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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Advertisement Email Story to a Friend August 6, 2005 Ducks add old wrinkle to new uniforms By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune EUGENE — It’s not a lightning yellow jersey or state-of-the-art cooling vest, but the Oregon football team has made yet another alteration to their uniforms for the 2005 season. While the change may not be discernible to those converging on Autzen Stadium this season, the Ducks are counting on it to make a difference after last year’s woeful 5-6 campaign. "All of us have a chip on our shoulder," Oregon defensive lineman Haloti Ngata said Friday on the first day of fall practice. "We’ve just sat around and thought about last season so much and how disappointing it was that we’re that much more excited this year to be back and ready to go." Losing their last three games of 2004 meant the Ducks missed out on posting an 11th straight winning season for the first time in school history and also snapped a string of seven straight bowl games. No one needed to be reminded of that Thursday when the Ducks first gathered as a team, or Friday when they began taking their first steps toward putting a new season in motion. Advertisement "We’re all kinda angry," added Ngata. "We’ve just got to deal with it and move on. We’re going to come with everything now." If you believe that chip-on-your-shoulder mentality to be played out and you’re not buying it, consider that the headline of the season outlook section in the media guide is "Looking to make amends." Still not sold? How about when the head coach sits down to address the media for the first time this fall and essentially the first statement out of his mouth regarding his players is that, "I think they understand we’re on a mission this year." Usually there’s a mix of pleasantries on how much players and coaches look forward to this time of year, how it’s the best team chemistry in years, how everyone’s just going to take it day by day ... and so on. Not this year for Mike Bellotti, and not this year for the Ducks. This year is about getting back to business, regardless of how many articles are written on changes in offensive scheme with new coordinator Gary Crowton or which players — like Ngata — will be NFL-bound. "All the excitement born of new coaches and a new offense is awesome and exciting," said Bellotti, "but it still comes down to the basics of football: blocking and tackling." Bellotti said a "huge focus" this fall will be on the Ducks’ mental and physical toughness in their ability to finish what they started. "We failed to accomplish our goal last year and there’s not much we can do about that," said the 11th-year head coach, "but we certainly can be more focused on finishing plays, finishing series, finishing games and finishing the season." To put it bluntly, Bellotti is finished with the half-hearted effort he’s been forced to endure in recent years. In response to whether the players have appeared more motivated this year, Bellotti said, "They’d better be, and they should be. I think we’re all more motivated." And most of that stems from a disappointing 2004 season that began with such high hopes for the Ducks but never quite took flight. Oregon stumbled through a season-opening loss at home to unheralded Indiana and closed the year with a humiliating, 50-21 loss at the hands of rival Oregon State. "I won’t say it was a great wake-up call because I don’t believe in that," Bellotti said of last season, "but it was a wake-up call." One in which he could see coming. "I’ve said for a couple years that often times I got the impression that some kids had come here (to Oregon) and felt like just by putting on the uniform we were going to win games and there was some magic and some aura about it," said Bellotti. "The magic and the aura is the players in the uniform and the heart and grit that they show." Given the Ducks’ current motivation, that magic just may be back in 2005. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail Ducks add old wrinkle to new uniforms ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers Southern Oregon Loans California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy Advertisement s