Taylor Mays wants to see if he can have a good enough season to convince some Heisman voters that he should win the trophy...
Good Luck With That!!
You have to love his ambition, but that is about as likely as me hitting Lotto tomorrow.
It's certainly debatable whether USC's Taylor Mays qualifies as a plausible candidate, given that Heisman winners are all also offensive skill players judged largely on outsized numbers, a role Mays -- for all his obvious talents, including knocking multiple players unconscious at once and levitation -- hasn't played at USC and has no plans to play, even in the special teams and limited two-way roles that helped Charles Woodson transcend the de facto ban on defenders in 1997. Mays typically delivers concussions and other pleasures reserved largely for the scouts, not dynamite box scores. But he's also an ambitious guy, and all those reach-for-the-stars types have to set concrete goals for themselves:
That's a man with a plan, at least (or maybe just a crackling sense of humor), but alas, less opportunity if his first three years are any indication: Offenses learned quickly to avoid Mays' side of the field, with the result that his interception total fell from three in 2006 to one in 2007 to zero last year; he hasn't notched a sack or a touchdown in his career. For defensive backs, a relative lack of stats is a sign of respect, but the fact is that any numbers in the key categories would be a dramatic step up for Mays, much less an award-winning trail of destruction that would require a vast overhaul of USC's entire defensive scheme to implement."I want to win the Heisman — 10 sacks, 10 picks and we go undefeated. (I won’t return kicks); I’ll just return my picks for touchdowns," Mays said. "I have to return three of them for touchdowns and maybe force a couple of fumbles on the sacks.
"I at least want to go to New York."
You gotta love it!
I admire his ambition but Doc is right, Mays' presence on the field is enough for teams to just stay away from him. The defense is set up that he is the LAST line of defense so making plays like Tennessee's Eric Berry does is going to be difficult.
I am not sure of the relevance of the Heisman anymore. It has taken on a bit of the same issues that BCS has.
Anyway, I will let other websites hash that out...I will only care about the award if a player from USC wins it.
I do think its great to see a player like Mays have the ambition to discuss it publicly...even it appears to be a little tongue-in-cheek...