Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

By Andrew Greif | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Oregon Ducks practice report, April 5

Players in helmets, jerseys and shorts

30 minutes open to media

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Highlight

To paraphrase Allen Iverson, the highlight is that we’re discussing practice at all. Closed almost entirely for the Chip Kelly and Mark Helfrich coaching eras at UO, practice will be open to media at least 30 minutes during each of the 15 spring practices, with four full practices entirely open on April 7-8, April 15 and the spring game on April 29. Oregon isn’t confining media members to one sideline, but allowing us to walk the perimeter of the two full practice fields.

Opening at least portions of practice in the spring — practice access is expected to be tightened some in the fall — is routine for new coach Willie Taggart, who operated this way at his last job, South Florida.

The move was different not only for media used to the old ways, but some of Taggart’s assistants, as well. Co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Mario Cristobal came to Eugene after four seasons at Alabama, where Nick Saban opened one practice annually during the regular season. And prior to that stop, Cristobal was head coach at Florida International, where he said he was generally concerned with opening practice.

“They get tricky sometimes and, you know, when you’re new and you’ve got some things that haven’t been seen yet and out there you’ve got to … it’s a head coaching decision,” Cristobal said. “That’s a tough chair to sit in sometimes to make those decisions.”

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Five observations

1. During a pre-spring press conference Tuesday, Taggart said the roster was more injured than he would have liked entering spring, but declined to name those hurt because, “there’s too many for me to name off right now,” he said. “I don’t like that, but it is what it is."

Once inside practice Wednesday, those limited in their participation included running back Taj Griffin, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in mid-November, and defensive lineman Rex Manu, who was hurt against Utah in late November. They worked with a trainer at the far end of a field.

Others working out off to the side included defensive lineman Drayton Carlberg, who wore a walking boot on his right foot. Carlberg missed half of a promising last season with lower-leg injuries. Joining Carlberg were safety Ronnie Rust, a Central Catholic High graduate, defensive lineman Riley Green and linebacker Justin Hollins.

Tyrell Crosby, who missed nearly all of the 2016 season with a foot injury, was participating in offensive line drills during the portion open to media, as was Doug Brenner, who was one of three players hospitalized for several days in January after winter workouts.

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2. During the portion media was allowed to watch, position groups worked by themselves until the very end, when offensive and defensive linemen met for a group drill. I spent the first 20 minutes of the availability watching the defense, a unit whose poor play the past two seasons caused Oregon to pay a Pac-12 record in hopes of an overhaul. Jim Leavitt, the highest paid public-school assistant in conference history at $1.15 million annually, is as caffeinated in person as his Twitter persona suggests, linebacker Troy Dye said before practice.

Jim Leavitt and the LBs: pic.twitter.com/xnm3S0YV9M — Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) April 5, 2017

In one drill, his linebackers maneuvered laterally through a series bags laid on the turf. Midway through, Leavitt tossed them a football. In a hoarse voice, Leavitt explained he wanted two things out of the drill: For players to go full speed with their shoulders low to the ground. Those who didn’t do it right go sent to the back of the line to start over. Jonah Moi and Bryson Young each got sent back for a second try when I was watching, but they weren’t the only ones.

“Got to get your shoulders down, people!” Leavitt yelled. “You’re gonna get blocked. Too slow.”

“Full speed!” yelled special teams coach Raymond Woodie, as Jimmie Swain ran through.

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3. Leavitt was a big hire for Oregon, and has been rated by Sports Illustrated as one of the best of the offseason, but just as notable was the poaching of defensive line coach Joe Salave’a. In five seasons at Washington State, Salave’a had gained a reputation for extremely aggressive lines, ones that typically found a lot of success creating problems for Oregon’s offensive lines, in particular.

Wednesday when I watched, he was focusing his lesson on striking tackling sleds low, for better leverage. And after the strike, he wanted the lineman to release and slip around the sled, upfield.

One impression of the defensive line group? True freshman Jordan Scott (6-1, 345 pounds) is as wide a body as advertised.

Defensive linemen starting out with sleds. pic.twitter.com/SM0XLpAjtA — Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) April 5, 2017

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4. Four true freshmen enrolled in time for the spring academic quarter and thus were participating Wednesday: defensive lineman Rutger Reitmaier, quarterback Braxton Burmeister, receiver Darrian McNeal and safety Billy Gibson. Gibson and McNeal each are from Florida — as is Scott, the defensive lineman, who enrolled early during the winter — while Reitmaier is from Nashville and Burmeister is from the San Diego area, where he was coached by former UO quarterback Akili Smith. For those attending future practices, Burmeister wears 17, Gibson 28, McNeal 89 and Reitmaier 94.

Another freshman who enrolled in winter is cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. He looked smooth working alongside veteran corners such as Ugochuckwu Amadi and Arrion Springs as position coach Charles Clark taught the basics of press coverage. One small detail I liked about Clark: He was wearing cleats, just like the players, and taught drills by being the example.

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Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

5. Justin Herbert made a splash as a starting quarterback last season, UO’s first true freshman to start at the position since Chris Miller in the early 1980s. Herbert had a tight bond with former quarterbacks coach David Yost and head coach Mark Helfrich, but said current coaches also prefer a “very close” relationship with their charges.

New quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo — who also will coach tight ends, with the help of graduate assistant David Gilbertson — is now tasked with building that trust while holding a wide-open competition for playing time. (Also spending time around the quarterbacks during the open portion? Taggart.)

“(Arroyo) has said he’s got to earn our trust just like we have to earn his and the more time we spend with him the better the guy he gets,” Herbert said. “It’s just been a good time so far with him.”

Herbert said the difference in offenses, from concepts to formations, are small. Looking back on last season’s film, however, he said he sees big opportunities to improve.

“I think for the first time out there I thought I did OK,” Herbert said. “There are definitely things like footwork and looking back now there are reads that I made that I just question now. But there are always things I can work on with coach arroyo. I’ve talked with him about my footwork and how I’m bouncing up and down too much when I drop back sometimes. We’ll definitely work on that.”

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B-i^

Sophomore quarterback Justin Herbert: “It was definitely tough saying goodbye to the past coaches. We built a great relationship with them and it was always tough saying goodbye. But this new staff has come in and they’ve made a great relationship with us. They’ve actually made the process quite a bit easier.”

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Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

Coming up

Oregon is off Thursday before practices Friday at 9:30 a.m. and Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Both practices are scheduled to be open for their entirety to fans and media, though seating is first-come, first-serve. Also, should poor weather push either practice inside the Moshofsky Center, Oregon has said it could close practice to the public and reschedule another open practice later this month.