Quick Hits

By Heismanpundit on October 20, 2006 in Uncategorized

Some random thoughts going into the weekend…

Wisconsin Coach Bret Bielema thinks that Badger left tackle Joe Thomas should be a Heisman candidate.

Of course, the idea of a lineman–or any other non-skill player–winning the Heisman is absurd. But to me this brings to light a whole other issue.

Bielema says Thomas is the best left tackle in the country. And he may well be. In fact, he is likely to be the first offensive lineman taken in the next NFL draft.

Despite his knee injury in last year’s bowl, Joe Thomas will be a high draft pick next spring

But there are 595 starting offensive linemen in Division One football. Does Bielema–or anyone–really know who is playing the best right out of that group right now?

There are 119 starting quarterbacks and 119 starting running backs. There are 238 starting wide receivers. These positions produce stats that make it easier for us to sort out who is performing the best.

Not only are there more offensive linemen than any other position, most people have no idea exactly what the big uglies are supposed to be doing on a given play. We see a quarterback completing a pass, or a running back bursting to daylight and we know that a play was successfully executed.

Most people who watch football follow the ball. They are not checking to see if the left guard got his shoulder inside the right hip of the nose guard in time for the play to work.

Nonetheless, each year All-American teams are produced that ostensibly choose the best offensive linemen in the land. Just recently, the Lombardi Award released its 12 finalists. Included in that group was Thomas, along with Justin Blalock of Texas and Dan Mozes of West Virginia.

Is it a coincidence that these same names were near the top of most of the lists in the preseason magazines? In other words, they are supposed to be good, so they get the glory.

Houston Nutt says that Darren McFadden is also a Heisman candidate. Apparently, the Hogs are going to do some kind of promotion for the sophomore running back.

Now, honestly, McFadden probably has very little shot at cracking the top 10 this season, unless he goes on a tear to close out the schedule. So this campaign is pretty much pointless…for 2006. Where it will make an impact is on the 2007 race, which has already begun.

When you play for a school like Arkansas, you need all the support you can get. Generating publicity for a guy like McFadden takes a long time. Starting it up now is a smart idea. By next year, some Heisman voters might actually have a clue who he is.

Get this man ready for ’07, pronto!

Just a thought: If Brady Quinn is going to make a late-season push for the Heisman, this game Saturday against UCLA is pretty important. While the Bruins aren’t exactly a national power, the matchup is a bit odd (since the two haven’t played since 1964) and should draw a fair amount of interest around the college football world. I’m sure some people will tune in just because they liked watching the two schools play during the heyday of their basketball rivalry. Whatever the case, it’s another chance for Quinn to impress West Coast media.

Quinn needs to have a big day against the Bruins

Another thought: It’s possible that Troy Smith could be the first quarterback in a long, long time to not have a 300-yard passing game during his Heisman-winning season (I know, Erich Crouch didn’t, but he was primarily a running quarterback). The last quarterback not to do so was Pat Sullivan in 1971. Maybe Smith will get his first against Indiana this week.

Smith is a little low on the passing yards right now

The 2007 Heisman list is shaping up. Here’s the pool of legitimate candidates from what I can tell at this point. There are a couple strong contenders, but no sure-fire front runners just yet. It could be a wide-open race:

Steve Slaton, West Virginia
Michael Hart, Michigan
Chad Henne, Michigan
JD Booty, USC
DeSean Jackson, Cal
Jamaal Charles, Texas
Sam Keller, Nebraska
Darren McFadden, Arkansas
Erik Ainge, Tennessee
Jonathan Stewart, Oregon
Brian Brohm, Louisville

I think that Steve Slaton is the likely preseason favorite. But the two candidates that intrigue me the most are DeSean Jackson and Sam Keller. I can see Jackson making a Desmond Howard-like run for the Heisman (he’s that good), while Keller has suddenly re-emerged at a school that actually has some Heisman tradition, giving his chances for the trophy an extra boost.

Could he be the next Desmond?

About Heismanpundit

Chris Huston, A.K.A. ‘The Heisman Pundit‘, is a Heisman voter and the creator and publisher of Heismanpundit.com, a site dedicated to analysis of the Heisman Trophy and college football. Dubbed “the foremost authority on the Heisman” by Sports Illustrated, HP is regularly quoted or cited during football season in newspapers across the country. He is also a regular contributor on sports talk radio and television.