Dan Lanning Breaks Down Several Players through Spring Practices

On Tuesday Dan Lanning met with media after the first practice of the week for the Ducks. This is the last full week of practice for Oregon with the Spring game set to take place a week from Saturday.

As usual you can read his top quotes below or watch the video for yourself at the bottom of this article.

Opening Statement:

“Okay, there was some good competition practice today. We really addressed some of the things we wanted to improve on compared to the practice game. We had a few good periods of pace, a few periods where we played on the line. We built in a long drive phase in which our boys had to stay on the field for a long time and deliver their performance. All of these things show.”

On the Raiola to Raiola Connection:

“Yes, it’s earlier, but this is a great example of the family on our team. You know, whether it’s just a coach from Tuioti who trains his son Teitum, or whether it’s the boys who are here together. You know, Brock and his brother Brody are both on the team here too. I think we had fun seeing how the family was involved.”

On Nas Wyatt:

“Well, he has always had dynamic pass rush skills. He’s really hard to block. His speed and athleticism are unique. These are things that definitely stood out. But the commitment with which he plays is something that sets him apart from others.”

On Dylan Raiola:

“Yes, it just starts with completing his passes all over the field. I think he had a success rate of over 70 percent during his time in Nebraska. When we recruited him in high school, we knew how intelligent he was and how he could make all the throws. So his intelligence is really important to our system, right. Our ability to implement it.”

Raiolo Coming in as a backup:

“Yes, I think he was aware of that. I say this a lot when recruiting, but the best indicator of the future is the past and what we’ve been able to accomplish with our guys. I think the process they go through was something that Dylan really liked. And of course he wanted to be here, before he knew whether Dante would come back or not. Just knowing that this would be an option for him, this an opportunity to grow, to accelerate, to grow. And it was more about where he wanted to go. It wasn’t about whether he would be first, who is up there, or whether he would be someone, who has the opportunity to develop and learn. I think all of those things were right for him and his family here.”

On Offensive Changes with a New OC:

“Yes, I mean, it actually started from the beginning, since we’ve been here. We wanted to establish Oregon’s offense. We developed a system when Kenny was here. Coach Mehringer was there the whole time. And we wanted to add a few more details, make changes and build things up. But the great thing about being internal is that we can continue this continuity. A system built, right. Our system offers many answers. It offers many tools. This offseason we will be adding new things that we haven’t done in the past. Building on that, expanding the skills of our players. But this is something that will constantly evolve and change, but will always be consistent. Even if we have a coordinator change, you understand that it’s the same play, that we played last year. Maybe we’ll package it with something else.”

On A’mauri Washington:

“Yes, it’s starting with his size and his explosive power. I think this guy is extremely explosive. I think What he had to work on when he came here was his competitive endurance, his ability to to play harder for longer, right. And I think this is a limiting factor, recognized earlier, okay, that will be a limiting factor. This is one of my strengths. This is eliminating one factor. And then his ability to learn our system and be extremely disruptive. Where he’s supposed to be, being there. All of these things paid off. You see, like a leader emerges. What I admire about Amari is that he is a guy who had goals on his first day here. And he did a really good job. I think Max Crosby said that. Microscope, telescope. He has his goals with the telescope. He concentrates really well on the microscope. What do I need to improve today to reach the targets with the telescope to achieve what is still ahead of me?”

On Jamari Johnson:

“I’ll tell you what I noticed about Jamari. I noticed this during winter training. The way this guy coaches as a player. The way he influences and leads others. If he sees that a route is going in the wrong direction, for which you are partly responsible, before questioning someone and saying, hey man, you’re not doing it the way it needs to be done. But he has relationships that allow you to take on a leadership role, which is what it gives you can make it possible to be a coach. But he’s obviously a dynamic playmaker for us. He’s a really complete player when it comes to the pairing. If he gets split up, he can take advantage of that and block, block in the C area. All of these things are things we pay attention to, including the intelligence factor. I’m really proud of his development, definitely on his development as a leader.”