A true frosh DG starting next year is not good

Submitted by HelloHeisman91 on

Just wanted to get the boards feeling on this. If DG does start next year I think it will be another long frustrating year. Anyway, I guess I will know from upvotes, negging and responses.

michman79

November 21st, 2009 at 4:52 PM ^

The best player will start. My guess is that Tate will grow from valuable experience this year and keep the job. But again, RR will put the player out there who gives us the best chance to win. So my thoughts are bassically that having DG is a good thing; whether he starts or not.

MGOARMY

November 21st, 2009 at 4:56 PM ^

I agree, for moments today I was thinking start the freak from day one. Tate tried to do to much at times this season, and alot today, but I am positive he will improve and we will make major strides next year. Damn does this hurt right now, 9 months and counting................

imdwalrus

November 21st, 2009 at 4:54 PM ^

It doesn't how good Gardner looks now or how long he's been groomed for it - look at Tate Forcier. The kid is practically a quarterback by blood, and he still had to adjust to the college game and made plenty of mistakes along the way.

We've got Forcier and Robinson, who both have potential to be good or great quarterbacks. We've also got an entire offseason for them to practice, train, grow and improve. Right now, I'd much rather bet on that than on burning Gardner's redshirt year and hoping he lives up to the hype.

spaciorek

November 21st, 2009 at 5:00 PM ^

If Tate doesn't get the starting job then there are serious problems. He should be much better next year, bigger, and stronger will help a lot. I really hope that Drob improves enough that Gardner can RS next year, that would be ideal for the future of the program.

Magnum P.I.

November 21st, 2009 at 5:01 PM ^

We have no idea what DG's decision making will look like in a college game situation, and that's really going to be the difference in whether or not he plays next season. History tells us that he'll probably make a lot of the same mistakes that Tate did today, but you never know. Tate certainly wasn't making "freshman mistakes" in the first four games of the year, and overall, made far more good decisions than bad ones before today. True freshmen QBs generally aren't a good policy, but before today a freshman QB was definitely not the source of our problems. DG will get a shot. If he comes in for the spring (which isn't sounding likely), he'll have an even better one. He hasn't been groomed as a QB like Tate, but he's proven himself a remarkable talent and, most of all, a winner.

Wapuche

November 21st, 2009 at 5:04 PM ^

In an ideal scenario, Tate starts next year,DG is a redshirt (though his presence lights a fire under Tate and Denard), and Denard is the #2 QB, (while over the course of the season, they work Denard more into the run/receiving game). That gives us two years with DG as a junior/senior as our starter, assuming he pans out.

NOLA Wolverine

November 21st, 2009 at 5:09 PM ^

Some people consider him to be the #1 quarterback in the nation this year. He's also a great athlete (He can run like a runningback, not just put up track numbers). I don't want to just see him for two years, and I don't believe Tate has entrenched himself as the starter. If he has, I'd like to hear the case about him, not stereotypes based on classes/progress.

Keeeeurt

November 21st, 2009 at 5:06 PM ^

I hear people around campus talking about benching Tate for DG next year and a second straight true frosh QB is a bbbbaaaaaaddddddd idea. Tate will make improvements and be better next year than he was this year (please?) so here's to DG getting that redshirt.

MichiganAggie

November 21st, 2009 at 5:07 PM ^

There's going to be pressure on RichRod next year (warranted or not) to win. I think he's going to go with whatever will get us the most victories in the short-term (2010-11 season), not what's best for the program in the long-run.

NBlue

November 21st, 2009 at 5:12 PM ^

All of the criticism of Tate is ridiculous. He's a true freshman starting for a bad football team. Henne didn't have a terrific season in his first year either (and he was a true freshman on a stacked football team).

All things considered, Forcier had a decent season and him as QB is the least of my worries for next year.

In reply to by mgoblue1

BigBlue02

November 21st, 2009 at 6:00 PM ^

I believe that is what he meant by "a freshman on a stacked team." I think he had a good year statistic wise (also playing Lloyd-ball probably didn't help his stats), but it could have probably been a little better considering he had 3 future NFL WRs and a future NFL RB to go along with a great Oline. I was just looking at the roster, and that 2004 team had 17 guys on it that are now playing for an NFL team. That is quite different than the last 2 teams RichRod has had the pleasure of coaching.

mstorm88

November 21st, 2009 at 5:17 PM ^

We're all in accordance that the best QB will start next year, and honestly if a true frosh DG can beat out Tate despite Forcier having a year and a half of being in the system on him I feel like that's not necessarily a bad thing for the program. The play at the QB position will be improved next year regardless of who starts. My money is on Forcier, for obvious reasons, but if he gets out by DG then i think that says more about Gardner than Forcier to be honest, and it means we're in good hands.

jmblue

November 21st, 2009 at 5:20 PM ^

It's not going to happen. Tate had a very good season for a freshman QB and is only going to get better. OSU has an excellent defense and confused him at times today, forcing him to make post-snap reads. He'll be better at that next season.

Tater

November 21st, 2009 at 5:41 PM ^

...and Denard will be better next year, too. DG should redshirt unless there is an injury that makes him #2.

Remember that QB's improve greatly between their freshman and sophomore years. And remember that Forcier played injured most of the year. The position is in fine hands, and will soon become an asset instead of a liability.

Onward and upward.

The King of Belch

November 21st, 2009 at 6:23 PM ^

To see the Michigan fan base, which urges patience with Rodriguez, give up on Forcier.

Imagine what a sophomore Forcier might be able to do with a competent, consistent running game, an offensive line that can block and has depth, and doesn't lose its best player to injury, and a better corps of receivers (which I'm hoping for next year, and in the case of Hemmingway--less time on the injury report as well).

I think he'll be much better next year--and Gardner will be watching very closely.

NBlue

November 21st, 2009 at 7:25 PM ^

I know the point of this News article is to say that the 2 QBs are "probably" coming back, but somehow it doesn't give me a whole lot of comfort. Forcier not commenting, V.Smith saying he "thinks" Robinson will come back, etc.

The fact that its being addressed as anything but absurd, I think, raises a bit of a red flag.

Aside from the ridiculous rumors last week, I didn't think it was a question. Perhaps its the MSM being the MSM again - much like the question of whether RR would be back at all was all over the papers.

As much as I think RR deserves at least 1 more year, if RR's recruits start leaving, it would be a pretty brutal sign.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20091121/SPORTS0201/911210394/1131/rss17

NBlue

November 21st, 2009 at 7:25 PM ^

I know the point of this News article is to say that the 2 QBs are "probably" coming back, but somehow it doesn't give me a whole lot of comfort. Forcier not commenting, V.Smith saying he "thinks" Robinson will come back, etc.

The fact that its being addressed as anything but absurd, I think, raises a bit of a red flag.

Aside from the ridiculous rumors last week, I didn't think it was a question. Perhaps its the MSM being the MSM again - much like the question of whether RR would be back at all was all over the papers.

As much as I think RR deserves at least 1 more year, if RR's recruits start leaving, it would be a pretty brutal sign.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20091121/SPORTS0201/911210394/1131/rss17