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| 2/26/08 - Nick Heras |
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| Nick Heras is a walking sports almanac. There seems to be an endless supply of sports trivia inside this 12-year olds head. DeBartolo Sports U recently caught up with the Boston native to get his thoughts on the Patriots Super Bowl implosion, the u |
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DSU: Since you’re a Boston Native I have to ask you to give me your synopsis of the Super Bowl. What happened to the Patriots?
NH: I was heart broken. After the first quarter I saw that we were having trouble and our offense wasn’t moving the ball so I became worried. Tom Brady wasn’t on his game and Moss, though he had one touchdown, was contained for a majority of the game. The Giants shut our offense down for nearly the whole game. The Patriots defense was good, but I think they were a little too old and couldn’t stop Plaxico Burress from burning them and Brian Jacobs from running over them.
DSU: What do you think of the Patriots play calling? Did you agree with the calls for the most part?
NH: I would have tried to give Maroney some more touches after the first half because I saw Brady wasn’t at his best. Maybe that was because of his injury, I don’t know because he said it wasn’t a big deal, but I would have given more touches to Maroney or called a little more play action. Then again, if we did play action the Patriots offensive line wasn’t containing Michael Strahan or Osi Umenyiora. Those guys were busting through and Brady was getting sacked a lot.
DSU: The Patriots have the 7th overall pick in the upcoming 2008 NFL draft, what would you like to see them do with that pick?
NH: I would select a running back like Darren McFadden or Rashard Mendenhall. On second thought, the Patriots could use a good defensive player like Sedrick Ellis from USC or Glen Dorsey, but there’s no way Dorsey will fall to the seventh pick. Chris Long from Virginia is also really good. There are plenty of guys who would help us but New England just needs to get a younger and quicker on defense. The Patriots current lineup consists of smart veteran players. They’re to a point where guys like Junior Seau just aren’t fast enough to catch up to Brian Jacobs or the rest of the elite running backs in the league.
DSU: Talk about the quarterback position in the upcoming NFL draft. In what order to you see them falling off the board?
NH: I think Matt Ryan form Boston College will be selected first because he’s smart and I think he’d make the best NFL quarterback of the group. A lot of people are saying Brian Brohm in that spot. I think he’s good, but in no way do I think he’s in front of Matt Ryan. Brohm was surrounded with more weapons at wide receiver. If Matt Ryan had that type of talent surrounding him he would’ve been better than he already is.
DSU: I know you’re a Colt Brennan fan as well. His performance in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia hurt his stock significantly. Where do you see him getting drafted?
NH: I think Brennan could be off the board as high as the 2nd round and as low as the 4th round. I honestly think he should go in the second round but a lot will depend on how he does at the NFL Combine. It would have been interesting to see the types of numbers he would post against Pac-10 competition. He really didn’t play against anybody while at Hawaii.
DSU: Let’s transfer over to college football, who is on your early Heisman list for next season?
NH: I think the running back from Georgia, Knowshon Moreno is going to do well. Obviously, Tim Tebow’s name would have to be up there on the list, and I also think Jeremy Maclin from Missouri should be in contention. There are so many great players in college, but in the end I think we’ll see a back-to-back winner in Tim Tebow.
DSU: What is it you like about Tim Tebow’s game?
NH: He’s a very powerful runner and a lot of people thought he wouldn’t be that great of a passer but he led the SEC by completing 67% of his throws. Tebow is just an all around good player. He’s a dangerous runner and a supreme passer.
DSU: OK Nick, finally question that I just have to ask.... everytime I see you, you’re wearing a different jersey. How many total jerseys do you have in your closet?
NH: I have 45 jerseys. My favorite would have to be my Tom Brady one. My Randy Moss and Tim Tebow are a close second and third, but Brady is definitely number one.
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