Just less than three months after the Oregon Ducks defeated Collin Klein and the Kansas State Wildcats 35-17 in Glendale, Ariz., the Ducks returned to the practice field today for the first day of spring ball.
While many faces present after practice were familiar, there was one obvious and glaring difference; Chip Kelly, after four years as the head man for the Ducks, was not there.
Kelly has since moved on to coach the Philadelphia Eagles, and former Oregon offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich was promoted to head coach.
Talking after his first day of running practice for Oregon, Helfrich spoke of what he was looking for out of the team this spring.
“Improvement, we talked about it yesterday and today,” said Helfrich. “Just setting our daily standard and then that’s the new standard, resetting … When it’s time to work we work, and our guys have done a great job of that for a long, long time.”
Even with the changes within the coaching staff, many things remain constant, most notably starting quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Mariota, who said he put on between five and seven pounds of muscle since the end of last season, seemed at ease when talking about the first practice of the Helfrich era.
“Actually there was no changes at all except Coach Helfrich,” Mariota said. “Nothing really changed, offense was the same, practice was the same. It was a good vibe.”
He continued, “Today Coach Helfrich really handled himself well and he was kind of all over the place which is different for me. To see him over on the defensive side of the ball was a little different … but other than that he did a good job and I’m looking forward to the rest of spring.”
With the departure of Kenjon Barner to the NFL, De’Anthony Thomas will figure to burden more of the responsibility in the backfield during his senior campaign, a role he finds comfortable.
“I just feel like I have the same role, being a momentum builder and a game changer,” Thomas said.
Even with a new head coach and the shuffling and offensive and defensive staff, the Ducks seemed to all reiterate the fact that with Helfrich as their new leader very little has changed.
“No changes at all,” Thomas continued. “We’re just trying to make things better for the players and also the coaches.”