Arkley says that Bates has missed two days of practice and Frank says that it's a "personal issue". I, of course, don't respect anyone's privacy so I want to know what's going on. Frankly (no pun intended) I'm a bit worried that Bates is unhappy with his status as backup/Wildcat QB. Any thoughts?

Yes, I hope that the young man deals constructively with whatever challenge he is facing. 

So let's all 

Bates was at practice Saturday morning and actually stayed after to work on WR skills.

I caught about the last 45 minutes of practice this morning. Bates played mostly in the slot and did take a few snaps to run wildcat plays. He did drop one pass but also caught a few balls. It seemed he was working on his footing and precision of his cuts immediately after practice ended.

But did you notice Bates' demeanor during that extra session?  He was asked two or three times whether he was here to work or to stare off into the distance.

I have no facts of the situation at hand.  But it seems a young man, like many of us have experienced, has been told  his life's ambition is no longer a possibility for him.  

I would have to say that there would be a period of personal healing that would have to take place.
     Denial and Isolation>Anger>Bargaining>Depression>Acceptance 
        (disclaimer: I never took a Psych course at Ohio University)

Putting things together on this topic, Coach S said on the Caravan that since Phil didn't take reps during spring that he would still be given the opportunity to show he could complete passes at an acceptable rate BUT that a decision needed to be made relatively quickly. 

So walk a mile in Phil Bate's shoes.  You dream of being a college starting QB and everyone tells you you have all the tools with moves to burn.  Your first gig doesn't play out like you expected so you make a move to what you hope are greener pastures.  You sit out and have to watch the competition for a year and then when you have the chance the injury bug bites you in extremities that are vital to your position.  You get a chance to dazzle with your footwork and wrack up yardage on the ground that puts you in the Denard Robinson category for yards per carry, but you cannot throw like you'd like and like you THINK you can.  You then miss spring ball when a new hurry up is implemented and fall behind the competition.  You probably go home for the summer knowing that you have a very short opportunity to prove yourself and then in a blink of an eye, you don't meet someone's expectations.  

Phil Bates is a Bobcat and I hope he gets to Acceptance fast and for all us fans that he take on with great enthusiasm the new opportunities available to him.  IMO it is only natural that  he has an adjustment period.  

Other than watching Gerald Tinker of KSU torch the Ohio defense with his Olympic Gold 4x4 100 meter speed, I have never seen a MAC player on Peden any more exciting to watch with the ball than Phil Bates.  I hope we see an enthused Phil Bates taking passes in the seams and seeing 170lbs  DB's living the fear of bringing down a 230lbs burner.  Run Phil Bates Run!!!

I only watched for a few minutes after practice, so I didn't see anything like that. But I'm sure as been pointed out, it's not easy to accept that he's not able to play the position he really wants to play. I hope he really puts his mind to it, though, because he could be great. I think his wide receiver teammates are going to be excited for him to be out there with them.

What was way out of line about my post?  It has been 43 years since we last won a MAC Championship.  Since I was a freshman 30 years ago, all of the other schools who were in conference at the time including Ball State and Eastern Michigan have won a MAC Title.

There are many of us who have followed and supported the football program for decades who would like to see a championship.  I don't think it is asking too much for those who are healthy and on scholarship to show up for each practice.  There are a lot of walk-ons who contribute to this team every practice as a scout player who are paying their own way through school.

I saw on your profile you are 21 years old, so I guess you were not around to see Chad Brinker play or even know of his story.  He played the first four games of his junior season with horrible headaches at the result of a large
ackroyd cyst.  Chad was averaging over seven yards per carry against teams that included West Virginia and Iowa State.  Chad went through a horrible surgery and was back running on the track team that spring but sat out spring practice.  Chad returned and was full-go for summer practice his senior year and was even willing to move from tailback to fullback because that is what the coaching staff requested.  All of us "old timers" were pretty excited when Chad scored a touchdown against Ohio State earlier in his career, but I would say that most of us were more proud and excited when he scored a touchdown against Pitt his senior year after his surgery. In fact, it is was the moment I was most proud of any Bobcat in any sport since I arrived in Athens as a freshman in 1981. The upset victory against DePaul was exciting, but seeing a dedicated person like Chad overcome his adversity and being a team player is what sports should be about. Chad busted his ass his entire senior year and always put his team ahead of his personal goals just like Brandon Jones and hundreds of other players who have worn the Ohio football uniform.

I have been posting with some of these guys for over 15 years and have posted some dumb posts (drunk or sober) that I later regretted, but I stand behine the earlier post on this thread.

http://www.ohiobobcats.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/041205aaa.html

http://www.packers.com/team/staff/chad-brinker/71033491-e5d6-4144-9e3c-7e3e6f90461b

Whatever his reason for missing two days of practice, it was excused by the coaching staff. There's been no indication that they didn't want him to miss or didn't understand. It probably was for  a good reason.

I honestly believe after he understands what he's capable of in this new role and he has a few successful games under his belt, Phil will realize this (while painful in relation to his origninal goals) was the best thing that could possibly happen for him.  The visibility his athleticism will bring this year in conjunction with the revelation that he can catch too, could very well lead to an opportunity at the next level that might not have been there had he spent the season behind center.

Big things ahead for him this season!

+1

I agree, LC, I think Bates has the athletic ability to earn a living through his talents -- but probably not at QB.