Friday, December 8, 2006

Heisman talk: Smith underrated?


When did upside suddenly begin to trump proven worth? The two U.S. leagues which rely on the draft process - the NFL and NBA - have been overrun by pundits discussing how much potential raw players will have in five years, or once they have gained 30 pounds.

Troy Smith, soon to be crowned the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner, has led his team to an undefeated season, and won the best regular season match-up of any U.S. sports league in decades, perhaps history. The coverage that the OSU/Michigan clash on November 18 received was incredible, and no amount of athleticism shown in an NFL combine - 40 yard dashes, vertical leaps, strength tests - can give a better insight of a player's readiness for the professional ranks than the pressure of the biggest game in the history of sport's greatest rivalry.

He has shouldered the pressure of expectation at OSU in 2006, the level of which wouldn't be matched by starting at quarterback for most NFL teams. Smith, like Matt Leinart and Vince Young, has demonstrated that he can handle constant media attention and the burden of favouritism in every game, and it seems that he would have little difficulty in a high-stakes football situation like playing in New York, or leading the Chicago Bears after their years of QB disasters. (Dream scenario, anyone? Urlacher and Co. get the 3-and-out consistently and happily turn the reigns over to a Heisman-winning QB on offence).

Analysts have predicted that Brady Quinn, who has succeeded in a similarly intense college environment, will be selected in the top three in the 2007 draft, but see Smith's height possibly keeping him in the late first round. Some even suggest he will fall to the second round!

There is no rarer player in the current NFL than a gifted quarterback who is able to maintain composure at the critical moments. The majority aren't even capable of holding their starting jobs long enough to get to such moments. It is obviously premature to suggest that Smith will emulate Tom Brady in his ability to manage a Super Bowl offence because of his college record, but surely he warrants a selection by one of the teams in the league which lacks a true leader?

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