Oregon Football: Ducks Flying High in Summer Workouts

Now that college players are back on the football field and gearing up for their Week 1 opponents, fans can become more excited then ever.

In Eugene, the Oregon Ducks are back on the field and have their full attention on LSU and the 2011 season.

With the way that last year ended, it would be reasonable to assume that the Ducks could be distracted or still focused on how close they came to winning the national championship; nothing could be farther from the truth.

Right now, coach Chip Kelly has his time focused and his motto of "Win the Day" appears to be holding some weight with each and every player on the roster.

Early in summer workouts, the team is looking to get as much work and preparation in as possible knowing that a top five matchup awaits them in Week 1 when they play against LSU in Dallas.

On the field, true freshman DeAnthony Thomas, who appeared to be heading to USC but made a late switch to Oregon, has been impressing people early on. Thomas has shown incredible speed and agility and has been receiving reps with the first and second teams.

Another thing that has been catching people attention has been the plays made in the passing game. While Darron Thomas has continued to make strides to improve, the focus will be on getting some of the JUCO transfers and true freshman up to speed.

If Oregon is able to become efficient in the passing game and keep defenses on their heels, it will help this offense become even more effective then they were last year.

Lastly, the Ducks appear to have a focus this summer on getting faster. As hard as that is too believe, the Ducks believe that if they continue to push the tempo, they will be able to read the play and react quicker then they did last year. For all the points that they scored, the belief is that they left too many points on the field.

As players begin to start practicing in full pads, the focus will be on execution and staying healthy.

Before you know, it will be September 3rd and the Ducks will be ready to go for the opening whistle against LSU.