The Many Moods of Mr. Tate
I want to start this by saying I hope any Texans who swore to stop reading after that last post will break their vow to read this, where I (hopefully) make up for it by extolling the virtues of one of its native sons.
The incomparable, impetuous, impassioned, irrational, impulsive and slightly insane (man I love alliteration!) Drew Tate.
The understatement of the year: he’s a bit emotional
The second understatement of the year: he’s important to the Hawks
I swear on all I hold dear to me that he will give me a heart attack one day- maybe even before he gives himself one. He’s just so damned excitable! He should care, he should get pissed when things go wrong and enjoy it when things go right. And then forget about it! He needs to control himself, while letting go of past, then he’ll control the ball better and make better decisions.
He’s not dumb, by any means. He grew up with football on the brain. He grew up in Texas for fuck’s sake. Texas is football. So don’t tell me he doesn’t know pressure, or what happens when you don’t forget what happened last time.
He is, by far, the most valuable player on the team. On any team in fact. Without him, we are lost. He leads us; his emotion drives us to greater and greater heights, just to drop us to the ground, like last year. He’s our greatest strength and our Achilles’ Heal. It’s a lot of pressure, maybe that’s why he’s so damned fragile.
Sure, I get emotional about football. I scream for blood at the TV, I rant about steroids, I rave about great plays, I probably invest a little too much of myself into this stuff.
But I don’t call the plays, I don’t read defenses and I sure as hell do not throw the damn ball! Drew Tate does and so, I will say, as I have said since his sophomore year- “if he’d just settle down for two freaking minutes and listen to his instincts he’d be awesome”
-and what does he do? All hope is lost in the sunny land of Florida, at the 2005 Capitol One Bowl. The LSU Tigers (reining champs) have our Hawks by the balls and Drew Tate, the most miserable man in town finally gives up, settles down, listens to his instincts and throws an unbelievable pass. A game winning pass. The Hawks have conquered the once and forgotten tigers. All is good in the world.
My heart stopped for a full minute. I have a beautiful framed picture of the moment. We can have the glory again- Tate can have that glory again.
This Saturday, at 7:00PM Central Standard Time we have our chance.
Chandler, Schlicher, Young, Sims, Shada- Tate
These young men have the power, in the awesome force of their talent, drive and the greatest coach in college football- to overcome the odds and beat the EVIL Ohio State Buckeyes.
I have a dream ladies and gents- oh do I have a dream. The dejected face of Troy Smith, the tears of Antonio Pittman…. oh it is sweet.