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本帖最后由 T.J.Yates 于 2012-1-9 03:34 编辑
TJ Yates: Yaters Gonna Yate 12/20/2011（个人更新在5楼）
Just two years ago, TJ Yates was arguably to most vilified Tar Heel athlete this side of Larry Drew II. The Marietta, Georgia native had just completed his third year as the starting quarterback of the football team in rather unspectacular fashion, losing 19-17 to Pittsburgh in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Yates had led the Heels to an 8-4 regular season record, but was wildly inconsistent, throwing 14 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions. Many Tar Heel "fans" expected better from Yates and they showed their displeasure with him one evening at the Dean Smith Center, when Yates was booed after appearing on the video boards for the "I am a Tar Heel" promotional video. It does not get much worse than that. A fan base that is expected to support you through thick and thin is willing to chastise you simply for showing your school pride.
TJ Yates could have acted scorned from the criticism and escaped it by transferring elsewhere and merely starting anew. One athlete in a similar position to Yates, who happened to be the starting point guard for the basketball team, did do that. He gave up and went home to Los Angeles. However, TJ Yates is different. He loved being a Tar Heel and knew it was the opportunity of a lifetime to be able to wear the blue and white for Carolina. Yates was not going to let a few idiot fans get him down. Instead, he decided to prove everybody who doubted him wrong by working as hard as possible.
TJ Yates senior season at UNC was a remarkable one. Despite the Tar Heel team being saddled with the burdens of the NCAA investigation and numerous suspensions, Yates led Carolina to the program's first bowl win since the 2001 Peach Bowl. Yates threw for 19 touchdowns and just 9 interceptions while setting nearly every Tar Heel passing record along the way. In the very first game of the season, he threw for 412 yards and 3 touchdowns in a close loss to a heavily favored LSU team. Yes, the same LSU team that just 17 months later is undefeated and playing for the national championship. Yates went on to lead Carolina to 8 victories, including a dramatic win over Tennessee in the Music City Bowl.
The bowl victory was a dramatic and fitting way for Yates to cap his Carolina career. The game was filled with tremendous plays and head scratching mistakes. However, in the end, it was Yates composure that helped him lead Carolina down the field for the game tying drive with 31 seconds left in the game. His spike with just a few seconds left in the game amidst mass chaos and confusion by everybody else on the field exemplified Yates ability to tune out all the distractions. If it were not for Yates spiking the ball and taking a five-yard penalty due to too many men on the field, kicker Casey Barth would have never had the opportunity to send the game into overtime.
Flash forward just 346 days and TJ Yates is the starting quarterback for the 9-3 Houston Texans. Down 19-13 with 2 minutes to go and no timeouts, Yates is facing a hostile Cincinnati Bengals crowd, one of the best defenses in the NFL, and has 80 yards between him and the Houston Texans first division title in team history. TJ proceeded to calmly lead the Texans down the field, going 5-9 for 51 yards and also rushing for 17 yards. With just two seconds left in the game, Yates threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Walter, giving the Texans the win and their first ever playoff birth.
To many it may have been a surprise that Yates even had the opportunity to quarterback a NFL team. How could this guy who had been so ridiculously maligned during his career at UNC be an NFL caliber quarterback? Well, because if you have ever watched or met TJ Yates, you would know that he has “it.” “It” is more than merely arm strength and size. Part of being a successful quarterback is the ability to shed all the outside criticism and pressure, be a leader, and simply get the job done no matter how. Yates was able to do that at UNC during his senior year when he was the leader of a team and program in turmoil. He did it in the bowl game against Tennessee, as he was the only cool head during the final frantic seconds of the game. And two weeks ago, he did it against the Cincinnati Bengals, against all odds, as a rookie and third string quarterback, whom two years before many fans wanted to see benched.
Watching TJ Yates this past Sunday against my Carolina Panthers was a proud moment for me as a Tar Heel alum and fan. Despite the fact that Yates struggled in the game, it was amazing to see a guy that has been through so much over the past two years have the opportunity to lead an NFL franchise. I do not know if TJ would agree, but for me it all goes back to that night in the Dean Smith Center, when Carolina fans jeered Yates as he smiled and said, "I'm TJ Yates and I'm a Tar Heel." From that day forward, he did not complain or bemoan his unpopularity with Heels fans. Instead, he has appeared motivated by those critics and has now reached the pinnacle of being a quarterback. I am not sure if Yates will be a long-term starter in the NFL, but I would not doubt him for a second. So to all you TJ Yates haters, compassionately known as "Yaters," thanks for the motivation you provided TJ. Because of you, I have never been more proud or excited for a fellow Tar Heel.
Go Heels Go America!
。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。转载地址http://www.thrownawaytoworthy.com/2011/12/tj-yates-yaters-gonna-yate.html
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