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Oregon linebackers coach Don Pellum (center) calls himself a disciplinarian as defensive coordinator.

(Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian)

EUGENE – At times this offseason, instead of talking about new beginnings, Tony Washington calls Josh Huff to talk about what should have changed last season.

The conversations between Oregon’s outside linebacker/defensive end and former UO wide receiver aren’t about missed assignments against Stanford and Arizona. It’s about missed opportunities well before those losses, in winter conditioning.

Chip Kelly had left for the NFL. Mark Helfrich was hired as his successor and immediately returned to recruiting. But back home, Washington remembers a team stuck in neutral during one of its prime offseason stretches “with no guidance, no direction” and a complacent mind-set after a Fiesta Bowl victory.

“Little stuff” in February became breaking points in November. The blame rests not on an individual, Washington says, but on the whole.

“Guys missing workouts and guys coming up late, falling asleep in meetings,” Washington said on a recent misty morning after running with teammates inside Autzen Stadium. “If you let it slide it just builds up into just, ‘Oh maybe I can get away with this. Maybe I don’t have to play as hard on this play, maybe I can just show up and win,' and that hurt us in the end.”

Increasingly, however, the conversations inside the program have been about changes Oregon is making, on both sides, to address those faults. Those solutions are centered on an attitude of accountability both Washington and head coach Mark Helfrich say has been reinforced by multiple factors but carries all the hallmarks of new defensive coordinator Don Pellum.

“He commands and demands,” Washington said.

“We’ve got to clean up all the little stuff right now so we can get to where we need to be. Last year you could feel it. It didn’t look right, it didn’t feel right what we were doing out there. We didn’t say anything about it, and we let too many little things go. Last year is not what our standard is about and it starts in the winter.”

Washington is unsparing not out of his role as a senior leader but because of what he says is the duty now expected from every Duck. The attitude adjustment, he says, has helped UO avoid a similar vacuum of responsibility after Nick Aliotti’s retirement as defensive coordinator.

Pellum, the first African-American coordinator in program history, might be known best outside UO offices for his stylish suits but inside the program he’s known for an eye on detail and discipline.

Pellum, an Oregon staffer for 23 seasons, was named defensive coordinator Jan. 14. One month after his hiring, he outlined plans for his expanded role with a philosophy that’s as sweeping as the view of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard 100 feet below his new fourth-floor office.

“A lot of time it’s easy for young men, especially this time of year, to get into habits,” Pellum said. “Are you pushing it to the max? A lot of times it’s not. It’s that awareness and then the discipline on little things. There are some things those guys need to do, but doing it with some passion and some enthusiasm and really getting something out of it.”

Asked why he hired Pellum, Helfrich on Feb. 5 told a story about Pellum’s insistence on accountability. Their offices faced each other in the Casanova Center – Helfrich coaching quarterbacks, Pellum inside linebackers – and Helfrich spotted a neat row of backpacks outside Pellum’s door whenever his linebackers visited for meetings. The message: Sloppiness will not be tolerated.

"I go, 'How come everyone doesn't do that?' Helfrich said. Pellum replied: “’I'm not in charge of everybody.’”

He is careful not to imply blame on his predecessor, but Pellum says his fixes have been focused more on getting the little things right than a defensive overhaul. He reiterates what he said in his opening press conference: Major changes to Oregon’s 3-4 defense next season shouldn’t be necessary. The defense was 13th best nationally in scoring defense and seventh in yards per play allowed.

“We’ve been really, really good,” Pellum said. “You look around the country from a win-loss standpoint and from a finish we’ve been pretty good. How do we get better? Well we’ve got to be better at every little thing. Tackling? That’s discipline. Do I put my head down and dive or do I step and strike? We’ve got to continue to shape this.

“What time do I get here? What time do I arrive for my workouts? What’s my approach when I arrive for my workouts? Am I going to walk in rushing with two minutes to go or am I going to get there early? I think the first thing is just a heightened awareness of what we’re supposed to be doing and more attention to detail. I think if you were to ask the kids right now somewhere in their conversation that’s going to come out.”

Indeed, last week Washington sat in an audience as Pellum told defenders “no one has a spot next season.”

“You’ve got to prove yourself all over against because it’s new management,” Washington said.

Pellum has also pulled Washington and middle linebacker Derrick Malone aside during sprints and asked why they weren’t leading. Though coaches are permitted to observe offseason lifting and sprints, players have been reminded they can self-police, too. Afterward, the typically reticent Washington has begun calling out teammates for hill sprints and bear crawls.

Aliotti still has a presence in the building. Though his retirement is just six weeks old, he’s recently sent text messages to players and colleagues – from as far away as Argentina, where he’s hunting -- imploring them to get better.

But in Eugene it’s now Pellum delivering that message to the defense. And even in the first weeks of his tenure as defensive coordinator, he’s made sure Duck defenders have taken note.

“We’re further ahead,” Pellum said, “than we’ve been in a long time right now.”