The Freshman 15

It happened.  The one thing all Michigan fans were hoping would somehow pass them by.  After all, it doesn't happen to every freshman.  Maybe Tate Forcier could be the one "hot girl" who doesn't go to college and gain that trusty 15 pounds of Natty Light and Taco Bell in the first year.  Maybe he could be the picture of success, guiding Michigan to an unlikely BCS bowl berth on the shoulders of his heady play and late game heroics.

Or maybe he could end up being like 99% of freshman that enroll and play early in the FBS, struggling come midseason as teams study film and exploit tendencies.  This scenario seems the more likely of the two as Michigan comes through the middle of the season into the homestretch.  Teams have figured out that a Tate Forcier that is comfortable and making plays outside of the pocket is a quarterback that is a legitimate All Big Ten candidate.  To counter that, teams are forcing Tate back inside the pocket (something PSU did tremendously by spying with future NFL linebacker Navarro Bowman) to make the 5'10" Forcier see over his 6'5" offensive lineman to make plays.  The result has been spotty at best for Michigan.  Sometimes, Forcier is still able to elude the pocket and have success.  However, oftentimes he gives up on the pocket too easily and averts his eyes from his receivers down the field to the oncoming pass rush.  This throws off the any  semblance of timing he could have with his receivers, and has thus made the passing game very limited.  (Ed note: it does not help when Kevin Koger, Martell Webb, and Kelvin Grady routinely drop catchable passes)  One thing is clear: Forcier has gained that Freshman 15.  Maybe it was all the early season hoopla surrounding his memorable game against Notre Dame; maybe it was the late game heroics against Indiana and MSU (even in a losing effort).  Whatever it is, Forcier has to realize this and reassess where he is at.  He needs to look at the pot-belly that got a little to big and start going back to basics.  He needs to hit the Rec Center for some pick-up basketball, or maybe go out for a nice jog or else he will be in danger of being passed over for the next crop of good looking freshman that come to Michigan.

I have confidence that Tate has been humbled and will do anything he can to become the player he was early in the season.  Even through the hysteria of the 4-0 start, Michigan fans had to have a sneaking suspicion that things would come back down to Earth.  When the season started, I said Michigan would be go as Brandon Minor goes.  Well, Minor has not been completely healthy for one single game, and if you throw in the season ending injury to David Molk than it seems two of our three (Forcier not included..although he could be re: the shoulder injury) best offensive players are not playing.  I do not profess to know how the rest of the season will turn out.  Can we beat the remaining teams on our schedule? Absolutely.  Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin, and Ohio State have all looked very beatable at one point or another in the season.  Do I expect us to beat them all? No.  I think we lie somewhere in the middle.  If we go 0-4, the disappointment will be immense.  Let us not speak of that fate again.

Other notes from around the sports world:

• Boubacar Cissoko has been booted from the Michigan football team after a violation of team rules.  Supposedly this means that Cissoko had academic trouble, i.e. he was missing classes, as well as having team troubles, i.e. he was missing workouts.  I was hopeful that this was going to work itself out, as Cissoko actually saw time against Penn State.  Whatever the case, look for Cissoko to end up at Eastern Michigan with Johnny Sears and the rest of the Ron English All Stars. 
• It is amazing how a 38-0 win over Minnesota can calm the waters in Columbus.  Suddenly, Terrelle Pryor can play quarterback again and should not be moved to wide receiver.  That is, until his next Vince-Young-in-the-NFL-type-performance (hopefully against Michigan).  Like I have been saying all year, they can really play some defense.  It is amazing what a couple of safeties can do for your team.  Kurt Coleman has been making plays all year in the back end for the Buckeyes, and I long for the days when Michigan will actually have a playmaking safety.
• Is it time to start talking baseball now?  The World Series is upon us now and the Indian fans will be forced to sit through Sabathia vs. Lee in Game One.  For most cities, this would be torture.  For Indian fans, it should be expected.  In an alternate universe, Rick Vaughn and Eddie Harris probably started opposite each other in a 1991 Yankees vs. Phillies series.  
• I find it comical that A-Rod is all of a sudden a true Yankee.  Who even remembers that he was outed for steroid use earlier in the season?  
• Whatever happened to the Michael Vick in the NFL storyline?  This one disappeared faster than "Who Raised The Briefcase?" in the ladder match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince/Shane McMahon.  Thus far, he has had as much impact on the Eagles season as Barry Horowitz had on the WCW World Championship picture.

That is all the time I have for today.  Sorry for the lapse in content last week, but as the others have said I was very busy.  Should be a proper preview post for the upcoming weekend in college football on Friday, and as always..

NRTTS
Coach Deuce