Riddickulous
"That" Guy
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From an article posted on Irish Illustrated the other day:
"It is amazing to me in this day and age of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that Tate hasn’t been flagged for his behavior in recent weeks. It took just two plays before Tate was in the face of Washington State freshman cornerback Terrance Hayward. Rare is the reception now that Tate doesn’t have something derogatory to say to the opposition. There was even one point in the game when Big East back judge Gary Dancewicz stopped Tate as he was leaving the field, presumably to address his taunting of the opponent.
That’s a player firing himself up to play against the opposition, which is a good frame of mind to have. It’s a war out there and a player has to be in the attack mode. But there’s a fine line between being competitive and disrespectful, and Tate not only has crossed the line, but has done so without repercussions from the coaching staff.
What’s truly disappointing, however, is the way Tate treated his teammates during the Washington State game. In particular, quarterback Dayne Crist.
Crist, you will recall, didn’t play in the Washington, USC and Boston College games. So it had been more than a month since Crist had thrown a pass in live competition. Tate, however, reacted harshly to the two passes by Crist that bounced at his feet. His body language basically told Crist that he couldn’t believe how lousy his throws were.
After his miraculous touchdown catch among three Washington State defenders before the end of the first half, Tate barely acknowledged congratulations from his teammates. He simply brushed through each pat on the back and repeatedly pointed to himself.
Asked a few weeks ago if he was concerned about Tate’s mouthing on the field, Weis turned it into a joke about being more concerned about which marching band Tate jumped into. If the head coach condones it, there’s no stopping a 21-year-old kid’s “I’m the king of the world” attitude.
Someone—Weis, receiver coach Rob Ianello, another coach on the staff, Jimmy Clausen, another receiver, a parent, an athletic administrator, a former player, anyone!—needs to tell Tate for Tate’s sake, the team’s sake and for the sake of the way Notre Dame should be represented that he has lost all semblance of appropriate behavior toward the opposition and, most especially, his teammates. He is in need of an attitude adjustment.
Playing with confidence and bravado is one thing; playing the game with disrespect for everyone around you crosses the line of behavior of a Notre Dame football player."
Pretty harsh.
"It is amazing to me in this day and age of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that Tate hasn’t been flagged for his behavior in recent weeks. It took just two plays before Tate was in the face of Washington State freshman cornerback Terrance Hayward. Rare is the reception now that Tate doesn’t have something derogatory to say to the opposition. There was even one point in the game when Big East back judge Gary Dancewicz stopped Tate as he was leaving the field, presumably to address his taunting of the opponent.
That’s a player firing himself up to play against the opposition, which is a good frame of mind to have. It’s a war out there and a player has to be in the attack mode. But there’s a fine line between being competitive and disrespectful, and Tate not only has crossed the line, but has done so without repercussions from the coaching staff.
What’s truly disappointing, however, is the way Tate treated his teammates during the Washington State game. In particular, quarterback Dayne Crist.
Crist, you will recall, didn’t play in the Washington, USC and Boston College games. So it had been more than a month since Crist had thrown a pass in live competition. Tate, however, reacted harshly to the two passes by Crist that bounced at his feet. His body language basically told Crist that he couldn’t believe how lousy his throws were.
After his miraculous touchdown catch among three Washington State defenders before the end of the first half, Tate barely acknowledged congratulations from his teammates. He simply brushed through each pat on the back and repeatedly pointed to himself.
Asked a few weeks ago if he was concerned about Tate’s mouthing on the field, Weis turned it into a joke about being more concerned about which marching band Tate jumped into. If the head coach condones it, there’s no stopping a 21-year-old kid’s “I’m the king of the world” attitude.
Someone—Weis, receiver coach Rob Ianello, another coach on the staff, Jimmy Clausen, another receiver, a parent, an athletic administrator, a former player, anyone!—needs to tell Tate for Tate’s sake, the team’s sake and for the sake of the way Notre Dame should be represented that he has lost all semblance of appropriate behavior toward the opposition and, most especially, his teammates. He is in need of an attitude adjustment.
Playing with confidence and bravado is one thing; playing the game with disrespect for everyone around you crosses the line of behavior of a Notre Dame football player."
Pretty harsh.
