Yeah, looking at the stats you're right. He played some WR.
I think safety or WR would have been a good fit had he made that move. Instead he had a helicopter parent in his ear telling him how awesome of a QB he was.
Honestly, moving to Solich for a coach was probably the best thing he could have done - the problem is that he simply wasn't as good as his flashes seemed to indicate. Solich thought he had a guy who was going to develop into a big-time option threat, and he just, for lack of a better cliche, never could get the whole package together.
He had plenty of chances at Ohio to shine at any position he wanted, and the truth is that he never shone consistently, despite somewhat regular flashes of great play.
I honestly don't know where I would have put him - he wasn't secure with the ball, he lacked field generalship, and had difficulty sorting out offensive schemes. None of those are crimes.
But take a look at this pass, a spectacular catch by Boo Jackson demonstrates a number of problems with Phil as a passer:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2HLP5icoL8]Ohio Football 2010: Akron - Phil Bates to Boo Jackson - YouTube[/ame]
Now, he had some good touchdown passes off of pitches and reverses, but those relied on his unique skill set: he was fast and could heave it (not terribly accurately, but it didn't matter on the trick plays).
What was so strange about Bates is you would see him rip off a 33-yd TD run, and then sleepwalk through the next series.
I watched enough of his spectacular plays to cloud my judgment on the sections of games where he disappeared. It could be he didn't practice well, or that he relied on skill at a level of play that demanded both talent
and work. Or, and based on what I saw, I think this is more likely: though he had a wealth of short-range skills necessary to play the position (explosiveness, elusiveness and a strong, if inaccurate arm) he simply lacked the long-range consistency (accuracy, decision-making, leadership) to play the position he really wanted to play.
I honestly don't believe he would have been more likely to win the starting position at ISU long-term. Frank Solich was
convinced Bates was the obvious successor to Boo Jackson, and yet really had to fiddle around to even find a place for his unique talents anywhere on the field.
He was great for special packages - he burned
a bunch of teams on the halfback pass: Buffalo, Northern Illinois, Ball State, and just plain old blew up Akron.
And that, even in limited doses, is something to be proud of.
