HEISMAN: Troy's Myth

If Troy Smith vomits all over the field against Michigan like Quinn did . . . go ahead and vote for Quinn.

But until then, the comparison is woefully incomplete.

 

the media hates notre dame? that's where you lost me. that's just funny.

as if notre dame doesn't have their own network

this is a transparent fanboard argument

 

I get his point, though. All season, I've wondered why Smith is getting this hype. In six games he's thrown for less than 200 yards. He had miserable games against Penn State (12-22-115, TD, 2 INT) and Illinois (13-23-108, INT) and yet he continued to lead the Heisman hype, largely by default when everyone else fell by the wayside.

That would lead me to look a little longer at guys like Ray Rice, Steve Slaton, Darren McFadden and Mike Hart, should he come up big this week at Ohio State, win or lose.

 

oh yeah... hell, when i've seen smith i haven't thought he's the best player on that team (i'd go with laurinaitis)

my vote is way up in the air. but quinn hurt himself when he shat the bed against the only good defense he's faced

and to think someone is going to have a whole lot of 300-yard passing games under darth sweatervest is pretty silly

 

I just don't see why Smith is such a big front runner. Is he a special player with excellent stats? Yes. So is Quinn.

If Smith tears Michigan up, fine. Then you are comparing apples to apples and his performance was much shinier. But if he has a performance similar to Quinn's, regardless of the outcome, I think you can definitely make an argument for either guy.

And I say this even though I hate Notre Dame and am indifferent to Ohio State.

 

how about for neither guy if he shits the bed?

 

I would be all for that.

 

I always think it's dangerous to assume numbers would be different. How do we know if Smith would be the same quarterback if forced to come from behind, when teams expect them to throw? We don't. Likewise, we haven't seen how Quinn would do with a top 5 defense shutting down opponents, leaving him to manage a game as opposed to making sure he's put up enough points to ensure the victory. Just take the quarterbacks as they are, nothing more.

As for Smith's running ability, he averages about 20 yards per game. Colt McCoy averages about 16. It's not like Smith (221 yards) is Pat White (867) when it comes to running it. His legs aren't a factor to me, other than it tells me that Smith and Quinn use different styles at quarterback.

 

Damn Oz, you beat me to it. I was typing pretty much the same point about assuming numbers as you did, but you got yours posted first. Nicely put.

 

I try.

 

Here's an idea, Oz:
Watch the man play. Watch him dance his way out of trouble and find Ginn for a 50-yard pass. Watch him scramble away from the rush then go on a Vick-style 45-yard run. The guy makes plays, not stats.

 

Please see Oz's post above. It isn't what he can do, or what he has done in previous years. It's what he has done and is doing THIS season.