Heisman Hype kicks into 3rd gear

Gregg Doyel over at CBS Sportsline is talking Matt Leinart, Heisman, East Coast bias, and how it might actually HELP USC's QB to get some recognition from the Hesiman voters:

Leinart was 27-for-35 for 280 yards and three touchdowns. Those are great numbers. Heisman numbers.

They'll look awfully pretty in the Sunday newspaper, which is the only way most Heisman voters will be able to view them. The Trojans game ended Saturday at about 10:45 p.m. local time -- well past midnight for most Heisman voters.

Of course, in a theme we've become all-too-accustomed to as West Coast football fans, naturally Doyel wastes no time before revealing the full extent of his backhanded compliment:

For Leinart's Heisman hopes, ignorance could be bliss -- and please, USC fans, read a few more sentences before firing off an angry e-mail. Leinart's a great player, he really is, but he's playing in a situation that is kinder to a quarterback than anything we've seen since mid-1980s Miami.

I'm not going to waste my time digging through Doyel's archives, but I trust he wrote the same article about Oklahoma's Heisman chokemaster Jason White last year, when he was benefitting from that rich surplus of talent around him.

Oh wait....he plays on the East Coast, so he didn't have to endure media scrutiny. Just a relentless cascade of hype and praise, followed by a barrage of spin to cover for the missed mark after the 2-game collapse by the Sooners at the end of last year. Must be nice.

Leinart has certainly made his case for the Heisman, all over the Trojans' opponents, leading a group of incredibly-talented, yet entirely unseasoned, inexperienced players to wins in both blowouts, and close games. Sure, they're making No. 11 look good; but he's doing a pretty damn fine job of returning the favor, as any true Heisman does.

USC's Leinart surrounded by trophy talent [CBS Sportsline.com]

Comments

Leinart's starting offensive line is comprised of 2 sophomores, 2 JC transfers and a freshman. People in Oklahoma cant even count as high as the number of

games the Sooners offensive line has played together. you think that helps Jason White and Adrian Peterson some?

Oh and Leinart's wideouts this year, caught a combined total of 4 passes last year, a whopping total of 19 if you count tight end Dom Byrd's catches.

If this guy thinks Leinart is no good because his strong supporting cast inflates his numbers... just wait till next year, Leinart will downright awful

Posted by: rory at November 15, 2004 03:22 PM