Smith gets shafted

Troy Smith just can't seem to catch a break. While he's currently beginning the process of trying to prove every single NFL "expert" wrong, it appears that Smith is also currently falling up short in the video game industry as well. Of all people, Jared freakin' Zabransky was chosen as the coverboy for the game NCAA '08. Yes, this is the same Jared freakin' Zabransky (you might notice me say this a lot throughout the post. I'm using it to emphasize the point that JARED FREAKIN' ZABRANSKY is on the cover) that entered the 2005 season as the 'next Alex Smith,' only to fall flat on his face in the season opener and never be heard from again until this past Fiesta Bowl, where he led Boise State to one of the most unpredictable finishes in college football history, beating Oklahoma in overtime.

The funny thing about this is, though, is that Jared freakin' Zabransky would be nowhere to be found had it not been for those trick plays at the end of the Fiesta Bowl. Even if it was just as dramatic a victory, but without the hook and latter/WR pass/statue of liberty play, there's an excellent chance that Jared freakin' Zabransky simply fades off into glory, and no one hears the name again. What's even funnier, is that those incredible trick plays never would have happened had he not made an incredibly ill-advised throw in the final minutes of the game that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown.

Yes, three plays made everyone forget Jared freakin' Zabransky's fatal mistake. However, it has been nearly two months since the national championship, and Troy Smith is still hearing about how poor he played in that game. One guy established himself as not only the greatest quarterback in the history of his school, but also the greatest in the history of his conference. The other plays on a blue field. One guy garnered the largest margin of votes in Heisman trophy history, the other wasn't even the best player on his own team.

Now I don't know quite how the selection process works for deciding a video game cover, but if it all it came down to was the fact that EA Sports believed that Jared freakin' Zabransky was more marketable a player than Troy Smith is laughable. In fact, it's embarrassing on their part. It shows the lack of respect that just about everyone on this planet has for Troy Smith's football playing ability. The thing is, he's going to be a great quarterback in the NFL. I know it, the rest of Buckeye nation knows it. You know that "it" factor that everyone oogles over Tom Brady for having? Smith has it too, unquestionably.