Florida State has a weapon that you would not believe. Derwin James has been said to have the talent to start at every position on defense. I will give you a moment to let that sink in. I had to take a breath and double check after I read it. The staff at FSU thinks he can start every position on defense. This is not FAU, FIU, or USF. This is not Bethune-Cookman or Embry-Riddle. This is Florida State. Three Heisman winners, three national titles, and this guy can start every position on defense. Will this spell a change in how defense is played?
The spy
I remember when Michael Vick came to the NFL and he ran for a thousand yards in a season. My wife and I were touring houses and I watched him run in that touchdown to beat the Vikings all by himself. The NFL was so afraid of his ability to run that they astarted to use a spy to follow him around. The Falcons came up with a way to stunt so that the spy could not always know what Vick was doing, and then he fell out of the NFL. Having a guy who can spy you from any position is terrifying, and maybe teams will start looking for a guy like that.
Derwin should not play every position
This guy is a defensive back that looks more like Deion Sanders than a lineman. However, I believe that he could put his hand in the dirt if he had to.
Someone with that level of talent needs to be allowed to be a defensive back who could become the next Charles Woodson. Would that not be interesting? Woodson was a cornerback who snatched the Heisman Triphy out of Peyton Manning's hands, and he switched to safety during his hall of fame NFL career when he got older. He was an all-timer at both positions.
Let James contend for the Heisman
If this guy can play all the positions on the defense, I want to see him contend for the Heisman Trophy. I have no idea if he will get any votes or not, but I would be interested to see what happened. He could garner enough press to get votes that will carry him to the ceremony, or he could turn out to be the best player in college football this season.
The college football landscape tends to favor quarterbacks, but someone who can defend a team seemingly all by himself should get some consideration.
He cannot score
That is not true. He can score from the defense, but he would have to run back a lot of touchdowns from interceptions or fumbles to have the same kind of impact that an offensive player would have. If the offense will support Derwin, he could be the game breaker every week for the Seminoles.
