radar screen.

The big 6-foot-5, 338-pounder showed his speed and agility with good times in the 40-yard dash and in the 10-yard split. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to show his strength as he skipped the bench presses.

But there’s much more to being an effective defensive lineman than raw feats of strength. There’s technique, determination and drive to get to the opposing quarterback or to make a big play when the team needs it the most. It’s called intangibles and Riley has plenty of those and then some.

Riley is projected to a free agent and hopefully he gets the chance to enter an NFL camp and show off those intangibles and get signed to a contract.

Assessing Ryan Walk’s performance at Oregon Pro Day

Ryan Walk’s impressive pro day may have improved his standing among the NFL scouts who attended the event in the Mo Center.

There are many reasons to have these so-called “Pro Days” at various campuses nationwide. NFL scouts get to see up close what the potential draft picks can do and write down whatever measurements they need to in order to make a decision come draft time.

But sometimes an athlete catches their eye that the scouts weren’t necessarily expecting to shine. Oregon offensive lineman Ryan Walk may have been one of those athletes.

Walk is projected to be a undrafted free agent, but after the Oregon Pro Day, he did nothing but improve his status among those watching.

He completed the most bench presses and had an impressive time in the 40-yard dash, crossing the finish line in just over five seconds. Should Walk go undrafted, after today, he will have teams offering him a free-agent contract shortly after.

Assessing Chase Cota’s performance at Oregon Pro Day

Oregon WR Chase Cota showed what he could do in front of 31 NFL scouts at the Oregon Pro Day, putting up some impressive numbers.

No one can see the future, but if Chase Cota didn’t transfer to Oregon for his senior season from UCLA, today might not have happened.

Cota came to Eugene and had a stellar senior season and then obviously built upon that with a stringent off-season workout program to improve his size and speed. It paid off as Cota had an outstanding Pro Day in front of nearly every team scout in the NFL.

The 6-foot-3 receiver finished with the best 40-yard dash time of the day and showed his speed and agility in the workout.

According to The Draft Network’s Brentley Weissman, he is “an above-average route-runner (and) is a good technician and it shows that he is a son of an NFL player. Cota is tough as nails and is an excellent blocker. I expect him to be a very good special teams player as a kick coverage guy at the next level.

Assessing Bennett Williams’ performance at Oregon Pro Day

Oregon defensive back Bennett Williams had a nice showing at the Oregon Pro Day, which should improve his chances landing with an NFL team this spring.

With 31 of the 32 NFL teams represented with scouts (the Los Angeles Rams had better things to do apparently), Oregon conducted its Pro Day with players who did and did not go to the NFL Combine earlier this month.

Among those who did not go to Indianapolis was defensive back Bennett Williams, who had a nice day in front of the scouts.

He managed to have the second-fastest 40-yard dash and did the second-most bench presses.

Williams is projected to be either a late-round draft pick or a free agent, but with a good showing today, he may have slightly improved that status.

Bleacher Reports says the nation’s capital should be Mariota’s next stop

Bleacher Report says the Washington Commanders would be the best spot for Marcus Mariota to continue his NFL career.

It was once thought Atlanta was going to be the perfect landing place for former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. After a tumultuous stay in Las Vegas with the Raiders, the Ducks’ only Heisman winner signed a two-year deal with the Falcons and was named the starter almost right away.

Unfortunately what looked great on paper didn’t live up to reality.

Atlanta got off to a tough start and then benched Mariota in favor of rookie Desmond Ridder. Then Mariota left the team to nurse an injury and be with his wife has the couple welcomed their first child. Evidently, that didn’t sit well with the Atlanta brass and they released Mariota.

Now he’s looking for a new destination and according to Bleacher Report, the nation’s capital is the best landing spot for Mariota. Here’s an excerpt from what writer Maurice Moton.

Because of his experience, Mariota could have an edge over (Sam) Howell and at least start the season under center as he did last year with the Falcons. Mariota would play under offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who has experienced success in Kansas City, and with a defense that ranked seventh in scoring for the 2022 term. In Washington, he could win several games before the team hands the offense over to a younger, high-upside signal-caller.

No matter where he ends up, we can only hope Mariota can stay healthy and have a full season to show what he has left in the gas tank.

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The Greatest Oregon Duck of All Time Bracket: Round One

Who is the greatest Oregon Duck of all time? Here is the 1st round of our 32-person bracket, working towards the crowning of a GOAT.

Who is the greatest Oregon Duck of all time?

It’s a loaded question and one that has a handful of different answers that are all respectable, and hold a lot of truth. It’s a question that spans the sporting landscape, not just touching on football players inside Autzen Stadium, but traverses over to the hardwood at Mac Court and Matthew Knight Arena, and finds a home at the track at Hayward Field as well.

It’s a question that has stirred up a debate for decades in Eugene, and likely will go on for years into the future as the Ducks continue to see massive success across all of the major sports.

It’s a question that we are trying to find an answer to here at Ducks Wire and on the Sco-ing Long Podcast. 

In honor of the start of March, I sat down with JD Pluid and Shane Potter, co-hosts of The Flock Pod, and we went through a 32-person bracket of who I deemed worthy of the title ‘Greatest Duck of All Time.” Cutting the bracket down to just 32 was incredibly tough, and it left a long list of honorable mentions. Seeding the bracket was even tougher, pitting some of the most beloved figures in Oregon sports up against one another in the first and second rounds.

Here is a look at the seeded bracket:

In the end, we boiled down the bracket of 32 to a single winner, crowning one Oregon legend as the Greatest Duck of All Time. To hear the entire conversation, you can listen to the Sco-ing Long Podcast.

If you’re more of a reading fan, here is the first round of the bracket:

How Nyara Sabally will fit with New York Liberty in 2023

The Liberty inked Nyara Sabally to a rookie scale contract, but will the 2022 fifth overall pick make New York’s crowded roster out of training camp?

The New York Liberty announced that former Oregon forward Nyara Sabally signed her rookie scale contract, securing the 2022 fifth overall pick a $71,300 salary for 2023 if she makes the final roster.

Sabally was drafted last year by New York with the knowledge that she might end up sitting for the entire year, and that ended up being the case as she took a job as an assistant coach at Sacramento State while rehabbing and preparing to make her WNBA debut in 2023.

Now Sabally is ready to go, but she faces a New York roster that was completely overhauled this offseason. Former Oregon teammate Sabrina Ionescu is still in tow, but she is now joined by former MVP Jonquel Jones, former Seattle Storm superstar Breanna Stewart, and point guard Courtney Vandersloot – forming an absolute superteam in the Big Apple.

Sabally will compete for backup post minutes behind Jones, although she will face stiff competition from Stef Dolson and Han Xu – who emerged as a dynamic bench threat last season for the Liberty.

Sabally absolutely has the skills as a passing big to play real minutes in New York, but the significant talent influx this offseason could also push the Liberty to try dealing Sabally if they don’t believe she will secure one of the few available roster spots when training camp gets going this spring.

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Atlanta Falcons release former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota

The Atlanta Falcons released former Oregon Ducks superstar quarterback Marcus Mariota, making him a free agent.

The Atlanta Falcons released former Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota on Tuesday, ending his tenure with the squad after just one season.

Mariota signed with Atlanta last offseason, reuniting with former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith at Tennessee, who took the head coaching job with the Falcons.

The 29-year-old was starting for the first time since 2019 after spending a few years as a backup to Derek Carr in Las Vegas. He went 5-8 in 13 games before getting benched for rookie Desmond Ridder and finishing the year on the injured reserve with a knee injury.

All told, Mariota threw for 2,219 yards with 15 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a 61.3 % completion rate.

Mariota will now look to catch on with his fourth NFL team this offseason, and quite frankly a starting job may be hard for the former Oregon star to find.

His best bet may be to secure a backup job with a team that has an oft-injured quarterback, which could afford him the opportunity to step in as needed during the regular season.

Mariota won the Heisman Trophy in 2014 after throwing for 42 touchdowns and just four interceptions while leading the Ducks to a Rose Bowl victory over Florida State.

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