There are so many things, as people, we do just because that is the way it has always been. We eat Turkey on Thanksgiving, when we buy shoes – the first choice is usually Nike. When we want a double cheeseburger we go to McDonalds. When you attend a wedding you always have black tuxedos and a white wedding dress. When we walk into a bar and ask for a mixed drink is there anyone out there that doesn’t ask for coke? What I’m trying to say is, just because that’s the way it has been doesn’t mean that is the way it has to be.
First off I hate the Huskers more than anyone you know. Always had it out for the Tom Osborne and Eric Crouch lovers of the world and I will continue that hatred as long as I live. So keep that in mind when reading this article. I think I truly sent out about 200 texts the very second I saw ISU beat Nebraska, and were talking people who I’m not even sure they still had my number. As long as they were Nebraska or State fans they were going to hear my enjoyment.
The last time a college football player won the Heisman Trophy as a defensive player was in 1997. Michigan’s Charles Woodson took home the top prize, although he did also return punts and occasionally play on offense for the Wolverines too.
This year there was no front-runner, nobody that made one great play or had that game-winning drive, or any eye-popping statistics to say that one stands out. So wouldn’t this be the perfect year to give it to that defensive stalwart who disrupts every Offensive Coordinators’ gameplan week in and week out?
Ndamukong Suh has become a beast for NCAA Football this year. Some say he is the best ever at his position. And, as a defensive tackle. He may not touch the ball, he may not score touchdowns, but he sure does make a difference in every college football game he has played in. Chances are we see him as the number one pick in the draft next April. Doesn’t that show that he is the best player? So what if he doesn’t have the statistics like the quarterbacks and running backs receive.
Colt McCoy is getting the sympathy vote this year. He won’t win it based off of his statistics THIS year, he will win it based of a culmination of FOUR good years. The fact that he wasn’t as good as Sam Bradford last year and because he is the quarterback on the team that is in the BCS Championship game is why he is the front runner. He sits atop the list only because the Heisman committee feels there is no one else they could give it to. It’s really like most political elections – voters say they don’t think either candidate is qualified, but it seems majority always seems to rule, and whatever sounds good to the public is the way it will be.
Mark Ingram broke onto the Heisman scene faster than you could see Hawk fans grab the phones and cancel their travel plans to Glendale, AZ. He wasn’t even on the radar before the season started, just like Houston’s Chase Keenum or Stanford’s Toby Gerhart. What makes him so special? He isn’t even one of the best players on Alabama’s team. They win their game on Defense and Coaching alone. He just happens to be the running back who gets to score touchdowns, and now is in the Championship game.
So we have two players who will grace us with their presence in the BCS Title Game, another who holds records out in the West Coast (Gerhart) and If God Were To Ever Have Another Son Tim Tebow. If Florida had beaten Bama in the SEC Championship Game then Tebow could very well be at the top of the list now. It’s amazing how one game can decide a person’s fate for the Heisman. But it truly did.
Now back to Suh. Teams come in each week knowing he will disrupt your running game, your passing game, even block your field goals. The guy had 4.5 sacks against Texas (the same team in the Championship Game) on National TV and almost single handedly won that game for them. Which brings another theory to mind – what if Nebraska had won? Knock McCoy off the list and put in Suh? Florida wins and put Tebow at the top of the list? So is it more about being on the team that wins all the games or does the Heisman Truly go to the best player in college football?
Sure there a lot of what-ifs, but you shouldn’t base such a prestigious award off what your entire team achieves. Football is truly a team sport, and it takes all 11 players on the field to execute. That or just spend about $4 Mil on a new coach. The Heisman goes to the best player in college football.
The best measure for the Heisman is this – take any of these players off their team and see how many games their team wins without them. I can bet you Bama wins 10 games minimum, even with a true freshman running back. Texas probably wins 10, maybe 11, depending on which High School All-American Quarterback they throw in the fire. Florida and Nebraska are the two programs who are led by Tebow and Suh, and would probably be affected the most. Take Suh out and I bet you the Huskers would have won two, if not three less games this season.
In 1996 Danny Wuerffel and Troy Davis were the front-runners for the Heisman race. Florida had the better team, Davis the impressive statistics. Who went number one in the draft that year? Orlando Pace, who even to this day is on All-Century teams as the starting left tackle. Is that Suh thirteen years down the road?
So next time you order a drink, ask for Dr. Pepper instead of Coke. Maybe step outside the box and realize that there is something better out there for you. On that note, I whole-heartedly announce my endorsement for Ndamukong Suh as the 2009 Heisman Trophy Winner.
Maybe Nebraska should have spent more money on a Suh poster in Times Square, NY and not so much on tobacco, mullets and feeding corn.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
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