Oregon's winter of discontent wasn't immediately made glorious upon the hiring of Willie Taggart. January presented plenty of tumult and controversy.
Yet Taggart and the Ducks are emerging from the chill, hoping to start a new narrative. A solid haul on national signing day and an impressively completed staff, never mind the fits and starts, now yields to the hope of spring, with a return to the practice field in April.
What transpired since Taggart's arrival on Dec. 7 -- a freshly hired coach fired because of a DUI and a controversy over three players hospitalized after a workout -- will fade from the headlines as the overriding question of national import moves to the foreground.