Monday, July 26, 2010

The Enormity of the Herzlich story

Things are about to change for Mark Herzlich and BC football. In a few weeks the hoped for and hypothetical will become real. Mark will play football again and if the ACC media day is an indicator, this story will be huge. But Mark's candid responses to his risk and his goals opens up all the possibilities in play in this unbelievable narrative.

First (and this is our worst fear), Mark admitted that if he breaks his left leg, it would have a hard time healing due to the radiation and tumor. Most wouldn't risk that, but as we know, Mark is not most people. I can't see this ending that way. However, if this ending takes a sad turn, it will not be a tragedy and I don't think it would play out that way in the media. A broken leg would just mean Mark left everything he had on the field and that football ended his career, not cancer.


I think most BC fans expect Mark to contribute and be an emotional inspiration this season. If he is pretty good and BC is pretty good, Mark will still be the center of attention on a weekly basis and an inspiration to us all.

Mark clearly expect more than that. He wants to be better than he was in 2008. If he is better than his ACC Defensive Player of the Year season, he will win the Heisman. That's not hyperbole. Regardless of my BC allegiance, I believe that after the Reggie Bush nonsense, the media/Heisman voters would trip over each other in a rush to mail in their ballots for the All America, cancer-conquering linebacker from a BCS conference. The hype and pride surrounding his recovery would quadruple if Mark plays that well. No other candidate would stand a chance.

The odds of a defensive player winning the Heisman are long. The odds of a BC player winning the Heisman are long. But Mark has already shown that he is an outlier and isn't worried about statistics and normal outcomes. As I said, this story is going to be huge. Why not think big and think the impossible?

Raycom's story:










12 comments:

BCDisco said...

Wow what a great video. I love the part where he's staring at himself in the mirror and then his head pivots so that his gaze is now on the audience...wow.

Unknown said...

Any news regarding new uniforms from underarmour for this season? I'm hoping to get rid of those italicized number......

Herzylax22 said...

Love the enthusiasm but the Heisman's a little out there!

Erik said...

Anything is possible, as said by Kevin Garnett, and proven by Mark.

Eagle in Brighton said...

Fantastic vid.

Can't wait for the season to finally arrive.

BCMike said...

Terrific find on the video. Outstanding stuff.

Wesley said...

Freaking Awesome... So ready to see the miracle on 9/4 happen!

Galvin said...

I cannot wait to see Herzlich play again. I'm very happy for him and his family - seem like great people, very grounded and loving. However, I am so nervous for the guy. I really hope he stays healthy and doesn't get injured in some way. That would be so deflating. I know this makes me a debbie downer, I just can't get over it. That said, go eagles and go herzlich!

Groundhog said...

awesome video, 9/4 cannot come soon enough.

Dan said...

So ready for football it's not even funny. Let's go Herzlich!!!!

Was it me or did Keuchly look significantly larger in that video?

eagleboston said...

Outside of the ACC, people still don't know about Herzy. I'm constantly telling people about him and even college football fans have never heard of him. To win he Heisman, he must have name recognition among the casual fans, and that does not exist....yet. One disappointment is that Herzy's return won't even be viewed by a national audience. In my biased opinion, this is one of the greatest sports stories of the past decade and it will most likely be relegated to ESPN 360.

modest34b said...

Go herzy.. But i too wonder if returning to football is the best decision for him. the coaches and the administration (plus herzy, his family and docs) must have taken hard look at this - I would hope