Golden Tate 1 Touch

[JeremyND07]

How does Golden Tate only get (1) touch the whole game? He is the biggest play maker on this team and Weis cannot figure out how to get him the ball?!?! Out of all the mistakes Weis is making this year this issue is the one that ticks me off the most. GET TATE THE BALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[IRISHDODGER]

That's been one of my primary complaints, too. According to last week's BGI, Weis said Tate was too banged up for the UCLA game & wasn't up to speed on the no-huddle offense during the BC game. Didn't mention the USC game or the future.

My point is, at least put him in when the situation for a fly pattern is necessary. The last drive in regulation vs. Navy was a prime example. Just send Tate deep & throw it down the field. Who cares if the opponents know what's about to happen...they still have to keep up w/ him.

 

[loomis41973]

I like Tate too, but how is he the "biggest" playmaker on the team? He knows about 1 route and is still learning the position.

 

[johnnd05]

I like Tate too, but how is he the "biggest" playmaker on the team? He knows about 1 route and is still learning the position.

Right on. Seriously, folks. There are LOADS of offensive "playmakers" on this team. This isn't high school any more; you can't do it with sheer ability. Golden will get the ball more when he develops the necessary skills.

 

[JeremyND07]

I like Tate too, but how is he the "biggest" playmaker on the team? He knows about 1 route and is still learning the position.

He has the longest play from scrimmage of anyone on the team...44 yards. Weis has said several times that he is the fastest player on the team. It is week 10...if he has that much talent he should be one the field by now!!!! I do not care if it is an end around...this kid must get the ball more!!!!!!!!

 

[goldandblue]

I would like to see tate be a bigger part of the offense but obviously there is some reason why he is not.

 

[johnnd05]

He has the longest play from scrimmage of anyone on the team...44 yards. Weis has said several times that he is the fastest player on the team. It is week 10...if he has that much talent he should be one the field by now!!!! I do not care if it is an end around...this kid must get the ball more!!!!!!!!

Last time he got the ball on an end-around it got blown UP. Plays like that don't work if you can't block.

Weis said that all of his catches were "drawn up in the dirt": they told him to run a "go", and tossed it to him. You can't win football games that way. Maybe you can run a play or two like that in a game, but they're risky, and there's no obvious reason to do it when (1) your QB is as inaccurate as Sharpley and (2) you're able to run the ball with as much ease as ND could yesterday.

This team needs singles, walks, and the occasional stolen base: NOT home runs. Golden will get his when he's ready.

 

[sportallyr]

I agree with the points made about why he hasn't played a lot, but I still think that he needs at least 3-5 looks or touches per game. Even if they don't throw him the ball, he keeps the defense honest and it would keep them from stacking the box. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but I respect Charlie and I will back up his decisions. He did figure out how to get Kamara the ball more and that paid off last week. Now it's Tate's turn.

 

[JeremyND07]

I agree...he gets on the field and makes the safety take a few steps back....that is huge! I am not saying get him the ball 5-10 times a game. I would just like to see him on the field and thrown too at least once a game. Who on Navy could of kept up with him on a deep ball! What do we have to lose?

 

[patman1868]

I think that he might not have played much last week because I dont think navy was the best game to take shots downfield against. I mean you dont get the ball that many times against them because they have such long drives. Throwing a fly route 40 yards down the field is not a very high percentage route anyways, if they did not work it would just be wasting a play.

 

[Newc]

Last time he got the ball on an end-around it got blown UP. Plays like that don't work if you can't block.

Weis said that all of his catches were "drawn up in the dirt": they told him to run a "go", and tossed it to him. You can't win football games that way. Maybe you can run a play or two like that in a game, but they're risky, and there's no obvious reason to do it when (1) your QB is as inaccurate as Sharpley and (2) you're able to run the ball with as much ease as ND could yesterday.

This team needs singles, walks, and the occasional stolen base: NOT home runs. Golden will get his when he's ready.

Thats a good point John. This team needs to get the fundamentals down and get the basic things right before we go for the homerun. You can't sustain an offense with solely big plays. Yea, it may work once or twice in a game, but if thats all you've got then you aren't going to win too many games.

 

[GoIrish41]

We were one play away from winning this game in regulation. Navy (freaking Navy) was down to almost their entire second/third string secondary. Who was going to keep up with Tate? It was worth a shot. Maybe not at the end of the game, but at some point during the game, Golden could have burned them. And, if not, at least it would have caused them to respect the deep ball and open up the running game that much more.

 

[JeremyND07]

Thats a good point John. This team needs to get the fundamentals down and get the basic things right before we go for the homerun. You can't sustain an offense with solely big plays. Yea, it may work once or twice in a game, but if thats all you've got then you aren't going to win too many games.

I am just asking for 1 or 2 gadget plays or bombs to Tate a game...we cannot do anything right on offense so what do we have to lose!!!!

Another special teams issue besides kickers...how have we not had any big returns with Allen and Tate back there every game? At the beginning of the year I was so excited to see those two back there.....

 

[johnnd05]

Another special teams issue besides kickers...how have we not had any big returns with Allen and Tate back there every game? At the beginning of the year I was so excited to see those two back there.....

They did pretty damn well yesterday. Tate's fumble was almost a killer, though.

 

[Newc]

This year is far gone as it is, therefore I doubt Charlie feels the need to practice throwing bombs to Tate or running trick plays (though they are always fun to watch....when they work) and would rather try to build from the ground up with the youngsters. Ofcourse I don't attend the practices or anything so I have no personal knowledge but I feel that it would be best for this team to work on the small things and get the fundamentals down while building for the years to come.

Go ahead and thrash me, but this season is long gone for the Irish. The best thing for this team is to work on what they would like to accomplish in the years to come and win or lose atleast progress in a positive manner.

 

[johnnd05]

This year is far gone as it is, therefore I doubt Charlie feels the need to practice throwing bombs to Tate or running trick plays (though they are always fun to watch....when they work) and would rather try to build from the ground up with the youngsters. Ofcourse I don't attend the practices or anything so I have no personal knowledge but I feel that it would be best for this team to work on the small things and get the fundamentals down while building for the years to come.

Go ahead and thrash me, but this season is long gone for the Irish. The best thing for this team is to work on what they would like to accomplish in the years to come and win or lose atleast progress in a positive manner.

Right on. Reps.

 

[kmoose]

Tate's fumble was almost a killer, though.

Which could be a big reason why they are not putting plays in for him. Maybe that fumble was more the norm than the exception, in practices?

 

[GoshenGipper]

Which could be a big reason why they are not putting plays in for him. Maybe that fumble was more the norm than the exception, in practices?

That's hard to say for sure and I wouln't want to speculate on that since I'm not at practice every day. But if I had to guess I would doubt that it's true I would think that if he fumbled in practice all the time he woun't have seen the field at all this year. More than likely it has to do with his lack of knowledge on route running.

 

[johnnd05]

That's hard to say for sure and I wouln't want to speculate on that since I'm not at practice every day. But if I had to guess I would doubt that it's true I would think that if he fumbled in practice all the time he woun't have seen the field at all this year. More than likely it has to do with his lack of knowledge on route running.

That and his blocking, probably. It's important not to underestimate how much it helps to have wideouts who can block well.

 

[GoshenGipper]

That and his blocking, probably. It's important not to underestimate how much it helps to have wideouts who can block well.

That's very true as well. I had forgotten about that. That was one of the great things about Stovall, he was a great downfield blocker which is a must if you plan on running stretchs, sweeps, or having any kind of big running play in the running game.

 

[johnnd05]

That's very true as well. I had forgotten about that. That was one of the great things about Stovall, he was a great downfield blocker which is a must if you plan on running stretchs, sweeps, or having any kind of big running play in the running game.

Yep. I remember Weis talking in one of his press conferences from much earlier in the season about how Grimes and West were ahead of the other wideouts in that department. The fact that Kamara and Parris have passed them up is probably an indication that they've improved a good deal, but that's definitely the sort of thing that Tate is going to lag behind on.

IMO that may have been one of the biggest problems on Saturday: like I've said, the o-line would generally get some good "push" due to sheer physical overwhelmingness, but the backs often failed to get past the "second level". Lots of those 4- or 5-yard runs should have been 8-10 yards, and the 9- and 10-yard ones should have been taken to the house. Just one of the MANY areas where this team has got to improve ...