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It's easy to say Matt Barkley is your favorite to win the Heisman...But that ain't me...Not just because he's a USC guy...I mean, yeah, that might be a small factor, but it's just lazy...To me, the favorite had to be Montee Ball, up above there...Last year he finished 4th in the voting, and got little love compared to Alabama running back Trent Richardson, even though Ball's numbers blew Richardson's away...Ball rushed for 1,923 yards and 39 TD's last year...He's gotta be on top of the list...
Oh, but then there is that off the field stuff...Ball recently got jumped, and had his ass beat-down by a 4-5 guys...It's been said that it was provoked by something that happened at a party a couple days earlier...We'll see...I expect Ball to put up big numbers again, but I think they'll be down a bit, which will open the race up to others...
What others? Well like I said, Not Matt Barkley...And no, I'm not going with that bastard Denard Robinson, from Michigan...And no, I'm not going Geno Smith from West Virginia...West Virginia isn't going to walk into the Big-12 and roll people over...They're going to find out how weak the Big East they use to play in, was...
I'm telling you to keep your eye on Georgia's QB Aaron Murray...
Murray has all the tools to be an elite college QB...His size, 6-1, 210 lbs. may hold him back at the next level, but he's fine for the college game, throwing for 3,149 yards and 35 TD's last year...But he has to cut down on the14 INT's he threw...
I'll be watching another guy even more closely...Kansas State QB, Collin Klein...
Klein is the dual threat that coach Bill Snyder loves...Last year Klein rushed for more than a 1,000 yards, and passed for just under 2,000...To keep him in Heisman consideration, Kansas State needs to win, and stay in the hunt for the Big-12 title...Which I expect them to...I'm predicting them to finish 2nd or 3rd in the conference...Klein also needs to improve his passing numbers, and get more comfortable in the pocket, which he should be able to do, with strong group of receivers returning...
Then there is this beast in South Carolina...Marcus Lattimore...
Lattimore had rushed for 818 yards, and 10 TD's in the first 6 games and change last year...But then ripped his knee up...It was the second year in row Steve Spurrier relied on Lattimore to carry the offense, and ran the hell out of him...It was also the second year that was ended with an injury...So clearly the key for Lattimore, is staying healthy...Also The Gamecocks have to be competitive in the SEC, and keep Lattimore in the spotlight...
I really think Lattimore can take it, if South Carolina can get themselves in the SEC Championship hunt, and stay healthy...The kid is a beast...And no matter if he wins the Heisman or not, Lattimore will be going pro after this season...
The last guy I'm looking at, some will say he's a reach...Well, why not reach? If Barkley, and some other guys get hurt, or just shit the bed, which we have seen before, there will be other guys doing well, and getting a look...Well, I've been waiting 4 years to see this guy put it all together...
USF QB, B.J. Daniels...
The kid is a real dual-threat...Passing for 2,604 yards and 13 TD's, and rushing for 601 yards and 6 TD's...Daniels has progressed in each of his seasons at USF, and enters this season with the best group of receivers he's had...
Like all Heisman hopefuls, he needs help from his team...I'm predicting the Bulls to take the Big-East crown this season, as they'll have their best defensive unit in years...And with the Big-East losing West Virginia and TCU, the competition is a lot weaker...Louisville will be good...I expect the rest to be pretty average...For my Syracuse friends, you'll see some improvement...
Daniels has the tools, and the team...But will the conference be held against him...Probably...But if he puts up monster numbers, and takes USF to a major bowl, he could get the love...
Who's your Heismane favorite?
Later, The Beeze.
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Becoming the poster child for the current version of the "All-American Boy" almost never happened for the big kid with the goofy smile and "Aw shucks" attitude. His mom was ill while pregnant with him and doctors urged her to abort a child that could be stillborn.
Ignoring medical advice, she carried out a pregnancy that gave the media someone to talk about at every turn on the hype highway. Tim Tebow has more reasons for them to like him besides cheating death before even being born.
Home-schooled by a family with Christian beliefs, Tebow soon incurred some controversy as a home-schooled student when he played football for a nearby high school. Though he started out playing linebacker and tight end, he soon became Florida's Player of the Year twice and his legend began to grow by playing a game on a broken leg.
ESPN began following him at this time and even did a show featuring Tebow and labeled him "The Chosen One". A top recruit, he decided to attend the University of Florida.
The media kept following him, this time in greater numbers. Not only did they have Tebow confess he was a virgin, they printed and recorded the question and answer that had nothing to do with football. The purpose of the question was to add to the mystique that was often found on an ESPN broadcast somewhere seemingly daily.
All of this publicity came despite the fact he was a backup, something that would come about again in five years. Tebow played as a freshman, and even played a key role in helping the Gators win the 2006 National Championship.
He started from his sophomore year on and became the first home-schooled athlete to win the Heisman Trophy Award. Tebow was also the first underclassman ever to win the award.
Though he was never able to tie Archie Griffin's record of winning the Heisman twice, he did lead Florida to another championship in 2008 and won the Maxwell Award twice. Many media members would be so bold to call Tebow the greatest college football player ever.
Yet critics would say that he would never have success as a quarterback in the NFL. Tebow ran the position kind of like a mix of a throw-back player and fullback in college, opting to run over defenders and toss jump passes more often than any other contemporary quarterback.
The Denver Broncos did not care to listen to the critics. They traded up in the 2009 Draft to use the 25th overall selection to grab Tebow. While many in the media had been wondering incessantly throughout the draft why Tebow hadn't been drafted yet, critics expected him to keep falling to possibly even the third round.
Now a Bronco, the cameras keep a few feet away constantly recording every Tebow move. The most popular reserve in the NFL, his jersey was a hot-selling item that set records. It had been the top-selling jersey every month since he was drafted for many months.
While spotted in six games in the beginning of his career, the Broncos lost their starting quarterback and were forced to start Tebow for three games. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to run for a touchdown in each of his first three career starts.
While his passing numbers were far from gaudy, they were certainly better than the critics expected. The 82.1 quarterback rating he had as a rookie was impressive for a kid no one thought would ever be an effective professional quarterback.
Now in his second season, the hype highway has intensified with more bodies and pressure in the way. His name is mentioned constantly on television and the Internet is strewn with tons of articles discussing if this is the year Tebow begins his career as a starter.
The problem is that last years starter, Kyle Ortin, has outperformed Tebow in camp by a pretty wide margin. Tebow's fans will say practice is unimportant, that the play on the field during a game matters most.
In the Broncos first 2011 preseason game, Orton was not sharp in his few plays. Tebow was sharp with one incompletion against backup defenders on the Dallas Cowboys. Still, Tebow's head coach John Fox called the youngster a work in progress who made a few bad reads.
With his unconventional release and style of play, Tebow is a unique player. Some think his style best works as a spot player. One reporter compared Tebow to 1984 Heisman winner Doug Flutie.
Flutie, about eight inches shorter than Tebow, lasted 11 rounds before being drafted. After a season in the United States Football League, Flutie joined the NFL as the USFL folded.
He soon found himself on the field playing, but the results were not as hoped. Flutie then bolted for the Canadian Football League and became a star. He played in the CFL for eight years and won three titles. He was also named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player six times.
Flutie then returned to the NFL in 1998 and became a Pro Bowler. He played to the age of 43 and became the first NFL player in 65 years to convert a successful drop kick.
While a trip to the CFL is an unlikely route for Tebow, it may take some time before the Broncos are ready to let him lead the team. But his teammates will tell you Tebow displays a an obvious burning desire to win.
With his religious beliefs, humble attitude, and desire to fulfill his childhood dream to becoming a great NFL quarterback, the media has bought in full force. There have been stories of him quoted as saying his Broncos starting job was “grabbed back away” when Orton was not traded recently.
But the negative press rolls off his back like water on a duck, leaving him unscathed. Well
insulated with a huge fanbase, the loyalty of the press will stay persistent no matter how much of Tebow's 2011 season is spent on the bench.
It appears Tebow can do no wrong to a group of writers, which reminds some of Brett Favre. Favre, who retired last year after 20 years as a player, still gets brought up in stories for a possible return this year.
While Favre won one Super Bowl and set several records as a player, he also left the game with the most fumbles, times sacked, and interceptions thrown in an era of football where the NFL constantly bent the rule in a quarterbacks favor to ensure success.
Tebow hasn't thrown a teammate under the bus yet for holding out while being the highest paid player in team history like Favre did. Nor are there any reports of purported sexual harassment either.
Yet there are similarities that extend beyond the fact both men play quarterback. Favre also lived under the media microscope and was trumpeted as the greatest player ever innumerous times.
Favre could do no wrong himself, even if reports of wrong doing were running rampant. He was given a pass at every turn and ESPN dropped his name seemingly every ten minutes on all broadcasts for many years.
With him now away from the game, the mantle has been filled by the kid who has had a media shadow since he was 17-years old. Tebow handles the things well, but has also lamented the constant process of being interviewed repeatedly and practically daily.
He will be only 24-years old soon, but the target is set firmly on his back. Opponents have stated they will try to hit Tebow with all of their abilities. That pressure alone would buckle most, let alone the constant attention he receives from a large group of reporters following him.
While appearing bashful at being given the throne Favre reigned for so many years, Tebow appears to understand the perks that go with it. Whether all of this hype gets him on the field with a successful career remains to be seen, but the media will make sure we witness every second of it.
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John Clay, known as "Gumby" to his teammates, went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2008 as one of the most heavily recruited running backs in the country.
He became just the third Badger ever to be named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in 2009.
He decided to forgo his senior year to enter the 2011 NFL draft after missing three games in his junior year with a MCL sprain. Despite the lost games, Clay was named one of three finalists for the Doak Walker Award.
Clay ran for over 3,400 yards and scored 41 times in his three seasons. In college, he measured at 6'1", 255 lbs. and drew comparisons to ex-Badger Ron Dayne, the 1999 Heisman Trophy winner who still holds the NCAA record for most rushing yards in a career.
Though Clay carried the ball 342 times in his freshman and junior years combined, he did lug the ball 277 times as a sophomore. That is more attempts than Dayne had in two years with Wisconsin, where he ended up toting the ball an amazing 1,115 times in four years.
Though Dayne was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2000 draft, some critics fear all the tread on his tires were worn off at Wisconsin. In his four seasons as a Jint, Dayne never started more than seven games, and his rookie season on 770 yards on 228 carries was his best season with them.
Dayne joined the Denver Broncos in 2005 but was rarely used. He joined the Houston Texans the next two years, where he had arguably some of the finest years of his career. After gaining a career-best 773 yards in 2007, he was out of the league.
Clay was built a lot like Dayne (5'10", 250) in college, and both players are big running backs known for being nimble on their feet. While Dayne was not exactly a speed merchant, Clay ran a disappointing 4.84 40-yard dash at the combine despite recently shedding 25 pounds.
With his slow time, Clay's draft prospects have dropped immensely. Before he hurt his MCL at Wisconsin, there were rumblings that Clay might get tabbed in the second round. Those murmurs, as well as the fact he was being asked to carry the ball too many times in the Badgers' run-oriented attack, might have helped propel him to turn pro.
There is a good chance no one drafts Clay this year. There are big backs like Mikel Leshoure, Daniel Thomas, Jamie Harper and Stevan Ridley gaining more interest from NFL teams right now.
Then there is the history of Badgers running backs in the NFL.
Wisconsin has sent 37 running backs to the NFL. Just four have gone to the Pro Bowl, and just one ran for over 1,000 yards in a single season. Three were fullbacks, led by Alan "The Horse" Ameche. Ameche was the 1955 Heisman winner and 1958 NFL Rookie of the Year.
Ameche ran for 961 yards as a rookie, which would stay a record for rookie runners until Cadillac Williams broke it in 2005. Ameche is also known as the man who scored the winning touchdown in "The Greatest Game Ever Played."
Pat Harder and Ed Jankowski were the other Badger fullbacks to go to the Pro Bowl, but Michael Bennett is the only halfback. Bennett gained 1,296 yards in 2002, the only full season of his injury-filled career.
Hall of Famers and Green Bay Packers legends Curly Lambeau and Arnie Herber saw time at running back in the NFL, but Herber is mostly known for his work at quarterback, and Lambeau is best known as the legendary coach the Packers named their home field after.
Clay will be battling history, concerns about his speed and maybe even his 619 rushing attempts over three college seasons as he looks for a job with an NFL team. Despite being strictly a power back only suited for running between the tackles, he does have certain skills that translate at the next level.
He won't change directions quickly or offer a lot on special teams or in the passing game, and he has had ankle issues. Clay's 29" vertical was the worst amongst running backs at the combine, and scouts feel he is stiff in the hips and has questionable vision.
Scouts want him back up to his collegiate weight despite his running a 4.7 at Wisconsin's pro day. He has a tremendous stiff arm and really packs a wallop upon impact. He is also a patient runner, using his nimble feet to wait for the hole to open before he runs through it.
Clay has said his reason for early entry is because he knows running backs can have short careers. He does not want to be a fullback, preferring to be an every-down type. If he improves his pass blocking and catching, as well as puts to rest concerns over his ankles and ball security abilities, Clay could add an intriguing dimension to a depth chart.
You can't teach size, something Clay has plenty of in supply. If he packs on more weight again, some think he could be a Pete Johnson type. Johnson was a 1,000-yard back for the Cincinnati Bengals and scored 12 or more touchdowns in three of his seven seasons. He stood 6'0" and weighed 252 pounds, so the comparison could be fair.
If Clay has half the career Johnson did, he will be a steal for anyone who drafts him or signs him as a free agent. It would be a career that most former Badgers running backs would be envious of.
OK, as most of you know...I RARELY do this...but I feel this is a very important public service message :
IF you like Vanilla Ice Cream = you MUST WATCH THIS :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J_uSMGvrwg
(I don't know how to get a youtube video to show, gave up after 5 attempts)
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Right off the bat, the Heisman Trophy is a disgusting lie. It claims to be an award given to the most outstanding player in collegiate football, yet rarely gives the award to the most outstanding player.
The Heisman Trophy actually goes to the most outstanding quarterback / running back / wide receiver in collegiate football who touches the football, because there have been many years that dominant defensive players have been ignored in favor of guys who touch the ball. Mostly quarterbacks.
Though the Davey O'Brien Award is supposed to go to the most outstanding collegiate quarterback, the Doak Walker Award goes to the best collegiate running back, and the Fred Belitnikoff Award goes to the best collegiate wide receiver, the Heisman has now become all three of those awards rolled up into one.
The Maxwell Award can also be accused of falling into the love-fest trap. While several defensive players once won their award, one that claims to go to the best football player in the United States, Hugh Green was the last defensive player to win it in 1980.
While the 2010 awards only dispute comes down to the honesty of their front runner, a quarterback of course, there have been many seasons in the past inferior players were given this trophy instead of the most outstanding player in collegiate football.
Here is a look back at the Heisman Trophy Award's disrespect to college football and the players who participated in it.
2009 : Ndamukong Suh
The Heisman Trophy officially became a piece of sell-out garbage when Alabama running back Mark Ingram Jr. was selected over Suh. Not only was Suh far and away the best player in college football, but Ingram wasn't even the best player on his own team.
Though it was the closest vote in the 75-year history of the Heisman, every person who selected Ingram over Suh should never be allowed to vote again. It is clear they know nothing about the game of football and only watch the guys running around with the ball in their hands.
2002 : Terrell Suggs
In his junior year, Suggs went crazy on the football field. He had a NCAA record 22 sacks and set a Pacific-10 Conference record with 29.5 tackles for losses.
"Terrell Suggs is the most dominant player I have seen on film this year," said Oregon coach Mike Belotti.
"Terrell Suggs was unstoppable," said Washington coach Rick Neuheisel.
Yet the Heisman voters HAD to give it to a quarterback, so they chose Carson Palmer of USC.
Never mind the fact PAC-10 coaches, the conference Palmer also played in, all said Suggs was the best player in the conference. The Heisman voters decided Palmer was the best in all of college football.
1980 : Hugh Green
Green was so great in college football, one could say he deserved the Heisman all four of his years with Pittsburgh University. His teams lost just eight times over that time.
1980 was perhaps his finest. Not only was his team on top of the polls much of the year, he was so great that his school retired his uniform at halftime of his final home game. He won the Walter Camp Award, the Maxwell Award, the Lombardi Award and was the Sporting News Player of the Year, the UPI Player of the Year Award, but finished second in the Heisman to halfback George Rogers and over 1,700 rushing yards.
Green had 277 tackles in his 48 career games, 52 for loss of yardage, 24 forced fumbles, 53 sacks, and 76 hurries. His senior year saw him get 17 sacks, force seven fumbles, and recover four fumbles.
Though it is hard to hate the selection of Rogers that year, it was clear to all Green deserved the award most. He finished second in the vote, which was the best a defensive specialist had ever attained until Charles Woodson won the award in 1997. Woodson was used as a wide receiver and punt returner often that year, which helped his cause greatly in the offensive-minded Heisman voters eyes.
USC coaching legend John McKay said Green was the most productive player at his position he had ever seen in college football.
1972 : Brad Van Pelt
Van Pelt is not a sexy pick here, but it is clear Johnny Rogers won the Heisman that year yet deserved it more the season before.
The reason Rogers did not win it in 1971 is because he got convicted of robbing a gas station, so the Heisman voters gave the award to an average quarterback named Pat Sullivan. Rogers had a great 1972 season, but it was not nearly as great as the one he played the year before.
Brad Van Pelt became the second linebacker to win the Maxwell Award that year. Maybe he isn't the right pick for the Heisman that year, but he is easily as worthy as Rogers as far as being the most outstanding collegiate player in 1972.
1969 : Mike Reid
Steve Owens, a running back at Oklahoma, won the award that year after a great career. Reid, however, had a great year in 1969.
He won the Maxwell and Outland Awards that year, but only finished fifth in the Heisman voting.
Just another example of a football player being ignored in favor of a guy who touches the ball.
1966 : Alan Page
Another example of a defensive lineman getting no love or respect. This was also seen by the Maxwell Award going to Page's teammate, linebacker Jim Lynch.
Page, maybe the greatest defensive lineman in Notre Dame history, was utterly dominant that year. He did not get the recognition he deserved for several reason, the most obvious one is because he toiled as a defensive tackle. Even so, his play sparked the Fighting Irish to their first national title in 17 years in 1966.
Of course the Heisman went to a quarterback. Steve Spurrier had a nice season, but he probably won the award by waving off his teams place kicker before booting the 40-yard kick himself.
1965 : Tommy Nobis
Maybe the biggest snub in Heisman history.
Nobis, who averaged over an amazing 20 tackles a game in his entire career, won the Maxwell, Knute Rockne, and Outland Awards in 1965. He was a two-way player his entire career who was also an outstanding offensive guard for the Longhorns of Texas University. Texas would often run behind him when they needed a touchdown.
Nobis was more than a Texas Legend who graced the covers of several major publications his senior year, he made one of the most famous tackles in the history of college football. While ahead 21-17 over top-ranked Alabama in the Orange Bowl, the Crimson Tide had the ball fourth and inches late in the fourth quarter. Future Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath tried to run for the first down, but was halted by Nobis as Texas prevailed.
The Heisman voters somehow had Nobis finish seventh in their voting, showing once again their knowledge and intelligence. They chose USC halfback Mike Garrett, who won it with a paltry 926 votes. Only two winners, Billy Sims and Eric Crouch, have won the award with less votes than Garrett since.
Nobis disrespect didn't stop with the Heisman voters. Despite a record setting NFL career, he has yet to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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The Heisman Trophy voting that will be unveiled Saturday evening in New York City is about more than who has been the most outstanding player in college football in 2010.
It could reveal something about human nature, and the climate surrounding college football, most notably swirling around Cam Newton and Auburn University.
Newton not only fits the criteria as the runaway Heisman winner, but as the most controversial player to set foot on any field.
How the scrutiny that cross-haired him about a month ago affects the voting could help define the current culture, and we can take comfort that Cecil Newton doesn’t have a vote for sale.
It’s Newton’s honor. He has earned it, as just about anyone with access to a television set in this part of the country already is aware. There undoubtedly are voters elsewhere, especially on the West Coast, who have seen more of Andrew Luck, Kellen Moore and LaMichael James and would like to stake varied claims, but theirs are vacant shares.
Luck, Moore and James merely will serve to divide the Far West vote, while Newton will dominate in the South, and most likely the Midwest, Southwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, sections of the country that presumably did have players don shoulder pads this season.
The only factor keeping this from being the largest landslide in Heisman history is the pay-for-play scandal. There is little need in recapping the statistics and particulars. Newton could put up an unprededented vote total — unless.
Unless there are those who feel that there is no way the 6-foot-6, 254-pound standout athlete could not know about his father’s scheme. There is more than some validity to that. One even could probe whether or not a young man staking that claim indeed belongs in a college classroom.
But this much in fairness to Newton: What shred of information is there at this point that links him to any wrongdoing? Reggie Bush’s unprecedented forfeiture of the 2005 Heisman is weighing heavily on the minds of some voters, and they are nervous about the 2010 statue being revoked in the future. Yet is that a compelling enough reason to bypass Newton?
It shouldn’t be. The evil sin wouldn’t be Newton handing back the trophy, but denying him in the first place if no further evidence surfaces to stain his eligibility. We’ve vacated a presidency in this country, after all. This is a football statue.
The previous landslide Heisman winners were Bush in 2005 (by percentage) and O.J. Simpson in 1968 (by vote disparity, the number of votes since changed). Hardly envious company.
But one more thought on the annual trophy, named by the way, for a man who once coached at Auburn.
“As long as Cam Newton is eligible to play, he gets my full consideration. And if the season were to end right now, he’d get my No. 1 vote. The Heisman Trust can take away a trophy, but as voters, we’re not in that business.”
Obviously a voter with a mighty allegiance to Southeasrtern Conference football. No? Try the recent comment of John Hunt, a Heisman voter from The Oregonian newspaper.
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