Teddy Bridgewater tells Louisville he doesn’t want Heisman campaign, wants focus on team
Heisman Trophy campaigns by schools don't make sense, or at least they shouldn't.
Voters shouldn't be swayed by football cards or billboards or other kooky items (Kansas State sent out band-aids to pump up Collin Klein's candidacy last year). They should be swayed by watching players, analyzing numbers and making correct decisions on who to vote for. Anyone who needs a promotional item mailed to them to know who to vote for the Heisman Trophy shouldn't have a ballot. But, the campaigns for individuals roll on anyway.
Just not at Louisville this year.
Cardinals quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who is one of the best players in college football, told Louisville he does not want a Heisman campaign, according to WDRB.com.
Bridgewater probably wasn't aware that he boosted his reputation a bit among smart Heisman voters with that request.
The report from WDRB said the reason Bridgewater asked Louisville to skip any Heisman campaign is he wants any promotion to focus on the team as a whole, not him. Bridgewater had said earlier this offseason he didn't mind a Heisman campaign, but thought better of it and told the coaches he didn't want one.
"He wanted it to be about team and if we won as a team individual recognition would come anyway," Louisville sports information director Rocco Gasparro said to WDRB. "It says a lot about the character of Teddy, I think, and how much his team means to him."
There's nothing wrong with a player not calling off a Heisman campaign (just something wrong with any voters who need it to guide their decision). But Bridgewater's team-first approach, especially considering Bridgewater won't be on television as much as Heisman candidates from more high-profile conferences, is admirable. It's a great indication of what kind of leader he is. NFL teams will certainly notice that too.
In the end, Bridgewater won't get as much manufactured publicity, but his reputation will probably grow among those who are paying attention.
"I'm all about this team," Bridgewater told WDRB. "I'm all about the team having success. I'm all about my teammates becoming better players. The Heisman isn't a goal of mine. A team effort, a national championship, a BCS game, those are our goals."
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