Will Stein reveals story behind ‘sensitivity board’ in Oregon meeting rooms

Enter the Oregon quarterback room and you’ll find what has been dubbed the “sensitivity board” by offensive coordinator Will Stein. The board has cutout photos of each QB, as well as the coaches, that get put up whenever their teammates feel they’ve been a little too sensitive in practice.

Stein explained on the Andy Staples On3 podcast that photos remain up for a full 24 hours before they can be taken down. The coach’s own picture pokes fun at himself for a viral photo that was taken of him when he played quarterback at Louisville.

“If you’re sensitive in any way, we have pictures of everybody,” Stein said. “So I actually have another one. It’s not the original Sunny Will Stein picture, but it’s another one of me just doing the thumbs up. I think I was mocking the Sunny Will Stein. But that is my sensitivity picture. So if I’m sensitive at all I take the picture and post it up. It’s the Michael Jordan crying face. So that’s when they get to see the Sunny Will Stein. But everybody’s got a picture.”

It’s a fun way for the Ducks to improve camaraderie among the quarterbacks and also give them a chance to call out their coaches when necessary. Oregon brought in Dillon Gabriel from Oklahoma this offseason as well as UCLA transfer and former five-star prospect Dante Moore.

The sensitivity board isn’t just for Oregon players, however. The coaches also have a board of their own in the office as a way to keep each other in check. Each one is decorated with the crying Michael Jordan meme at the top.

“Everybody’s on board here,’ Stein said. “Nobody’s off limits on the sensitivity board. We have one in our offensive staff room with coaches and their pictures. Then we have one in our quarterback room. So if you wanna be sensitive, you’re up there for 24 hours. If you’re super sensitive, it’s a 48-hour fence. So if you’re sensitive about being sensitive and your picture going up, that’s 48.”

There is one player who remains on the sensitivity board permanently, however. Stein explained that Bo Nix earned the title of “most sensitive of all-time” last season for his complaints about not winning throw of the day at practice.

Nix finished the year with 4,503 yards passing and 45 touchdowns to three interceptions as the Ducks went 12-2. Now even with him gone to the NFL he stays there as a reminder to the current Oregon quarterbacks that being sensitive isn’t always such a bad thing.

“Bo wrote his name up there last year,” Stein said. “He was on there forever type sensitive. We have our throw of the day and we vote on it. If you’re sensitive about that you didn’t get voted on, you’re gonna go up there. Bo thought every throw was the best from him. Which, most of the time they were. He was phenomenal.

“But then it just got to a point where he was like, ‘all right, put me up there.’ I said, ‘that just made you the most sensitive of all-time. You’re gonna be up there and you’re gonna stay up there.’ If you go in our room right now it says ‘Bo Nix’ below Michael Jordan’s crying face. So he’s still up there.”

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