Darren McFadden News
Like it is : McFadden doesn't need elaborate campaign
Tuesday morning’s mail brought the first promotional material of the season.
It was from Ohio State, and the full-color, slick paper featured seven players someone at the school believes is worthy of All-America consideration.
Which, of course, brought to mind the situation Kevin Trainor faces with the Heisman Trophy campaign for Darren McFadden.
Here it is, weeks before the Arkansas Razorbacks face the men of Troy in the season opener, and there are inquiring minds who want to know what KT (Trainor ) is going to do.
The truth is, Trainor could have a $ 10 million budget to send materials and it might not help.
He could create a campaign based on Big Mac attacks and every week send all Heisman voters a coupon for a free Big Mac.
He could build interest with a D-Mac 5 blitz.
Or even a 501 Rules crusade and none of that might matter.
In fact, as a Heisman voter, the things most essential are statistics, availability and televised games.
Stats are cold, hard facts.
Availability for interviews lets the world see the humorous, laid-back guy who is also blessed with everything it takes to be a Heisman winner on the field.
And television lets voters from the East Coast to the West Coast see him in action.
In other words, the Heisman Trophy, as well as any postseason award, is won on the playing field, not through the mail.
Darren McFadden enters this season as a marked man.
Every team from LSU to the Chattanooga Choo Choo is going to want to be the one to slow him down (not sure anyone can stop him ).
Which might be good news for Felix Jones.
No defense can be 100 percent on every snap, and there might be a tendency to let down when Darren McFadden leaves the game.
Of course, that would be a mistake.
If Jones were at a different school, he would be in the Heisman hunt, too.
Actually, if both repeat last year’s performances, which will be hard to do against those stacked defensive lines, both could receive votes for football’s most coveted award.
Of course, the best thing that could happen to the dare pair is the return of Peyton Hillis, who missed the last four games of last season.
Want to know what his bonerattling blocks meant for Darren McFadden and Jones last season ?
Through the first 10 games, with Hillis playing fullback and H-back, Darren McFadden averaged 6. 38 yards per carry. Jones averaged 7. 78.
The last four games with Hillis out, Darren McFadden dropped to 4. 91 yards per carry. (If you took out his 80-yard supersonic touchdown against LSU, it was 4. 04, but he was also hobbled against Wisconsin ). Jones slipped to 7. 2.
Those are significant numbers.
Hillis also forces defenses to cover him on passing downs. He has great hands and knows what to do after the catch.
Hillis can help alleviate the problems when the Hogs face seven or eight in the defensive box.
That might mean as much for Darren McFadden’s Heisman campaign as anything anyone can do — outside of Darren McFadden, of course.
That said, Trainor is doing his part, too.
Last week at SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala., Trainor brought along a pair of assistant SIDs and had a news conference for Darren McFadden with some national media before media days actually began.
Trainor has some other things planned, but first and foremost, he is going to get statistics in the hands of those who vote.
That is the most critical information a voter can have, and with Darren McFadden, it will be running, receiving and passing because he is a rare triple threat.
As for the flier that came promoting the Ohio State players, it went in the trash.
Not because they are not worthy candidates, but because it is just too early.
[More at www.nwanews.com ]
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