I'll begin this week's mailbag with an explanation of my Heisman ballot:
From Drew in Norman, Okla.: In your chat (Tuesday) you said Colt McCoy was about as flawless as a QB could be this season. Sam Bradford has far more TDs and yards, fewer INTs, and an NCAA record for QB efficiency. You also said you had Bradford at No. 2 for the Heisman because he has a stronger supporting cast than McCoy. Since when does it make sense to punish a player for having talented teammates? It's not like Texas is short on talent either.
Feldman: I must admit I was very skeptical about Colt McCoy for much of this season. Sure he got off to an amazing start, running and throwing, and yet it wasn't that hard to dismiss because UT wasn't whipping up on ranked teams. Then, the Horns went to Dallas and faced Oklahoma and all McCoy did was go 28-of-35 and outshine the great Sam Bradford and lead UT to a 45-35 upset win.
McCoy was on pace to smash the NCAA completion rate hovering around 80 for the season, even though Texas really didn't have a tight end or much of a feature back. Still, he couldn't possibly sustain this out-of-his-mind level of play. Well, he did. McCoy not only completed 78 percent of his passes but he also led Texas in rushing.
Going into the season, I wouldn't have had him in my top 10 if someone asked me to size up the Heisman race, and earlier this week I sent in my Heisman ballot with McCoy No. 1, Bradford No. 2 and Tim Tebow No. 3. In truth, they've all had great seasons and are all deserving. I just felt like McCoy was most deserving.
I've heard a lot of people who had talked about how great Tebow has been since the loss to Ole Miss. It's true, he has been great. I thought he was fantastic in how he led UF past Alabama last week, but I just feel like McCoy has been great the entire season. Separating McCoy from Bradford is splitting hairs. I do think he was sharper in the game in Dallas though, and felt like when it's so close you're looking for anything and that's why I voted the way I did.
From Jason in New York: If Oklahoma were to fall to Florida, would the Sooners be lumped in with Ohio State as far as failing in recent BCS games or would OU continue to get a pass?
Feldman: If Florida beats OU by double digits, yes, I think you will hear that. People will talk about how OU shouldn't have been there. How the Sooners lost to Texas in a big game. How you can't count Texas Tech as a "big game" because it was only Tech and the Raiders weren't for real, etc. They will also bring up the Boise State, WVU and USC games.
From Jon in Falls Church, Va.: Another interesting coach's poll entry was Steve Kragthorpe who had BC No. 18 and Virginia Tech unranked. What game was he watching on Saturday???
Feldman: Yeah, you're right. It wasn't a great year for Coach Kragthorpe.
From Derek, N.J.: I have seen many writers, such as yourself, write about how USC might not be excited for the Rose Bowl. If the Nittany Lions win, will you write that it's because they're a great football team, or because USC was uninspired?
Feldman: Good point. I imagine you would hear a lot of that, and of course, that would be unfair to Penn State, should the Nittany Lions come out here and win what is basically a USC home game. Unfortunately, most people -- and I'm guilty of this sometimes too, spend more time lamenting the loser rather than praising the winner. It seems to happen more now than in years past. I suspect that has more to do with the cynical nature of people and the fact that most people who tune in to a big game are in more observer mode than die-hards for one team, so you watch it like "Eh, these guys aren't anything special ..."
From Michael in Nashville, Tenn.: Why is Tim Tebow being considered for a Heisman this year? He is not even the best quarterback in the SEC (according to stats). The only category he leads in is TDs and not by much. I agree he is a good quarterback but come on, it's time to jump off that bandwagon already and realistically see that he is not even in the top 10 for a Heisman.
Feldman: I think any time you have a guy or a program that becomes so high-profile people are going to say the media built them up. Still, I don't get the Tebow backlash. The guy has dominated that program, which is playing for the national title. He just beat the No. 1 team. He makes big plays. He makes clutch plays. I talked to Dan McCarney, Florida's new D-line coach, who is awed by the guy's presence. Says he's flat-out the best leader he's ever been around in 37 years of football. Tebow is Mr. Intangibles. And his 28-2 TD-INT ratio isn't bad either.
From Mathieu in San Francisco: Is it just me or shouldn't there have been an Alabama vs.Texas matchup? If the BCS was really trying to craft the best possible Bowls this seems like a no-brainer. Texas and Bama should throttle their opponents and I expect will be wondering what-if by halftime of each game. No offense to Ohio State and Utah but they simply did not have the seasons that Texas and Bama did. Was this intentional by the BCS to prevent even more discussion of what a playoff would have looked like? And why only the insane can't see the inherent logic. Watch out for the Buffs in 09!!
Feldman: The BCS bowls are still businesses and they're each trying to make the most money possible for themselves, and so, having a de facto semifinal or backup matchup isn't part of their agenda. As I wrote a few days ago I do think it's confusing because even though the BCS has been solely set up to create a No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup, you have these stipulations in there about how a Utah or Boise could get into a BCS bowl if its ranked high enough.
RANDOM STUFF
• I like the hire by Syracuse of Doug Marrone. I've heard from lots of coaches who themselves are considered great recruiters that Marrone is as passionate about recruiting as they come. That passion for recruiting can't be overstated. It's one of the most important aspects of what makes a great recruiter. That and having a keen eye for talent, and Marrone is said to have both according to three very respected coaches I spoke with in the past few days. He's also said to be very organized. A big key here is he knows and understands the Northeast and that's vital to Syracuse's recruiting fortunes.
• Former Penn State QB Pat Devlin is a hot commodity this winter. Word is Devlin and his old high school coach are getting calls from half the FCS coaches in the country. Don't look for Devlin to make a move for another week or two because he has schoolwork to finish up. There is a lot of speculation that Devlin ends up down the road at Delaware, which helped another FBS transfer, Joe Flacco, become a first-rounder. One school further off the radar that might get into the Devlin hunt is Northwestern (La.) State. The connection? Former Miami offensive coordinator Dan Werner is a contender for the vacant head coaching position there, and before Devlin committed to Penn State, he had committed to Werner at Miami. Werner's rep for developing quarterback is big. At Miami he coached Gino Torretta, Steve Walsh, Craig Erickson and Ken Dorsey. He also was a big reason why Ole Miss landed Texas transfer Jevan Snead two years ago.
• For as much speed as Miami has loaded up via recruiting over the past two years, the Canes desperately need to find some quality O-linemen, and this weekend they have an important recruiting window. On campus for their official visits will be a trio of imposing linemen from Hargrave Military Academy: Bobby Massie (once committed to VT), Jermaine Johnson (committed to Auburn) and Daniel Campbell (committed to Southern California). Miami already has one mammoth O-lineman bound for Coral Gables in Brandon Washington, but the Canes need to snag at least one or two more who could come in and challenge for a starting job in '09. UM does also have a handful of blue-chippers coming in for the weekend visit who are already committed and no doubt will be putting on its own hard sell.
• The death of a promising high school tailback, Billey Joe Johnson, has sent shock waves through the state of Mississippi. Funeral services for Johnson have been pushed back 'til Dec. 20 while the family decides whether a second, independent autopsy is needed, reports Royce Armstrong.
Last season, many recruiters came away dazzled by Johnson after they had come to scout his teammate, blue-chip WR-CB Alonzo Lawrence, now at Alabama. "He was a great player," said Tony Hughes, a Southern Miss coach. "Physically, he looked even better than Alonzo. He could've been a great running back or safety. He was a good kid. It's really such a tragedy."
• Washington QB recruit Keith Price apparently is still in the Huskies' plans even after the coaching shake-up, reports Greg Biggins.
"I had a great talk with Coach [Steve] Sarkisian and he assured me I was still their guy," said Price, who also has visited Oregon and will check out ASU this weekend. "He told me I would fit in perfectly with the offense and said I remind him a lot of Jake [Locker]. "He didn't really talk to me much about what kind of offense he was going to run but he said he really liked how I play. He also said he was already watching film on me and told me I was a great player and he can't wait to get me up there on a visit."
• Sarkisian's old pal Lane Kiffin, meanwhile, has cut loose one of the QBs that the old Tennessee staff had snagged. Bryce Petty of Midlothian, Texas, rated the nation's No. 51 QB prospect, is back on the recruiting board after learning from Tennessee that he didn't fit the Vols' new offensive system. A few days ago, ESPNU 150 prospect Tajh Boyd of Phoebus (Hampton, Va.), rated No. 8, had recently opted out of his commitment after new head coach Kiffin also told him his style of play didn't fit Tennessee's new offense.
Petty reportedly has an offer from Nebraska.
• Former Notre Dame lineman Tom Thayer weighs in on why the Irish have been so dreadful. The culprit? Zone blocking.
"To me zone blocking is a bunch of crap," he told Eric Hansen. "Zone blocking is a lateral approach to offensive line play, and that's not the way offensive line play is meant to be played. You're supposed to attack coming off the ball. You watch zone-blocking teams, and they start by taking a lateral step first. You're not coming off the ball and attacking defensive linemen. You're not using the snap count as a weapon. If you don't give your linemen confident footwork to uphold their balance and power, no matter what the defensive linemen and linebackers do, you're going to create offensive linemen with no power, strength or confidence."
Zone blocking, though, is also the scheme that enabled the Denver Broncos to pile up rushing yards with a variety of different tailbacks over the past decade. The Godfather of the Zone Blocking scheme, Alex Gibbs, actually holds clinics with many staffs in the offseason, having visited with programs ranging from Michigan to USC.
Bruce Feldman
