Ducks had one day to feel sad about Darron Thomas leaving; drive to another conference championship begins now

Adam Jude reported in the Register-Guard this morning that Chip Kelly met with Darron Thomas on Saturday one last time to try and talk him out of his decision to sign with an agent and turn pro. It was probably his most earnest recruiting visit of the winter. Now the Ducks have one more scholarship to give, and two very talented young quarterbacks will get their shot to lead a team that will contend for a fourth conference championship and a national title. Photo right: the team Chip Kelly leads out of the tunnel in January will only be as prepared as their conditioning and off season work allows. (huffingtonpost.com photo). There's enough talent around Bryan Bennett or Marcus Mariota to make either a realistic possibility. Kenjon Barner will provide the message and the example, the maturity, leadership and direction a team particularly needs from January to August, when contact with the coaches is limited. That's important, because this is the season in which committ...