Michigan Mailbag Question: Tate Tearing It Up & Enrolling Early—Posted 3/2/09

Guys,

What do you guys think of the Tate rumors of him "tearing it up" in the work-outs.

Also, how much of an advantage does it give him that he is able to be in school now, along with attending spring ball ,compared to Denard Robinson?

Do you guys favor Tate as the quarterback over Robinson? Where does Sheridan fall in the quarterback situation now, because a few weeks ago he was left for dead by a lot of people?

I did not agree with all your guys points about Threet (staying or leaving), but I respect your opinions, at least you tried to explain it was  a tough situation.

Greg

----------------------------------------------

Thanks for the question and comments.

We are fine with people not agreeing with us. This deal would not be fun if everybody always agreed with everything we had to say. We like a friendly, vigorous debate with fans of different opinions. Isn't that one of the things that makes sports so fun? This is why this blog was created.

As for your question, enrolling early and being part of the off-season preparation: The unofficial workouts, strength and conditioning program, and spring practice, is a huge advantage for Tate, especially you knew how much of a “stick” he  is right now.

People need to remember, physically, he's still a high school senior and needs to grow a bit more.

Just the coaching alone is worth a ton. Throw in working with split ends, slot receivers, tight ends and the running backs in seven-on-seven drills and getting the Coach Barwis spa treatment in the weight room, and you can see that Tate will have an almost insurmountable lead for the starting position over Robinson this fall.

As for Tate tearing it up in workouts, that is nice to hear, but not earthshaking news. First, because at this same time last year we heard that Threet was tearing it up in these same type of workouts.

Secondly, after the quarterback performance we saw during last season, almost anything would seem like a gigantic improvement.

Sure, it helps to work in these types of drills, but until we see how Tate handles reading a "live" defense, experiences a "live" defensive rush, being knocked down by a not-too-friendly 300-pound defensive lineman, we are going to carefully guard our optimism.

One last thing, playing in front of 110,000 fans on Saturday afternoon is not something a freshmen quarterback has ever experienced, so that'll be the eventual final exam.

We have great respect for Nick Sheridan his dedication and commitment to Michigan football. We expect him to be a great help as a mentor for Tate, Robinson, and the younger players.

As for the QB depth chart, our guess is:

1) Tate

2) Denard

3) Nick

To see my blog page please visit http://gobluemichiganwolverine.blogspot.com/ 

Make sure to sign up for the daily e-mails on other articles not covered here.

We mostly cover Michigan Football, Basketball, Recruiting, Hockey, Baseball, Softball and have video of recruits along with recruiting list that Michigan is looking at now. Also we have television show reminders that cover the University of Michigan.

Written by ErocWolverine