Scott Frost is the Next Man Up

Scott Frost had the privilege of playing football under some of the greatest coaches of all time – Bill Walsh, Tom Osborne and Bill Parcells, to name a few. Suffice to say Frost knows good coaching, and he’ll have a chance to prove what he learned as the new offensive coordinator of the Oregon Ducks. Frost joined the BFT Friday to talk about his career, the NFL combine and the Ducks’ upcoming season.

Right away, Frost spoke about the need for young players to step up across the board, citing the loss of multiple starters and key rotation players to graduation and the NFL Draft. He went on to say that the expectation for the team is to continue embracing the mentality of “next man up.”

“In the midst of this success we’ve been having at Oregon, there’s been almost every position where we’ve lost guys,” said Frost. “[Each time] the next guy up has done a great job.”

Frost also said that this mentality has spread to the coaches, especially after seeing former offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich be promoted to head coach in the wake of Chip Kelly’s departure and Frost getting the nod for Helfrich’s old job. He also said that while Kelly no doubt earns the praise for the success that Oregon experienced under him in the last four years, Helfrich didn’t get as much credit as he should have for the Ducks’ offensive mastery.

“Chip was the guy calling the plays,” Frost explained. “But [Helfrich] had as much to do with the game-planning and the game day calls as anybody.”

Frost went on to praise the new head coach, complimenting his intelligence not only about the game of football but in general as well. He also said Helfrich’s positivity is not lost on his coaching staff or the players.

“There’s such a positive vibe around this office and this team, and it’s because of [Helfrich’s] personality,” said Frost.

With the NFL Scouting Combine wrapping up earlier this week and news breaking of teams asking potentially inappropriate questions regarding prospects' sexuality, Frost was asked if he was ever asked similar questions when he participated in the combine.

“To be honest, I was absolutely asked those [kinds of] questions,” Frost revealed. “When you’re one of those NFL teams and you’re thinking about investing millions of dollars in a player, they want to know everything they can possibly know about someone.”

When asked about giving advice to players entering the NFL, Frost said that he and the coaching staff try to give as much advice as possible before the players even get to the NFL. He went on to say that the former Ducks that succeed in the NFL are always character individuals with good work ethic. 

To listen to the entire interview, click below: