Stars Are Falling This Week, But Who's Will Rise For The Ducks?

If you've been outside late at night at all this week you may have seen a shooting star or two. Every August the Earth travels through a cloud of dust and other particles which , in turn, creates a great light show for us people on the ground. As I was watching a great light show last night I started to think about the Ducks and there bright burning stars. Which new stars will become fan favorites? Will “older” stars be able to produce like they have in the past? Will the most important position on the field be filled by a rising star? Or will it be a rotating door until someone fits the needs that Coach Kelly wants to fill.

QB- If you've been in a cave for the last 6 months you might not know that senior Jeremiah Masoli was booted off of the team after a couple run ins with the law. So, that leaves 2 QBs with limited experience to fill the shoes of a QB that was able to lead the Ducks to the Rosebowl. Nate Costa was on the way to starting the '08 season but blew his knee out for the 3^rd time in fall practice and had to sit out another season due to injury. Costa's only meaningful playing time was last season against UCLA, in which the offense struggled and was basically carried by the defense and special teams. Costa, a senior, seems to have taken the team leadership reigns this summer and may be the starter come Sptember 4^th. Darron Thomas is an athletic, tall, and lanky QB that burned his redshirt year in '08 to lead an almost comeback against Boise State. Thomas, now a sophomore is battling Costa for the starting job, and Coach Kelly has said he isn't naming a starter until game week, but I believe Costa will be the man mostly due to his leadership abilities on and off the field.

RB- LaMichael James had his own legal issues this season and is suspended for the season opener. No worries, after the emergence of Kenjon Barner in the Rosebowl as a great talent that I think we have yet to have seen truly tapped. Behind the two sophomores is Remene Alston who is a tough runner and may get more plays than you would think with the sort of talent the Ducks have at RB. 2 incoming freshmen Lache Seastrunk and Dontae Williams show great promise and are that “Thunder and Lightening” mix that the Ducks have shown to enjoy over the years. The Ducks have only had 2 1000 rushers in the season twice before, but with the sort of talent and playcalling that the Ducks have, I believe they could do it again.

TE- After the graduation of Ed Dickson the TE position looks to be filled by David Paulson, who last year showed he has great hands and has no trouble blocking ends or linebackers. Many Duck fans were very impressed with Paulson's play in '09 and feel that he will do a great job in '10. Behind Paulson is JC transfer Brandom Williams who is built and can run like an NFL TE. In game 1 look to see both of these guys on the field a lot in some 2 TE sets, since James is sitting that game out.

WR- With 3 returners and the rest kind of up in the air, this group could really affect the rest of the teams production. Jeff Maehl is the best returner of the bunch and since his switch from safety a few years ago has shown that he is dependable, runs great routes and has no problem blocking down field. With a new QB running the show look to see Maehl getting a lot of balls thrown his way. Drew Davis and Lavasier Tuinei both are returning and had good production last year, look to them to have important roles this season as well. After the 3, your guess is as good as mine as to who will get the most reps. The word out of camp is that true freshman Josh Huff has shown that he can play, and a local kid from Churchill High School, Justin Hoffman showed in the spring that he can play at this level.

OL- My favorite group of players. Last season coming into game 1 on the road at Boise State, there were a lot of question marks since there was almost no experience up front. After the first 3 games this group really gelled and had some great games. The OL lost no one to graduation and will rotate 8 or 9 guys a lot of the time. With a new QB this is awesome that all of these guys are experienced and know what it takes to play at a high level.

Coach Kelly's offense has produced soem amazing and great numbers in the last few years, thats due to scheme, but you also have to have the players.  With this offensive group look for the Ducks to lead the conference in many statistics.

With the stars that the Ducks have proven to have and new stars ready to burn bright, I believe the offense will shine very bright this season.  The Ducks with or without Masoli have great talent across the board and one thing you know about Chip Kelly is that he isn't afraid to use any of the weapons that he has.

Defense to follow.