Dan Lanning Admits His Players Have Heard the Noise Amid Tough Start

When teams like Oregon start the season the way it has, there will always be plenty of opinions. 

The harsh reality for a program like Oregon is that it's one of the best in the country year in and year out, and any season that doesn't end with a top-five finish is typically viewed as a major disappointment. 

It's unfortunate we have to say this, but teams are always viewed differently when they spend as much money as Oregon and other programs do.

As for the expectations entering this season, I always hate to say it was national championship or bust for young men, but that's how it felt. 

Oregon knew it had a real chance to win it all, bringing back many of its best players.

Unfortunately for the Ducks, things haven't worked out, and they're now 3-2 overall after a tough loss to UCLA. 

Oregon also hasn't exactly played well throughout some of the first few games of its season, losing to Oklahoma State and barely beating Boise State.

Speaking to reporters, head coach Dan Lanning admitted it's tough not to hear the noise, adding that it could be bothering his team.

"It's hard. I think it's easier for me as a 40-year-old to ignore the noise. I think that's hard as an 18- to 22-year-old to ignore it, especially when your phone pops off, notifications, your name gets mentioned again, and it's something I think that'll be more and more important as we continue to coach here," Lanning said, per Ducks Wire.

"That's only going to get harder in today's age. So you educate, you do the best you can, but to acknowledge that that doesn't always happen, that's a reality. What I think our players-they've probably learned some hard lessons this year because of that. I can't take everybody's phone when they show up in the building. They can't check out with me. There are a lot of voices that they're going to hear."

In this era of social media, it's undoubtedly better for these kids to not get too caught up in it. 

That's much easier said than done, especially for 18- to 22-year-old men like Lanning is talking about. 

However, it won't help anyone if they're on social media after some of these games. Everybody in that building understands that this year has been disappointing, so they don't need anybody on social media telling them the same thing.