LaMichael James For Heisman? Don't Be Silly

LaMichael James is being mentioned as a Heisman candidate, like here and here. That is understandable, considering he is averaging 8.0 yards per carry. But it’s also misguided.

Darron Thomas should be Oregon’s Heisman candidate. James is very good, but the quarterback is the key to the Ducks’ offense, making all the reads and keeping things moving at a lightning pace. Thomas has thrown 135 passes this season, carried the ball 34 times, and made thousands of decisions in guiding the nation’s most prolific offense. James has carried the ball 89 times.

Which brings up a larger point: Running backs never, ever, ever should be Heisman candidates. Ever. There is simply no way in modern football that the best running back is more valuable than the best quarterback.

In a modern offense, even if it’s not a prolific passing offense, the quarterback makes crucial decisions on every single play and handles the ball on every single play. There’s a reason that 10 of the past 13 overall No. 1 draft picks in the NFL have been quarterbacks, and there’s a reason that no running back has been selected No. 1 since Ki-Jana Carter in 1995. The reason: Quarterbacks are inherently more valuable.