It's been sourced by a lot of people closer to the program than you or I that Gates' work ethic was questionable, at best. Was he helped by the previous coaching staff? Probably not; he should have stayed at RT in college, and will have to move to G in order to stick in the NFL. Was he a cancer? Absolutely not. Even with the lack of worth ethic and buy-in, he was still our most talented O-lineman the last two years. With that comes the responsibility of being isolated, on an island, against the D's best pass rusher on most occasions. That's part of the job.