You are hereOne Heisman Point for Danario Alexander
One Heisman Point for Danario Alexander
I just sent in my ballot for the Heisman Trophy. And, as I do sometimes, I used my third choice of three as recognition for a player who has absolutely no chance of winning the Heisman.
This year that vote went to Danario Alexander, Missouri's senior wide receiver who in the last four games has finished with 200 or more yards receiving in three of them.
That means that - under the rules of Heisman voting - Alexander will receive one point.
My first choice, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, receives three points from me.
My second choice, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, receives two points from my ballot.
Until last Saturday, my third-place vote was going to running back Toby Gerhart of Stanford.
And Gerhart would still be worthy of my throw-away support. He ran for 205 yards, ran for three touchdowns and passed for another over the weekend.
Alexander receives my vote not because I cover Missouri football, but because people who rise from the ashes of three knee surgeries and have to wait around until their senior seasons to show the world what has been hidden inside deserve to be recognized.
It may be the only vote Danario Alexander receives for the Heisman Trophy.
And if so, I'll be darned proud to have been the person to cast that vote.
Alexander may not have been the best football player in college this season. But he was for sure the best receiver in college football this season.
And perhaps the best wide receiver I've ever seen in college football.
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Why would you not wait until the games this past weekend to cast your ballot? Seems to me they were the most important and niether QB looked worthy.
I previously explained the timing of my vote there. But I'll repeat. I don't feel championship games should by themselves win or lose support for a particular candidate. Not all candidates play in them. And I like the body of work rather than the what have you done for your team lately approach.
I believe voters are too easily swayed by the latter.
You don't make any sense. You say 'championship games should by themselves win or lose support for a particular candidate' but shouldn't championship games count for a players body of work also? You are missing the intent of the Heisman vote which is to award the most 'outstanding college football player in a particular year', so now you are just discounting part of a players year? It is people like you that discredit the voting on the Heisman. Tebow and a terrible performance under the pressure when it counted for his team the most and you don't count that against him? What about Mark Ingrams performance this year? He doesn't deserve consideration running against the defenses of the SEC, which most people consider to be the toughest conference in all of college football? He had over 200 all-purpose yards against the #1 rated defense in the country. I would imagine that you would have not cast the same ballot had you waited until all the games were over for this particular year. I also imagine that the Heisman committee will be restricting ballots in the future to avoid submitting them until every game is complete for that college year minus the bowl games. Fact is Tebow crumbled under the pressure in the biggest game of his career and his team lost as a result, that alone should be enough to remove him from contention. This is an annual award not a career award and should not include work done in previous years as I suspect you have done with Tebow. I'm sorry I have watched every Fla game this year and I haven't seen one game where Tebow was especially "outstanding". As for your 3rd pick, come on. Is this guy really the 3rd most outstanding player in college football?? By your own admission you say he isn't but yet you voted for him. I hope they revoke your right to vote for the award based of that alone.
Take a chill pill. Or, drop me a line next year to instruct me on how you would fill out the ballot. Who knows, I might be crazy enough to follow your advice.
I don't have a problem with you giving Alexander some love for his great season, I just wish you hadn't put Tebow first. I can't wait for him to be done playing college football so I don't have to hear about how much of a saint he is. I really hope to see Suh get invited to NY for the ceremony but I know that won't happen. Heisman voters don't respect defensive players.
Mike, this is sad, but apparently you don't really watch football. Gerheart ran for 205 yards over the weekend and single-handedly carried Stanford to a come-from-behind victory over Notre Dame, overcoming Stanford's weak defensive line. What game were you watching... 136 yards??? Also, he scored 3 rushing touchdowns including the game winning touchdown, and he threw for 1 touchdown. (talk about a multi-talented player)
Looks like they ought to take your votes away next year. I can't believe you sent your ballot in before even watching the coming weekend's football games. They changed the system to be online so people wouldn't do what you just did.
205 yards against a Notre Dame defense ranked 89th in the nation against the run is supposed to be a WOW game? I don't think so. Neither is his 200 against Washington (76th), 121 against Wash St. (121st), 113 against San Jose St. (119th), or his 82 in a loss to Wake Forest (81st). His only real WOW game was against Oregon (40th) when he put up 223. Other than that, his numbers are solid but not Heisman-worthy.
I have been following him much of the second half of the season and I referenced the Cal game rather than the Notre Dame game. Your point is well taken and I've changed the original post to reflect that. Also wanted to acknowledge here that you caught the mistake.
thanks for the correction. i actually like your thought process on voting now... i hadn't thought of it before but yeah it isn't necessarily fair if a week 13 game hurts a player's chances if others only have 12 games, similarly if it helps McCoy or others when Gerheart doesn't get that additional game to show off his prowess. that said, you still didn't vote for Gerheart and that makes me sad :)
I love the fact that you gave Alexander some love - but why at Toby's expense? If you're going to be giving a shout out to the underappreciated, doesn't Gerhart get that as well? Tebow and McCoy are going to win this thing anyway, for career achievements - not this year. Why contribute to that?
May as well reward the actual best performer of the year. Tebow and McCoy (barely) met (admittedly high) expectations on the year, and their teams would win 10-11 games without them. Take Gerhart off that Stanford team, and what do you have? 4 wins? 3? (ignore the SEC hype - he's faced statistically superior defenses than any of the other major contenders)
And I hate to say it, but if Gerhart was not a big white guy, and playing at USC instead of Stanford, he'd have this thing running away with those numbers, let alone the better numbers he'd have with a superior O line.
My order would be:
1. Gerhart
2. McCoy
3. DA
Honorable Mention: Freddie Whatever from BGSU, only because he's playing lesser talent-for the most part.
Aren't there still games to be played this weekend? What if McCoy throws for 400 against the vaunted Blackshirts? Would you have sent in your ballot if Mizzou was playing in the Big 12 title game?
You should wait until all regular season games are played. Darren Sproles got hosed in '03 because knuckleheads like you sent it your ballot before the season was over. Sporles wouldn't have won, but would have been in NYC
Why can't you admit that you put DA in third because HE does play for Mizzou? Just admit it. There is no shame in showing your homerism.
Also, Tebow has no business winning the award this year. Yes, he is a special player, but compare the stats with McCoy, and it is a no-brainer. How many times has Tebow ran for 175 yards in a game this year?
My top 3:
1) McCoy
2) Gerhart
3) Tebow
You have to vote now. Figure in those players that are not in a Con Championship conference, i.e. the Big Ten. If McCoy goes for 400 next week, it's not fair to another player that didn't play in a con champ game. Also, you could disregard the conf to conf basis on that and look at a player like DA that is on a team that didn't make the conf championship.
I don't believe extraneous conference championship games in and of themselves would change the body of work for a season.
And, you can insult me all you want, but I voted for Alexander because he deserves some recognition for one of the best seasons by a receiver in the history of the silly college game.
Odd. But do you only call people names on message boards or do you do so face to face as well?
Are you truly offended because I called you a knucklehead or homer? Yes, I would call you the same names in person.
Also, how do you defend your vote for Tebow over McCoy?
Thirdly, I would rank Alexander's performance as the second best ever in Big 12 history. In 2007, Jordy Nelson had 122 catches for 1,606 yards and 11 TD's. Plus, he threw for two TD's and returned two kicks for TD's. But, maybe that is just the homerism coming out in me.
Not totally. But I don't get the homerism bit at all. A homer would vote Alexander No. 1 on the Heisman ballot. Not third. As far as Jordy, more catches for fewer yards and fewer touchdowns is better?
As for Tebow over McCoy, I think people are tired of hearing about Tebow. But he's responsible for 30 touchdowns this season and 246 yards total offense per game. He plays in a tougher league in my opinion.
Not saying McCoy hasn't had a great year. He has.
But I'll confess to this. If I had to chose which quarterback to play on my team, I'd choose Tebow for any number of reasons, including leadership.
That's my vote and I'm sticking to it.
As your son posted on PM:
Gabbert accounted for 294 total yards per game, and I'm thinking roughly 25 TDs. Just food for thought.
Missouri is 8-4 and Florida is 12-0.Team record counts for something as well
That's why I padded the comment with "food for thought". Record has everything to do with it. Sadly, so does the position of the player. Charles Woodson proved it's POSSIBLE for a defensive player to win it, but that's so rare, you can't ever count on it happening again. That being said, Suh is the Heisman Trophy winner this year. I don't care what anyone else says, and I despise nebraska...