HE’S ‘D’ MAN: Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o deserves to be in the Heisman Trophy conversation, writes The Post’s Lenn Robbins, who suggests two Heismans should be given — one to an offensive player, one to a defensive player. (
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MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — The race for the Heisman Trophy is wide open, as open as it has been in years, which is great.
It wouldn’t have been very interesting if the entire season had been a coronation of USC QB Mark Barkley, or any other player.
Instead we have had a riveting season of breathtaking performances. Geno Smith was a lock after six weeks until it became clear West Virginia’s defense couldn’t defend against a three-year-old intent on pushing the alarm button on an elevator.
Unknown Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel, who was redshirted last season, was very much on my Heisman list until Saturday’s 24-19 loss to LSU in which he threw three interceptions. But that boy is filthy good.
Collin Klein of Kansas State, the latest to exploit West Virginia’s defense in a 55-14 win on Saturday, is the most valuable player on any team after seven weeks.
And some other players are poised to move into the conversation such as Alabama’s AJ McCarron and Oregon’s Kenjon Barner.
And then there’s the unique case of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o. On a team whose success has been predicated on defense, he has been the physical and emotional leader.
Watching Te’o is a delight because he does things the way they’re supposed to be done. He leads his team on the field. He makes open-field tackles with ease. He drops in coverage.
Of course, if Te’o were on any team other than Notre Dame, would we even consider a defensive player for this award, which has evolved into a reward for the best offensive skill player, rather than the best player? For that matter, it would be unfair to hold his uniform against Te’o.
What needs to happen is for the Heisman Trust, which has done a remarkable job of keeping this great tradition alive through some daunting economic challenges that led to the closure of the Downtown Athletic Club, is to consider a new approach:
It’s time for two Heisman Trophies to be awarded — one on offense, one on defense.
Former LSU defensive back Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu (not Tyrann “Sugar Bear” Mathieu as WFAN’s Mike Francesa recently said, leading us to wonder if he’s qualified to have a Heisman vote) would have been a wrong candidate to become the first true defensive player to win the award since Michigan’s Charles Woodson in 1997.
Mathieu made the kind of electrifying, game-changing plays voters love. But he has not played after reportedly failing several drug tests in his LSU career.
Te’o, partly because of the nature of his position — he doesn’t play in wide open spaces like a defensive back — hasn’t made a lot of eye-popping plays. He just makes play after play. It’s like a cartoon, watching players run into him only to wind up on the ground, imaginary stars circling their head.
He also has an emotional hook, which can’t be dismissed. The deaths of his girlfriend and grandmother earlier this year allowed America a peek under the golden helmet. They met a smart, sensitive young man of faith and resilience.
But how many Heisman voters are truly educated enough, and/or take the time to really study the candidates? Many former winners are notorious for sending in their ballots early. Some voters never go to games. There could be a dead voter and it might go unnoticed for a year.
How does one evaluate whether Te’o or Klein is the better player? For that matter, where does Alabama center Barrett Jones, who makes all the line calls for No. 1 Alabama, or Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, who some experts say will be the first player picked in the NFL Draft, figure into the conversation?
“A defensive player would have to do something crazy to win the Heisman,’’ LSU defensive tackle Sam Montgomery told The Post. “He’d have had like 20 sacks, 10 interceptions, score a couple of touchdowns. It’s not something we even think about because it won’t happen.’’
It would happen if there were an offensive and defensive Heisman.
We’ve avoided a lot of Heisman chatter until this point. There’s no sense talking about which players “positioned themselves” with strong seasons in 2011. The award is for the best player this year.
The best player we have seen is USC WR Marqise Lee. He makes us grin with some of the plays he makes. And he knows it because sometimes you’ll see him grinning on the sidelines after making an entire defense cry. For the record, his teammate, WR Robert Wood, is our favorite player for the way he competes.
Te’o has been terrific. He has earned at least a trip to the Heisman ceremonies.
And Klein’s steadiness, leadership, efficiency and execution has earned him a trip from the Little Apple (Manhattan, Kan.) to the Big Apple. What he did on Saturday (19-of-21 passing for 323 yards with four rushing and three passing touchdowns) was just as spectacular as Smith’s performance against Baylor, when he was 45-of-51 for 656 yards with eight TDS and no picks.
It’s time to start paying attention to the Heisman race because it could be fascinating down the stretch. For now we have Lee, Te’o and Klein our ballot, with Jones right behind