Category: Pro Ducks

Kayvon Thibodeaux suffers knee injury in NY Giants preseason game

Kayvon Thibodeaux went down with a knee injury on Sunday, but was able to bypass a cart that came to get him and walk to the sideline.

One of the main things that every NFL fan has in common is a dire hope that their players can get through the preseason without suffering any major injuries.

For former Oregon Ducks’ legend Kayvon Thibodeaux, it appears that such a wish didn’t come true.

On Sunday afternoon in a preseason game, Thibodeaux reportedly got cut block and immediately went down to the turf clutching at his knee. The cart came out to get him and take him to the locker room, but Thibodeaux reportedly walked past the cart and to the sideline.

We will watch this story as it unfolds and hope for the best as we find out the severity of the injury.

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Seahawks trade former Oregon DB Ugo Amadi to Philadelphia Eagles

Former Oregon Ducks defensive back Ugo Amadi was reportedly traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday.

Former Oregon Ducks defensive back Ugo Amadi is on the move, getting shipped from the Seattle Seahawks to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Amadi joined the Seahawks as a fourth round pick out of Oregon in the 2019 NFL draft. He appeared in 47 games over the past three seasons, starting 12 and totaling 125 combined tackles, six tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one interception while playing primarily out of the slot.

However, the return of Justin Coleman and the emergence of former Utah defensive back Marquise Blair gave Amadi plenty of competition in Pete Carroll’s defense, and after a down year in 2021 he’ll head to Philadelphia in exchange for a once promising wide receiver who was selected a few spots ahead of DK Metcalf in 2019.

Amadi will come in and challenge for snaps as Philadelphia’s nickel cornerback, and will likely factor in on the special teams as well.

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ProDucks Reactions: All the best buzz from Oregon Ducks in Week 1 of NFL preseason

There were a lot of Pro Ducks in action during Week 1 of the NFL preseason. Here are all of the highlights and buzz you need to see.

While many Oregon fans have been focused on fall camp taking place in Eugene and the Ducks’ first scrimmage at Autzen Stadium, a whole host of pro Ducks saw some action at the NFL level in the first week of the preseason.

While a handful of veteran Ducks and established starters did not see the field, as is customary in the preseason, we saw a lot of former Oregon players get onto the gridiron and go to work, trying to earn a roster spot and move their way up the depth chart.

So how did things go, and what is the buzz like after the weekend? Here’s a look at some of the best highlights and social media reactions for the pro Ducks in the league:

Twitter reacts to Marcus Mariota’s first preseason game with the Atlanta Falcons

Nothing better than watching Marcus Mariota get a chance to prove himself as a starting QB.

For an Oregon Ducks fan, there are few things more enjoyable than watching Marcus Mariota getting a chance to play football and prove what he’s capable of.

After his legendary career in Eugene that resulted in a Heisman Trophy, the NFL career has been somewhat frustrating for Mariota. An injury-riddled stint with the Tennessee Titans saw a few high moments, such as his performance in the playoffs, but there were many low moments as well. In the end, Mariota was replaced by Ryan Tannehill, and left to be the back-up to Derek Carr with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Until this year. Now, Mariota has a chance to be the starting QB of the Atlanta Falcons and prove what he can do. He got his first taste once again on Friday night in the team’s first preseason game of the season, and though he didn’t play much, it was enough to get Oregon fans going.

Here are some of the best reactions on Twitter from the game:

Sabrina Ionescu makes WNBA history yet again

Sabrina Ionescu became the first WNBA player to record 500 points, 200 rebounds and 200 assists in a season.

Just three days ago, Sabrina Ionescu became just the second player in WNBA history with 500 points, 200 rebounds, and 150 assists.

She’s at it again.

The former Duck and current New York Liberty star doesn’t have to share the spotlight with Candace Parker anymore as she became the first player in league history to score 500 points, grab 200 rebounds and dish out 200 assists in a single season.

The record-breaking assist came early in the contest with the Phoenix Mercury where the Liberty (13-18) are aiming for their fourth straight win.

It’s been an incredible season for Ionescu as she is playing free and healthy for the first time in her short three-year professional career and the dividends are paying off big time.

 

Former Duck linebacker Kiko Alonso retires from the NFL

Former Oregon linebacker Kiko Alonso signed a contract with the New Orleans Saints before retiring.

In a ceremonial move, Kiko Alonso signed a contract with the New Orleans Saints and then promptly retired, ending a six-year career in the NFL.

The former Oregon Duck linebacker was drafted in the second round by Buffalo in 2013, but unfortunately, he was hampered by a series of injuries. He missed the 2014 season and then moved on to Philadelphia where he was united with Chip Kelly.

But that reunion lasted just a season and Alonso moved to South Beach in Miami where he spent the next three seasons.

Alonso had his most productive years with the Dolphins (2016-18), he averaged almost 120 tackles, had five picks, and scored his only professional touchdown.

With his career seemingly on track, Alonso went to New Orleans. Unfortunately, he suffered a devastating knee injury in the Saints’ Wild Card loss at Minnesota in 2020.

After rehabbing for the better part of two seasons, Alonso had enough.

As a Duck, he had an integral part of the defense in 2011 and 2012 that helped Oregon win the Rose Bowl for the time since 1963 with a victory over Wisconsin. In that game, Alonso had a key interception in the second half of Russell Wilson, which set up a go-ahead score.

In his four seasons in Eugene, Alonso racked up 144 tackles and six interceptions.

‘Not a flashy guy;’ QB Ty Thompson talks about wanting to emulate play-style after Justin Herbert

When asked which NFL QB he wants to play like, Oregon’s Ty Thompson responded that it’s Justin Herbert who he most tries to emulate.

Growing up, young athletes often look to the college and professional levels to identify the stars and players that they want to follow. Normally they choose them in video games to play with or collect their trading cards.

It’s these players who have a major impact on the youth in the sport, helping to model the way they play and the way they interact with both teammates and fans.

For Oregon Ducks redshirt freshman quarterback Ty Thompson, there’s a guy close to home that has had a pretty big impact on him. When asked at Oregon’s Media Day which NFL QB he emulates and works to mold his game after, Thompson had an answer that many Duck fans will approve of.

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“Not just because he came here, but I really loved watching him before I moved here — Herb, Justin Herbert,” Thompson said. “I mean the way he kind of carries himself not even on the field, but just how are you like a great leader that doesn’t say too much. He’s one of the best players in the league, but he’s really humble and doesn’t say a whole lot. He’s not a flashy guy. He’ll make the most crazy plays that you see on the ESPN top 10 plays every week.”

Herbert is close to dethroning Marcus Mariota as the most beloved QB in recent fan history in Eugene, despite Mariota’s Heisman Trophy win and trip to the national championship game. However, it’s Herbert’s success at the NFL level that has given Oregon fans so much to be proud of.

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He made waves as a rookie, breaking all sorts of records, and will continue his legacy this year as one of the best young players in the game. Despite all of the fanfare and attention, Herbert is still a guy who rarely lets the outside noise creep in.

“Just the way he takes care of his business. I really liked how he handles it,” Thompson said.

Not a bad rose model to emulate your game off of.

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Sabrina Ionescu continues her historic WNBA season in New York

Sabrina Ionescu is just the second WNBA player to rack up 500 points, 200 rebounds, and 150 assists in a season.

In her third WNBA season, Sabrina Ionescu continues to have a historic year.

She becomes just the second player in league history to rack up 500 points, 200 rebounds, and 150 assists in a single season. The only other player to achieve the feat is Candace Parker.

Ionescu earlier set WNBA triple-double records and now those stats are adding up. But to no one surprise, it’s all about winning for her. Thankfully for the New York Liberty’s case, that’s exactly what is happening in te Big Apple.

Although the record isn’t impressive on face value, 12-18, the Liberty got off to a slow start, losing seven of their first eight games. From that point on, New York is 11-11, mostly because of the former Duck standout.

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Atlanta Falcons name Marcus Mariota starting quarterback for 2022

The Atlanta Falcons named Marcus Mariota the starting quarterback over rookie Desmond Ridder just one day into training camp.

Those expecting a quarterback position battle to unfold in Atlanta between veteran Marcus Mariota and rookie Desmond Ridder were treated to a one-day affair, after Falcons quarterback coach Jack London said on Wednesday that Mariota is the starter and Ridder is the backup.

“Marcus is the starter,” London told The Athletic. “That’s how we’re going into this thing.”

Mariota’s role was always expected after the team inked him to a two-year deal worth up to $18.75 million just a few days after they traded longtime starter Matt Ryan to the Colts.

Mariota has familiarity with head coach Arthur Smith from their days together in Tennessee when Smith was the offensive coordinator for the Titans, and although Ridder is a talented young quarterback it always seemed like he was going to come in behind Mariota at least for year one.

Mariota’s career hasn’t quite gone according to plan. After getting selected No. 2 overall in 2015 out of Oregon, he went just 29-32 as a starter for the Titans – tossing 77 touchdowns and 45 interceptions. He was eventually benched during the 2019 season and released shortly after, spending the next two years as a backup to Derek Carr in Las Vegas.

Now he’ll look to get things going again on a team with little weapons elsewhere, especially after star receiver Calvin Ridley got hit with an indefinite suspension for gambling on NFL games.

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Satou Sabally and Jordan Brand design basketball court in Germany

Former Oregon Ducks star Satou Sabally worked with Jordan Brand to refurbish a basketball court in Germany for young girls to use.

Former Oregon Ducks women’s basketball star Satou Sabally, now with the WNBA’s Dallas Wings, worked with Nike’s Jordan Brand and artist Bahar Bambi to create a basketball court for young girls in Germany to shoot hoops.

The courts are refurbished and located at Tempelhofer Feld, a public park in Berlin that used to be an airport.

“I’m very interested in the concept of intersectionality,” says Sabally. “As a woman, you have to constantly fight battles that other people never have to think of. Refurbishing the court is a small step in giving marginalized groups like young girls the same chance to play basketball, have fun and stay safe.”

Sabally, who is German, took to Twitter to share about the new courts; saying “This means everything to me”.

Sabally was an All-Star in 2021 but injuries have continued to impact her in 2022, as she’s only appeared in 11 games this season – with her last appearance back on July 12.

She is averaging 11.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists for Dallas, who are 8-14 on the year.

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