Should Colt McCoy Be Worried about the Heisman Jinx?

It was supposed to be one of the most heated Heisman races in college football history.

Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow, and Colt McCoy came into the season with high expectations for not only their respective teams, but for themselves as well.

Unfortunately, two of these three quarterbacks have been dealt significant blows to their Heisman campaigns.

In Oklahoma’s season opener to BYU, Sam Bradford suffered a sprained ACL joint in his throwing arm after falling on his arm awkwardly shortly before halftime.

Bradford didn’t return for the second half and his Sooners went on to lose in dramatic fashion, 14-13. The Sooner quarterback has missed the Sooners’ last three games including their second loss of the season to Miami on Saturday night.

Tim Tebow and his Gators were cruising past Kentucky last Saturday. Tebow had already amassed some impressive numbers on the day and was looking or more.

Then, horror struck.

Early in the third quarter, while dropping back to pass, Tebow was blind-sided and sent straight into the ground. On his way down, he smashed his head against one of his own linemen’s knees, which knocked him out for a good 15 seconds.

Tebow was able to walk off the field, but he was soon driven away in an ambulance.

It was found that Tebow suffered a severe concussion.

Florida had a bye-week last week, but Urban Meyer is still debating whether or not to play Tebow against LSU this weekend, a game that is pivotal in the SEC chase.

As for Texas’ Colt McCoy, it was business as usual, as he racked up over 300 yards of total offense and threw for three touchdowns in a 64-7 massacre of UTEP.

While the Longhorns have essentially jogged their way to 4-0, their fearless leader hasn’t looked as impressive as he was this time last year.

McCoy has already thrown five interceptions this year, after throwing a total of eight last season.

His freakish 77 percent completion rate is down to around 70 percent, which isn’t remotely bad, but it’s hardly his best effort.

Perhaps the most noticeable change in McCoy’s game is his comfort level on the field. A year ago, McCoy managed games with such ease that it was almost impossible to shut him down.

This season, however, Colt has looked a bit spooked, especially early in games. He has been forcing the ball into tight coverage at times as well as failing to go through all of his progressions.

Granted, it’s early in the year and he is still adjusting to life without Quan Cosby, but McCoy seems hesitant.

Could it be that McCoy witnessed what happened to Bradford and Tebow and is now afraid of suffering a similar fate?

It’s a plausible explanation, but I don’t think it’s the case.

After all, McCoy has already been down injury road.

Late in his freshman season, McCoy suffered some nerve damage in his neck, which in turn, inhibited his ability to throw the ball at high velocities and great distances.

However, Colt was able to rebound and there were no lingering effects of his injury when Texas played Iowa in the Alamo Bowl.

With that in mind, I doubt Colt is as nervous as people think he is simply because he knows how to cope with injury.

I don’t believe McCoy is suffering from injury-related anxiety. He’s simply trying too hard.

He may not say it to the press or the fans, but Colt McCoy wants that Heisman Trophy badly, and as a result he is forcing plays that aren’t there.

This Texas gun-slinger isn’t afraid for his safety. He’s afraid to lose.

If anyone is afraid for McCoy’s safety, however, it’s Mack Brown and Greg Davis.

We haven’t seen McCoy take off and run as often this season, which is partly by design (to allow the running backs to carry the load) and partly to preserve him physically over the course of the season.

The conservative play calling has kept McCoy safe, but at some point Greg Davis will have to open up the play book and allow Colt to be Colt.

Injuries are a constant threat in football, but the fear of injury should not dictate how a team or any specific player performs on the field.

So if I’m Colt McCoy, I don’t worry about what happened to Bradford and Tebow, nor do I worry about that bronze statue. I play my own game to the best of my ability and have fun doing it.

The rewards will come in time.

Besides, Colt hasn’t won a Heisman yet, so you have to like his chances to stay healthy.