1. I don’t want to get on a soapbox, but ….
It’s time to have a serious, sensible discussion about the Heisman Trophy.
one that doesn’t include the “wow” factor.
Apparently, the race for the greatest individual award in all of sports is now in the hands of Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson. How do I know this?
because ESPN tells us so, that’s why. like you need any other reason.
Shortly after Robinson and Michigan beat Notre Dame in one of the wildest games in years, one of the talking heads on the network proclaimed Robinson as the leader of the Heisman race. he later tweeted that Robinson is the leader because of the “wow” factor.
There’s a wow factor there, all right.
? Wow, Robinson can really throw that jump ball.
? Wow, Robinson made a lot of awful throws. he was 11-of-24 with three interceptions against ND, and had at least six throws that weren’t in the same county as his receivers—who, in case this matters, were running free in the Irish secondary all night.
? Wow, Michigan’s offense is Robinson drops, breaks containment and runs, or breaks containment and throws up a jump ball that—in most cases—is a risky proposition. Most cases not being the Notre Dame secondary.
? Wow, Notre Dame couldn’t have given away a game with more gusto.
For this, we are told that D-Rob—an utter joy to watch, mind you—is your Heisman leader. All of two weeks into the season.
“Wow” is what Robert Griffin III did to TCU in the season opener. “Wow” is what Cam Newton did to everyone last fall, especially his stiff-arming of the NCAA.
“Wow” is not standing in the huddle and calling “get open,” and throwing up a jump ball and hoping your man comes down with it. because that’s essentially what Robinson did against the Irish that delivered those “wow” moments that Junior Hemmingway and Roy Roundtree and Jeremy Gallon came down with.
nearly every time Michigan had a specific timing route that had to be thrown, Robinson missed badly. he had much better games last season that went largely unnoticed once Michigan began to tank.
But at that point, ESPN had moved onto another “wow” moment.
There’s a wow factor here, all right.
Gene Chizik and the Auburn Tigers are 2-0 after beating Mississippi State. (AP Photo)
2. Speaking of “Wow” factors
those folks at ESPN sure are slick. They jumped in bed with Texas to distribute the Longhorn Network, which has all but ended the Big 12 as we know it.
Now ESPN is “covering” specific, elite college teams and reporting on them 24/7. Among that group: Oklahoma.
Maybe it’s just me, but it’s probably not good for a reporter working for ESPN’s “Sooner Nation” to stand in front of a camera and interview a 17-year old after a high school football game with a microphone emblazoned with “ESPN.” If you’re 17, and someone sticks an ESPN Sooner Nation microphone in your face and asks if the Sooners have offered a scholarship, would that influence your decision?
better yet, after that long, exciting game, you go home to see yourself interviewed online and click on soonernation.com and get this: an Oklahoma fan and alumni (see: boosters) website.
Is all this an NCAA violation? You tell me. Does it give Oklahoma a recruiting advantage? I could probably corral about, I don’t know, 119 college coaches who think it does.
the reality is, it’s in ESPN’s best interest that Oklahoma continue as an elite team, which makes ESPN’s product (Big 12 games) more marketable to advertisers (see: money). It’s not that far of a reach, people.
Maybe Baylor president Ken Starr will one day figure out that this, too, is more than a land deal gone wrong.
3. Keeping the little guy down
First, it was the big bully SEC. Now it’s the NCAA desperately trying to show everyone it still has power—whether you like it or not.
In the middle of it all sits Boise State—beaten down once again.
at issue: the eligibility the Amsterdam Three—three Boise State players (two starters, one key reserve) whose eligibility is in question because all three played club football in Amsterdam. the timing, of course, is interesting considering all three have been at Boise State for at least two years.
And now the NCAA is interested.
They’re not interested enough to call and speak to a memorabilia hawk who allegedly paid former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor thousands of dollars for his signature. not interested enough to call Columbus, Ohio, car salesman Aaron Kniffin who let Pryor test drive cars for days—in one instance allowing Pryor to use his own personal car to drive to Pennsylvania.
But interested enough to see if some slappy in the Netherlands may have given these guys a sweaty handshake full of Euros. Imagine that.
one of the Boise State players—projected starting safety Cedric Febis—has been with Boise State since January 2007. so maybe by 2015 the NCAA will get around to interview Kniffin.
4. Stick to game analysis
Anyone else beginning to get annoyed by Urban Meyer?
he brings some nice Xs and Os to game day telecasts, but please ESPN, don’t ask Urb to be the moral compass and pontificate on programs dealing in controversy.
Dude had more than 30 players arrested in his six seasons at Florida. That’s a three followed by a zero.
And he’s concerned about Brian Kelly’s foul language?
5. This week’s sign that the acid trip offseason is still with us
In a matter of two weeks, SEC fans have gone from stating Boise State is overrated, to Georgia is awful (after the Broncos humiliated the Bulldogs), to maybe Boise State could win the SEC East Division (after Georgia coughed up a victory over no. 12 South Carolina), to there’s no way in hell Boise State could beat Alabama or LSU.
Don’t worry, good folks of the south. You’ve still got your “they can’t go through our weekly SEC schedule” argument in your holster. Use it judiciously.
6. Coaching 101
If by some strange chance you were still awake long into the Friday night/Saturday morning magic that was Missouri vs. Arizona State, you had the chance to witness true coaching genius.
there, with 12 seconds remaining in regulation, Mizzou coach Gary Pinkel froze his own kicker with consecutive timeouts. seriously, he did.
Pinkel’s rationale for this epic move? he wanted to get Arizona State linebacker—and noted Wildman—Vontaze Burfict to jump offsides. Seems as though the 48-yard field goal was just out of Tigers kicker Grant Ressel’s range, and another five yards would’ve helped.
Ressel was only a Groza Award semifinalist last year; only a preseason All-American this fall; only had made 47-of-51 previous kicks, including a 47-yarder in the third quarter of the ASU game.
Of course Ressel missed. Of course Missouri lost in overtime.
Of course the consecutive timeouts didn’t affect Ressel’s confidence or Missouri’s mental makeup in overtime.
7. First the onside kick, then the goal line stand
I don’t really care what Auburn does this week at Clemson to get to 10-0 under coach Gene Chizik in games decided by eight points or less.
as long as it keeps agitating Alabama fans. And you better believe it does.
8. the excuse maker
as bad as it looked outside a solemn Notre Dame locker room Saturday night, it just got worse when Irish coach Brian Kelly decided on Monday to find an excuse for the Irish’s 0-2 start this season.
“Again, as you see the schedule, Ohio State is playing Toledo,” Kelly said. “I mean teams are playing easy games early on in the schedule. We don’t get that luxury.”
there are a couple of things going on here. First, Kelly still doesn’t like Ohio State from his days as coach at Cincinnati and Ohio State refusing to play the Bearcats. Bonus points for that dig, B.K.
second, panic has set in when it really shouldn’t.
Yes, Notre Dame has lost two games. But it’s surely not because of the two heavyweights they played. USF? Nice team; top 40. Michigan? Ditto.
In fact, I’d probably take Toledo against Michigan on a neutral field. Even with mr. Wow.
9. It’s the quarterback not the coach
I hate to be the guy who brings up the obvious everyone would rather conveniently ignore, but at what point are we going to stop talking about Joe Paterno coaching from the sidelines or the press box—and start talking about Penn State’s inability to recruit and develop a quarterback?
Anyone else think it’s odd that a major BCS power, a team with the history, tradition and cash of Pennsylvania State University, has a co-starting quarterback who wouldn’t play at a majority of FCS schools? Or another co-starter who looks utterly lost?
I’m not a coach and never claimed to be. But if my quarterback (Matt McGloin) throws five interceptions in a bowl loss to a team that is completely in the tank (Florida), I’m probably looking for another quarterback while I’m recruiting. And I’m probably not replacing him—or sharing the job—with a guy who threatened to leave the team all summer and eventually came back.
oh yeah, this is going to work.
Maybe losing at Temple this week will shake things up a bit. Maybe then the discussion won’t be JoePa’s injured leg—but the wounded gait of the program.
10. the fire of a thousands suns
And you thought Maryland’s unis made your eyes bleed. Check out Tennessee coach Derek Dooley’s duds.
