Expect lots more of TEs Koger and Webb this year

A tight end is often a veteran QBs favorite target. A lot of young quarterbacks are too scared (or their coaches are) to throw the ball over the middle, because there's so much traffic. Forcier is only 6' tall. I don't remember any catches by the tight ends in the spring game (were there any?).

Putting a TE at slot does nothing for your team if you don't throw him the ball. And after Odoms, it was basically Toney Clemons or...uhhh...Ricky Reyes at slot. I'm not surprised that he chucked Koger out at slot for a play here or there.

Regardless, pre-season hype is all fine and dandy but you're all getting caught up in the hype. This type of thing happens every year where a bunch of people start to believe that practice buzz and off-season tinkering will amount to something...and it happens every year where one or more of those dreams gets shot down.

All these positives things that you (the collective you, not the individual you) want to happen, they're not going to happen. A few will; a few won't. I don't know why it's so hard to believe that maybe, just maybe, everything won't be peachy keen.

The OPTIMISTIC predictions around here say we'll go 8-4. If we go 8-4 despite having a savior at QB, great tight ends, an awesome offensive line, great play at slot receiver, the Big Ten's best running backs, beasts all along the defensive line, a 2010 draft pick at one corner and a great corner on the other side, improved safety play, and a huge turnaround by Stevie Brown...well...if we do all that and still go 8-4, we sure got fucked by some shitty referees, didn't we?

Its like ND last year when we lined up a full back with a tail back, it was always a run there was never any deception no play fake, just lining up a TE in a new spot on the field will not deceive anyone if they have never been thrown the ball prior.

We could have put 2 LBers in the wide out positions and we still would have been running the ball.

I'm not saying it's infeasible. I'm just saying that too many people are jumping on the TE bandwagon with zero evidence to support their claims.

And going to back to your reasons why those guys didn't catch any balls - it's not like Webb is suddenly a genius at running the tight end position or Koger went from being a frosh to a fifth year senior. These guys are still somewhat young and inexperienced. And a big reason you didn't include is the fact that they had a RS sophomore, 6'1", noodle-armed QB and a RS freshman, 6'6", rocket-armed but inaccurate QB.

Take those guys and remove a year of maturity, subtract a little bit of height, give him a rocket arm, add some speed and QB coaching and...voile!...you have Tate Forcier.

Nobody has refuted by three biggest arguments:

1. Tate is short, which makes it more difficult to throw over the middle due to sight lines and DL being able to swat down the pass.

2. There is more traffic in the middle of the field, which makes decision-making extremely important; true freshmen and good decision-making don't typically go hand-in-hand.

3. There's no on-field evidence of Rodriguez being extremely interested in the tight end, other than visiting a couple schools. I went to a clinic on running a 4-3 defense - that doesn't mean I run it.