Or three. Or stumbled backwards and fell down. I will say this, at least he is owning it:
Rarely if ever could you find a game where T.J. Yates scorched secondaries for bundles of points and yards, and he’s willing to admit it.
“It definitely has been up and down. I definitely feel like I could have played a lot better,” the junior quarterback said. “As far as progression goes and being a quarterback in your four years I think I kind of took a step back.”
Sort of lost in the discussion here is the whole chicken or the egg thing. Did T.J. Yates really take a step back? Or is Yates exactly where he was a season ago but the rest of the offense went through such notable attrition, Yates was merely exposed as ordinary. From 2008 to 2009 the offensive line got thinner which hurt the running game. UNC lost two prolific receivers, one of which was the best in UNC history and was last seen catching a long TD pass on Sunday night for New York. In almost every way the offense as a whole took a step back mostly due to loss of personnel via graduation, injury or the NFL. As a result, Yates was called upon to do things he probably wasn’t capable of doing but no one really knew that since the talent surrounding him last season masked his shortcomings. I also think not having Cam Sexton around to push him did not help his case either.
Here at THF, Yates has bore a ton of criticism, most of it deserved and some of it just to be funny. I do appreciate he is a stand-up guy who willingly goes before the media and says: Yes, I did not play as well as I could have and it hurt the team. From that attitude you can almost certainly assume, Yates will work exceptionally hard to improve his play for the bowl game and next season. Most of us assume Butch Davis will open up spring practice for a full QB competition with all eyes on redshirt freshman Bryn Renner as a possibility to step into the starting role for 2010. That being said it is still possible Yates can figure out these nagging issues with plague his decision-making and pass accuracy. I have no idea if he will get there, but his desire to take responsibility for his play this season tells me not to count him out.
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In spite of everything, he was so close to leading Carolina to one of their best seasons, maybe ever. If just a couple of balls had bounced differently, who knows. I admire his toughness and ability to keep going especially when things looked bleak after the UVa game.
Yate’s problems seem to derive from footwork and field vision. #1 is correctable, #2 some quarterbacks just never get, which results in the OC limiting the checks and adjusting the pocket and release points (roll out to limit the vision required in finding open targets).
The offensive line certainly didn’t help matters out this year, and clearly we lost a lot of talent to the NFL at the WR position… however, there were far to many times when he did have decent time to throw the ball and still either 1) completely didn’t see wide open receivers or 2) threw passes that were just way off target. I hope he improves, but I remain skeptical.
Interesting article about another High School QB that Bryn Renner’s dad is molding. Gives a little insight to how prepared he already was coming into this year as a freshman. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/11/AR2009121103746.html?nav=rss_sports/highschools
Yates’ “I am a Tar Heel” spot was booed at the Dean Dome, apparently.
even IF you found yourself booing at a football game, which i wouldnt, how do you boo that? thats just damn rude.
So is this the thread where we post about ‘BlueHoseGate’ now?
Try me…
Yes, the booing in the Dean Dome really sucks, but credit TJ with stating that “at least people care about football” which is a step forward for UNC in my book.
I wasn’t going to mention Cam Sexton but THF beat me to it. Who knows if Sexton would have lead the Heels to a better record, but I strongly feel that if Davis has one big blunder on his part, it was the handling of Sexton.
Hopefully TJ will improve AND that Renner (or anybody else) can step up next year so this team can can fulfill it’s potential.
Now about Roy……………
Yates’s problem is easy to state but, at this stage, difficult to correct: He doesn’t have the aim or the judgment required of a QB at this level.
I wish it were otherwise, but it ain’t.