Oregon

Former Oregon Ducks, Oregon State Beavers stars are among the biggest quarterback busts in NFL history

Published

1 year ago

September 17, 2024

Former Oregon Ducks, Oregon State Beavers stars are among the biggest quarterback busts in NFL history

The Carolina Panthers’ decision to bench Bryce Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft, shows once again the unpredictable nature of making choices in the draft. The Panthers decided to select Young, even though C.J. Stroud was also available that year. While Young has been benched in favor of veteran Andy Dalton, Stroud was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023 and is thriving in Houston.

Making the right choice at quarterback can mean acquiring a franchise player and success for years. Making the wrong choice can set a franchise back into the dark ages, cost the jobs of head coaches and general managers and saddle a player with the term “bust” for the rest of his career.

Here are 10 of the biggest quarterback draft busts in league history.

Terry Baker

Oregon State University; Los Angeles Rams – No. 1 pick, 1963

(AP Photo/Harold Matosian)ASSOCIATED PRESS

Baker won just about every award imaginable after his senior season at Oregon State, including the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award and Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year. However, his arm strength was questionable and he reportedly struggled throwing deep passes during training camp in his rookie season. He started at quarterback in the season-opening game and threw three interceptions in 1963. That would be his only start at quarterback in his three-year NFL career. He was converted to running back in 1964 and was out of the league a year later.

Jamarcus Russell

Louisiana State University; Oakland Raiders – No. 1 pick, 2007

Denver Broncos v Oakland Raiders — (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)Getty Images

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Russell was viewed as a rare combination of size, athletic ability and arm strength after an amazing pro day at Louisiana State. Russell began his NFL career with a lengthy holdout and then reportedly arrived out of shape, a problem that continued throughout his NFL career. Weight issues and laziness ended his career after three years.

Ryan Leaf

Washington State University; San Diego Chargers – No. 2 pick, 1998

Leaf and Peyton Manning were considered the top-two quarterbacks in the draft. The Indianapolis Colts possessed the top pick and wisely chose Manning. The Chargers, enamored with Leaf’s size, cannon-like arm and gaudy statistics at Washington State, gladly selected Leaf even though there reports about his immaturity. Leaf played two seasons in San Diego, finishing with just 13 touchdown passes, 33 interceptions and a 48% completion rate in 21 games.

Akili Smith

University of Oregon; Cincinnati Bengals – No. 3 pick, 1999

Smith struggled during his first year at Oregon amid questions about his work ethic and commitment. However, he erased those doubts with an amazing season – 30 touchdowns, seven interceptions – in 1998. His accuracy was a shaky 57.3% in college – but the Bengals, still searching for a quarterback after the David Klinger fiasco, selected Smith. Smith reportedly struggled to learn the playbook and wasn’t eager to visit the film room. The Bengals cut him after he posted a 3-14 record over three seasons.

Zach Wilson

Brigham Young University; New York Jets – No. 2 pick, 2021

NFL Week 14: Houston Texans at New York Jets — Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Some officials in the Jets’ organization believed that Wilson was better than Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 pick of the 2021 draft, an indication of how delusional the staff was about Wilson. Wilson’s numbers were impressive at BYU, but what the Jets overlooked was he played behind a very good offensive line giving him clean pockets and all day to throw. He also faced one of the easiest schedules – including Navy, Troy, Texas-San Antonio, Texas State, Western Kentucky and North Alabama – in the nation during his breakout season in 2020. His days were numbered when the Jets acquired Aaron Rodgers in 2023 and they traded him to the Denver Broncos in 2024.

Trey Lance

North Dakota State; San Francisco 49ers – No. 3 pick, 2021

It’s interesting how head coach Kyle Shanahan has received little criticism for this selection. The 49ers sent three first-round picks (2021, 2022, 2023), a third-round pick in 2022 to the Miami Dolphins to move up to the No. 3 spot to select Lance, a raw and relatively untested – he appeared in 19 games – player at North Dakota State. He was named QB1 for the 2022 season, but suffered a season-ending broken ankle in Week 2. Brock Purdy took over after an injury to Jimmy Garoppolo, guided the 49ers to the NFC championship game and hasn’t looked back. Lance then lost the competition for the backup job to Sam Darnold and was traded to the Dallas Cowboys the following season.

Art Schlichter

Ohio State Unviersity; Indianapolis Colts – No. 4 pick, 1982

He was the last quarterback to start at Ohio State under legendary coach Woody Hayes. However, Hayes and successor Earle Bruce failed to acknowledge Schlichter’s well-known gambling problems that only worsened in the NFL, where his debts reached well into seven figures. Schlichter was suspended by the league after he went to the FBI and gave information on gambling bookies in 1983. Schlichter appeared in just 17 games with six starts in three seasons.

Andre Ware

University of Houston; Detroit Lions – No. 7 pick, 1990

The Heisman Trophy winner produced big numbers in a ‘run-and-shoot” offense at Houston and he seemed like a perfect fit for the Lions’ “Silver Stretch” offense, a version of the run-and-shoot that featured All-Pro running back Barry Sanders. Not so fast. Head coach Wayne Fontes favored Rodney Peete and Erik Kramer and Ware played in just 14 games over four seasons for Detroit, starting six times. After the 1993 season, Ware never played in the NFL again.

Matt Leinart

University of Southern California; Arizona Cardinals – No. 10 pick, 2006

He was the quarterback during the golden age of USC football. He led the Trojans to an undefeated season and won the Heisman Trophy as a junior in 2004. There were questions about his accuracy and arm strength entering the draft, but the Cardinals were thrilled when he fell to them at No. 10. Leinart was okay in his rookie season – throwing for more than 2,500 yards and 11 touchdowns, but he did throw 12 interceptions in 12 games. Leinart started the first five games of the 2007 season, but was injured and placed on season-ending injured reserve and replaced by Kurt Warner. Leinart spent two more seasons in Arizona and was out of the league after the 2012 season.

Johnny Manziel

Texas A&M; Cleveland Browns – No. 22 pick, 2014

He was the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy, but Texas A&M’s “Johnny Football” admittedly didn’t take playing football too seriously and seemed more interested in being a celebrity than a quarterback. The Browns ignored his well-known penchant for partying and run-ins with the law. Manziel reportedly said he didn’t watch film on opponents before games and didn’t study the playbook very much. He was gone within two seasons, never to be seen in the NFL again.

Source link

Oregon

How Wisconsin Badgers logistically pulled off extended West Coast trip

Published

8 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

How Wisconsin Badgers logistically pulled off extended West Coast trip

Wisconsin has taken time zone changes into account when planning West Coast trips like the recent one to Oregon and Washington.
Oregon and Washington were ‘super hospitable’ to the Badgers when they were traveling from Feb. 23-28.
Wisconsin’s Lindsay Lovelace and Eli Wilke have done a “really good job” in their operations roles.

SEATTLE – Wisconsin men’s basketball’s day that ended with a resounding 90-73 win over Washington did not exactly have a resounding start.

After loading the bus at the team’s downtown Seattle hotel before the Feb. 28 game roughly four miles away at Alaska Airlines Arena, there was a slight issue.

The bus broke down.

But the Badgers had another bus and were only delayed “maybe 10, 15 minutes at the most.”

“All the managers and everybody moved all the bags onto the other bus,” said Lindsay Lovelace, Wisconsin’s assistant director of basketball operations. “So thankfully we had that second bus, and then the bus company did a really good job of getting us another one really fast.”

Wisconsin’s quick pivot was part of the extensive efforts that have gone into an extended road trip like what the Badgers recently concluded against Oregon and Washington.

“Knowing where we’re going, we reserve flights in July and August,” Lovelace said. “Once we finalize game times and stuff, then we can finalize our flight times and everything. And then I started booking hotels for every trip in September-ish, I would say – September, early in October.

“It kind of starts with those big pieces, and then about a month, month-and-a-half out, we start doing meals and scheduling with itineraries.”

The pair of West Coast games made for a six-day, five-night trip as the Badgers played at Oregon on Wednesday, Feb. 25, and at Washington on Saturday, Feb. 28. It was just UW’s second time this season staying on the road between road games, albeit not nearly as long as the 11-night stay in Salt Lake City and San Diego in the nonconference schedule.

“It seems like it’s a big trip, but it’s essentially just two trips, two days each basically,” said Eli Wilke, who is in his first season as Wisconsin’s operations coordinator after previously working as a graduate manager.

As UW did for the Salt Lake City/San Diego trip earlier in the season and the Los Angeles trip last season, the Badgers arrived two days before the first game instead of the typical one day for shorter road trips on the Big Ten schedule.

“We all decided that it’s just the best to get out there one night earlier, try and get their sleep adjusted as best as possible and then give them a day to sleep in and get up and then practice,” Lovelace said.

Lovelace, who has been in her role since 2021, had the benefit of leaning on last season’s Los Angeles trip and past postseason trips. But the Oregon-Washington trip marked the Badgers’ first road game at Washington since 1955, and it was the Badgers’ first regular-season road game at Oregon since 1990.

The Badgers did have a blueprint for traveling to Eugene following their 2023 NIT game against the Ducks. This trip naturally allowed for much more planning time, too, than a postseason game.

“I said to [UW general manager] Marc [VandeWettering], ‘I remember liking the hotel that we stayed at for the NIT,’” Lovelace said. “And he agreed. The food was good, and the setup they had was really good. It was pretty close to the arena.”

Lovelace also turned to her counterparts who work with Wisconsin football and volleyball, which have similarly been adjusting to the new Big Ten cities. UW volleyball made its first trip to Seattle during the 2025 season, and both UW football and volleyball played in Eugene.

“I talked to John [Richter, UW’s director of football operations] a little bit, but a lot with Jess Williams from volleyball,” Lovelace said. “And she kind of gave me some pointers on traffic and making sure you plan ahead for Seattle because traffic can be really busy at times.”

Wisconsin’s men’s basketball operations staff got a helping hand, too, from Oregon and Washington’s operations personnel.

“Especially with these West Coast trips, these teams are used to it now with these teams doubling up,” Wilke said. “Because they’re all super hospitable and trying to help us out.”

That hospitality includes everything from laundry service to logistical information such as parking and practice options.

Wisconsin secured two practice times in the two days leading up to the Wisconsin-Washington game at Alaska Airlines Arena. The Badgers practiced at Matthew Knight Arena in Oregon the day before and had a shootaround the day of the very late game.

The Badgers were at the mercy of whenever Alaska Airlines Arena was available, though, which turned out to be on a Thursday evening and Friday evening before a Saturday early-afternoon game.

“We know that we really have to be flexible on what they give us,” Lovelace said. “I think everybody wanted to practice at Alaska Airlines Arena. … If we wanted to have an earlier practice, we could have looked elsewhere for gym time, too.”

Washington provided laundry service for Wisconsin on the Badgers’ first night in Seattle. The courtesy is not something to be taken for granted either after what nearly happened when the Badgers traveled to San Diego.

“I was looking at all the laundromats,” Wilke said, following the suggestion of the tournament organizers.

That’s when Nick Boyd – UW’s team leader in points and assists – delivered a big off-the-court assist after playing with his connections at San Diego State, where he played in 2024-25 before transferring to the Badgers.

“Nick connected with one of his old managers, who connected with the current manager at San Diego State and helped connect us with their equipment person who was willing to help us out,” Wilke said. “We got lucky with Nick there.”

The extended trips often come with a larger travel party and the added responsibility of managing logistics for non-basketball excursions. The activities help “keep guys fresh and keep loose,” Wilke said.

The San Diego trip earlier in the season involved a visit at the zoo. The year before, Wisconsin went to an NBA game while in Los Angeles for the USC and UCLA games. This time, UW toured a joint military base in the Seattle-Tacoma region on Feb. 27.

This is Lovelace and Wilke’s first season spearheading Wisconsin’s men’s basketball operations together. VandeWettering was the team’s director of basketball operations for eight seasons before being promoted to a new general manager role in the summer.

UW then promoted Wilke to operations coordinator, all while he continues to finish his master’s degree in sports leadership. He has yet to miss an assignment although he does “cut it very close.” When Wisconsin played Iowa on Feb. 22, he had an assignment due that day.

“I was writing my paper as our guys were doing pregame warmup shots,” Wilke said. “One of the event staff was just laughing behind me because they saw me. I’m just typing away.”

Coordinating operations specifically at a place like Wisconsin “makes my life easier,” Wilke said.

“I don’t really have to worry about guys forgetting things because they’re pretty on top of it,” Wilke said. “I think that’s kind of how the culture of the program’s been over the last few years.”

Even when life is not so easy – an already-loaded bus uncharacteristically breaking down might be one of the top examples – UW’s operations duo has earned rave reviews.

“There’s a lot of moving parts, and there’s going to be hiccups,” VandeWettering said. “And I think you just got to understand that there are going to be things beyond your control, and you just got to be able to roll with it. I think they’ve both done a really good job of continuing to do that to the best of their ability.”

Source link

Oregon

Oregon Lottery Pick 4 results for March 1

Published

20 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

The Oregon Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 1, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 1 drawing

1PM: 4-1-6-1

4PM: 6-5-5-6

7PM: 2-1-9-9

10PM: 6-2-5-4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Oregon Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 7:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 7:59 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 4: 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.
Win for Life: 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Megabucks: 7:29 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Oregon editor. You can send feedback using this form.

Source link

Oregon

Editorial: A legislative ‘solution’ that only creates more loopholes

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Editorial: A legislative ‘solution’ that only creates more loopholes

Legislators are bypassing a straightforward solution that would help ski resorts and other recreational providers stave off lawsuits claiming minor negligence and instead are overcomplicating the picture, the editorial board writes. Lawmakers should follow the example of other states rather than create its own path.

Source link