Ben Tate article on MMQB

[MistaRed]

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/12/12/ben-tate-houston-texans-acupuncture/

Article from Peter King's MMQB website. Talks about Ben playing through his rib injury and his history with the Texans. Here's a small excerpt:

I ask him one final question: Do you want to be a Texan?

He pauses and stares at the road. He weighs everything before answering; his rivalry with Foster, the uncertain coaching situation, the pain in his ribs, the pain in his ankle, the aches throughout his body, his girlfriend and their expected child, due in February, his widowed mother, the way his dad looks at him, with eyes shifting in color from exposure to gasoline fumes. It’s impossible to pick just one emotion. He wants money for himself, for his family, for his son. He wants to be respected, and to feel wanted. Above all, he just wants to play.

“I want to be somewhere where I’m appreciated,” he says. “I want to be somewhere, with all the off-seasons I’ve worked as hard as I’ve worked, where I have a chance to show everyone what I can do on a regular basis.”

Do you want to be a Texan?

“That’s a tough question to answer. I can’t say, ‘No, I don’t want to be here.’ But I can’t say I do want to be here, because they invested in Arian,” Tate says. “I feel as though I’m just as talented, I can do the same things he does, so where do I fit in?

“My time in this game is limited. I’m 25. I’m in my prime for the next three years. So I want to be somewhere where I can utilize that. I’ve said it before, I don’t work this hard to be anyone’s backup. That’s just not why I play this game.”

 

[TEXANRED]

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/12/12/ben-tate-houston-texans-acupuncture/

Article from Peter King's MMQB website. Talks about Ben playing through his rib injury and his history with the Texans. Here's a small excerpt:

Well good luck Tate. I wish you well. Maybe you can find that fan base that is not wishy washy.

 

[Playoffs]

A RB who doesn't like playing second fiddle to one of the better backs in the league, go figure. I don't blame him, but it's just bad timing/team situation.

Enjoy your time in Cleveland, Ben.

 

[SAMURAITEXAN]

Besides wishy washy thing, if I were Ben, I will go where you are appreciated which of course includes finance side of it and preferably playoff contention team. But RB life in NFL is short so, finance sides weighs more I think.

 

[JB]

If he was happy being a backup, I wouldn't want him. Good luck to him proving he's a #1 back in this league. I think he can be. I'm not sure if Foster returns from back surgery so I'd hate to see him go

 

[deucetx]

Don't think anyone expected him back anyway. He needs to do what is best for him and now his upcoming family. As a running back you really can't blame him because their shelf life is so short. They really have to get it while they can. And he's right. He is talented enough to start in the league so I wish him luck when the season is over.

 

[Brisco_County]

Ben has the ability to be a premier runningback, but he was never as good at one cut running as Arian. The cutback lane was hardly ever an option for him. That won't matter as much in a new offensive scheme, but what will matter is the contract that Cleveland will be offering him. I hope it's huge, and I hope he's a top five rusher.

 

[PapaL]

Interesting...

“Tate just hasn’t come along,” Kubiak told reporters. “Everybody thought he could-our trainers, our doctors-but he hasn’t, so we’ll listen to him.”

Privately, Tate fumed. He had been working harder than ever, changing his diet and embracing all manners of rehabilitation. What was being reported as a hamstring injury was actually a hamstring tear, he says. He had been given a four to six week timetable for returning but missed only three weeks.

“For him to say that to the media,” Tate says, “that made me feel like, Why would I want to come back and play for someone that’s putting me down, when you know what I’m going through? For him to make it seem like I’m a lazy guy or not a tough guy, that was really unfair to me.

“I don’t know if we ever did get past that. We probably smoothed it out during this offseason. We sat down and talked. I told him pretty much those exact words. I think he realized, maybe it was just the heat and pressure of the season that got to him.”

...

“When I first got here he wouldn’t help me with none of the plays,” Tate says. “I was a second-rounder and he was undrafted, so he wasn’t really trying to help me. Despite all that, all the arguments, all the times I wanted to beat him up, we have become friends.”

 

[TheIronDuke]

I hope your next team has a great training room for you to spend your time in, Ben!

 

[Playoffs]

“When I first got here he wouldn’t help me with none of the plays,” Tate says. “I was a second-rounder and he was undrafted, so he wasn’t really trying to help me. Despite all that, all the arguments, all the times I wanted to beat him up, we have become friends.”

And that's the mentality that results in a losing team.

Look at the difference in the Ravens. Ed Reed, Anquan Boldin both coached up & mentored the young guys.

The I'm gonna get mine guys are losers.

 

[Thorn]

Tate is on my "I Don't Give A $hit" list. If he stays, fine, if he leaves, fine. It's all the same to me.

 

[eriadoc]

I feel like Tate has been done a disservice by Kubiak, and by extension, the team. The injury chatter and way Kubiak handled him was pretty unprofessional, IMO. We saw Kubiak do that with a few players, for whatever reason. Aside from that, he was just never a good fit for this offense. He runs best when he sticks to the front side and rarely does well on cut backs. The Texans drafted him anyway after watching him at Auburn, so not sure what they thought they'd get. He's produced anyway, but in a different manner. It was nice having both him and Foster together.

Where I really blast the team on this is how they've planned for his departure. As someone above me said, we all expect him to be gone. His contract is set in stone, so the team knows exactly when he'll be leaving as well. What has Rick Smith done to prepare for that departure to this point? Dennis Johnson? Cierre Wood? Foster is the #1 guy, of course, but he's a little banged up, been overused, and could probably use a breather now and again.

My final thought is based upon his answer to Peter King:

Do you want to be a Texan?

“That’s a tough question to answer. I can’t say, ‘No, I don’t want to be here.’ But I can’t say I do want to be here, because they invested in Arian,” Tate says. “I feel as though I’m just as talented, I can do the same things he does, so where do I fit in?

Stop being so damn wishy washy and ANSWER THE QUESTION!

 

[Dutchrudder]

He pauses and stares at the road. He weighs everything before answering; his rivalry with Foster, the uncertain coaching situation, the pain in his ribs, the pain in his ankle, the aches throughout his body, his girlfriend and their expected child, due in February, his widowed mother, the way his dad looks at him, with eyes shifting in color from exposure to gasoline fumes. It’s impossible to pick just one emotion. He wants money for himself, for his family, for his son. He wants to be respected, and to feel wanted. Above all, he just wants to play.

WTF did I just read?

 

[michaelm]

And that's the mentality that results in a losing team.

Look at the difference in the Ravens. Ed Reed, Anquan Boldin both coached up & mentored the young guys.

The I'm gonna get mine guys are losers.

Apples and oranges. All the Ravens players you mention were/are long time vets with established positions.
In 2010, Tate was a 2nd round draftee competing with Foster for a starting position that Foster had not secured yet.
I would've preferred Foster to be selfless for the sake of the team, but I understand how a UDFA might not want to help a rookie win that starting position.

 

[disaacks3]

Ben, I'm sorry you were never the player Arian was.

I'm sorry you never got to earn your high-round selection.

I'm sorry that you never quite seemed to fit the one-cut system that your HS preferred.

I'm sorry that you're wishy-washy about remaining in Houston.

Hopefully, you can find a team with a power-running game that better suits your abilities.

Hopefully that team can also with provide you with:
- your own personal mentor, so that you don't have to realy on UDFAs to teach you your position.
- a head coach that will only pump sunshine about your injury prognosis and not rely on team doctors to give him timeframes for your return.
- a fan base that never boos their home team and rejoices when starters are pulled willy-nilly in the midst of extended losing streaks.

 

[Double Barrel]

Good luck to Tate wherever he lands...unless it's in our division. Sorry, steel blue runs deep in my veins.

But dude wants to be paid while he's still a viable commodity. I don't have a problem with that perspective. And regardless of what the owner says or wants us to believe, 2014 is a rebuild of sorts. Just hitting the off-season without a HC and starting QB, much less all the other holes to fill, is a type of rebuild. Tate should not have to wait around but instead find a team that needs a plug and play RB. If I was him, I'd look for a team like the Patriots, Saints, Packers, Broncos, who are already winning and he can take advantage of the next 2-3 years to contribute.

I feel the same toward Tate as I do DeMeco. All the best to these guys.

 

[IDEXAN]

It was a bad situation for Ben all the way around with the Texans after he was drafted. First the injury that initially IRed him and then the ascension of Foster, which was certainly a good thing for Arian and certainly also the Texans, but not for Ben. I'm wishing him the best in the future as long as he secures an opportunity with a non AFC South franchise.

 

[HOU-TEX]

Dude's not even the better RB with Arian on IR, imo. To me, he seems indecisive at times which makes him slower to hit the running lane or cutback. DJ's small and raw, but he's very quick and knows where he wants to go. Albeit, not always correct, but he's a rook.

Let Tate go into FA, keep DJ and pick someone else up via draft to be Arian's successor

 

[chicagotexan2]

The texans FO needs to ask itself 'which injury prone RB do we want to continue with?

I don't think he's un appreciated here. I just think he can't admit to himself that Forster is just better. I'd like to keep him but if I were him Id look for good payday because the shelf life is running out.

 

[thetexanator]

nothing unexpected about the piece.

hes playing because its his contract year
he didnt play with the hammy because it wasnt his contract year
players and backups dont want each other taking their jobs
wants to get paid, will go to highest bidder

 

[Blake]

Ben Tate: Would I ever leave the Texans? Look, I'm all about loyalty. In fact, I feel like part of what I'm being paid for here is my loyalty. But if there were somewhere else that valued loyalty more highly, I'm going wherever they value loyalty the most.

 

[Vance87]

Ben Tate: Would I ever leave the Texans? Look, I'm all about loyalty. In fact, I feel like part of what I'm being paid for here is my loyalty. But if there were somewhere else that valued loyalty more highly, I'm going wherever they value loyalty the most.

Ben Tate: How would I describe myself? Three words. Hard-working. Alpha male. Jackhammer. Merciless. Insatiable.

 

[eriadoc]

he didnt play with the hammy because it wasnt his contract year

Or because it was torn.

 

[The Pencil Neck]

Ben Tate: Would I ever leave the Texans? Look, I'm all about loyalty. In fact, I feel like part of what I'm being paid for here is my loyalty. But if there were somewhere else that valued loyalty more highly, I'm going wherever they value loyalty the most.

MSR.

 

[Texian]

Good answer Ben, good answer. Some people can't handle the truth.

 

[Uncle Rico]

Tate will rush for 1200 yards in a full time role next year.

Arian Foster will get hurt again.

 

[texanhead08]

Tate is not playing because he knows the team needs him with Foster out he is trying to get paid plain and simple. He let an undrafted player basically take his position and why because he can't stay on the field.

Tate has been here 4yrs and has basically been hurt for 2 of them. Thats not the type of player you invest millions in.

 

[eriadoc]

Tate is not playing because he knows the team needs him with Foster out he is trying to get paid plain and simple. He let an undrafted player basically take his position and why because he can't stay on the field.

Tate has been here 4yrs and has basically been hurt for 2 of them. Thats not the type of player you invest millions in.

LOL, not that I'm disagreeing with you, but as I look over the IR list for this season, I see lots of millions invested.

 

[Bulls on Parade]

LOL, not that I'm disagreeing with you, but as I look over the IR list for this season, I see lots of millions invested.

Rick Smith is to blame for not doing a better job managing the salary cap. Although to be fair, it's a shame guys like Arian Foster and Brian Cushing can't seem to catch any breaks when it comes to injuries.

 

[The Pencil Neck]

Rick Smith is to blame for not doing a better job managing the salary cap. Although to be fair, it's a shame guys like Arian Foster and Brian Cushing can't seem to catch any breaks when it comes to injuries.

Our salary cap really isn't in that bad shape. Granted, we're not 20-40 million under the cap like some teams. But we will probably end up pretty close to 20 million under after a few moves. And that's plenty of room to do whatever we need to do.

OTOH, think about teams like the Cowboys. They're 20 million OVER the cap. They're going to have to get very creative.

 

[Sigma]

I hope your next team has a great training room for you to spend your time in, Ben!

and no wishy washy fans

 

[Sigma]

Ben Tate: Would I ever leave the Texans? Look, I'm all about loyalty. In fact, I feel like part of what I'm being paid for here is my loyalty. But if there were somewhere else that valued loyalty more highly, I'm going wherever they value loyalty the most.

- Honey, would you ever cheat on me?

- Only if she is hotter than you!

 

[Quick II Draw]

Ben Tate: Would I ever leave the Texans? Look, I'm all about loyalty. In fact, I feel like part of what I'm being paid for here is my loyalty. But if there were somewhere else that valued loyalty more highly, I'm going wherever they value loyalty the most.

This is so, so hilarious

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

[thunderkyss]

When Ben Tate goes shopping his skills & finds the market isn't what he expected, I hope there is no contingency plan for the Texans to sign him (ala Brice McCain). We should just let him go. Cut our losses, move on.

Like Glover Quin & Mario Williams, we should not make an offer.

 

[Uncle Rico]

When Ben Tate goes shopping his skills & finds the market isn't what he expected, I hope there is no contingency plan for the Texans to sign him (ala Brice McCain). We should just let him go. Cut our losses, move on.

Like Glover Quin & Mario Williams, we should not make an offer.

Huh?

Ben Tate has been grinding through cracked ribs and still producing. What exactly are you not liking about his game? When fully healthy this guy is a load, and a leader in YPC. Confusing.

Glover Quin SHOULD have been resigned and the Ed Reed fiasco completely averted. We were never in the Mario sweepstakes, he got mega paid and deservedly so, one of the premier pass rushers throughout his career.

 

[thunderkyss]

Huh?

Ben Tate has been grinding through cracked ribs and still producing. What exactly are you not liking about his game? When fully healthy this guy is a load, and a leader in YPC. Confusing.

Same ol song..... he'll never be fully healthy & he can't hold on to the ball. Tate's been producing well enough, considering his rib issue. & it's not his fault that he's got 4 broken ribs.

But right now, we need a guy who is fully healthy. He's not that guy.

I agree with your takes on Glover & Mario, I'm just speaking on the issue that neither were made offers, but Brice McCain (who we should've let walk) was.

 

[infantrycak]

I agree with your takes on Glover & Mario, I'm just speaking on the issue that neither were made offers, but Brice McCain (who we should've let walk) was.

A lot of teams follow a similar process with players who over value themselves or they believe the market over values. Let the player see what kind of offers other teams make. When the agent calls up and says we can get X from the Bills, they say whether or not they want to get into that ballpark. With Quinn (mistake) and Mario (not) the other team already bid out of the area they wanted to pay. With McCain they were not.