November 21st, 2009 at 4:52 PM ^
He's not starting man; he'll likely get redshirted.
I vote for experience at the quarterback position, not hype and upside. Let's let players grow.
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.
November 21st, 2009 at 4:55 PM ^
Yeah, it will be bad if DG starts next year but more because that means Tate doesn't improve much in the offseason. If Gardner can beat out Tate and Robinson for the starting position then he must be pretty good.
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................
November 21st, 2009 at 4:54 PM ^
Is he still thinking of enrolling early? Either way, I don't want to see more freshman mistakes made. I hope for a redshirt.
November 21st, 2009 at 4:57 PM ^
I don't think he's enrolling early.
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.
November 21st, 2009 at 4:55 PM ^
I'm not looking forward to the next nine months of threads on this topic.
November 21st, 2009 at 4:59 PM ^
But it might be necessary.
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.
November 21st, 2009 at 5:32 PM ^
Another year with a first year starting QB will make me sad.
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.
November 21st, 2009 at 5:14 PM ^
Tate wasn't making freshman mistakes when facing the fearsome defenses of WMU, ND, EMU and Indiana.
November 21st, 2009 at 5:15 PM ^
Tate made plenty of freshman mistakes the first four games of the season. They just didn't happen to cost us any games until MSU.
November 21st, 2009 at 5:02 PM ^
We'll see in the spring competition, because no one has won the job yet. Never count out a freak athlete.
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.
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.
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.
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.
November 21st, 2009 at 5:43 PM ^
Is starting the more experienced quarterback. Barring injuries, starting another true freshman is a bad, bad idea.
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.
November 21st, 2009 at 5:31 PM ^
http://espn.go.com/ncf/teams/stats?teamId=130&year=2004
I thought Henne actually had a hell of a freshman year.
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.
November 21st, 2009 at 5:13 PM ^
for snow. Anybody else ready for snow?
November 21st, 2009 at 5:18 PM ^
I hate snow.
November 21st, 2009 at 5:19 PM ^
is that you?
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.
November 21st, 2009 at 5:30 PM ^
If Gardner were to beat out Forcier, I'd consider it a worrisome sign of poor development at the QB position rather than DG being so amazing that he beat out a much-improved Forcier. I would like to be wrong but think it's unlikely.
November 21st, 2009 at 6:11 PM ^
Thats a fair point, but I'll submit that a fully healthy Forcier at his current level of development for a full year is still an improvement over this year's is he/ isn't he healthy version.
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.
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.
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.
November 21st, 2009 at 6:43 PM ^
Yeah, I think next year is the year we take the steps that many thought we would take this year after the quick start. I thought this would be a 7-6 team and expect 7-6 or 8-5 next year.
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
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
November 21st, 2009 at 7:33 PM ^
Not gonna happen. No need to worry about it.