My Heisman Ballot So Far

I do not have an actual Heisman vote, seeing as how I am just a blogger.  However, I should have one, because I am awesome, and I do not get caught up in the hype of one good or bad game like so many of these voters do.  So, that being said, here is my Heisman ballot for the season thus far.  I am going to follow the official ballot rules, meaning I only get to pick 3 players.  Spoiler alert, they are all QBs.  Let's look at them from 3rd to 1st.


3. Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State

          I'm not going to lie, I am a little biased.  I loved watching David Carr when he was at Fresno.  He could have been a great pro if the Texans believed in providing any kind of protection for him at all.  Now, his little brother Derek might be even better.  His play is the main reason why Fresno is undefeated and looking to crash the BCS party.  He also has the kind of heart-wrenching/life-changing story that Heisman voters eat up: His newborn son underwent two surguries in the first few days of his life to combat a potentially deadly condition.  David White of the NY Times wrote about it here.  Not only is Derek a fantastic football player, but he is mature enough now to realize it is just a game and that there are more important things.  Certain other college stars who are not in my Top 3 still haven't gotten that.  Will Derek win the Heisman?  No.  Does he deserve to be in New York for the finals based on his play?  Absolutely.


2. Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State

          Barring some kind of collapse, Jameis Winston is going to win the Heisman.  He is ridiculously good.  He destroyed my Syracuse Orange last week.  FSU is undefeated, and most of their games have been complete runaways in a better-than-expected ACC.  So, why the hell am I putting him at 2 instead of 1?  Well, it has to do with the talent that is around him and my #1 pick.  There is no doubt in my mind that Winston is insanely gifted, and will probably be a solid pro.  I think that FSU can compete with Alabama in the BCS title game, and maybe even win it.  But that is not just because of Jameis.  FSU has an amazing defense which is only giving up 11 points a game, #3 in FBS.  FSU's offense averages just under 200 yards a game rushing, which is in the top 1/3rd of FBS.  They are a well-rounded and complete team.  I think that, in an award that is supposed to honor individual achievement, having a team that great around you should hurt a little.  AJ McCarron isn't on my list for the same reason, though he is not as talented as Winston.


1. Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor

          Baylor is a great team.  They are not as good all around as FSU is, though.  That makes me give the slightest of edges to Bryce Petty in my Heisman vote.  Their offense is the best in the country, averaging 61 points per game in the Big 12 (10, but who's counting?).  Their defense is playing better as well, but it usually doesn't matter because the offense can score at will.  Petty is the leader of that unit, and his numbers back up my praise.  He has only thrown 1 INT all year to go with his 24 passing TDs, and has a QB rating of 206.2, a full 11 points higher than Jameis Winston.  Additionally, he has 10 rushing scores to help his campaign.  This could all be a moot point if Petty stumbles down the stretch, because Jameis Winston doesn't look like he will.  But, assuming that they both go undefeated, my vote goes to Baylor's Bryce.

Clowney Question Bro- Why SC's Freak Will Not Be The #1 Pick

There is no doubt in my mind that Jadeveon Clowney will be a solid NFL player.  He is an athletic freak of nature, standing at 6'6, weighing around 250 lbs.  He is fast, agile and strong.  Teams have been double or triple-teaming him, yet he can still find ways to impact plays.  Does the fact that he seems to take some plays off concern me?  A little, but not enough to say that he isn't a Top 5 pick in the NFL Draft.  But that's it.

Top 5.

Not #1.  Sorry.

He's a defensive end.  An important position?  Sure.  But the NFL isn't all about defense anymore.  It's a quarterback league, and some of the teams that are in line to pick #1 overall need a QB a lot more than a pass rusher.  You can't tell me that the Jacksonville Jaguars might be on the clock, looking at Teddy Bridgewater, Taj Boyd, Johnny Football, Aaron Murray, AJ McCarron, etc. and then really say that they aren't more important than Clowney is.  A good QB, hell even a halfway decent QB, can turn a bad team into a playoff contender.

Want an example?  Well, the Kansas City Chiefs had the #1 overall pick last year.  Worst team in the league, even though they had 6 Pro Bowl players.  They lacked a QB, so they got Alex Smith.  Now they are 5-0 and look to at least make the playoffs as a wild card (the Broncos are winning that division).  The New Orleans Saints were mired in obscurity for years.  Cue Drew Brees, and they become relevant.  My Washington Redskins were a joke for the better part of 20 years.  They get a healthy RG3 last year and made the playoffs (not so much this year while he recovers from his injury).  A QB has his hands on the ball every single offensive snap.  Even the best defensive ends have a major impact on MAYBE 5 or 6 plays a game.

So, no, Clowney will not be the #1 pick if it is Jacksonville, Tampa, or Minnesota.  He could be in the mix for struggling teams that have a franchise QB though, such as the Giants, Steelers, Raiders or Rams, even though I think they all have bigger needs along their respective offensive lines.

The perfect fit for Clowney?  How about in Atlanta, where injuries have decimated the Falcons pass rush.  Plug him into that defense, coupled with a fully healthy Falcons offense in 2014, and the Dirty Birds would be back to the Super Bowl contenders people expected them to be this year.

I still think Jacksonville is far and away the worst team in football, and they need a QB, so Clowney will not be the #1 pick.  But to all the analysts that seem to be jumping ship on him, saying that he could fall out of the Top 10 even with all of his ability and questioning his prospects as a pro, I just have one thing to say:

That's a clown question bro.

Can The Yankees Be Fixed?

So, I was doing a little research for this post today.  I was trying to figure out who were some nice bargain free agents that can come in and help the Yankees next season.  I was trying to figure out if they can really afford to pay Robinson Cano all the money he wants.  I was trying to figure out how to fix the pinstripes without breaking the bank that much.  The answer to all of these conundrums?  I have no idea.

I am not sure how to fix the Bronx Bombers.  I am in my late-20s.  The Yankees have been good pretty much my entire life.  And let's not pretend that they are a horrible team.  They have 82 wins right now.  But they aren't THOSE Yankees anymore.  Pettite and Mariano are retiring.  Jeter might as well retire soon because he seems to be made of glass now.  How can they possibly recover from losing their franchise's faces?  Plus, you have to deal with A-Roid, a suddenly struggling CC, and the departure of many players (and possibly a manager).  There is no easy answer.

Here is the one thing I am sure about if I am the Yankees, though- There is no way in hell that I am giving a 2nd baseman $300 million dollars.  I know that Cano is the best player on that team.  I know that the Dodgers are going to be willing to pay some massive amount of cash like that to make one of the best infields I have ever seen.  But the Yankees can't afford to do that right now.  I mean, they can obviously AFFORD to, but they shouldn't.  At some point the old Steinbrenner way needs to change.  You can't always buy a title.  Hell, look at the Angels.  They can't even buy a playoff appearance, and they have (probably) the best young player in baseball on their team.  The new way to build a franchise is with home grown talent.  That is what was the core of those great Yankees teams.  They don't have that right now, and their minor league system is apparently garbage.

That brings me to one of the only fixes I can think of for the Yankees- Qualifying Offers!  Cano, Curtis Granderson and Hiroki Kuroda are all free agents that the Yankees wouldn't mind having back at the QO price of $14 million for one year.  Kuroda may sign that, and that's fine.  The other two won't, which means that the Yankees will get two compensatory draft picks for their loss.  If you are a team looking to rebuild, this is a great thing.  The Yankees did this last year after Rafael Soriano signed with my Nationals (over 40 saves, which I like, but it was never easy).  They ended up with 3 of the top 33 picks in the draft, a solid move in rebuilding your minor league system.  The move could work!

Or maybe I am wrong.

The Yankees are kind of dependent on Cano.  They don't even have another 2B on the active roster, and only one more on the 40 man roster, but still in the minors.  He leads them in every offensive category.  Do the mini-Steinbrenners really want to stop paying all the money to star players, putting butts in the ridiculously expensive seats?  No clue.  Can they resist signing Cano, Brian McCann and Tim Lincecum in the offseason?  No idea.

I just know that, if I was in charge of the Yankees, I would look hard at the talent I have available. It may be worth it to be not-so-great for a year or two in order to build another potential dynasty on your own players.

The NFL vs The WWE: AFC West

Well, it has come to this.  Here is the last installment of the series comparing NFL teams to WWE Superstars.  I hope you have enjoyed it.  Maybe I'll dust it off again before next year.  Here we go:

- Denver Broncos: The Rock
          Are the Broncos on the older side of things?  Well, their QB is.  Peyton Manning is still one of the best in the business, even if he is close to NFL AARP age.  Same goes for The Rock.  Good old Dwayne came back for a little bit, won the WWE Title, and even main-evented Wrestlemania for the second straight year (I was there, it was pretty cool to see him).  He suffered a pretty bad rib injury at the show, and may not come back ever again, but if he did he would still be at the top of the list of WWE Superstars.  We weren't sure how good Peyton would be when he came back with a different team, but he was amazing last year.  The Broncos could pull a Rock themselves this season, following Peyton on one last ride to the top.

- San Diego Chargers: Fandango
          Oh, Fandango.  I'm not entirely sure how his gimmick is still working after a few months.  I don't really think anyone cares about a wrestler who pretends to also be a ballroom dancer.  He has the look of a wrestler though, and a beautiful woman to accompany him to the ring.  It helps distract us from how unimpressive he has been in the ring.  The Chargers play in San Diego, the city with the best weather in the country.  Their powder blue uniforms are the best jerseys in sports.  Their helmets have friggin lightning bolts on them!  All of this to distract you from a sub-par team.  Maybe they will be able to continue the streak of teams in the Eagles' home opener winning the Super Bowl (last 3 years) or teams that lose to the Skins winning it all (last three years).  But, more than likely, they will dance around, leave you feeling silly after their games, and frustrate real fans.

- Kansas City Chiefs: Christian
          Christian is one of the best workers the WWE has.  That being said, he hasn't always been a Main Event guy.  His tag team partner Edge had the it factor to push him over the top and make him a WWE Hall of Famer.  Christian kind of got left behind, though he has had a bunch of good streaks.  The Chiefs have been good in the past.  They have a Super Bowl.  They won a ton of games with Priest Holmes and Trent Green.  But then they fell on hard times.  Now, they have a new coach in Andy Reid, a new QB in Alex Smith, and some new optimism.  One big push in the AFC could get them to immortality, just like how one big push for Christian could cement him as a Hall of Famer.

- Oakland Raiders: The Big Show
          This is kind of unfair to the Big Show, who is one of the most impressive big men ever in the WWE (Him, Andre, Kane and Undertaker are a class above everyone else).  However, there is this thing that the Raiders love- MEASURABLES!  Big Show is 7 feet tall and 500 pounds!  He would be the perfect Al Davis pick, God rest him.  While Show is getting a mini-push in his current storyline, the Raiders seem to be one of the worst teams in football. Still, with that size and that athletic ability, he would be an ideal Raider.



Well, that's all.  Hope you enjoyed it!  Thanks for reading, and enjoy the season!

The NFL vs The WWE: AFC South

Moving right along with our penultimate post in this series, comparing the teams in the AFC South to WWE Superstars.

- Houston Texans: Cody Rhodes
          I have been waiting for Cody Rhodes to get his (well-deserved) push for about three years, and it still hasn't happened.  He is a great wrestler.  He is good on the mic.  He has the family history, being the son of Dusty Rhodes and brother of Dustin "Goldust" Rhodes.  He is loaded with potential, but has yet to get over that hump to super-stardom.  The Houston Texans are exactly the same.  We know they have a ton of talent.  They are just a massive ball of untapped potential.  Two straight trips to the playoffs are nice.  A Super Bowl is nicer.  Is the third time the charm?

- Indianapolis Colts: Kane
          Kane is one of my all time favorite wrestlers, and even though he has been the same character for 16 years, he has managed to reinvent himself by pairing with younger stars he can help push.  The latest of these was his teaming with Daniel Bryan, or his feuds with The Shield and The Wyatt Family.  And infusion of young stars helps his character stay fresh.  The Colts weren't exactly a young team when Peyton Manning left. They got rid of some of their older players, and hooked up with #1 pick Andrew Luck.  He has been great, and now the Colts are back to being a playoff contender.

- Tennessee Titans: Kofi Kingston
          I like Kofi, I really do.  He is super fun to watch.  The problem is that he is stuck in the mid-card.  He needs some tweaks to his character or his style to push himself to the next level.  The same can be said about the Titans.  They aren't a terrible team, they just don't have the talent to be a true contender.  Chris Johnson hasn't been himself in years, making us wonder if he is on the downside of his career.  Jake Locker still needs to prove that he can be a starting QB in the NFL.  Kenny Britt needs to show he can stay health and out of trouble.  If they are able to take care of some of these issues, then I could see them making a run.  Until then, they are just middle of the pack.

- Jacksonville Jaguars- Hornswoggle
          The Jaguars aren't exactly a good team.  To be fair, they are pretty awful.  They seem to just be around these days for the amusement of the rest of the NFL.  That's the reason why Hornswoggle is in the WWE.  He is a leprechaun (or just vertically challenged) whose best friend is a 7'1 man from Punjab, India.  He dances, he throws out t-shirts, he makes kids happy.  We don't expect to see him in the main event any time soon, and we feel bad if some bigger guy is picking on him, but we don't take him that seriously as a wrestler.  He's there for our entertainment, just like the Jaguars.

Our journey concludes in the next post, the AFC West.  Join us, won't you?

The NFL vs The WWE: AFC North

Welcome back!  Now time to compare the teams of the AFC North to WWE Superstars.

- Baltimore Ravens: Alberto Del Rio
          The current World Heavyweight Champion is, in my opinion, kind of boring.  Sure, he wrestles well, and always seems to hit people really hard, but I am not entirely sure how he has managed to remain a main event player so consistently since he debuted.  This is pretty much exactly how I feel about the Ravens, and I like them!  The Ravens will knock you out, have been in the playoffs the previous 5 seasons, and won the Super Bowl last year.  However, there doesn't seem to be anything that spectacular about them.  They may not be the best team to watch, but they manage to stay at a high level all the time.  Furthermore, Ray Lewis, the mouthpiece of the Ravens, is now gone.  Ricardo Rodriguez, ADR's ring announcer, is now teamed with someone else too.  Funny how that works.

- Pittsburgh Steelers: Brock Lesnar
          The Steelers are one of the best run franchises in all of sports.  They are extremely physical, intimidating, and tough.  Even when they aren't around the playoffs, they will make sure they hit you hard.
They are a perfect comparison to Brock Lesnar.  He is a monster that always makes sure his opponents feel the most pain possible.  He takes some breaks from being on TV, but comes back stronger and crazier each time.  Its a shame that he has already tried to be in the NFL and failed, because he sure does look like he would be the perfect kind of player for the Steelers.

- Cincinnati Bengals- Sheamus
          FELLA!  Yes, the biggest Irishman you will ever lay your eyes on is my pick for the Bengals.  After all, both hit hard, seem to be fairly consistent these days at being good but not great, and both are overshadowed by the other guys in their division (the Heavyweight division, for Sheamus).  Not stopping there, both the Bengals and the Celtic Warrior are kind of boring.  Yes, they have occasional moments of flash and brilliance, such as AJ Green's spectacular catches, or Sheamus' electric Brogue Kick.  But on the whole, they don't do much to really wow you.  Finally, of course, both Sheamus and Andy Dalton are gingers.  Perfect.  I wonder if Andy is related to Beaker also...

- Cleveland Browns- The WWE Divas
          Ok, so the Browns are the Divas, only not nearly as much fun to look at.  They have some talent, sure.  They have a strong, dependable and underrated back in Trent Richardson.  The Divas have Natalya, who really should always be fighting for the title, but isn't because she isn't dating John Cena or something like that.  Really, neither the Browns nor the Divas have any kind of direction, which is a shame.  Both have great histories.  Jim Brown was a Brown!  Trish Stratus was a Diva!  Oh well.  Now both are just painful to watch.  I don't really expect much from either one of them any time soon, though I'd be happy if both were better.


The next entry?  The AFC South.  Only a week until the season!

The NFL vs The WWE: AFC East

Back from vacation with the second half of our comparison between NFL teams and WWE Superstars.

- New England Patriots: John Cena
          The Champ Is Here!  Well... not really.  In fact, Cena is out 4-8 months after finally succumbing to a tricep tear that made his elbow look like it had a baseball growing out of it.  He may be out as long as Gronk!  But, to be fair, this is why the Patriots are the John Cena of the NFL- they are always around the title picture.  The Patriots have been one of the best teams in football since Tom Brady took the reigns in 2001.  The naysayers insist that they aren't that good, or that Brady is overrated, but that simply isn't the case.  Sure, some teams may be more entertaining to watch, and some may even be better coached, but it is hard to argue with the consistent production of the Pats.  John Cena has won the title 13 times.  He has been in some of the best matches the past ten years.  These are facts.  The icing on the cake?  Despite both being good, they are very hate-able to a part of their sport's fan base.  The Patriots are the evil empire that wins too much, and Cena is hated by the "smart" fans who think other (better?) wrestlers deserve his spot.  And hey, Cena is from Massachusetts.  Its a perfect fit.

- Miami Dolphins: The Usos
          Jimmy and Jay Uso are the sons of former WWE Superstar Rikishi (a fan favorite), so you know that they have the pedigree.  They are up-and-coming in the tag divisions, having recently received a mini-push by feuding with The Shield for the tag team belts.  They have a ton of potential.  The Dolphins are a popular pick to make some noise in the AFC East this year, with Ryan Tannehill, Lamar Miller, Mike Wallace and that defense showing signs of improvement from last season's 7-9 record.  The fact that they signed my friend AJ Francis as a free agent helps too, of course.  If they are able to put it together, they could make a splash just like the Usos seem poised to do.

- Buffalo Bills: Antonio Cesaro
          A Swiss wrestler of Italian descent that speaks 5 languages?  Very international.  A team that may move to Canada soon?  Also international!  Yes, the Bills and Cesaro seem like a fairly good fit.  They both have talent (just watch Cesaro's matches vs quality opponents, and then watch CJ Spiller gash up a defense), but they seem to lack some direction.  Cesaro isn't exactly enthralling on the mic, so he has been bumped back to xenophobic tag team wrestler with Jack Swagger's Real Americans.  The Bills have a new coach (who I wish was still at Syracuse...), a new QB (who is injured), an old owner and the threat of moving from their city.  They could both use an upgrade back to relevance.

- New York Jets: TNA Impact Wrestling
          This is kind of a low blow... to TNA.  They put a good product into the ring some times, especially with the X Division (their Knockouts division destroys the WWE Divas division as well).  But they are just not on the same league with the WWE.  Their storylines can be dreadful and outdated.  Sometimes their product is just unwatchable.  That is EXACTLY like the Jets.  They will probably win a few games this year, somehow.  The Jets, though, just seem to be the worst run franchise in the NFL, if not all of sports!  I have many friends who are Jets fans, including my best friend from college.  They are all threatening mutiny.  They need a massive overhaul if they want to play with the big boys.


Next up, perhaps the most physical division in the NFL (mostly), the AFC North.