InsideTheHall

Sat, Jan 29, 2011 : 2:43 p.m.

Morhead, Franklin, Leach, Harbaugh, Grbac, Demetrius Brown, Collins, Dreisbach, Griese, Brady, Navarre, Henne............all struggled at times, overcame adversity, and prevailed. Now that RR is long gone perhaps we will get back to recruiting maturity and mental toughness first.

tcgmoney

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 6:52 p.m.

Did these 'impossible' expectations lead Tate to fail academically and skip out on team workouts? Or maybe was it the case that Tate wanted the sweet life without having to work for it? The guy was arrogant (just as arrogant as Ryan Mallet was) and didn't take school or his responsibility to his team seriously. As soon as a coach like Hoke was hired it was obvious Tate was gone. He (just like RichRod) was selfish and uninterested in working to improve those around him. I hope Tate has learned some valuable lessons and will use his athletic abilities to secure himself a degree and bright future. As for the fans, there's no way I'm buying into the idea that we set an unreachable goal for Tate. He fell out of favor in the off season because he didn't attend workouts. He dropped out because didn't maintain the necessary GPA to remain a student athlete (or as a student in general as I've heard). I'm not sure how the fans and their expectations caused either of those things to happen.

aareader

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 6:43 p.m.

I like your article.

truebluefan

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 4:05 p.m.

"Oh, and wasn't there a third Rodriguez player who got caught because of a cocaine deal gone bad? So that's three, if memory serves. How many of these player disasters did Carr or Moeller or Bo have? I count... zero. Carr had some "problem children" but mostly turned them around--- in early morning runs up and down the benches in the Big House. James Whitley doesn't count: his crime was committed long after he left Michigan. (In fact, his trial began Jan. 24, 2010.) Just sayin' - maybe there WAS something to the Rodriguez Curse. Forcier may be just a late arriving "inheritor."" I think it's ridiculous how a few on this board implicitly, or explicitly ^^^, attempt to pin Forcier's classroom work ethic on Rich Rodriguez. Kids like Odoms, V. Smith, and the majority of the rest of the team come from disadvantaged neighborhoods where academics is typically not a priority. Yet, all of those kids save Forcier were eligible because they possessed the desire and work ethic in the classroom. It comes from within. Rich Rodriguez can make them go to study table but he CANNOT make them learn. Why don't you bring up Michael Shaw, who struggled for eligibility in spring, then was successful in remaining eligible throughout the year? Why don't you talk about how Rodriguez and his staff may have helped this kid through? But, alas, it's more fun to stomp on a man's grave. Carr kids with troubled tenures at Michigan -- Larry Harrison, Kelly Baraka, Johnny Sears...just to name three right off the top of my head.

PortageLkBlu

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 1:31 p.m.

Maybe Tate should try a school like San Diego State. This school is close to his family and friends. If they don't run the spread I think Tate could adapt to most anything with his skills. I think Tate could adapt better than DR to a mix or even pro style. I would like to have seen Tate stay at Mich. I believe DR needs a good backup with experiance because DR is vulnerable to injuries. DR is a fast kid but slight of build and the solid hits hurt (injure) him. Most opposing defenses know that if you knock DR out of the game, game over.

mdoggy

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 11:56 a.m.

I remeber as a young man in grade school... If you didnt pass ur classes you were not able to participate in sports. Same in high school... An so on... Tate will land on his feet an be fine...

Tru2Blu76

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 3:34 a.m.

No question: I back Dusty's comment about parents 100%

Tru2Blu76

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 3:31 a.m.

Good job, Pete. You tried, not everyone agrees but I do know there are more times than most people know about where someone with great promise suddenly has a terrible reversal. One thing: does anyone remember the name Boubacar Cissoko? Yeah, that cornerback who showed real promise on the defense... then the slide, then out the door (and next came robbing taxi drivers). Another Rodriguez star... with the same profile and trajectory. Oh, and wasn't there a third Rodriguez player who got caught because of a cocaine deal gone bad? So that's three, if memory serves. How many of these player disasters did Carr or Moeller or Bo have? I count... zero. Carr had some "problem children" but mostly turned them around--- in early morning runs up and down the benches in the Big House. James Whitley doesn't count: his crime was committed long after he left Michigan. (In fact, his trial began Jan. 24, 2010.) Just sayin' - maybe there WAS something to the Rodriguez Curse. Forcier may be just a late arriving "inheritor."

Dusty

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 3:10 a.m.

Considering he has also had 2 brothers who have transferred from one school to another when the going got tough, I think we can look no further than his parents when assigning blame. There are no bad kids. Only bad parents.

Dusty

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 3:04 a.m.

Ok, um... I take exception to the title of this article. "Impossible expectations"? I don't think expecting somebody to DO THEIR SCHOOLWORK is an impossible expectation.

mdoggy

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 11:03 p.m.

Tate was good.. Denard was betr... Now we will see how good the next guy is... The time of a four year starter is over... I wanna know where dev gardner will go... He was perfect for rich rod... Maybe not so much for coach hoke. go blue

PortageLkBlu

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 10:26 p.m.

Tate will be fine. Judging Tate by his success at Mich. is ridiculous. Tate will be fine and leaving Mich. could very well be a blessing in disguise.

DonAZ

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 8:58 p.m.

There are plenty of players that come into programs with high expectations placed upon their shoulders. There was nothing "inevitable" about Forcier leaving. If that were true then I would expect to see predictions of such from AnnArbor.com dated back at the start of 2009. But of course no such article ever appeared. It's only "inevitable" in hindsight, something many people exercise with great skill. Forcier was a pretty good QB and could have been a lot better. He chose not to be. Case closed.

Macabre Sunset

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 6:03 p.m.

It apparently was an impossible expectation to hope that he could meet the academic demands of a major university. His problems included a remarkable sense of entitlement and an inability to pass tests and do homework, despite being placed in the athlete track here. I'm sorry he washed out, but it's not like he was ever going to be a true leader here.

David Vande Bunte

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 5:44 p.m.

The only things that made his departure from U of M inevitable were his lack of effort in practice, and his lack of effort in the classroom. Forcier had every chance to keep the starting position last spring, but he didn't bust his butt to improve like Denard did. Forcier also blew off classes, which caused his grades to get low enough where he was academically ineligible to travel with the team to the bowl. If Tate Forcier had worked his butt off both on the field and in the classroom, would be be leaving Michigan? Nope. How about giving Tate a little of the responsibility for his own departure?

a2roots

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 5:36 p.m.

Let's get over it folks. Tate is gone, oh well. There are multiple reasons why and so let's move on. How about AnnArbor.com spend some time on writing about the athletes that are here. There are 100's of athletes in 30 plus sports here that get little recognition, yet you see fit to focus on a guy who could not cut it and is gone. Brings back ugly memories of the ann arbor snews' awful sports coverage.

missionbrazil

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 5:33 p.m.

"In retrospect, there was nowhere for Forcier to go from that day but down." "immediately crushed with impossible expectations of instantly restoring a program fallen on hard times." There may have been high expectations for Tate ON THE FIELD, but how does that have anything to do with him not doing enough work in the classroom to stay eligible ? The two have nothing to do with one another, and make no mistake, it is his failure in the classroom that is the cause for him leaving UM. You make it sound like the pressure from the fans and the program is the reason he did not manage a GPA of 1.9 or better (which is not THAT hard to do) to stay eligible. Perhaps he could not live up to high expectations football-wise, but every player whether he is the QB or not is expected and required to do well enough in the classroom to stay eligible. Tate failed to do that, and it is on him. This article is trying to make excuses for him. One good thing about Tate is that he finally acknowledged that he made mistakes, but unfortunately for him that came too late at UM. He still has time to change and improve, play some more football, and get a good education. Good luck Tate.

BornInA2

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 4:32 p.m.

If this result was "inevitable", where was this article two years ago? I actually think Forcier is a better QB than Robinson, though the latter is a better athlete. I lay a bunch of this on RR; his actions seemed to exacerbate rather than amerliorate the problems that Forcier had at Michigan. Public humiliation was not the correct motivational tool for Forcier.

tulsatom

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 3:53 p.m.

I agree with Pete in that a lot was expected of Tate when he came to U-M because he came on the heels of a 3-9 record and he was touted as 'The Answer' to Threet and Sheridan. Perhaps too much was expected of him. It came with pressure but I think Tate embraced the fame and limelight that came with the challenge and performed very well until the weight of playing against better competition and injury took their toll. When he was relegated to backup duty he lost a lot of the attention and I think he saw his status wasn't going to change anytime soon. It reminds me of the old saying, "It's hard to go back to the farm once you've seen Paris". Maybe Tate agrees with what Milton said in 'Paradise Lost': "Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heav'n". Not that AA is heaven, but you know what I mean. As Murrow's Ghost would say, "To Tate, Good Night and Good Luck".

heartbreakM

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 2:26 p.m.

Pete: I don't know if I quite get what you are saying. Do you mean that any QB that comes in as a frosh to a traditional high achieving program is doomed to failure? Do you mean that Tate was the only talented one on the field in 2009 year? What about the coaching? A lot of coaching is not just specific football development but off-the-field maturing. Was that available for Tate? What about his classroom performance? Is it inevitable that a home schooled athlete cannot make the adjustment to a very competitive highly ranked school? There are a whole lot of factors that by no means made it inevitable for TAte to leave the program or not have success. Sports, as academics are too, are very competitive and you are only as good as your last performance. If he could not handle the competition, then he needed to adjust to that, but I think we all wish him well wherever he lands. I personally think he could have been mentored better to avoid off-the-field stuff, and I don't like that Woolfolk called him out so publicly, but I think there is a whole lot more to this story than "inevitable conclusion" of leaving.

eaglesandbirdies

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 2:20 p.m.

I wish him well. I also hope he takes classes and course work more seriously the next place he goes.

ilwolverine47

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 2:19 p.m.

Obviously academics was an issue for Tate. I really liked that kid's moxey on the field for the most part. I would really like to know from somebody reliable what other "irreconcilable differences" existed. Anybody with a clue?

RudeJude

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 2:06 p.m.

I don't see it. Impossible expectations? Inevitable ending? How were the expectations different for Forcier than they were for Denard Robinson or anyone else on the team? Given they were all in the boat together, shouldn't Robinson and others be saying their goodbyes to Michigan, too? I liked Forcier a lot and I'm not going to attack him for the way things ended for him at Michigan. I'm not judging Forcier, as it's not what about what he deserves or doesn't deserve, it's only the consequences of choices made, a simple equation that didn't add up to success for him. So let's not throw him a pity party. The details of his exit are few, but it sounds like Tate wasn't thriving in the classroom, nor was he taking practice and training seriously. The only inevitable ending I see is a result from these choices he made, and the same ending would have succumbed Chad Henne had he chosen the same course of action, veteran group of players surrounding him or not. The expectations of a Michigan quarterback are towering, and considering the state of the team when Forcier started, they may have never been higher, still if he made if he made different choices, he might still be on the team, if not the starting quarterback. Impossible doesn't even enter the picture. There are kids at big programs across the nation in the same battle with the same expectations that Forcier was under. Some are mature enough to handle it, while some aren't. Tate said himself after beating Notre Dame in 2009 that he is immune to pressure. Tate Forcier is not at Michigan because of Tate Forcier, not because of Michigan's rabid fans and their expectations. Good luck, Tate. Here's hoping for a successful future. Go Blue!

81wolverine

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 1:03 p.m.

Tate helped us through a difficult time when we had no one else with any experience to play. As you said, normally, freshmen QB's at Michigan aren't faced with this challenge. Transferring is probably the best thing for him right now, as he'll be able to do a good job for two seasons at another school where expectations won't be unreasonable. I think he should transfer to a lower profile, mid-sized school. Also, the year off will give more time to grow up. I also think Michigan would have tried to keep him here if they thought it was a good idea. But most likely, there were other "irreconcilable differences".

WalkingJoe

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 12:59 p.m.

I can see his play being affected by the pressure of all those fans and media attention, but were the fans and media supposed to help little Tate do his school work? He wasn't doing his class work in the Big House with everyone cheering or booing how he answered questions on his homework. Maybe he could have used his study time to get away from the pressure of all the attention.

Jonny Spirit

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 12:30 p.m.

Go North young man get away from the dark side. MSU will take you. We already have really good players who don't like to be part of a team and don't like to work hard. You will fit in perfectly! No, seriously we will take you, your a talented young man, Good Luck Tate!

cagazote

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 11:48 a.m.

Nicely written article. Sometimes we forget how young these guys are and how much pressure and expectations we place on them.