Adrian Peterson Out For Season

[cdt]

NORMAN, Okla. -- Heisman Trophy hopeful Adrian Peterson broke his collarbone on a dive into the end zone Saturday, and the Oklahoma star running back will miss the rest of the regular season.

Peterson was injured on his last carry of the game -- a 53-yard scoring run with about 6:40 remaining that completed the 23rd-ranked Sooners' 34-9 win over Iowa State.

Peterson ran for 183 yards and two touchdowns.

Peterson, a junior, who has 1,030 yards this season and entered the weekend as the nation's fourth-leading rusher, was second in Heisman voting as a freshman. He was playing for the first time in years before his father, who had spent about eight years in federal prison for money laundering.

"Just diving into the end zone and when he landed, he landed wrong," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "At this point it looks like the best thing, the earliest he would be ready to play, would be a bowl game."

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

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This means two things...his draft will probably fall...and Troy Smith all but has the Heisman locked up

Don't be so quick to dismiss a broken collarbone either ask Charles Rogers that injury happened twice on the same shoulder and limited him to 4 games over 2 years.

For everyone wanting this guy so bad I'd be a little weary and work him out thoroughly before thinking about drafting him.

 

[cavincali]

His dad was at the game, he was in jail for the last 7 years and the first game he sees his son breaks a bone.

 

[Style]

The Browns better not draft any running backs in round 1.

It's looking like the only thing that could keep the Heisman away from Troy is an injury. **knock on wood**

How about that TD pass to Robo?

 

[Mac]

Even though Troy isnt the most deserving, he is at the top now.

You look at the stats...he is 29th in the NCAA in passing yards. Not even in the top 5 for effeciency or passing TDs, not even top 10 in comp %, no rushing TDs, only 70 some odd yards rushing...

What is he doing that deserves a Heisman??? Nothing. Wolfe should be the winner at this point, I had Pete second. Then you gotta look at Slaton at WVU.

When you are discussing the Heisman, you are looking for a player with the most OUTSTANDING year. Smith is having a nice year for the Bucks, but he isnt doing anything special. Being a good leader doesnt get you a Heisman. You gotta have some stats and if he wins it, it would be the biggest disgrace ever to that trophy.

Unfortunent, you never want to see any injury but Stoops....what the hell was he out there for anyway? The game was locked up..

 

[cavincali]

Even though Troy isnt the most deserving, he is at the top now.

You look at the stats...he is 29th in the NCAA in passing yards. Not even in the top 5 for effeciency or passing TDs, not even top 10 in comp %, no rushing TDs, only 70 some odd yards rushing...

What is he doing that deserves a Heisman??? Nothing. Wolfe should be the winner at this point, I had Pete second. Then you gotta look at Slaton at WVU.

When you are discussing the Heisman, you are looking for a player with the most OUTSTANDING year. Smith is having a nice year for the Bucks, but he isnt doing anything special. Being a good leader doesnt get you a Heisman. You gotta have some stats and if he wins it, it would be the biggest disgrace ever to that trophy.

Unfortunent, you never want to see any injury but Stoops....what the hell was he out there for anyway? The game was locked up..

Troy only plays 3 quaters a game though.

 

[cdt]

Yeah once the Bucks seal the game which was in the 2nd quarter today 17-0 Tressel runs delayed draws to Pittman and the Wells up the gut and we still scored on the last drive.

If Smith had to make plays all game he'd be the leader by far. What kind of competition is Wolfe facing at Northern Illinois?

 

[Mac]

Wolfe ran over the Buckeyes.

I can understand that point, but the award still should goto the most outstanding player....I just dont believe he has the stats for that.

 

[crazedcav333]

Stats is not the only factor in the Heisman. It's game management and composure, plus it will be taken into account that he doesn't play the whole game. Peterson going down was a major blow for them but a good one for Troy.

 

[Style]

The Heisman often doesn't go to the guy with the best stats. Stats are not everything. If stats are all that matter, Gooden is ten times the forward AV is. So yes, leadership does get you some points, among other things that don't show up in the stats.

Besides the intangibles that don't show up in stats, stats can be skewed based on many factors. Competition was already mentioned, a huge peice to think about when looking at stats. Another thing that illustrates this point is what others alluded to earlier -> Ohio State doesn't need Smith to lead the nation in TDs and pass yards. Ohio State is balanced with a couple very good running backs, plus they get a big lead early and then sit on it. A team like NIU needs Wolfe to lead the nation in rushing. Does that mean Wolfe is a better player than Smith b/c his team is one dimensional, unbalanced, and isn't stomping people?

Let's dig a little deeper beyond stats while looking at the Hiesman. First, as previously mentioned, the competition faced. Wolfe's competition is a fraction of what Troy and Kyle face. Slaton's is only slightly better than Wolfe's. And so what if Wolfe ran all over OSU? So have most of the teams Ohio State has faced, so that means little. OSU's rush defense is in the bottom half of the conferance.

Second, wins. Let's face it, it really doesn't matter how gaudy your stats are, if your team is losing it isn't very outstanding. This is especially true for QBs. In fact, many would say a QB's most important statistic is wins. Troy is undefeated this year, and something like 20-2 in his career. The only other candidate that can compete with Troy's win percentage is Slaton, and it's against inferior competition. You can add to that that Troy goes off in big games. He was great vs Texas and ND, has broken records against Michigan. Don't underestimate the importance of big games. That's where you get your name. How many NFL hall of famers are remembered for their Super Bowl performances? Woodson was thought to be fourth or fifth in Heisman votes going in the match up with Ohio State. We all remember what happened after that. (If you don't, I'm envious!) Troy is a big game quarter back. Troy is a winner. That is huge.

Third, career. All of these guys have great career stats, but again Slaton and Wolfe did it against much weaker competition, and Brady loses big games as often as he wins them. Troy wins them, including their head to head meeting. And big games aside, Brady doesn't have the career 91% winning percentage that Troy does. Career goes to Smith.

Fourth, highlights. Don't think that razzle dazzle isn't a big part of winning the heisman. Look at Bush last year. Stat wise and career wise Leinart deserved the Heisman. Hell, you could argue that Bush wasn't even the best running back on his team! But no one in the country could hang with his highlight reel. Look at Woodson. He was fourth of fifth in the Heisman race, but then everyone saw the highlights of the ohio state game and changed their vote on the spot. Well, guess who has the best highlight reel this year? That would be Smith. This kid is electric. And to make it even better, most of his top highlights are from big games.

What is he doing that deserves a Heisman??? Nothing you say? If you insist on a stat besides wins, his QB efficiency rating is 171. Playing in the Big Ten. With a brutal schedule. Not only is that tops in the conference, but if it holds up he will break the conference record. That is OUTSTANDING!

Troy Smith is a fine candidate to win the Heisman. He is just as deserving as any of the other candidates, and you can easily argue that he deserves it more than the others.

 

[Mac]

When your stats arent very good, or near the top of your position, it has to be a huge factor. Just because he has a couple of good passes in between all the little duck and dinks that the OSU offense throws, he is supposed to be a Heisman candidate now?? Lets get a little serious..

OSU comp isnt much better...their schedule is cake and outside of two or three games a year, he isnt even needed to win. That shows you how tough that schedule is.

You can base it on wins all you want, but the most important factor is the person being the biggest factor in those wins. Is it Troy Smith? I doubt it. This goes to career as well. You put out the OSU record with him as a starter, but dont be foolish...he wasnt the one winning those games. That defense the past two years was the reason for the wins. This year they are a very solid team. They have one of the best WRs corps, one of the best RBs and probably the best OL in the nation. Their defense isnt as good as it used to be, but it still creates crazy turnovers. Look at all the TDs that happened, AFTER the pass. A lot of the TDs are the results of Gonzo and Ginn just being great WRs and making something out of very little. Smith is just a small cog in the success of that team. He doesnt have to carry that team, you could replace Smith with Zwick and fact of the matter is, the record of OSU probably wouldnt change that much.

Back to career...Smith does not have great career stats. They are medicore at best. He has a nice Comp % and that is the result of their offense that is based on dink passes. He never has to take a chance because that offense is so simple. Smith had a year of 800 yards passing, 2200 yards and 1500 so far this year. As a QB, that's pretty weak. 41 career TDs, weak again...elite QBs usually get that number in a year. He does have that QB rating and his low INTs going for him, but his over all stats are nothing special.

You want to talk career, then you have to look at Wolfe. Regardless of where he came from, his stats are mind blowing. Everybody thought LT was a chump because he was from TCU, and you were tlaking about stats in basketball which we all know is nothing comparable to football, but look at Wade at another small school. It doesnt matter where you come from if you can produce. Football is football. He had almost 1700 yards his soph year, almost 1600 last year and he is already at 1400 this year, thats crazy! 47 career touchdowns on the ground, over 50 career touchdowns all together. Now that is a career. You can't ignore his career.

Highlights....Smith has a couple of good passes, all the other guys have a bunch of amazing runs...they have just as many, and I believe many more, than Smith.

If you look at all the factors, you just can not make a case for Smith. HIs stats are very average. His career is below average for a good QB. His comp is no better than anybody else on this list except Wolfe. His highlights are no better than anybody on this list, the RB from WV probably kills everybody when it comes to highlights.

I just can not fathom giving this guy the Heisman...it just wouldnt make any sense.

 

[cdt]

You need to watch tape if you think Zwick could handle the games Troy's won...Troy is Mr. Big Game he's 2-0 vs Michigan he absolutely destroyed them last year

Don't talk about scheduling ND has quite a few cream puffs too...so let's let the scheduling bickering end here.

Troy came up big vs Texas and Iowa I can't wait to see how he does vs Michigan.

 

[Mac]

This has nothing to do with Notre Dame, why even bring them up?

OSU has a cake schedule, that is a fact that we are discussing OSU and Smith. Style brought it up, not me. Dont bring in Notre Dame because I happen to be a fan of them, it has nothing to do with this conversation.

 

[Cavs1]

Hey MAC...I know what Wolfe did against Western Michigan this week, but I'd love to hear it coming from you. What were Wolfe's stats from this week please? He just took himself out of the running with that performance.

 

[Smooth]

Career stats have nothing to do with the Heisman.. Nothing..

It has too do with:

Winning Big games
Putting up good stats
Leadership
Being a valuable assest to your team
Making big plays, when big plays are needed (Clutch)

You can argue that those aren't the things that are most looked at, but Troy Smith has done all of those...

 

[Style]

When your stats arent very good, or near the top of your position, it has to be a huge factor. Just because he has a couple of good passes in between all the little duck and dinks that the OSU offense throws, he is supposed to be a Heisman candidate now?? Lets get a little serious..

OSU comp isnt much better...their schedule is cake and outside of two or three games a year, he isnt even needed to win. That shows you how tough that schedule is.

You can base it on wins all you want, but the most important factor is the person being the biggest factor in those wins. Is it Troy Smith? I doubt it. This goes to career as well. You put out the OSU record with him as a starter, but dont be foolish...he wasnt the one winning those games. That defense the past two years was the reason for the wins. This year they are a very solid team. They have one of the best WRs corps, one of the best RBs and probably the best OL in the nation. Their defense isnt as good as it used to be, but it still creates crazy turnovers. Look at all the TDs that happened, AFTER the pass. A lot of the TDs are the results of Gonzo and Ginn just being great WRs and making something out of very little. Smith is just a small cog in the success of that team. He doesnt have to carry that team, you could replace Smith with Zwick and fact of the matter is, the record of OSU probably wouldnt change that much.

Back to career...Smith does not have great career stats. They are medicore at best. He has a nice Comp % and that is the result of their offense that is based on dink passes. He never has to take a chance because that offense is so simple. Smith had a year of 800 yards passing, 2200 yards and 1500 so far this year. As a QB, that's pretty weak. 41 career TDs, weak again...elite QBs usually get that number in a year. He does have that QB rating and his low INTs going for him, but his over all stats are nothing special.

You want to talk career, then you have to look at Wolfe. Regardless of where he came from, his stats are mind blowing. Everybody thought LT was a chump because he was from TCU, and you were tlaking about stats in basketball which we all know is nothing comparable to football, but look at Wade at another small school. It doesnt matter where you come from if you can produce. Football is football. He had almost 1700 yards his soph year, almost 1600 last year and he is already at 1400 this year, thats crazy! 47 career touchdowns on the ground, over 50 career touchdowns all together. Now that is a career. You can't ignore his career.

Highlights....Smith has a couple of good passes, all the other guys have a bunch of amazing runs...they have just as many, and I believe many more, than Smith.

If you look at all the factors, you just can not make a case for Smith. HIs stats are very average. His career is below average for a good QB. His comp is no better than anybody else on this list except Wolfe. His highlights are no better than anybody on this list, the RB from WV probably kills everybody when it comes to highlights.

I just can not fathom giving this guy the Heisman...it just wouldnt make any sense.

I disagree with pretty much everything in here. I could easily dissect each point, but it's not necessary. Smith is currently leading for the Heisman, reportedly by a large margin, and will in all likelihood win it. What that means is that while you may not be able to fathom how Smith could get the Heisman, there are a whole lot of people who think he deserves it. Including the past Heisman winners, who get votes. Until you win a Heisman and thus gain a vote, your opinion doesn't matter. Course, neither does mine, but I'm not the one disagreeing with the world.

One last item which I don't believe it's been mentioned elsewhere in this thread. The Heisman has always been a team award, almost as much as it is an individual award:

team achievements play a heavy role in the voting - a typical Heisman winner represents a team that had an outstanding season and is most likely in contention for a Division I-A national championship.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heisman

Ohio State is clearly the top team in the nation. Smith is clearly Ohio State's most valuable player. Thus Smith is clearly a deserving Heisman candidate, even if you don't think he's an outstanding player (which is ludicrous, but I digress). To say that Smith winning would be the "biggest disgrace ever to the trophy" is silly, and means that either:

A) you're exagerating, and don't mean what you say literally.
B) you're ignorant.
C) you're blinded by your bias against Ohio State.