No True Defensive Heisman Ever: Manti Te'o's Chances

Manti Te'o: The Appropriate Heisman Choice
By: Jason T. Davis


    It seems like every year at this time we're all standing around having the same old discussion. Who is going to win the Heisman? We always know the leader(s), and we know the sleeper(s). We can, for the most part, recognize the guy who is simply honored to be invited, and the guy(s) who can actually take that trophy home. This year though, remains very different from the rest. There's no Clear Cut choice. There's no Clear Cut choices. None. There's a freshman, a defensive player, a pretty good WR on a poor under-achieving team, and an under-achieving QB. No one has separated themselves from the pack, and people like Geno Smith and Colin Klein in my opinion, have put themselves outside the discussion. So that leaves us pretty much with 2. There's the freshman who has now broke Tebow and Newton's yardage records(Both years they won the Heisman), and then there's the best linebacker in the country on an undefeated Irish team. No freshman has ever won the award, and now Texas A&M's Johnny "football" Manziel is in line to possibly be the first. Manziel has 3419 passing yards, 24 TDs, 8 Ints, a completion percentage of 68.3%, and 19 Rush TDs. Ridiculous numbers for a "true" freshman. Meaning he red-shirted last year and was still on a college team. He simply couldn't play, and that saved 4 years of possible eligibility. I doubt he'll need all that though considering the way he's playing. One very renown college football scout once said this about Johnny, "he's the best prep player I've ever seen in all my decades of doing this." It is an incredible year indeed for the kid from Kerrville, Texas who had originally committed to Oregon before changing his mind to Texas A&M in order to be closer to home. His Aggies even won some big games including their upset of undefeated Alabama a few weeks back. Johnny definitely has Heisman numbers. They're better than Bradford, Cam and Tebow's. They not only all won the award, but were pretty much hands-down the favorites those years. It would seem based on the numbers and history, that Johnny Football will become the first freshman Heisman Winner Ever. I not only can see it, I wouldn't be angry about it. How can you be? Look at the kid. However, I am in firm opinion that he should NOT win the award this season. The winner of the Heisman trophy should be LB Manti Te'o. There are many reasons T'eo should win this award over Manziel, and none of them are because Manziel has more chances to win it.
    Manti T'eo has left a standing legacy at Notre Dame, but this isn't about his ever-lasting career. We don't have to talk about how he decided to pass on the NFL draft and come back for his Senior season. We won't address his career numbers at all because this award is simply about a season. We don't even have to get into the young man's character and charity work because it doesn't play here. To put it bluntly, it's about the Most Outstanding Player in a College Football Season. It's about the field. We've all seen him lead the Irish to an undefeated season and championship game berth, get the cover of Sports Illustrated, and even play and win a game just days after losing his Grandma in a car crash and his Girlfriend to her long-standing battle with leukemia. His character and leadership are unmatched and unquestioned, and he will more than likely be a multiple Pro Bowler. But I reiterate, his intangibles aren't under the microscope. His Senior season is. His season, a Heisman-worthy season, has been nothing short of remarkable. He's registered 103 tackles in the regular season, 1.5 sacks, and 7 Ints. His 7 interceptions are the most for a FBS linebacker since 2001. That's over a decade at a position that churns out NFL talent more than maybe any other, and also faces mostly Average College Quarterbacks for 3-4 years. Keeping it all in perspective, 7 interceptions is outstanding. He also leads a defense that is 2nd in the nation in scoring defense(10.33 pts per game). Point being, just because someone's numbers match a previous winner's, that doesn't mean the person should automatically win the award. Te'o has proven he is a power and a force on the field and one of the best football players in the country. If the award is everything the public believes it to be, then there's no reason why Manti can't win. Not just finish a finalist, but win. The only issue is whether the voters will see it that way or be allured by the freshman's gaudy numbers.
    The meaning of the award is what should lead us to choose a winner, and the ridiculous part about it especially if the only other "true" candidate is a freshman. The Heisman trophy, by definition, is awarded to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman (former Brown University and University of Pennsylvania player; head football coach at Auburn University, Clemson University, Rice University, and the University of Pennsylvania; and football, basketball, and baseball head coach and athletic director at Georgia Tech). It is the oldest of several overall awards such as the AP Player of the Year, the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp award. The AP and the Heisman recognize the Most outstanding while the Maxwell and Walter Camp award recognize the Best Player. The award is for the Most Outstanding Player, not the Best Offensive Player! Nowhere does it read that it should and will be given to an offensive player. Let me make you ponder for a moment. The last 2 Defensive Heisman Winners: 1. Charles Woodson-In 1997. However, he was a corner back AND a punt returner. 2. Ernie Davis. In 1961. However, he played linebacker, fullback, AND halfback. 3. Before that it was ND's own Leon Hart in 1949. He played tight end AND defensive end. Basically what I'm saying is that no TRUE Defensive Player has EVER won the award! That's a travesty and remains unacceptable to most college football fans. I sincerely doubt Te'o is the first defensive player to deserve this award, but he now has a prime opportunity to win. This is the year it should all change and I'll hope it does. There's no Tebow leading his SEC team to a title. There's no Cam leading his undefeated Auburn to a national championship. Te'o has done enough to win the award this year. If Manziel was at least a Sophomore and was leading his undefeated team to the National Championship game...I'd say vote for him. This year however, belongs to Manti.

-Jason T. Davis @WisdomOfSports