Heisman winners and their troubles in the NFL
by Jeffrey Moore
Barry Sanders, Charles Woodson, and Carson Palmer are past Heisman trophy winners that have or are having good NFL careers. They were great college players and were able to transition that success into the NFL. Statistically, only one of every eight Heisman winners has a good NFL career. Everyone wonders if this year’s Heisman winner is destined for greatness and people often assume that Heisman trophy winners are destined for greatness. Why is it that only one of every eight Heisman winners actually does something in the NFL? I believe that there is one major reason why; the difference between the NFL and college. The differences include closing speed by defenders, the understanding the players have in the NFL of each team’s strategy, and the offensive systems are very different.
The first reason for the huge difference between the NFL and college is the closing speed of defenses. Defensive units train for trick plays that are used in college including the wild cat and the option. This is why a player like Vince Young who ran the option in college has problems in the NFL. Reggie Bush was an extremely fast runner in college. His problem when he entered the NFL was the same as Vince Young’s; he used his speed to beat defenders. However, players just can’t do that as frequent in the NFL. Defensive units also have tricks they use including faking a blitz. This is what makes the Baltimore Ravens defense tough. Their so called organized chaos makes it hard for the offensive line to open up the big holes they can make in college. Running backs and option quarterbacks don’t have the holes they had in college to run through.
Next there is the understanding the players have of team’s strategy in the NFL. Teams in the NFL can spot out or contain certain players. If you have a wide receiver or a running back that’s good in college, NFL teams can contain that certain player. It’s harder for college teams to spot out just one player. They lose track of other players on the field and end up making mistakes for their team. The same works with the option offense. They can contain just that one player if they prepare and break down their offense.
The final reason that Heisman winners don’t do go on to have a successful NFL career is because of the huge difference in the NFL and college offensive units. In college there are three major differences: the option offenses, the spread offense, and wide receivers can make receptions with only one foot in bounds not two. The option offense works but not as well in the NFL due to the faster speed of defenses. In college you can run the option and get big gains. It’s a lot harder to do that in the NFL. Also in college they use the spread offense. The spread offense allows the defense to be spread out and give more time for the quarterback to find his open receiver. In the NFL defensive units are so much quicker that this also doesn’t work as well. Defenses can read this and send blitz and sack the quarterback quicker. Finally wide receivers can make receptions with only one foot in bounds not two. If the quarterback isn’t quite as accurate the wide receiver can catch it with one foot in bounds making the quarterback look like a hero. This works in college but the rules change once they enter the NFL making it so that you have to have two feet in bounds. This makes it harder for the quarterback in tight coverage defenses.
In conclusion, being a Heisman winner in college doesn’t mean that you will be a success in the NFL. There are ways that a Heisman winner can be one of few that are good in the NFL. They have to understand some of the looks the offense or defense gives. They also have to understand how to use the tools that made them successful in college to their advantage in the NFL, without making that their only weapon. Finally, they have to realize that defenses are much quicker than in college, and they have to expect the unexpected. If they can adjust to the differences quickly they will go on to a great NFL career.
