There is a lot of talk swirling around about Auburn QB Cam Newton. Although, more information could always come out, right now it seems to me that it is a lot of hearsay and not a lot of actual evidence against the guy. With that said, there is no doubt in my mind that he has not necessarily been an exemplary student in the past. So what's new in SEC football? I don't think that there is enough evidence of anything that is going to make Newton ineligible to play, so Auburn fans take heart. However, there is a chance that all of this will very much affect his chances of winning the Heisman trophy. After the Reggie Bush fiasco earlier this year, voters may want to be more careful when choosing a player. All of this made me start to wonder, what do we really give the Heisman award out for? Is the award for the best player in college football? The nicest player in college football? The most valuable player to his team in college football? It seems that you either have to be a quarterback or running back to win the award, so is it really for the best offensive player in college football? Maybe it is given to the player who is a little bit of all of these. The problem is that some of these seem to often contradict each other. Being a good person and being the best player in football don't always seem to go hand in hand. I realize that many would argue that Tebow was an example of this. Let me just say this... hey Gator fans... Tebow is not Jesus Christ. He did not walk on water unfortunately never turned any of it into wine either. I'm not saying that Tebow isn't a nice a guy (although since I am a Georgia fan, it pains me to admit it), but at the very least he is a little cocky and arrogant. I am not even sure that Newton is that bad of a guy. I mean the getting paid $200,000 thing is a little sketchy.... if it actually happened and I am not sure that it did. Nobody really knew who Cam Newton was a year ago. He was a f*ck up. A has been. A guy who bought a stolen laptop and apparently cheated on tests. And oh yeah, he was playing behind some guy named Tebow. Nobody really cared who Cam Newton was. So, I find it a little unbelievable that Auburn would be willing to pay six figures for a maybe. I seem to remember a CBS game telecast earlier this year where they showed the Auburn Football program for the year and Cam Newton's picture wasn't anywhere to be found on the cover. Wouldn't that make you believe that Auburn had no idea what they were getting with this guy? I am sure that the school was hopeful. That they saw potential. That they prayed that he would be good. But did they or anyone else ever imagine that he would turn out to be the beast on the football field that he has become? So I take the whole asking for money thing with a grain of salt. The cheating on tests, however, I totally believe. Come on people, this is nothing new. Top athletes have been spoiled and coddled their entire lives. They are passed in classes they shouldn't be and of course people help them out. I am not saying that it is okay or it is the right thing to do, but if anyone thinks that Cam Newton is the only Heisman candidate that has done a little of this, you're crazy. I find it laughable that now Florida is happy to talk about all of this cheating. Hmm.... if Newton were still playing for Florida (and you know that Urban Meyer wishes to God he had the kid right now) do you really think that Florida would be talking about this? If Meyer knew that Newton was going to be this good, there is no way that Newton would have had a chance of being expelled. I mean really, Florida has a guy that threatened to kill his girlfriend playing for them. I think a little cheating problem would have been swept under the rug.
So back to the question, what should the criteria be for a Heisman? To me, it should be the best player in college football that has made the biggest difference for his team this year. I'm not saying this is only Cam Newton, but let's think about what he has done this year. Auburn sucked last year. They were irrelevant. Nobody really cared about Auburn except Auburn. This year we are two games away from the SEC Championship and Auburn is undefeated and vying for a National Championship bid. Seriously? Oh, and Auburn plays absolutely no defense... hell, Chattanooga scored 24 points on them so they are winning games on the offensive side of the ball. Newton has already led several comebacks. Of course Auburn is a team so there is more than one player contributing (they have a very nice running back), but there is no doubt that Cam Newton has been willing this team to victory. Sounds pretty Heisman like to me... whatever that is.
But if I am Cam Netwon, maybe I don't give a crap whether I get the Heisman or not. Call me young and bucking on tradition, but I really don't care that much who wins (although I have been ranting for awhile about it). Most of these guys in college have NFL ambitions. Cam Newton certainly does. So isn't that his ultimate goal? Also, doesn't winning a National Championship matter more? I think you could ask most athletes and they would agree, but I know that when I was playing sports I would rather be winning championships instead of awards. I am sure that Peyton Manning would trade a couple of those MVPs for a couple more rings, don't you? Winning a Heisman doesn't necessarily get you either of these things. In fact, a Heisman award has kind of been a bad omen for NFL success. Not many Heisman winners do much of anything in the League. Let's see who has one the Heisman in the last ten years:
(2000) Chris Weinke- FAIL. He started one season for the Panthers in which they went 1-15
(2001) Eric Crouch- FAIL. Couldn't even cut it in the CFL.
(2002) Carson Palmer- Did you see him play last night? He has his moments, but overall, is just average.
(2003) Jason White- Who?
(2004) Matt Leinart- FAIL. Released by the Arizona Cardinals this year.
(2005) Reggie Bush- Wait, they took his away...
(2006) Troy Smith- Hasn't done anything yet, but he did win a game for the 49ers last week, so maybe there is hope for him.
(2007) Tim Tebow- We'll see. He couldn't really throw in college, I'm not holding my breath in the NFL. I think that he will be a "gimmick" or wildcat player in the end.
(2008) Sam Bradford- Too soon to tell, but so far has looked pretty good with the Rams.
(2009) Mark Ingram- Still in college.
So.... the best NFL player (clearly Reggie Bush) out of the last decade of Heisman winners had it taken away. Sam Bradford may very well be the real deal... we'll see. My point is that winning a Heisman doesn't get a guy anything extra in a professional career. My advice to Cam is don't worry about it. Worry about winning. However, if I have it my way the Dawgs are going to stomp on your face this weekend (I can't even type that with a straight face).
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