Heisman Trophy 2011 — Robert Griffin III your winner

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

RG3. The guy throws an insane deep ball. He was, what, five games into the season before he had as many INCOMPLETIONS as he has had TOUCHDOWNS?

I didn't watch his every snap this year, but what I saw was jawdropping. 50 seconds into the highlight package attached to this ESPN story (http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=312742306) is one of the sickest throws and catches I've ever seen. 4th and 5 at K-State, and I'd have sworn he threw this out of the end zone. The receiver makes an incredible play on an incredible pass and it goes for a spectacular touchdown. He did crap like that every game, often enough to not be luck. He should win.

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

Bruce Feldman just said on Finebaum he went:

1. Griffin
2. Mathieu
3. Luck

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

IMO, Robert Griffin won the Heisman with his last throw against Oklahoma. IIRC, he threw it off his back foot against pressure and it was a rope straight to the open receiver in the end zone. Most jaw-dropping thing I saw all year.

And there is something to the notion that without him Baylor is maybe a .500 team, if that. All due respect to Luck, but Griffin's going to win this.

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

This may be totally silly. I don't know.

But why do I get the feeling that you could take, say, Cyrus Gray or Temple's Bernard Pierce, and put him behind the line that EITHER Richardson or Ball had, and he would have registered similar numbers?

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

Probably because Alabama played with a makeshift line playing a RG at LT and an injured RG and a soph RT

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

Fair enough. I only saw them twice.

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

The receiver is Kendall Wright, and he is absolutely sick. Griffin to Wright is what made Baylor good this year. Take Wright or Griffin away and Baylor struggles to get to .500, take em both away and Kansas isn't in last place in the Big 12.
Griffin gets the majority of his yard on short passes that his receivers can turn into big plays, but when he's called on to throw the deep pass, it's a thing of beauty. Usually deadly accurate and it looks like it's just floating along. Pretty impressive for a guy out of high school people thought could run but would struggle passing.

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

I think this is a misconception regarding Alabama but perhaps accurate regarding Wisconsin. To use the numbers I posed on Page 2 of this thread:

Alabama's rushing numbers from 2011: 473 carries, 2,638 yards, 5.6 yards a carry, 33 touchdowns
Alabama's rushing numbers from 2010: 467 carries, 2,378 yards, 5.1 yards a carry, 30 touchdowns
Alabama's rushing numbers from 2009: 601 carries, 3,011 yards, 5.0 yards a carry, 31 touchdowns

It's pretty hard to argue the Alabama line, which suffered a few injuries and lost a first-round pick (James Carpenter) at left tackle, actually improved this year.

Wisconsin's run production this year was virtually identical to last year's numbers, when Ball only emerged as the top runner for the last few games after injuries to John Clay and James White.

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

Good stuff on that chart -- thanks for sharing it here, shotty. (I "cain't read" Grantland for long )

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

Excellent first step in that chart. Just excellent.

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

Stiffarmtrophy's Friday morning update -- 213 ballots: 133 first-place for Griffin, 41 for Luck, 22 for Richardson.

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

This is one of the few years where I feel like I don't have a very good grasp on who will win.

I would be very happy to see Griffin win it.