Ballots and Choices

I probably should put the effort into voting for the President of the United States that I do for my Zoneman and Heisman ballots, but the fact of the matter is that I will most likely not break down Giuliani, McCain, Obama and Hillary like I do Tebow, McFadden, Brennan and Daniel.

HEISMAN BALLOT
When it comes to the Heisman, I usually like to get a personal list of guys that I really try and eyeball. Here's what I had for this year:

Colt Brennan, Hawaii QB
Chase Daniel, Missouri QB
Dennis Dixon, Oregon QB
Glenn Dorsey, LSU Defensive End
Darren McFadden, Arkansas Running Back
Tim Tebow, Florida QB
Pat White, West Virginia QB

In the end, it really came down to this: Tebow or McFadden for the top vote, Brennan/Daniel/White for 3rd place. Tebow's only real knock is the three losses, but considering all that happened in college football, everyone got knocked down in 2007. I watched McFadden run crazy on both the Gamecocks and LSU. But Tebow is just a freak (I mean that in the complimentary nature, not the join the circus label). Over 20 TD passes, over 20 TD runs - it's never been done. I never have and never will penalize a player for being a freshman or sophomore. Tebow is not the best pro prospect, if that were my basis then it would be McFadden followed by Colt Brennan then Glenn Dorsey. So here is my Heisman ballot:

1st - Tim Tebow
2nd - Darren McFadden
3rd - Colt Brennan

Dennis Dixon getting hurt really showed how valuable he was to Oregon, and the same can be said for Pat White who got hurt in the Pitt game and then the Mountaineers fell apart. It was very tough to pick Brennan over White, but I go with Colt in a photo finish.


ZONEMAN BALLOT

We really use the same criteria for the Zoneman as the Heisman does for its award. Real open ended: the most outstanding player in the WPDE viewing area. The 40 ballots go to the 34 head coaches along with 6 media members representing the area. My ballot is just one of 40 and has no extra weight or influence, but for me the legacy of the award is very important. For me, I will not vote for a player that has questionable grades. It is my preference to have players who are qualified to play Division I FBS or FCS football. I am looking for the total package, both on and off the field. The person who wins this award is a representative of what it stands for. The fact that we have one Zoneman winner in the NFL and hopefully more to come in the future just gives the award instant credibility. There have been years where my first place vote did not win the Zoneman and there are times where the player I vote in the top three doesn't even make the podium (this year is an example).

Here's my Zoneman Ballot for 2007:

1st - Bruce Taylor, Myrtle Beach
2nd - Dakota Derrick, Conway
3rd - Jordan Lyles, Hartsville

When I first posted the blog, I thought my ballot was Taylor/Golson/Derrick, but looking back on some notes, I eventually made it Taylor/Derrick/Lyles. I was torn between the four and finally put it in the order above. I truly think that Everett Golson could win more than one Zoneman if he continues to be the path he is on. Dakota Derrick was the definition of a leader and really fell under the radar. It is a shame that he was not a North South All Star and I'm sure he's disappointed that he's not on the Zoneman podium, but he was on my podium as well as Hags and I hope that it is a small consolation.

PICKING THE ALL ZONE TEAM

The first thing we do is get the Zoneman ballots from our 40 voters. Once that is done, we begin to piece together the 50 man All-Zone team. It is something that Hags and I take very seriously. We've established two criteria to "lock you in" on the All-Zone team for starters:

1. Shrine Bowl selection
2. Division I commitment or offers from major D1 schools

This year, that list was longer than most years (which is a great thing!)

Most times, a North South All-Star selection will get you on the team, but we have left off some North Southers in years past. This year, we took all 13 local NS All-Stars. From there, we get nominations from all 34 coaches and try and assemble the best team we can. I'll admit on a lot of tie-breakers, I'll take the senior over the junior or sophomore, but we have had more than our fair share of youngsters on the roster. We will always have guys who deserve to be on the roster and aren't on for the simple reason of a numbers game. Myrtle Beach's Matt Smith who led the area in sacks and Tashon Fredrick of Hemingway who was tops in interceptions are both off the team and quite frankly should be on. But you run out of spots too quickly. We had 6 Myrtle Beach players, 2 Hemingway's and just couldn't see us go to 7 and 3 - in a nutshell, that's why those guys are not on. You have a seven win 3A team like Carolina Forest get only one player (Devontre Perason) and a seven win 1A team not get a player at all (Green-Sea Floyds). The decisions are gut wrenching. We try to watch as much game footage as we can and those players that stepped up and made a big play in front of our cameras only help their cause. Teams that go deep in the playoffs certainly get extra consideration. Wilson and Cheraw originally had two players each, but after their great play in November they more than deserved an extra player each. Looking at the spread of players in the final issue of Palmetto Pigskin Preview makes you feel good about the roster we picked, but there will always be those 10 guys that we wish we could get on the roster. We've gone from a 40 man to 45 to now 50 along with 3 Zoneman Finalists.
Congratulations to all of this year's All-Zoners. We are putting the finishing touches on the banquet and truly hope it is a special night for the 53 players we are honoring. It's amazing to think that we already have 7 All-Zoners in the NFL!
A special thanks to everyone at the station who chipped in and made the Chevy End Zone a great showcase for high school football.