Denard Ranked as the #3 Heisman Contender
Mike Huguenin of Yahoo! Sports put together a top 10 of this season's Heisman contenders and our Denard Robinson checks in at #3.
Here's what he had to say about Denard:
3. QB Denard Robinson, Michigan
Buzz: This will be the final go-round for one of the most exciting players to ever wear the maize-and-blue. Robinson has 8,160 yards of total offense and has been responsible for 75 TDs in his career. At times last season, he didn't look entirely comfortable in coordinator Al Borges' offense, yet he still was responsible for 36 touchdowns. "Shoelace" is at his best as an improviser, which means he is going to have perhaps the best highlight package of any player in the nation this season.
I'd argue against his characterization as an improviser. Denard has a tendency to force throws when he should take off instead, leading to a lot of picks. While he may have improved as the season went on, forcing throws isn't exactly a characteristic of improvisation in a QB who has Denard's ability to run. Anyways, if Denard is going to win the Heisman, the key is obviously going to be improving his passing. Hopefully a 2nd year in Borges' offense and no staph infection in his arm will help with that.
The top 10 Heisman contenders:
10. LB Larvis Jones, Georgia
9. QB Tajh Boyd, Clemson
8. WR De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon
7. QB Landry Jones, Oklahoma
6. QB Tyler Wilson, Arkansas
5. RB Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina
4. QB Geno Smith, West Virgnia
3. QB Denard Robinson, Michigan
2. RB Montee Ball, Wisconsin
1. QB Matt Barkley, USC
Bonus!:
Davey O'Brien (top quarterback)1. Matt Barkley, USC
2. Denard Robinson, Michigan
3. Geno Smith, West Virginia
I could see Denard winning the Heisman, but I doubt he get's the Davey.
I know he lost some good WRs but I can see Logan Thomas added to that list.
I think he's still a year away from breaking out, and plus, didn't VT lose nearly their entire OL to graduation, including multi-year starters, two of whom were late round NFL draftees?
How is Mathieu(sp?) not the first defensive player on there?
I drew comparisons in my last post between the leap RG3 made from the year before his Heisman to his Heisman year. But even if you don't agree with that you can't deny the fact that Al Borges is an experienced and elite OC. And with another whole year of experience in the offense and technique work Denard should improve signifigantly. Like I said in my last post even if he doesn't win the Heisman he should be much improved in the passing game. My primary concern is our lack of depth and top end talent at the WR position. The loss of Hemingway and Stonums dismissal from the team were huge blows to us.
What's the deal with the Ohio record in your signature? We're 58-44-6 all-time against them. Why are you removing five wins and two losses?