The Hypesman

[Mdot21]

"most outstanding player", in college football, of course.

It rarely ever goes to the best player. Suh got robbed in 2009. 20.5 TFLs and 12 sacks for an interior DT in 12 college games is insane. 

[OrangeAfroMan]

Um, no.
Cam Newton and Josh Allen both come to mind immediately. Both of those guys are big dudes with huge arms. And both of them suck at throwing the football.
Not saying he’s Favre or Marino or Elway or Rodgers, but like those guys- Haskins has got a rocket and he’s very accurate. There’s really only a handful of those guys in the history of the NFL. Most guys with a howitzer just aren’t accurate for whatever reason.
Accuracy is the #1 most important thing for a QB. It’s why guys like Montana and Brady and Brees and Warner and Peyton are all-time greats.
Arm strength is only a plus when you’re an accurate passer. Doesn’t do you any good to have a rocket launcher and not be able to hit the broadside of a barn. See: Newton, Cam.

Well shit, man, why aren't you an NFL GM?!?  

[OrangeAfroMan]

Year - Heisman Winner (if a QB) - #1 Pick (if a QB) - Comments
1989/90 - Andre Ware - Jeff George - Heisman voters whiffed on this one, huh?
1992/93 - Gino Torretta - Drew Bledsoe - damn!  whiffed again
2000/01 - Chris Weinke - Michael Vick - welp, they're 0 for 3 now...
2001/02 - Eric Crouch - David Carr - voters gave it to a damn safety under center!
2002/03 - Carson Palmer - Carson Palmer - DING DING DING - 1 for 5
2003/04 - Jason White - Eli Manning - boy, those Heisman boys hate the Manning clan
2004/05 - Matt Leinart - Alex Smith - 1 for 7
2006/07 - Troy Smith - JaMarcus Russell - them NFL types know what they're doing!
2008/09 - Sam Bradford - Matthew Stafford - N/A, Bradford stayed in school
2010/11 - Cam Newton - Cam Newton - we gotta winner!  2 out of 9!
2011/12 - Robert Griffin III - Andrew Luck - now which one was the dual threat?
2014/15 - Marcus Mariota - Jameis Winston - that silly guy who runs around a lot can't make it in the NFL, right?
2017/18 - Baker Mayfield - Baker Mayfield - whoo hoo, that's 3 in the past 29 years!


Well, I'm convinced.  

[MaximumSam]

Let's see - Jason White, Sam Bradford, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray - Gosh, guys, I'm noting a theme here.  If only there was some reason these guys could keep throwing up huge numbers?  Can't put put my finger on it.

[Cincydawg]

I'm looking at the more recent trends, not going back 3 decades, hence my pondering about whether going forward we are more likely than not to see dual threat QBs winning the award than drop backs.  The hypothesis is that they have more "highlight film" moves.  I recall one play by Troy Smith, who I think meets my criteria, making a throw off balance while scrambling that was caught for a great play and a key game.

It was shown over and over and made Smith look fantastic, along with other plays where he was very elusive.

Matt Stafford would be the other type, almost a statue, great arm, more typical NFL QB with a pretty solid pro career, but not remotely in the Heisman discussion.

Number One pick as I recall.

Anyway, something to ponder if we have a competition between two dissimilar QBs in the future.  

[Hoss]

Let's see - Jason White, Sam Bradford, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray - Gosh, guys, I'm noting a theme here.  If only there was some reason these guys could keep throwing up huge numbers?  Can't put put my finger on it.

Mmmmmmm.
The performance of these Heisman winners in their high-profile post-Heisman bowl games has been a mixed bag at best too. Mayfield did well against UGA last year (despite a choke at the end) but Bradford and White (x2, adding his non-Heisman 2004 campaign) looked like frauds against peer programs like FL, LSU and USC in the BCS.  

[Entropy]

If the best player won the Heisman every year, the #1 draft pick would always be a Heisman winner.  

really?   An NFL team with the first pick would take a QB if they just drafted a QB the year before with a top 5 pick?   Needs have nothing to do with it?

[bayareabadger]

I'm looking at the more recent trends, not going back 3 decades, hence my pondering about whether going forward we are more likely than not to see dual threat QBs winning the award than drop backs.  The hypothesis is that they have more "highlight film" moves.  I recall one play by Troy Smith, who I think meets my criteria, making a throw off balance while scrambling that was caught for a great play and a key game.

It was shown over and over and made Smith look fantastic, along with other plays where he was very elusive.

Matt Stafford would be the other type, almost a statue, great arm, more typical NFL QB with a pretty solid pro career, but not remotely in the Heisman discussion.

Number One pick as I recall.

Anyway, something to ponder if we have a competition between two dissimilar QBs in the future.  

I mean, Stafford also had a pretty so-so year for a preseason No. 1 team that went 9-3. So probably a good reason he wasn’t close to the Heisman, more than the style of player he was. 

[bayareabadger]

Let's see - Jason White, Sam Bradford, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray - Gosh, guys, I'm noting a theme here.  If only there was some reason these guys could keep throwing up huge numbers?  Can't put put my finger on it.

All have played for a blueblood power with forward thinking offensive minds every step of the way, good point. 

[bayareabadger]

It rarely ever goes to the best player. Suh got robbed in 2009. 20.5 TFLs and 12 sacks for an interior DT in 12 college games is insane.

Correct. 
Is that accurate cannon really the best player? Isn’t it more likely that DT at Bama? 
Anyway, the Heisman goes to the player who is most accomplished across a range of categories. Haskins has that cannon arm, but he swooned at the wrong time. It happens. Frankly, a three-game swoon sinks most folks, and it got him. 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Anyway, the Heisman goes to the player who is most accomplished across a range of categories and plays QB or RB for a 11-1 or better team, preferably helmet.

FTFY.

[bayareabadger]

FTFY.

Shoulda clarified, that’s included in the range of categories. 
Your recent non-one loss winners: Jackson, Manziel, Griffin, Tebow, Palmer
Recent non-helmet winners: Jackson, Mariota, Griffin.

[Mdot21]

I'm looking at the more recent trends, not going back 3 decades, hence my pondering about whether going forward we are more likely than not to see dual threat QBs winning the award than drop backs.  The hypothesis is that they have more "highlight film" moves.  I recall one play by Troy Smith, who I think meets my criteria, making a throw off balance while scrambling that was caught for a great play and a key game.

It was shown over and over and made Smith look fantastic, along with other plays where he was very elusive.

Matt Stafford would be the other type, almost a statue, great arm, more typical NFL QB with a pretty solid pro career, but not remotely in the Heisman discussion.

Number One pick as I recall.

Anyway, something to ponder if we have a competition between two dissimilar QBs in the future.  

I’m a Lions fan. 
Stafford is the same thing in the NFL that he was in college- mediocre. There was a point in time when Calvin Johnson was in his prime and he made Stafford look above average- but now that’s Megatron is gone- Stafford is mediocre. He’s not elite not even close. 
He went #1 overall because he has the proto-type size and gigantic arm. He was never an elite player in college and he never put up huge stats. To me he was just a better version of Chad Henne or something like that.
Haskins has the same kind of arm but he’s also an elite player that puts up monster numbers and makes the recievers around him better.

[Cincydawg]

I wouldn't call Stafford in college "mediocre".  He was not elite, but he was better than mediocre.  He was thrown in as a freshman with a porous line and did OK considering.  I thought he never improved as much as he might have over the next two years, but it was enough for scouts to draft him #1 and he has started in the NFL for a number of years.  Mediocre QBs usually get sat down.

At any rate, he was just a QB I see as the extreme version of one type of QB.

It will be interesting going forward to see if that style of QB has a shot at the Heisman.