Doughboy1917

May 30th, 2012 at 1:01 PM ^

EDIT: My image posting skills are apparently not dilithium enhanced.  The poster above beat me to the Heisman pose image by seconds.  

Enjoy the image above instead of seeing it double-posted.

Jfox1020

May 30th, 2012 at 1:04 PM ^

Hes my pick.. Gonna miss having a QB that is faster than every secondary in college... Taking it all in this yr even though its Gonna be a tough one.. SHOELACE FOR HEISMAN

Jmilan

May 30th, 2012 at 1:05 PM ^

Was very pleasantly shocked to read that they said Denard is without a doubt better than Tebow and Smith. I was then again shocked to see that they have him considered up there with RGIII and even Cam Newton. Cool stuff to read.

BeatOSU52

May 30th, 2012 at 2:31 PM ^

I was very surprised they said that about Tebow.  I am FAR from being a Tebow fan, but he was a GREAT college QB, who won two NCs (one as not the main guy but still), a Heisman, and multiple conference titles.  Denard has done none of that.  BUT, he does have a year to prove himself to be up there and he can start by winning a BT title first....well actually he can start by beating Alabama :).  

mGrowOld

May 30th, 2012 at 1:20 PM ^

My co-workers down here in Ohio asked me today why I'm heading to Dallas for the Alabama game because we're OBVIOUSLY going to get killed by them.  I told them i like our chances with the best player on the field at QB and an entire summer to prepare for this one game.

I was at the ND game in 2010 to see Denard's burst into the national media's awareness.  I fully expect to see him move past Barkley in the 2012 Heisman derby against Alabama.

WolverineHistorian

May 30th, 2012 at 1:20 PM ^

I obviously hope he can do it as well and I'm rooting for him.  But for Denard to even have a chance, he's got to stop throwing so many interceptions.  Problem is, he still loves throwing up prayers that anyone could easily pick off. 

Jmilan

May 30th, 2012 at 1:35 PM ^

Time will tell, all during the spring practices and things like that people kept saying that his decision making got better from last year. That is my hope, but it's tough to really get a guage on something like that when it's in practice and not in game situations. If Denard plays every single game like he did last year against Nebraska or Ohio a heisman type run could definitely be in the picture or even more importantly a B1G championship.

Daniel

May 30th, 2012 at 1:50 PM ^

is that it's Denard's last. If he's going to have a chance to even play back-up QB for an NFL team, his passing will have to be vastly improved this season. At a minimum, it must be improved (See: 2011, obviously), but he will have to be in the >65% completion range this year, and our recievers this year may not do him any favors. He will have to spend a ton of time this offseason working on his passing and passing footwork. And probably put on ten pounds so he doesn't break.

But if he kills it this year both on the ground and in the air and gets in a few 2011 ND-like games, he could have that Heisman-quality season. That might garner him looks as a QB for the League.

He's obviously small for an NFL quarterback, and even dominant numbers for a six foot playcaller do not necessarily lead to a great draft pick (see Case Keenum). But this is his last opportunity to make the case that he can play the position at the next level.

opwolverine97

May 30th, 2012 at 3:02 PM ^

Does anyone know how much he has put on or has anyone seen him on campus?  

He needs to put on more weight up top and definitely in his legs.  He actually drives the pile which drives me nuts because if he blows out a tendon or pulls something, our chances drop exponentially.  If he wants to play his "bucking bronco" style, he needs to bulk up without losing his ludicrous speed.  We want the opposition to see plaid.

If i knew how to embed, I would...  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI4tevra8Lg

 

Tater

May 30th, 2012 at 5:02 PM ^

Denard isn't going to win a Heisman in this system; his lack of both height and a classic passing arm will not allow it.  He is not going to run enough in this offense for it to make up for not being a 65 percent, 3,000 yard passer.  

The only way Denard has a prayer is if he scrapes 11-1 or 12-0 out of the regular season against the fourth-hardest schedule in the country.  I'm optimistic, but ten regular season wins would be an incredible year this time around.

opwolverine97

May 30th, 2012 at 5:46 PM ^

is Denard will rush for more yards this year instead of throwing jump balls, his rushing TD total will go up as he takes it to the house, his interception ratio will decrease dramatically and will not eclipse 8.  

If he gets 10 wins it'll be a success, and he doesnt need 11 or 12 to win. Look at RG3.  You dont need to have the most numbers, you just need to be a leader and the biggest difference maker on the field.

Think 20 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns with 2000 yards and 1500 yards respectively.  Ye have little faith.

TESOE

May 30th, 2012 at 10:33 PM ^

I agree for the most part, but this is largely in Borges' hands. I think both learned quite a bit from last year. At points we seemed to run more zone and lighten up on DR as a west coast QB. Borges is going to do what works. I don't see DR winning it from under center.

I can't help but think we are going to do something new vs. Bama like we did for OSU last year (coming out in new formations). Alabama is going to prep for last years pass routes. I'm curious to see if Borges does something new in that game to springboard DR to contention. How Fitz does is just as important.