Mich / Bama fans agree on one thing...
maybe two.
http://www.rollbamaroll.com/2009/9/8/1020461/not-everybody-is-the-perfe…
"Frankly, I haven't liked Pryor one bit since he was such a diva on the recruiting trails, and his stupidity only gives me one further reason not to like a guy I was never a fan of in the first place. The only good thing you can say about Pryor... at least he doesn't play for Michigan. And go Trojans."
Whether it's a dig at Michigan or a back-handed compliment, I'm also glad he doesn't play for Michigan. I'll take our two guys over TP right now and going forward. (Last year, not-so-much.)
Contrast interviews between Devin and Terrelle and how they've handled themselves during the recruiting process, both as the #1 QB in the country. Pryor has all the tools and will probably turn out alright, but Devin Gardner just seems to me like a mature, class kid. While Pryor couldn't have been more of a diva, most of Gardner's comments focus around competing hard and gaining respect for his team.
Amazing how Michigan went from a position of real need a year ago to an embarrassment of riches at that same position. Rodriguez is bringing in hard-working, talented, class kids in spite of last year's record. Tate and Denard are at the same time confident and humble, even though they electrify hundreds of thousands of Michigan fans every time they step onto the field.
Now if we can just get some more CBs and D-linemen The Big House will truly be a house of horrors for opposing teams.
September 21st, 2009 at 3:46 PM ^
Tate seems incredibly confident, but I don't know about humble. He's not an ass about things, but on a scale from humble to arrogant, he's probably right in the middle. I haven't seen/heard enough from Devin to know about him.
Either way, I'm sure both Tate and Devin are kids that we'll find easy to love (neither is going to say stupid stuff we'll cringe at), but fans of other teams find easy to hate.
September 21st, 2009 at 5:16 PM ^
averting your eyes, wringing your hands and telling people you don't deserve a chance to start.
Both our current QBs are very quick to defer praise to teammates when accolades are tossed their way. I think you can be confident and humble at the same time.
September 21st, 2009 at 3:54 PM ^
I believe two things about him. 1. He's a skilled QB and 2. He's an asshole. Pryor is one of those players who let their emotions take advantage of them in a big game or in a big loss. It's quite simple to say that Pryor's downfall is his ego which he does indeed have a large one. Players like Pryor only play for three years with their schools he's more interested in the pros then anything. He's just like Sanchez, he want's to make money.....
September 21st, 2009 at 4:05 PM ^
I don't think he is a skilled QB. Right now he is just a skilled athlete. That is not to say that he won't develop into a skilled QB, but he is definitely not there yet.
September 21st, 2009 at 4:14 PM ^
I'll give the devil his due. The guys a good (but probably not yet great player) but the associated drama and attitude are huge drawbacks and I'm glad he's not associated with our program. May have been harder to say last year when we didn't have as much success at the QB spot but I'll take Tate & Denard for better or for worse.
September 21st, 2009 at 4:06 PM ^
I'm as glad as the rest of us that we've got Tate and Denard with Devin lined up, but to say that you know that Pryor is only planning to play for 3 years and only wants money is saying that Woodson didn't care for UM and only wanted $.
September 21st, 2009 at 4:07 PM ^
But do you live in columbus, ohio like I do?.....
September 22nd, 2009 at 9:28 AM ^
What does geography have to do with it?
September 21st, 2009 at 5:19 PM ^
away from a Manning, then we'll try your analogy.
September 21st, 2009 at 4:07 PM ^
Read the interview of DG that was linked yesterday and just remain impressed with the kid. Really like his attitude of instead of seeing Tate's success as threat of lack of playing time, he views it as a reason to push himself to becoming a better player. Goes along with the Rodriguez philosophy of using our own teams competition to breed better players than to just rely on good talent alone. Explains how he can perennially turn 3* players into gems.
September 21st, 2009 at 5:21 PM ^
Good point on 3* conversions, too. "Iron sharpeneth iron..."
September 21st, 2009 at 4:09 PM ^
I'm not quite ready to say we have an embarassment of riches at QB. If Tate were to go down, would you feel comfortable?
September 21st, 2009 at 5:37 PM ^
Happy? No. Robinson is raw yet, but definitely has some attributes that neither QB last year had. His homerun to touchdown ratio is obscenely high. And Sheridan is much better than he was last year and now has an improved line and a solid stable of RBs.
Maybe have to knock off 2 wins from whatever their total will be without Forcier, but the statement wasn't "we have an embarrassment of riches if Tate goes down".
Tate QBing, Robinson learning and the idea of having the #1 QB prospect in the country coming in next year is an embarrassment of riches. Especially when compared to last year...
I don't know of any coach / team / program that's done that to the position after going 3-9.
September 21st, 2009 at 6:06 PM ^
You may be comfortable with Tate going down but 99% of other M fans are not. If Tate goes were injured we are one bad hit away from Sheridan lining up under center. Think about that for a second.
Still feel comfortable?
September 22nd, 2009 at 9:18 AM ^
way to miss the entire point of the post.
Secondly, I'm 99.9% sure that you don't speak for 99% of the Michigan fanbase.
Third, "comfortable" is a relative term that you seem hung up on. As in, nobody wants to see Tate get hurt, but you seem to be stuck on bashing the backups, one of which, Robinson, is a damn talented player.
Sheridan IS better than last year, so is the line, so is the running game. I hope that we don't have to see him except in mop-up duty, but I'm not going to be an asshat and bash him needlessly to make a point like you're doing. The kid's a walk-on who's already been through a lot of crap and who's worked hard, and, most importantly, really had nothing to do with the main points of the thread. So why go out of your way to bring him up?
So you go ahead with your friend there and stay hung up on the word "comfortable" and keep missing the main points of the post.
September 23rd, 2009 at 2:57 PM ^
I think you are making quite a few inferences from my post that I simply was not saying.
First, you are most correct that I don't speak for 99% of Michigan fans. I only speak for myself and those whose opinions I know definitively. I was simply remarking that I would not be comfortable if Tate went down with injury because that means any injury to Robinson puts the game squarely in Sheridan's hands.
Sheridan is by all accounts a great young man who has worked his butt off. Good for him. I don't care how much better our O-line is or how much better Sheridan has gotten (he is 0/2 with 1 interception on the year btw). I just don't think from the evidence at hand that Sheridan has proven he can run the offense with efficiency or success. Sorry if that means you think I am giving him crap or that I am an, "asshat", that will "bash him needlessly to make a point." I'm a little lost where my, "bashing," was.
I can understand you and I disagree. That's cool. I can't really understand why you are calling me names or saying that I am insulting these kids.
ps I didn't neg you up above so don't get upset with me for that either. Just thought I would throw that on the table.
September 21st, 2009 at 4:11 PM ^
he had a lot of people pulling on him, and you cant blame a high school kid for playing up the attention if that is something they are into.
Blame him for his shenanigans on the basketball court his senior year. Blame him for his everybody murders quote. Blame him for running out of bounds. But as fans who follow recruiting of teenagers, dont blame him for the drama that would not have been there except for us obsessed college football fans.
September 21st, 2009 at 5:49 PM ^
Don't lump me into being responsible for anything he's said or done, diva-wise. "Us obsessed college football fans" didn't "make" him wait as long as he did to make his pick.
What kind of nonsense is that?
Gardner and Pryor are / were both #1 rated QBs. I don't see anyone less "obsessed" about Gardner and I also don't see a ton of "look at me" drama.
Pryor = diva.
September 21st, 2009 at 5:35 PM ^
I thought this article was gonna be about gergg easterbrook and his weasel watch. This last week's:
Weasel Coach Watch: Readers, including Diana Weingart of Boulder, Colo., noted Dan Hawkins theatrically promised he would not leave Boise State, then bolted out the door to Colorado the instant money was offered. The Buffalos are now 13-26 under Hawkins and were just blown off the field by a mid-major, the Toledo Rockets. TMQ's immutable law of weasel coaches holds: When you hire a coach who's only in it for himself, you get a coach who's only in it for himself. Why do colleges think someone willing to walk out on an existing commitment is the kind of person good to have around?I don't get his analysis. He tries to prove his theory despite his evidence (saban, rich rod) having good years and showing that they care about their kids and their schools. Not that I trust Saban, but he has said he wants to retire at Alabama. And to me it seems that Rich really loves his players.
September 21st, 2009 at 7:31 PM ^
He is missing a very important tool: the one that is supposed to be between his ears. And, as already cited, his spoiled diva routine is getting very, very old. Someone needs to tell him that you don't get to be a diva until you display more talent than that of a backup singer.
If Tressel sticks with both Pryor and the pro-set for three years, UM fans are going to be very, very happy.
September 21st, 2009 at 7:50 PM ^
In regards to Roll Bama Roll, it's a just a flat out slap at Michigan. Take a look at his blogpoll ballots. He's an unabashed homer who fellatiates the SEC worse than a Confederate in Charleston.