Brohm's Back With Heisman Potential

With an award winning season, Cardinals QB could have team in title hunt

June 12, 2007

By Chris Huston

Special to CSTV.com

	Chris Huston The Heisman Pundit breaks down the top players for CSTV.com. E-mail here!

        ---   Column Archive   --- 7/30: DeSean Blazing Trail Toward Heisman? 5/15: Everything You Need To Know About Heisman `07 5/3: Boise's Johnson Now A Known Commodity 4/24: Rice Looking To Cook Up Heisman Season 4/11: Achilles Ankles 3/29: What's In A Name 3/13: Spiller Running Toward Stardom 2/27: Mr. Kentucky 2/5: Heisman Material? 1/30: Sometimes Diamonds In The Rough 1/23: 2007 Top 20 Heisman Favorites 1/18: Winners and Losers From Bowl Season 12/10: Heisman Still Special Despite Change 11/29: Who's On Third? 11/15: Rest of Field Jockeys Behind Top Two 11/8: Two at the Top 11/8: Under the Weight of Great Expectations 11/1: OSU's Smith, the Heisman Stronghold 10/25: Never Too Early To Look Ahead To `07 10/18: And Then There Were Two... 10/11: Leak Drops Out 10/4: The Wrench In The Works 9/27: The Plot Thickens 9/20: Cooled Off Irons 9/13: Five Alive 9/8: Quinn Still In Among Heisman Favorites 8/31: Heisman Preview

One of the most common complaints about the Heisman Trophy is that it doesn't always go to the most talented player in America. 

Every April, you can always count on hearing some malcontent whine about how the latest winner wasn't worth his salt because he didn't go high enough in the NFL Draft.

Now, granted, some Heisman winners do quite well in the draft and avoid such criticism.  Carson Palmer was the top pick in 2003, Reggie Bush was second in 2006 and Ricky Williams, Eddie George and Charles Woodson all were among the top selections.

But Troy Smith lasting until the last pick of the fifth round in the most recent draft has enabled the negative nabobs to go nasty once again. With the keenest of 20/20 hindsight, the call is that someone else should have won the Heisman. The implication is that Smith just wasn't that talented.

This, of course, is a daft notion and completely unfair to Smith's accomplishments--his performance against Florida notwithstanding. But don't expect this sentiment to rule the day should Louisville's Brian Brohm win the trophy this fall.

If the senior quarterback makes a run at the Heisman, he's expected to be one of the top picks in the next draft. Maybe even the first selection. He's currently No. 1 on draft gurus' big board (a cautionary note:  At this time last year, many had Brady Quinn at No. 1). But as high as Brohm is projected for next year, he was almost a high pick this year.

"I did consider (going pro) very hard," said Brohm, who threw for 3,049 yards and 16 touchdowns last fall. "I tried to analyze my position in the draft closely. But when it came down to it, I wanted to come back for my senior year."

No doubt he was still basking in the glow of Louisville's dream 2006 season. The Cardinals went 12-1 and only a close loss to Rutgers on a late field goal kept them from potentially earning a spot in the BCS Championship Game. They won the Big East and came away with a 24-13 win over Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl, in which Brohm was named MVP.

Face it, 2006 was the year that Louisville arrived as one of the elite programs in college football.

Now, the 6-foot-4 225-pounder--the third Brohm to play quarterback at Louisville--is hungry for more.

"We were just three points away last year," said Brohm, who missed two whole games and parts of another with a thumb injury.  "This year, we need to stay focused and keep doing what we've been doing.  I think we have a shot at the national title."

While Louisville will once again be without the second half of the `Derby City Duo'--just-drafted running back Michael Bush--things are in place for just such a run.  Brohm has two dynamic receivers to throw to in Harry Douglas and Mario Urrutia, while running backs George Stripling and Anthony Allen more than make up for the loss of Bush. The defense loses five starters, but two of the replacements include talented corner Woodney Turenne and mercurial linebacker Willie Williams. 

Then, there is the Louisville offensive system.

It's a thing of beauty, really. Under the tutelage of Bobby Petrino, the Cardinals averaged 41.4 point per game over the last four seasons. One of mainstays of that offense was a quarterback position that invariably ranked among the tops in the nation in passing efficiency. 

"It's a great system," said Brohm, who finished ninth in the country with an efficiency rating of 159.1. "The big thing that is stressed is that the quarterback is the distributor. He is not called upon to win the game single-handedly. Our job is to check down to the right calls and not to lose the game."

With Petrino high-tailing it to the Atlanta Falcons, the big question for Louisville is whether the same philosophy will prevail under new coach Steve Kragthorpe.

"There are a few changes schematically," said Brohm, who has not talked to Petrino since his departure.  "There are some terminology changes. It's basically the same stuff, not a huge difference. The good thing is that spring went well and everyone seems to have the offense down great."

That's good news for Louisville fans and bad news for the teams on its schedule. While the loss of Petrino came as a bit of a shock to Brohm, things went fairly smooth during the transition to the new staff. Now, things are in place for another big season.

"It was obviously not ideal to have a coaching change my senior year," said Brohm. "But the way the team has adjusted is very encouraging. We don't expect a drop off at all.

"Our expectations are high. Our ultimate goal is to be national champions."

And should Louisville get to that BCS title game, it is not a stretch to think that it will be because of some Heisman-worthy performances out of Brohm.

"It would mean a great deal to be considered for the Heisman," said Brohm. "It's the most coveted award in sports. But it all will come down to how good the team is."

Brohm has had some injury problems so far in his career, but if he stays healthy and has the kind of season of which he is capable, the Cardinals could be better than good.

They could be great.