Troy Smith IS the Future!

You already know I'm a huge NCAAF fan. The colleges I applied to had to have 2 things; a good communications program and great Division I athletics. I ended up going to Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Yes, I know, the athletics are not the highlight of the school, the academics are. But NU has one of the top communications programs in the country, and it's also a Big 10 school. So I was able to get the best of both worlds. Northwestern's football team is nicknamed the "Cardiac 'Cats," either because we win by the skin of our teeth, lose games in historic fashion or take games into OT. The Wildcats aren't all bad, but other Big 10 schools like Michigan and Ohio State have some great talent. I got to see several NFL players in the making first hand such as Chad Henne, Santonio Holmes, Luis Castillo, James Laurinaitis, Troy Smith, Tony Hunt, AJ Hawk, Braylon Edwards, Nick Mangold, Noah Herron, Paul Posluszny, Mike Nugent, Ted Ginn Jr., Steve Breaston, LaMarr Woodley, Erasmus James, Tamba Hali, Barry Cofield, Anthony Gonzalez, and many more.

Troy Smith was the outstanding QB behind led Ohio State's 12-0 record. During his senior season he completed 203 of 311 passes for 2542 yards and 30 TDs. He won the the Heisman in 2006, and also the Davey O'Brien Award which is given to the best college quarterback. He took OSU all the way to the end, but lost the BCS Championship game to Florida 41-14. Well, for various reasons, including the beating the Gators put on him, his stock plummeted before the draft and he went at the end of the 5th round. The Baltimore Ravens picked him up, and if you ask me, they got a steal. His only drawback is that he's kinda short at 6 feet, but at 225 lbs he's an elusive power runner with a great arm.

At the beginning of the season, he was the 3rd string QB, behind Steve McNair and Kyle Boller. Steve McNair was knocked out for the season with shoulder injuries, and Smith moved up to backup. Now Boller is still reeling from the effects of a concussion, so my main man TROY SMITH will be starting Sunday vs. the Seattle Seahawks. Troy Smith has only played in the last 2 games, and a limited number of plays. In total, he was 8-16 for 82 yards and 1 rushing TD. He picked up his 1st career TD in his 1st game vs. the Colts on Dec. 9, and set up a game-tying drive to send the game vs. the Dolphins into overtime.

I think he has the potential to become a franchise QB, and I'm excited for a good showing. He'll definitely put up some nice numbers, in the air AND on the ground. I think he should be the starter in Baltimore, and with more reps during practice he'll have a better relationship with his offense, and he'll be more confident and comfortable on the field.

**BIG 10 LOVE**