Heisman Trophy 2011: How QBs Have Ruined the Value of Heisman Award

Tonight, a new player is going to join college football's most prestigious club when the Heisman Trophy winner is announced. 

We know how meaningful the Heisman Trophy is, but it shouldn't mean as much as it does. 

Let's take a look at all of the winners the 21st Century has given us.

2000	Chris Weinke, Florida St.	Quarterback
2001	Eric Crouch, Nebraska	Quarterback
2002	Carson Palmer, USC	Quarterback
2003	Jason White, Oklahoma	Quarterback
2004	Matt Leinart, USC	Quarterback
2005	Reggie Bush, USC (vacated)	Running back
2006	Troy Smith, Ohio State	Quarterback
2007	Tim Tebow, Florida	Quarterback
2008	Sam Bradford, Oklahoma	Quarterback
2009	Mark Ingram, Alabama	Running back
2010	Cam Newton, Auburn	Quarterback

Are you noticing a trend there? Nine out of 11 winners are quarterbacks. That's just too high a number. And while Tebow, Bradford, and Newton are still way too early in their careers to make a serious judgment, take a look at the winners between 2000 and 2005.

Only Palmer has done anything of note in the NFL. 

The numbers are skewed to favor the quarterbacks. This is especially true in the college game, as mobile quarterbacks are often on display. Players like Crouch used their legs almost exclusively, but Smith, Tebow, and Newton all had a big part in their success.

What about receivers? Desmond Howard was the last receiver to win the award. He did that in 1991. Before that, it was Tim Brown in 1987.

But that even pales in comparison to other positions. Notre Dame's Leon Hart won it in 1949. In modern terms, he was a tight end, although they didn't catch passes at the same rate that they do now. Since then, no offensive player at a non-skill position has won it.

Defensive players have been similarly shunned. Charles Woodson won it in 1997. He's the only primarily defensive player to win the award.

The voting and bias is dramatically skewed to favor the quarterback. They might as well eliminate even running backs from contention and just vote on the top quarterback of the year. Maybe have a Heisman Quarterback Trophy, and then a Heisman Best of the Rest Trophy. 

The point isn't to rip quarterbacks. No, sometimes they are the deserving winners. The point is to say that other players are valuable, and they get neglected. 

Nine winners in 11 years is just too many. It screams bias to one position. If the voters aren't biased to the quarterbacks, then they are blatantly neglecting the other positions on the field. 

Other positions deserve the same glory. They just don't get enough attention for the game's most cherished prize.

How good would the numbers be without the receivers that get open and catch the ball? How good would they be without lineman to block for them, opening up holes and giving them time to run? How many touchdowns would they score without a defense that shortens the field?

The quarterbacks earn their numbers because of their entire team. The rest of the players deserve to be given the same recognition on occasion.

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