Posted: April 24th, 2012

Below is a response from the producers of NFL Network’s “Top 10 Heisman Winners in the NFL” about the outrage of Tim Tebow’s placement on the list.

This morning, the blogosphere is on fire with outrage that Tim Tebow’s outranked two Hall of Famers on our list of Top 10 Heisman Trophy Winners in the NFL. C’mon guys, give Tebow a break. The Heisman Trophy isn’t always about who’s the best player. Just ask Larry Fitzgerald and Eli Manning about losing out to Jason White.

This isn’t a personnel department’s draft evalution, it’s a ranking of stars. That’s what your ideal Heisman winner is – a star.

The list’s criteria was simple:

Who had the best NFL career?

Who had signature plays and great moments?

Who had box-office appeal? Who sells tickets? Who sells jerseys?

Who has cultural resonance? Who passes the Mom test?

Tim Tebow hasn’t had the playing career that Earl Campbell or Marcus Allen but Heismans are about more than yards gained or touchdowns scored. And in terms of cultural resonance, Tebow’s off the charts.

See what all the debate’s about with an encore presentation of Top 10 Heisman Winners in the NFL today at 3 p.m. eastern, noon pacific and next Thursday, May 3rd at 8 p.m. eastern, 5 p.m. pacific only on NFL Network.

– The Producers