It’s never been a linebacker, nor has it ever been a freshman — it’s time to move past the fact that Manti Te’o and Johnny Manziel will both be a part of history if either is chosen as the 76th winner of the Heisman Trophy.
It’s time we delve into the facts, not the statistics — the mission statement of the award, rather than how many offensive yards a player has racked up in one season.
Integrity. One worthy of the award must pursue “excellence with integrity,” as the statement reads.
Is integrity best defined by a player’s ability to rally, with courage and despite adversity, one of the nation’s most prestigious universities into a National Championship game that not even the iconic Notre Dame leprechaun would’ve envisioned at the season’s start?
Or maybe it’s better defined by three preseason misdemeanors, rookie mistakes as some would argue they were, and a good-but-not-perfect 10-2 season.
If the Heisman Trophy is solely based on the mission statement, I take Te’o by a great margin. Midway through the season, Te’o coped with loss better than I’ve seen a player do in recent years. Losing his girlfriend and grandmother on the same day, what Te’o did next is the stuff movies are made of.
In consecutive games against then Top 25 ranked teams, it was Te’o who would step up and lead a Notre Dame defense that prevented No. 10 Michigan State and No. 18 Michigan from even glancing into the depths of the Irish end zone. Te’o’s opposition managed a combined nine points (three field goals) in two games. In those two games, Te’o’s jaw-dropping stat line may have even made Johnny Football drool.
He recorded a combined 20 tackles in the games and against rival Michigan on the day of his girlfriend’s funeral, Te’o picked off Denard Robinson twice.
Manziel’s “rookie mistakes,” which included disorderly conduct, failure to identify and possession of a fictitious driver’s license on a June College Station night, ended up in an evening behind bars for the All-SEC gunslinger.
If the mushy language of the mission statement seems too sentimental and integrity is no longer a necessity, the playing ability of Te’o and Manziel creates a better conversation.
Johnny Football has compiled stats and broken records that completely and utterly defy his age. Manziel’s 20th birthday was Thursday and the numbers speak for themselves. As a 19-year-old, Mr. Football turned SEC Saturdays into a game of tag, teasing some of the best defenses in the country with his feet before overwhelming them with his arm.
Still, an inkling tells me it’s Te’o’s hardware to lose. As undoubtedly the nation’s best defensive player, on statistically the nation’s best defensive team, which has slipped into the “Natty” almost entirely because of its defensive dominance, Te’o is unquestionably one of the elite linebackers in college football history.
A defensive player hasn’t prevailed as the Heisman winner since 1997, when Michigan’s Charles Woodson won the award. Woodson, a cornerback, intercepted eight passes, the same amount as Te’o has as a ‘backer this season. Most wouldn’t bet against the Hawaiian to ellipse that mark Jan. 7 against Alabama.
Those eight interceptions are four more than any linebacker in the nation this season.
To Te’o’s disadvantage, defensive stats will never be astronomical. To his disadvantage, the voters’ illogical criteria typically considers statistics over anything else. Hence the reason quarterbacks and running backs are winners of the award year-after-year.
Maybe, just maybe, it’s time for the voters to account for character and integrity. The “Hero of South Bend” has exhibited both to the best of his ability for four years at Notre Dame.
Not even a month after he arrived on campus, did it take fans to question whether Manziel possessed either.
From a pure on-field standpoint, Te’o’s football IQ has shone through on numerous occasions, his instincts are second to none and his physicality and build will translate extremely well in the NFL
After all, it’s Te’o’s defense, not Manziel’s offense, that will be competing for the heralded crystal ball come January.
Theo Lawson can be reached at [email protected]