Allen Barra of the NY Sun has written one hell of a piece supporting Brady Quinn as the only logical choice for the Heisman Trophy. And, as we all know, such a logical explanation will surely burn in the flames of hell while the voters for the actual trophy confuse what the award is actually supposed to represent anyway. That’s fine. As I’ve stated numerous times, I don’t want Quinn to win the Heisman. It’s bad for a pro career. He’ll just have to console himself with a pile of cash this spring.
Anyway, some great stuff in here:
Awards in sports are getting dumber and dumber. The more statistics, and hence, the more opportunity for intelligent analysis, the denser some voters become. And the Heisman Trophy has, over the last 20-odd years, become the bastion of the densest.
[…]
Of course, there isn’t a real way of assessing the best player in the nation, and, since in today’s game only running backs and quarterbacks get serious consideration, there is no way to pinpoint exactly where statistics stop reflecting individual talent and start reflecting team strength. That doesn’t mean, though, that common sense analysis of the available data should be thrown out the window.
[…]
The uncritical acceptance by so many writers and commentators of Troy Smith’s Heisman worthiness reflects an attitude that has become popular in college football over the last couple of decades, namely that “the best player on the best team” — or at least the player on the best team with the gaudiest stats — is automatically the best player in the nation. This has resulted in some relatively undistinguished quarterbacks winning the Heisman, most notably Charlie Ward in ’93, Florida’s Danny Wuerffel in 1996, Florida State’s Chris Wenke in 2000, and Oklahoma’s Jason White in 2003. All of them played for teams that were ranked at or near the top at the time they won the award.
A careful look at the record convinces me that Troy Smith is destined to join their number. But whatever happens to Smith in the NFL, Brady Quinn put up numbers this year that were at least the equal of Troy Smith’s, and he did it against tougher opposition and with far less help from his teammates. By any objective yardstick, he deserves the nod over Troy Smith as the outstanding college football player of the 2006 season.
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This is the best article about the Heisman race I’ve read. In fact, it’s the only one I’ve read that makes any sense, and it’s what I’ve been saying all along.
The best part: “Quinn doesn’t play defense” and yet he’s been penalized for losing 2 games where he threw for over 500 yards and 6 TD’s! Madness.
Really, read this. Especially if you’re a Smith Fan (unlikely given the name of this site, but whatever).
http://www.nysun.com/article/44698
It’s true. BQ distinguished himself this year, and it’s too bad he didn’t play linebacker or defensive tackle as well.
[Devil’s Advocate]Don’t you think, Q, that part of the reason winning the Heisman doesn’t necessarily translate to NFL success is directly related to Allen’s point? It is often not the best player in the land who receives the award. Therefore, Brady winning the Heisman wouldn’t necessarily mean that he wouldn’t have a long and successful NFL career.[/Devil’s Advocate]
Bad Kermit, no. I think the Heisman has a curse, and so winning it would spell doom for Brady.
It’s all very logical.
Well, Heisman or not, Brady Quinn is likely destined to play for Oakland or Detroit. I would argue he’s already cursed.
I’m still betting that Green Bay trades up for him.
So either he plays for Oakland or Detroit, or tries to replace Favre in Green Bay, who must be like a god to those people, nevermind how he would be treatd by the national media who love them some Favre. Do you see a winning scenario there?
Yes. He’ll throw way fewer ints than Favre. He’ll be a hero to those people. Trust me. They’re ready for him to step down. He’s worn out the welcome.