Rich Rodriguez has a coach’s dream and nightmare on his hands this year. He has three quarterbacks that are viable and talented in their own way. Tate Forcier, Denard Robinson and Devon Gardner are three excellent quarterbacks that have their own unique skill sets and drawbacks. This puts Coach Rodriguez in an awkward situation. If he plays one of the three and wins, no one questions, but if he puts in someone and the team loses, people will second guess his choice at the most pivotal point on the field.
Tate Forcier is the safe bet for who will get the opening day start for the Wolverines. He has the most game experience, did the best in the previous season, and proved that he can lead the team downfield when the game is on the line. While not the fastest of the bunch, Forcier showed the ability to move the ball on the ground himself when the situation arose. His accuracy and arm strength could use a bit of improvement, but that will hopefully develop as he progresses through his collegiate career. He is a leader on the field that gets respect for his grit and determination.
Denard Robinson is probably the fastest man on the field for the Wolverines. He is a born playmaker, making people miss and breaking tackles as he scampers down the field. Robinson’s major drawbacks as a quarterback is a lack of accuracy and decision making mistakes. Honestly, Robinson would probably be best used as a running back or wide receiver, where he can use his speed to beat coverage or run through or around opponents. If, however, he insists on staying at the point of the offense, Robinson would be best acclimated to a Wildcat-type offense. The problem with this, as shown last season, is that you cannot bring him in specifically for that purpose, or the defenses in the Big Ten realize what you are about to do. Expect to see more of Robinson this year, but I would not count on his being a starter.
Devon Gardner is the best of both worlds; he’s fast and has an amazing arm. Unfortunately, he’s green in college and needs to get acclimated to the speed of the game on this level. Enrolling early helped, but Gardner would probably be best served by a red-shirt. Gardner’s skills lean to him being potentially the best of the three candidates and he eventually will earn a starting spot at quarterback, but a year of experience will be enormously beneficial to him.
Looking forward to the season, it will be interesting to see how Rich Rodriguez handles this ‘problem’ that most coaches would love to have. I’d love to see him let Forcier and Robinson handle this season and let Gardner grow before throwing him to the fire. Time will tell how this will shake out. Go Blue!
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