Eric the Red Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Ringo: NU`s Suh deserves Heisman Ringo: NU`s Suh deserves Heisman Kyle RingoCamera Sports Writer Posted: 12/08/2009 12:05:51 AM MST It took me awhile to come around to the idea that a defensive tackle could win the Heisman Trophy, but once I did, it didn`t take long to realize a defensive tackle should win it this year. I cast my vote for Nebraska`s Ndamukong Suh for the award on Monday afternoon. I didn`t have Suh listed among the players I was considering most of the season. Like many voters, I tend to focus my attention for the award on players who pass, catch and carry the ball. There is a lot of responsibility that goes into those parts of the game and that`s why offensive players almost always win the Heisman. The only exception so far is Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson, who earned the honor in 1997. But even Woodson played a little offense that year at wide receiver, and he returned kicks on special teams. I began to warm up to Suh only in the final few weeks this season as he continued to dominate opponents despite facing consistent double teams. I went into last weekend`s championship games believing Texas quarterback Colt McCoy would probably end up somewhere in my top three even though I was not terriblyimpressed with McCoy when I saw him in person in October. A subpar Colorado team traveled to Austin, Texas, on Oct. 10 and hung with the Longhorns well into the second half. McCoy was very average that day. Suh and his teammates made McCoy look average once again in the Big 12 championship game and came within 1 second of beating McCoy, whose casual approach to the final moments nearly cost his team a conference championship and a berth in the national title game. Suh sacked McCoy 4½ times in the game and finished with seven tackles for loss and two other tackles for no gain. He led the Cornhuskers with 12 total tackles. The performance pushed Suh over the top for me and McCoy out of my top three. Watching Suh play defense this year reminded me of watching the graceful moves of former Texas quarterback Vince Young or the electricity of former Southern Cal running back Reggie Bush or the command and field presence of last year`s winner, Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford. Those players were clearly in a class of their own as I believe Suh is as a defender this season. As it happened, Bush and Young both played at that level in the same season in 2005 when Bush won the Heisman but Young won the national title. How often do defensive tackles lead their teams in tackles or register 10 passes defended or block three kicks in a season as Suh has done this fall? Just as Suh was a force in the win over the Longhorns, he was also a very disruptive presence in key wins earlier in the season over Missouri and Kansas State that led the Cornhuskers to the conference championship game. My decision came down to four players for the three spots on my ballot. The first player receives three points, the second receives two and the third receives one. I eliminated McCoy because of his performance in the Big 12 championship game, the fact that he threw 12 interceptions this season and because much of his production came in non-conference games against non-Bowl Championship Series level teams. Alabama running back Mark Ingram earned my second-place vote based on his body of work over the course of the season in the toughest conference in the nation and his performance against Florida in the Southeastern Conference championship game. He rushed for 113 yards and scored three touchdowns against a defense that entered the game ranked No. 1 in the nation. He also caught two passes for 76 yards. Stanford running back Toby Gerhart earned the third spot on my ballot. The guy is a beast with the ball in his hands and in the classroom. Gerhart finished the regular season with 1,736 rushing yards and a Pac-10 Conference record 26 touchdowns. He did it against a schedule that included only one game against non-BCS level competition. The truth is, I could make a pretty solid case for any one of the players in my top three. The Heisman Trophy Trust asks voters to select the most outstanding college football player in the United States each year. This year, I believe that player played defense for Nebraska. Salaam show ESPN Classic will air the 1994 Colorado at Texas football game today at 1 p.m. as part of Heisman Week. Buffs running back Rashaan Salaam rushed for 317 yards and caught passes for 45 more to set Colorado`s all-purpose yards record (362). Salaam, who won the Heisman as a junior in 1994, is the only CU player to earn the award. Quote Link to comment
SealBeachHusker Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 I know stiffarmtrophy has our man Suh 3rd, but there really does seem to be a concerted media rally for the guy. I just hope this is indicative of how people were voting. Ringo: NU`s Suh deserves Heisman Ringo: NU`s Suh deserves Heisman Kyle RingoCamera Sports Writer Posted: 12/08/2009 12:05:51 AM MST It took me awhile to come around to the idea that a defensive tackle could win the Heisman Trophy, but once I did, it didn`t take long to realize a defensive tackle should win it this year. I cast my vote for Nebraska`s Ndamukong Suh for the award on Monday afternoon. I didn`t have Suh listed among the players I was considering most of the season. Like many voters, I tend to focus my attention for the award on players who pass, catch and carry the ball. There is a lot of responsibility that goes into those parts of the game and that`s why offensive players almost always win the Heisman. The only exception so far is Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson, who earned the honor in 1997. But even Woodson played a little offense that year at wide receiver, and he returned kicks on special teams. I began to warm up to Suh only in the final few weeks this season as he continued to dominate opponents despite facing consistent double teams. I went into last weekend`s championship games believing Texas quarterback Colt McCoy would probably end up somewhere in my top three even though I was not terriblyimpressed with McCoy when I saw him in person in October. A subpar Colorado team traveled to Austin, Texas, on Oct. 10 and hung with the Longhorns well into the second half. McCoy was very average that day. Suh and his teammates made McCoy look average once again in the Big 12 championship game and came within 1 second of beating McCoy, whose casual approach to the final moments nearly cost his team a conference championship and a berth in the national title game. Suh sacked McCoy 4½ times in the game and finished with seven tackles for loss and two other tackles for no gain. He led the Cornhuskers with 12 total tackles. The performance pushed Suh over the top for me and McCoy out of my top three. Watching Suh play defense this year reminded me of watching the graceful moves of former Texas quarterback Vince Young or the electricity of former Southern Cal running back Reggie Bush or the command and field presence of last year`s winner, Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford. Those players were clearly in a class of their own as I believe Suh is as a defender this season. As it happened, Bush and Young both played at that level in the same season in 2005 when Bush won the Heisman but Young won the national title. How often do defensive tackles lead their teams in tackles or register 10 passes defended or block three kicks in a season as Suh has done this fall? Just as Suh was a force in the win over the Longhorns, he was also a very disruptive presence in key wins earlier in the season over Missouri and Kansas State that led the Cornhuskers to the conference championship game. My decision came down to four players for the three spots on my ballot. The first player receives three points, the second receives two and the third receives one. I eliminated McCoy because of his performance in the Big 12 championship game, the fact that he threw 12 interceptions this season and because much of his production came in non-conference games against non-Bowl Championship Series level teams. Alabama running back Mark Ingram earned my second-place vote based on his body of work over the course of the season in the toughest conference in the nation and his performance against Florida in the Southeastern Conference championship game. He rushed for 113 yards and scored three touchdowns against a defense that entered the game ranked No. 1 in the nation. He also caught two passes for 76 yards. Stanford running back Toby Gerhart earned the third spot on my ballot. The guy is a beast with the ball in his hands and in the classroom. Gerhart finished the regular season with 1,736 rushing yards and a Pac-10 Conference record 26 touchdowns. He did it against a schedule that included only one game against non-BCS level competition. The truth is, I could make a pretty solid case for any one of the players in my top three. The Heisman Trophy Trust asks voters to select the most outstanding college football player in the United States each year. This year, I believe that player played defense for Nebraska. Salaam show ESPN Classic will air the 1994 Colorado at Texas football game today at 1 p.m. as part of Heisman Week. Buffs running back Rashaan Salaam rushed for 317 yards and caught passes for 45 more to set Colorado`s all-purpose yards record (362). Salaam, who won the Heisman as a junior in 1994, is the only CU player to earn the award. Quote Link to comment
naturalNE Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 I know stiffarmtrophy has our man Suh 3rd, but there really does seem to be a concerted media rally for the guy. I just hope this is indicative of how people were voting. Ringo: NU`s Suh deserves Heisman Ringo: NU`s Suh deserves Heisman Kyle RingoCamera Sports Writer Posted: 12/08/2009 12:05:51 AM MST It took me awhile to come around to the idea that a defensive tackle could win the Heisman Trophy, but once I did, it didn`t take long to realize a defensive tackle should win it this year. I cast my vote for Nebraska`s Ndamukong Suh for the award on Monday afternoon. I didn`t have Suh listed among the players I was considering most of the season. Like many voters, I tend to focus my attention for the award on players who pass, catch and carry the ball. There is a lot of responsibility that goes into those parts of the game and that`s why offensive players almost always win the Heisman. The only exception so far is Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson, who earned the honor in 1997. But even Woodson played a little offense that year at wide receiver, and he returned kicks on special teams. I began to warm up to Suh only in the final few weeks this season as he continued to dominate opponents despite facing consistent double teams. I went into last weekend`s championship games believing Texas quarterback Colt McCoy would probably end up somewhere in my top three even though I was not terriblyimpressed with McCoy when I saw him in person in October. A subpar Colorado team traveled to Austin, Texas, on Oct. 10 and hung with the Longhorns well into the second half. McCoy was very average that day. Suh and his teammates made McCoy look average once again in the Big 12 championship game and came within 1 second of beating McCoy, whose casual approach to the final moments nearly cost his team a conference championship and a berth in the national title game. Suh sacked McCoy 4½ times in the game and finished with seven tackles for loss and two other tackles for no gain. He led the Cornhuskers with 12 total tackles. The performance pushed Suh over the top for me and McCoy out of my top three. Watching Suh play defense this year reminded me of watching the graceful moves of former Texas quarterback Vince Young or the electricity of former Southern Cal running back Reggie Bush or the command and field presence of last year`s winner, Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford. Those players were clearly in a class of their own as I believe Suh is as a defender this season. As it happened, Bush and Young both played at that level in the same season in 2005 when Bush won the Heisman but Young won the national title. How often do defensive tackles lead their teams in tackles or register 10 passes defended or block three kicks in a season as Suh has done this fall? Just as Suh was a force in the win over the Longhorns , he was also a very disruptive presence in key wins earlier in the season over Missouri and Kansas State that led the Cornhuskers to the conference championship game. My decision came down to four players for the three spots on my ballot. The first player receives three points, the second receives two and the third receives one. I eliminated McCoy because of his performance in the Big 12 championship game, the fact that he threw 12 interceptions this season and because much of his production came in non-conference games against non-Bowl Championship Series level teams. Alabama running back Mark Ingram earned my second-place vote based on his body of work over the course of the season in the toughest conference in the nation and his performance against Florida in the Southeastern Conference championship game. He rushed for 113 yards and scored three touchdowns against a defense that entered the game ranked No. 1 in the nation. He also caught two passes for 76 yards. Stanford running back Toby Gerhart earned the third spot on my ballot. The guy is a beast with the ball in his hands and in the classroom. Gerhart finished the regular season with 1,736 rushing yards and a Pac-10 Conference record 26 touchdowns. He did it against a schedule that included only one game against non-BCS level competition. The truth is, I could make a pretty solid case for any one of the players in my top three. The Heisman Trophy Trust asks voters to select the most outstanding college football player in the United States each year. This year, I believe that player played defense for Nebraska. Salaam show ESPN Classic will air the 1994 Colorado at Texas football game today at 1 p.m. as part of Heisman Week. Buffs running back Rashaan Salaam rushed for 317 yards and caught passes for 45 more to set Colorado`s all-purpose yards record (362). Salaam, who won the Heisman as a junior in 1994, is the only CU player to earn the award. Quote Link to comment
Nexus Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 The local ABC news in Omaha said that Suh was in the lead. I'm not putting too much stock in it because I don't know what source they're using to say such a thing. I'm content with waiting until Saturday night to find out. Either way though, I'm proud of him with or without the trophy. Quote Link to comment
DesertRat Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 No one was really excited about the Heisman race this year, and I think people were really sick of the beauty pageant that it had become between McCoy and Tebow. You can make a case for Ingram. But suddenly at the end of the season, they discovered two guys in Gerhart and Suh who were not just good, but capable of dominating a football game unlike anyone else. I've seen Gerhart in person, and he's a steamroller. Suh can destroy entire offensive game plans by himself. I'm good with either of those two winning it. Quote Link to comment
Nexus Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 No one was really excited about the Heisman race this year, and I think people were really sick of the beauty pageant that it had become between McCoy and Tebow. You can make a case for Ingram. But suddenly at the end of the season, they discovered two guys in Gerhart and Suh who were not just good, but capable of dominating a football game unlike anyone else. I've seen Gerhart in person, and he's a steamroller. Suh can destroy entire offensive game plans by himself. I'm good with either of those two winning it. I agree. Gerhart & Suh embody that blue collar style of football. They're both bruisers at their respective positions. Quote Link to comment
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