Maxwell Award snubs OU’s Sam Bradford

The Maxwell Football Club announced the three finalists for the 2008 Maxwell Award.   This year’s finalists include last year’s winner, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, as well as Texas quarterback Colt McCoy and Texas Tech Quarterback Graham Harrell.

The Maxwell Award is named after Robert W. Maxwell, a former college football player, coach and sportswriter.  The Maxwell is supposedly given to the “Outstanding College Football Player of the Year,” according to spokesman Bob Clark.

Yet it doesn’t take a historical deep dive to realize that by “football player”, they mean “quarterback” or “running back.”   The last football player to win the Maxwell that didn’t play quarterback or running back was wide receiver and return specialist Desmond Howard in 1991.  Howard also won the Heisman that year.  You have to venture all the way back to 1980 to find the next Maxwell winner (Pittsburgh linebacker Hugh Green) that didn’t take the snaps from center or tote the mail.

So knowing the Maxwell Award is really about the most outstanding quarterback or running back, rather than player, we understand why the three finalists are all quarterbacks.  Spread offenses have prevailed.  It’s a down year for running backs in college football this year.  We get it.

But what doesn’t make any sense at all is how they left University of Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford off the finalists list.  Forget that Bradford has the best pro potential and would be the first quarterback drafted if he made himself eligible for the next year’s draft.  Let’s focus on what Bradford has accomplished so far this season and compare that to the three Maxwell Award finalists.

The comparison is much easier to make since all four players being compared play the same position - quarterback.  One thing will become crystal clear when comparing total yards, passing yards, touchdown to interception ratios, quarterback ratings and team records, is that four of these guys are truly outstanding players.

Tech quarterback Harrell leads the group in total yards (4,689) as well as passing yards per game (395.6).   OU’s Bradford ranks second at 4,138 total yards and 340 yards per game, and Texas’ McCoy is third with 4,021 total yards and 287.1 passing yards per game.  Tebow is a distant fourth in both total yards 2,806 as well as passing yards per game (191.6).  In fact, Tebow isn’t in the same stratosphere as the other three.  Nationally, Harrell, Bradford and McCoy are all in the top ten in passing yards per game, while Tebow ranks 64.  Advantage Harrell.

In Tebow’s defense, he does posses the best touchdown to interception ratio at 37 touchdowns to only 2 interceptions.  Plus Tebow is arguably the most important player on a one loss team that is one win away from playing for a National Championship.   Bradford ranks second in the group having slung 51 touchdowns to only 6 picks.  Harrell has thrown 47 touchdowns to 7 interceptions and McCoy ranks last (as if these numbers are in some way worthy of a bottom ranking) at 42 touchdowns to 7 interceptions.  Advantage Tebow.

We could also surmise McCoy is the most important player on a one loss team that should be one win away from a National Championship, if it weren’t for some non-sensical way of deciding who plays for the BCS Championship.  McCoy leads the group in completion percentage, connecting on an other-wordly 77.6 percent of his passes.   Depending on what McCoy does in the bowl game, he could set the NCAA record for completion percentage for a season.  Harrell connects on 71.4 percent, while Bradford completes 68.1 percent and Tebow an even 65 percent.  Advantage McCoy.

You read how Bradford was second in total yards (4,138) and passing yards (340) to Harrell.  You saw he had the second fewest interceptions of the group (6), but also the most touchdowns (51).  But in terms of straight up quarterback rating, Bradford is tops in the group at 190.9.   McCoy’s quarterback rating is third nationally at 179.2.  Tebow ranks fifth nationally at 175.4 and Harrell rounds out the group at number nine with an even 163 rating.  Advantage Bradford.

Now if the head to head comparison didn’t convince you that Bradford deserved a look for the Maxwell, then maybe some of these offensive numbers will.  With Bradford at the helm, the Sooners;

·         Have been over 500 yards of total offense nine times and over 600 yards three times.

·         Have scored on their first drive of the game in eleven of twelve contests (10 TDs, one field goal)

·         Have averaged 57.8 points on the road this year

·         Scored 35 first quarter points against rival Nebraska

·         Set school record with 55 first half point at Kansas State

Bradford’s number could be even gaudier if Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops didn’t call off the dogs in several early season matchups.  Sure, it can be argued Bradford has more weapons then Harrell, that he can’t run like Tebow or that he is not as critically important to his team as McCoy.   But after Bradford leads his team to a BCS Championship, then gets drafted in the top five in the NFL draft, the Maxwell Football Club will need to re-evaluate just exactly what an outstanding football player looks like.