Head games: we faced some difficult decisions this year, starting with our quarterback, David Carr - Football Digest's 2001 All-American Team

Football Digest, March, 2002 by Joe Donatelli

CONSIDER SOME OF THE talent that didn't make the 2001 FOOTBALL DIGEST All-America Team and you can see how tough it was to pick the squad.

We dissed Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch, for heaven's sake. How wrong is that?

But when you consider the complete mess that was the 2001 college football season, it only makes sense that any post-season all-star team should be just as controversial. Luckily, we have a set of "trusty standards and guidelines" to guide us.

FOOTBALL DIGEST All-America "trusty standards and guidelines":

* You don't have to play in a major conference to get major recognition. (That's unlike some All-America teams--we're looking in your direction Associated Press.)

* If you play big in big games, we notice. (See First Team Quarterback, Running Backs.)

* If you make your teammates around you better, we really notice. (See entire First Team Defense.)

With that in mind, here is the 2001 FOOTBALL DIGEST All-America Team:

OFFENSE

Quarterback

David Carr, Sr., Fresno State

If you were to put the 6'3", 225-pound passer on Florida's offense, the Gators would have racked up even better numbers. Can the same be said about Rex Grossman under center at Fresno State? No. Advantage Carr. In wins over Colorado, Oregon State, Wisconsin, and Colorado State, Carr completed 92 of 145 passes for 1,167 yards and nine touchdowns and had just one interception. He's the best offensive skill player in the nation.

Running Backs

Luke Staley, Jr., BYU

Staley suffered season-ending ankle injury on the final drive of a come-from-behind win against Mississippi State, BYU's final game. That was unfortunate because it prevented a nationwide audience from witnessing Staley's considerable talents on New Year's Eve at the Liberty Bowl. He ran for 1,596 yards, averaged 8.1 yards per carry, and scored 28 touchdowns in taking home the Doak Walker award as the nation's top rusher.

Chester Taylor, Sr., Toledo

A virtual unknown because he plays in the underrated Mid-American Conference, whose games can only be seen on Muncie, Ind., Local Public Access Channel 29. But Taylor is for real. He led the Rockets to a MAC Championship with a gutty performance against defending champion Marshall in the conference title game, rallying Toledo from a 23-point deficit by running for 152 second-half yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner.

Wide Receivers

Lee Evans, Jr., Wisconsin

Chris Chambers last season, and now Evans. Don't look, but Madison is emerging as a wide receiver factory. A beneficiary of coach Barry Alvarez's commitment to the revolutionary forward pass, Evans set a Big Ten record this season with 1,574 yards on 75 catches and had nine touchdowns. Like Chambers, he is a tad undersized at 5'11". But who cares? Chambers isn't quite six-feet, yet he has done just fine on Sundays.

Josh Reed, Jr., LSU

Just look at the numbers: He led the nation with 145 yards per game and won the Biletnikoff award as the nation's top receiver. He also set an SEC record with 1,740 receiving yards this season and 3,001 career receiving yards. Reed had a school-record 10 100-yard receiving games and set conference records with 19 receptions and 293 yards against Alabama. Reed offers more proof that all-star receivers need not be 6'4", 225 pounds. Just like Evans, he's 5'11".

Tight End

Daniel Graham, Sr., Colorado

The MVP of a team that won college football's toughest conference closed the season as the hottest team in the nation. The 6'3", 245-pound Graham caught 51 passes for 753 yards and six touchdowns and was credited with 128 down-field blocks. He won the Mackey award, presented annually to the nation's top tight end.

Linemen

LeCharles Bentley, Sr., Ohio State

The Big Ten offensive lineman of the year and the Rimington award winner as the nation's top center.

Andre Gurode, Sr., Colorado

The 6'4", 320-pound guard led a talented offensive line from obscurity to a near-national-title shot.

Bryant McKinnie, Sr., Miami

McKinnie anchored a Hurricanes unit that placed four starters on the All-Big East first team.

Kendall Simmons, Sr., Auburn

Clearly the top offensive lineman in the SEC. A 6'3", 314-pound force.

Mike Williams, Sr., Texas

He allowed only one sack this season and just two in his 27 career starts.

DEFENSE

Linemen

Kenyon Coleman, Sr., UCLA

Guys like Coleman go a long way in shredding the Pac-10's image as a two-hand-touch conference. The 6'6", 276-pounder returned from a serious knee injury in 2000 to start all 11 games this year. The Bruins led the Pac-10 in total defense, and Coleman was a major reason why.

Dwight Freeney, Sr., Syracuse

A true impact player, he set an NCAA and Big East record with 17.5 sacks. He also forced eight fumbles and led the conference in tackles for a loss with 25.5. His matchup with Miami tackle Bryant McKinnie in a 59-0 loss was one of the season's best. Freeney was shut out of sacks/tackles, but not for a lack of effort

John Henderson, Sr., Tennessee

He turned down a shot at the NFL and big money after a stellar 2000 season to make a national-title run this season, which ended in disappointment against LSU in the SEC title game. The object of constant double-teams, he didn't rack up big numbers, but he was still among the nation's best