A few nights ago I heard an announcer suggest that the best outcome for the Heisman Trophy this season would be to simply redshirt the trophy and award two of them next season. I find this to not be a terrible alternative because in the chaos that has been this college football season there is no logical way to choose a Heisman favorite since the knee that connects Mr. Dixon’s skinny upper left leg to his skinny lower left leg turned the wrong way in Tucson on Thursday night. Plus, it would be nice next season to see Dicky Jr and Micah each get their own trophy rather than having to share one. But since that’s not an option, we break down the candidates (in alphabetical order):
Colt Brennan: Hawai’i has played the 3rd easiest schedule in football this season. Phelps has more quality wins than Hawai'i. Plus, Colt got drilled against Jerry Tarkanian’s Fresno State Bulldogs and missed the Nevada game due to the lingering effects. His numbers are spectacular but so were Timmy Chang’s when he played for the Rainbow Warriors. It will be a shame if he factors into the Heisman race or if the winner of the Hawai’i/Boise game gets a BCS bowl game.
Chase Daniel: Daniel's numbers are excellent and his team doesn't lose. That might be all it takes to win the trophy this season. If the Tigers can knock off the Jayhawks and then avenge their previous blemish against Oklahoma (which won’t happen), Daniel makes a legitimate case to win the trophy.
Dennis Dixon: Done playing football unless he’s willing to play WR and an NFL team is willing to take a chance on a lanky WR with a gimpy knee and professional baseball dreams. But let’s give him an invite to NYC since he would have won had he not gotten injured.
Glenn Dorsey: Supposedly he’s the best defensive lineman ever. That means he gets double or triple teamed (or illegally chop blocked if the opponent is Auburn) so he doesn’t put up big numbers. I have no choice but to believe analysts when they tell me he changes the game because I pretty much refuse to watch interior linemen on every play. So if Glenn Dorsey wins the Heisman, I have no problem with that. I can’t form an argument against him.
Chris Long: See Dorsey, Glenn (above). Except Long is a DE instead of a DT and Howie Long is his dad.
Darren McFadden: DMac might be the most talented skill position player in college football but the Razorbacks have struggled to win games this season. He has to get an invite because his numbers are great, especially when you realize his opponents always have at least 11 guys in the box, even on passing downs. I hope the Vikings draft him, install the Wildcat package using DMac and AD interchangeably at QB, rename it the Wildviking package and continue to be mediocre.
Todd Reesing: The out-of-nowhere Kansas Jayhawks are a legitimate national title contender. Reesing has had the Jayhawks offense rolling as of late, including the 76 pts they hung on this year’s version of the Blackshirt D. If Kansas can beat Mizzou and Oklahoma to claim the Big 12 title and Reesing posts quality numbers in those wins, then he deserves consideration.
Matt Ryan: Matty Ice’s BC Eagles are now 9-2 and we’ve seen him engineer a couple game winning drives, including two unbelievable minutes in Blacksburg and a come from behind victory in Death Valley to claim the ACC Atlantic division title. The throw to beat VaTech had that “Heisman moment” feel all over it and if the trophy was awarded based on 4th quarters alone, Matty Ice would be the winner by a landslide. Since its not, I have trouble seeing him as the winner but he’s worthy of an invite.
Tim Tebow: Frequently we’re reminded how defensive players are overlooked in the Heisman voting, but how often do robots enter into the discussion? Tebow is deserving of an invite to NYC and is likely the favorite to win the trophy, despite his Gators having 3 losses (they do play in the toughest conference in football... just a few notches below the AFC). Next season when he learns to be a real quarterback (NOT a fullback, NOT just lowering his head and running to the left) he should be the unquestioned favorite and will likely make robots across the world very proud.
Pat White: Very entertaining to watch White operate the Mountaineers’ spread option attack. Not a great passer but blazing fast and makes solid decisions. The spread option requires White to only make a few reads and allows WVU’s playmakers to consistently get the ball in space. I wouldn’t be too surprised if the Mountaineers are cutting down the nets in N’awlins after they’ve defeated The Ohio State University to win the national football title (sounds crazy, but after the Big 12 teams beat each other up and Georgia knocks off LSU in the Atl, the two teams left standing will be WVU and tOSU). That being said, Stevie Slaton steals some of his teammate’s votes and the two of them net zero personal awards this season.
Invites to NYC:
Matty Ice
Tim Tebow
The winner of the Reesing/Daniel game
DMac
Dennis Dixon
Bringing home the hardware:
Tim Tebow... unless someone else steps up in a big way in the next few weeks
Sunday, November 18, 2007
A look at the Heisman race
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18 comments:
I agree that Tebow is the front runner. I do take some issue that "he isn't a real quarterback" yet. I've had this debate many times and I'd rather have someone as versatile as Tebow than a "true quarterback" who is lead footed and gets sacked when he can't find a receiver. I realize you're not saying that a "true quarterback" doesn't run. However, I've met plenty who think it's appalling for a QB to be booking it into the end zone more than just one game a season and for more than 3-yards on a keeper. To me, a quarterback should be a game changer, a leader and diverse in his skill set. Tebow is all of those things and it pains me to say that because I hate, hate, hate Florida. But right now - with Dixon down - he should win. Also, analyst don't watch interior lineman on every play either. Dorsey is just a sexy alternative pick to generate controversy.
My point on Tebow is just that I feel like he relies too much on his legs to make plays. And I realize I'm not making any kind of groundbreaking observation there. But dont get me wrong, I think he's amazing. He's one of the best athletes in the college game and his arm is ridiculous...its just that too often he bails on plays too soon. In the college game, he's still athletic enough and Florida's scheme is wide open enough for him to still make it work. But if he's going to be successful at the next level, he has to develop into more of a pocket passer, he has to read defenses better, he has to be patient enough to get through his progressions and give his receivers time to get open downfield. I realize he's only a sophomore and most QBs dont truly develop those skills until they've been in the NFL for a few years. So my point is that when he does evolve into a player with that skill set and if he maintains his ability to run the ball when everything breaks down, then he's going to be a truly special player. Otherwise, if he continues to play as physical as he does, he will get injured in the NFL.
I think he's already NFL material. If you intend to tell me that players actually get better (or tougher) once they go to the NFL, then I disagree. Players get worse when they go to the pros. They get lazier. I think Tebow is being hit by a nice measure of what he can handle. The idea that he'll get tougher in the NFL cancels out when you realize how much stronger he'll get playing SEC football. Tim Tebow doesn't need to change his game; and the NFL will realize that. Actually, I think it says more about how boring the NFL game is that Tebow should conform to being a pocket passer than multi-talented threat that he is. So what if he bails on plays? It's his choice. If he doesn't like what he sees on the field, then he takes off. I really don't care that he relies on his legs. His legs are good. The kids is blessed.
I agree with you in that IF Tebow can play like that in the NFL it would be great. But I just don't see it happening. In the NFL, the players are bigger, faster, and hit much harder. The SEC is the hardest hitting conference in college football but it doesnt even come close to the hitting that goes on in the NFL. So, like I said earlier, if Tebow continues to rely so heavily on his legs to make plays and continues to play such a physical game, he will take a punishment at the next level and he won't last very long. For the sake of his longevity, he HAS to learn to be more patient and develop those skills that true QBs have and not just dart out of the pocket at the first sign of trouble. I'm not saying he shouldn't ever run (nothing makes me more disgusted than lead-footed QBs like Tommy Maddox, Vinny, and Bledsoe at the end of his career) but for a QB to be successful in the league they have to be a thrower first and a runner second.
Tim Tebow is the sexy pick for NFL teams when the draft rolls on through. I personally feel Matt Ryan would be the best pick though. Hes took a team in Boston College that I feel wouldnt even be in any discussions without him, and made them into a national name. Given the ACC isnt what it used to be, he still raises the team he plays for a notch above what they are supposed to be. I think Ryan will end up winning the Heisman honestly. I know Tebow has great numbers, but his style just doesnt fit in with the way Heisman voters think. They love their traditional QB's, and Matt Ryan fits that mold better than any other candidate.
While I hate to disagree with a Slone (mostly b/c I realize I'm no match intellectually for a Slone), I have to disagree with the notion that the Heisman voters like Matty Ice's style more than Tebow's. For the most part, I feel like Heisman voters tend to side with the players who get the most hype, regardless of their style of play. And the hype machine has been on the side of The Robot since he first enrolled at Florida and started pushing Chris Leak for the starting job on a national title team.
I do think Ryan is a more polished QB at this point and I think he will be a good NFL QB. He seems like he has a good understanding of the position and has a strong and accurate arm. My biggest concern with him is that he doesnt seem to play complete games. Like I said in the blog, if the Heisman was awarded on 4th quarters alone, he would win the trophy. Seems like he turns it on and off when he wants to. Then again, QBs earn their legacy by what they do when the game is on the line, by how clutch they are, and Ryan's track record is strong in that regard (even if it does require him to struggle for the first 3 quarters). Bottom line is that Ryan is probably a safer pick in that he's more likely to have a long, solid career but he might never become an elite QB. Tebow has a MUCH greater upside (if he develops traditional QB skills and maintains his versatility) OR he could get his bell rung early and often if he tries to run over 260 pound linebackers in the NFL. And lets not forget that Tebow is only a sophomore, so he still has another year of college football to play before he is draft eligible. If I wasn't smitten with Mr. Roethlisberger, I would be satisfied with either of these guys running the show for my Steelers.
A fair point on Ryan, and also Tebow wasnt generally the reason the Gators lost the games they have, Whereas Ryan had 3 int's in one loss. So I'll definitely concede to the Tebow Heisman winner. I do still feel Ryan is the better NFL hopeful though. They'll knock Tebow around for the year or two he manages to survive, then he'll retire to something as important as being Peyton Manning's back up. And as for the Big Ben thing, he is much better looking than I think either of those 2 will be. Then again I find him to be the 3rd best in the league. Well actually first best, since hes a mere man while Manning and Brady are gods amongst us all who grace us with their heavenly glow...or somethin like that.
One point I'd like to make - since I'm alone in thinking Tebow could be a successful NFL QB - is that given the current situation of shit quarterbacks in the NFL, I think teams and coaches are going to be more open to playing a spread option offense with versatile quarterbacks who are more in the mold of Tebow than Ryan. Perhaps Tebow will never be strong enough to carry his game into the NFL (but as I've already stated - I don't feel that's the case, especially with one more year of SEC play to go, and I'm just conceding that point for the sake of argument), but by and large I think there will be a shift in making the offensive schemes slightly more like the ones you see in college. Why? Because the game is evolving. This is the worst NFL season I've witnessed in years. There's the Patriots and then there's everybody else. And where is the next generation of pocket passing gods going to come from? If you ask me, the Tebows and Juice Williams' out there are the future of the game.
Also, for the record, I just want to say that I'm really enjoying this back and forth. I don't know Slone (but you make some good points), but whenever I argue with Tristan it's like arguing with another sports writer. Normally, I'd say that was a horrible thing, but it's like arguing with another sports writer who actually listens to the other guys points. It's what I wish "Around the Horn" would actually be. But what are you going to do when you have a hack like Jay Mariotti at center stage?
Haha Jay Mariotti is a prick. That show could indeed be 10 times better than it is if they would just make points and have a dialogue, instead of seeing who can scream the loudest. As for your theory on spread offenses making a run in the NFL, its hard to say. I think if indeed the QB state gets even worse over the years they may have no choice but to do it. I also think a spread or option offense would be damn near impossible to run successfully in the NFL. Players are so much quicker and smarter at reads, that a QB would barely have time to decide what he wants to do with the ball before hes hacked off at the mid section. I do agree though, if the decline in pocket passers continues, you'll definitely begin to see a change in offensive schemes in the NFL. I mean honestly, when Vince Young is your greatest assett at QB in a young class, things arent looking very up at that position.
And I do enjoy discussing sports with level headed folks, its a great debate to have, and you also make a lot of great points.
Just to continue with the lovefest, let me state that I'm really enjoying this little debate. When I wrote the Heisman race entry on this here blog I had no clue it would generate any comments, let alone this kind of conversation. Honestly, I was hoping to make two points about Tebow: 1. he is a robot 2. he is the Heisman favorite...didn't realize he would be such a polarizing figure. But I love it that he is.
As far as the spread option, my stance has always been that it wouldn't work in the NFL. As my favorite of the Slone boys wrote, the players are just too smart and too fast. Gimmicky stuff like options and misdirection plays can work occasionally but I dont think an entire offensive scheme can be based on them. Ultimately in the NFL you have to just line up and beat the other guy.
But the spread option has become an equalizer in college football, so you (Harris) might have a point in that someone might try to base an NFL offense around it (since the NFL is notorious for being a copycat league). There's only so many times teams can go with Vinny or Sage Rosenfels or Brooks Bollinger or Rex Griese before they decide to scrap that strategy and go a completely different way with a couple of interchangable, athletic QBs. I just dont see it being successful because the NFL is so much faster and more physical than college football.
I think the spread offensive and option would work if you had a Vick or a Young and perhaps a Tebow. But it would require you sticking to your guns with it until the defense commits a lot of guys in the box. Once that happens you start to open up some more down field plays. Either way like DMH pointed out, if the pocket passers of old are disappearing like it is starting to seem...there might not be a choice left. Imagine that, going back to the 60's and 70's style of rough and tough, interceptions abound, Bradshaw and Starr QB'ing. I must say, it almost doesnt seem that bad.
Well, if I'd written this post on our blog which you guys so kindly have a link to (we posted a link to yours by the way) there would not be this much conversation. Mainly because people give up commenting when they realize that I'm going to just keep making points like we were having an actual discussion. Jesse is about the only person who will go on and on. So, I'm really happy you wrote this. I was going to write a column for the paper about this and it would've been much in the same format. I probably won't do it now because I'm lazy.
I'll concede that the NFL is a tough game to pull off some of the college tricks, but honestly, college isn't flag football. It's not like they're playing two-hand touch out there. Sure it's tougher in the NFL, but my God is it really so tough that an entire offensive scheme could never work?
I'll be honest Davis, I cringed a little when you called the spread option "gimmicky" but then I realized that you have a deep love of the NFL. So, I'll forgive. However, I don't think it's gimmicky. I think it's just blue collar. It's not flashy when you think about it. It's something kids learn early in their football careers. We've become accustomed to this idea that in the NFL QB's, coaches and offensive coordinators are geniuses. They design these incredibly complex pass routes and patterns. At this point, I just want to see football that is as interesting as it is on college level - hell, even the high school games (I've seen some good ones in Illinois) - in the NFL. Slone made a good point when he said that the spread has created a bit of parity in the college world. That's made the season interesting. But mostly, I just think that eventually, if all your top quarterback draft picks are coming from systems that like to run the spread and the NFL refuses to adjust and they instead try to "grow their quarterbacks" then you are going to be in for some very, very shitty football for the next decade.
I think what we'll eventually see is elements of the spread option being incorporated into NFL playbooks. And undoubtedly, it is already happening. During the Monday night game my dad and I both commented that one particular play the Titans ran looked like a college play with Vince obviously reading the DE after the snap to decide whether to hand the ball off or keep it.
I love watching the spread option, when its executed the right way. I love it that its an explosive, wide-open offense that still maintains somewhat of a blue collar feel. And I do think that given a team with an athletic QB it would be a nice wrinkle to add to an NFL offense. But, like i said earlier, for a QB to be successful in the NFL he has to be a passer first and a runner second because of the speed and the violence of the NFL game.
Just listen to any player talk about the difference between the college game and the pro game and the common theme is how shocking the speed is in the NFL. Those running lanes that are there in college WILL NOT be there in the NFL, not if an entire offense is based on that scheme. Maybe its not a gimmicky offense, because it has become so prevalent in the NCAA and in high school football, so obviously it does have some merit. And, like you both said, if the majority of the QBs coming into the league are educated in a spread option offense, then eventually it will become a bigger part of the NFL game. And just as long as its not a team's sole offensive scheme, then it could yield positive results.
I think this weekend will be basically be some pointless games for the Heisman runners in most cases. The only real big game is the Kansas Mizz game as far as who is in the Heisman running. I still feel that Reesing has a better team and will pull out the victory, making him seem the better QB. As far as everyone else, as long as they post solid numbers nothing changes. Obviously we can knock out Dixon since he is laid up on the sidelines now, but Tebow plays Florida State who arent in their prime anymore and Ryan plays Miami who are just as bad as FSU. Dmac could make a push if he puts up HUGE numbers against a stifling LSU defense, which is unlikely at best. Otherwise, if everyone plays a good game, it would appear nothing will change in the Heisman race at the top, as I dont see Reesing or Daniels to be a threat to actually win the trophy. Then again, all it takes is one bad game...
To kind of chime in on the Heisman race and spread offense in the NFL, I guess that I'll offer this.
After the Ark/LSU game last night, McFadden greatly improved his chances although he should be trying to go back to back in my opinion. Tebow is the best college player and no other offense rides one player like the Gators. He's your winner to me.
Can the spread work in the NFL? I think that aspects of it work now, with Vince Young and the Titans. We truly missed out of the opportunity to view this first hand when the Petrino lead Falcons with two solid running back, mediocre wide receivers and undersized lineman could have given it a true shot with Vick under center. In my opinion those offense are limited in the NFL because ends like Freeney get up the field so fast that it makes things happen a little faster.
I think that we can all agree that for the first time since Carson Palmer took it home, the Heisman is going to be debated until the annoucement is made. It's refreshing that the trophy is not locked in during this last week of November.
I agree, King, that DMac should have won last year. And after yesterday he's right back in the picture again this year. If Tebow has a poor showing today against FSU, DMac could become a serious threat to win it.
Great point about Vick and the Falcons. That team would have been the perfect opportunity to experiment with a spread option. The fastest QB ever to play the game and two smallish RBs who thrive with the ball in space. Not sure that Petrino would have been the right coach to pull it off, but all the other pieces were in place. But it all went to the dogs.
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