The recent passing of the mother of a lifelong friend brought to mind Bob Dylan’s observations in his song “Simple Twist of Fate” – every new day brings new revelations, some good, some bad and some you should have thought about or might have known but catch you unaware.

In the course of Sunday’s condolence call, I came to learn that as a first and second year basketball coach in Coos Bay, Duck head coach Mark Helfrich had been a frequent attendee of his basketball camps.

“Maybe the nicest kid on earth,” to loosely paraphrase my friend’s recollections…“But he will beat you by 10 and be thinking of ways to beat you by 20 next time he gets you on the court.”

Beginning his third session as the head coach of the Ducks, a bit more of that mentality was evident in the way Helfrich conducted his fall camp opening session Monday with local media.

In the spring of 2008, on his first day as Chip Kelly’s new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Helfrich was standing by himself 10 yards away from the four or five reporters that were talking to Kelly, who was mostly saying the same things he said two months earlier as Helfrich’s predecessor.

It was a chance not to be wasted and the 10-minute conversation that followed left a similar impression as that of my friend. While a little wide-eyed at the thought of being back in Oregon, the opportunity presented was his to take and the game plan was already taking shape.

With Kelly attracting most of the media attention, Helfrich absorbed the details and the philosophy that made Kelly’s system click. Questions during those early media sessions were answered politely and with a liberal dose of self-deprecating humor but never venturing anywhere near any boundary, real or imagined.

But what was on exhibit in the Autzen Club on Monday was Helfrich now understands as head coach he has the power to define where those boundaries are laid down and he has become more relaxed with his responses to those subjects he is willing to talk about.

Questions regarding Thomas Tyner’s late subtraction from the Oregon depth chart were batted away with perhaps a less sarcastic flourish than would have been offered by Kelly, but they were batted away every bit as effectively.

So too all queries regarding Vernon Adams, the Eastern Washington quarterback who has yet to be admitted to the University as a graduate student and a potential replacement for the graduated Marcus Mariota.

More detail and insight was forthcoming when the line of inquiry was directed to fall camp priorities, his willingness to play two quarterbacks if a starter hasn’t emerged and similar subjects.

Where occasionally in the past a response too quickly would deteriorate into cliché, in this third rodeo Helfrich allowed himself the freedom to speak directly to the point and not take refuge in a convenient reply.

Much as he did in that early Q&A, Helfrich appears to recognize the opportunity that is now his to take. It is team that fell one win short of a national championship a year ago and while highly regarded isn’t thought to be one of 2015’s true contenders. A team with marginal division one experience at quarterback with either – or both – Lockie and Adams at the helm.

A team with a running back that battled injury most of last year and who was assumed to be a key ingredient this year and is now a last minute loss to the depth chart. A team where a world class sprinter/wide receiver and – if healthy – possibly the nation’s best tight end are questionable for participation as camp opens.

Yet in the face of those circumstances – and while he wouldn’t speak to several of them directly – for most of his 23 plus minutes Helfrich offered every indication his plan was to still beat you by 20, and he was noticeably more comfortable in letting that be seen.

I think Helfrich thinks he’s got himself a pretty good football team. It’s gonna be an interesting year.

~ Rick Morgan

www.DuckNews.com