Johnny Football got the Heisman and Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o got the shaft -- How on earth did Heisman voters pick Manziel over Notre Dame legend?
Posted on Sunday, December 09, 2012 at 07:41 AM
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| Johnny Manziel |
So Johnny Football got the Heisman and Manti Te’o got the shaft.
That is the upshot of the most tarnished Heisman Trophy award in some time.
We have a kid arrested for a fight bordering on a racial incident against a kid who reflects the best values that America holds dear.
We had a kid who had a brilliant but possible flash in the pan season against a kid who has exemplified for years what it means to be a great college football player and human being.
We have a kid with a flashy nickname, Johnny Football, against a kid who just put his head down and worked hard and proved an inspiration after losing two of the people closest to him.
We had a kid who led a team of no hopers to a national championship battle against a kid who had one big victory over Alabama all season.
So here is why Johnny Manziel won the Heisman, his highlight reel looked better and he had a cute nickname.
Memo to voters ---highlight reels always look better when you are a quarterback as against a linebacker. And cute nicknames only go so far.
Unfortunately, in the flash and glitter and twitter world we live in a solid performance, inspiration and teamwork counts for little when you can watch a guy with a cute nickname avoid the sack against big ‘ol ‘Bama.
Coach Kelly of Notre Dame is right, the Heisman is a joke after picking Manziel as against Te’o.
What will be fascinating to watch is how this plays out over time. Te’o will be a first round pick and a linebacker legend.
Manziel will leave for the pros next year and what then? I predict a Matt Leinart-tye stellar career once they figure out how to contain him ...
So let’s hear it for those Heisman voters.
Stupid is as stupid does and they just showed what dumb jock strap sniffers they really are.
See more: Irish in American Football
8 comments
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jetsnoone | Jan 04, 2013, 05:35 AM EST
jweaver: Louisville just beat the crap out of #3 Florida.
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arrowsmith1994 | Dec 13, 2012, 01:01 PM EST
The voters think that Alabama will beat Notre Dame, and this is why they picked Manziel. Manziel will be the guy who beat the National Champions and Teo will be the loser. I'm not saying I believe that, I'm saying that is what the voters believe and that is why they voted the way they did. If they thougth ND was going to win the game, they would have picked Teo.
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jweaver | Dec 09, 2012, 02:06 PM EST
What a load of crap. Johnny Manziel broke the total offense record in the SEC, the toughest football conference in America. He broke a record held once by Tim Tebow and Cam Newton. He broke the single game record twice, a record held by Archie Manning, father of the two great NFL quarterbacks. He led an unranked team to the top 10. If Te'O didn't play for Notre Dame, he wouldn't even be mentioned. Hell, he wouldn't have even been first team all SEC. He seems like a good person, like Maziel and Klein, but the Heisman is awarded to the best college player of the year. Not to the best story, not to the player maybe likely to be a good professional. But to the best player. And the unfounded comments in your column about Manziel are just outrageous. I'm surprised Niall would run such a biased and wrong-headed column. By the way, Manziel is a freshman, so he can't head to the NFL next year. A sports "reporter" would know such a thing.
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joan1954 | Dec 09, 2012, 01:33 PM EST
As a Texan, I saw Manziel play and he is good. The game against Bama was spectacular. Sports types from New York get out of your ivory towers and see some of the excellent players from southern schools that you will be hearing a lot more about in the years to come. Foorball isn't all Notre Dame.
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slainte9 | Dec 09, 2012, 11:53 AM EST
1. There are people who will never vote someone from Notre Dame, even if the guy isn't Catholic or Irish
2. For some reason there are people who think quarterbacks are football players
3. Great defensive players never get respect, the Heisman is a joke.
4. There are people who think its a big deal leading Texas A&M to a 70-14 win over South Carolina State. For heavens sake, Texas A&M played Sam Houston State, too, which is a Division 1-A school. The Heisman is a joke.
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PhlutiePhan | Dec 09, 2012, 11:25 AM EST
Let's see what T'eo does against Bama. T'eo only had 105 tackles this year in 12 games. Kuechly from BC last year had 191. His numbers are suspect but not his character. Colin Klein was actually the best of the three. It comes out that Manziel is not a freshman. Montee Ball should have been there as well and probably should have won. Why only three candidates when previous years had five. My first impression is that there was a worry that black athletes were winning and destroying the image of college football and with it the "Golden Goose".
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PhlutiePhan | Dec 09, 2012, 08:53 AM EST
The award is for the best player for the year. Not the one who had the best career. Nor is it an award for one who has the most outstanding attributes as a human being. I think it is far from a joke and either could have won legitimately. The second place winner would have many who feel as you do. But your arguments for Manti are misguided. Also Manziel will not leave next year. He was a redshirt last season, played this year, and must wait one more year. I think he would do a lot better financially if he could leave now because it will be difficult, if not impossible to duplicate his performance next year. And, I agree, his professional career will be short. Te'o would be my choice in a draft. But not because he was the best this year. Those qualities and values you place so highly in your argument for the trophy are far more important in the long run.
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