There are weeks when Take Two becomes an exercise in finding a pair of subjects that deserve a little more attention. This is not one of those weeks because Dan Lanning gave us two answers Monday night that, in different ways, ask us to decide how much weight we are willing to give the information directly in front of us.
One involves Dante Moore and a medical situation none of us can completely see. The other involves Drew Mehringer and an offensive change that suddenly became public even though the evidence suggests Oregon had been wrestling with the problem for much longer. In both cases, the simplest story is probably too simple.
TAKE ONE: There Are Times When Not Knowing Everything Has to Be Enough
I understand why some people do not believe Dante Moore’s absence is purely medical. College football has trained us to be suspicious because players make business decisions, coaches protect information, injury reports are intentionally vague, NFL futures matter and transfer decisions happen behind closed doors. Almost every fan who has followed the sport long enough has watched an official explanation eventually become something more complicated.
So when Oregon’s season changes dramatically, Moore begins practicing again and yet still does not return to games, it is not irrational for someone to wonder whether there is more happening than we are being told. Wondering, however, is different from knowing, and - for me - that distinction matters.
Lanning was asked directly Monday whether Moore had been cleared to play and whether he expected him to return this season. His answer was unusually specific for a coach discussing an injury.
“If it was up to Dante in any shape or way, he would want to be out there playing for the guys,” Lanning said. “But unfortunately, it’s not really up to Dante. It’s not really up to me.”
That
