Except the part about Heaps playing dramatically better under a good OL,

I'll give you that a better ol would have helped him, but in the end I just don't think he was a very good college football player. He might have been good enough to win against mid to lower MWC competition as he was to end 2009.

Generally, I think his athletic ability was so limited that even a strong arm couldn't make him a good qb against better competition. There's one infamous play against Yewtah where that's pretty evident. So slow with movement and reaction. Not real good to side step any pressure. Looked like a sitting duck too much.

There's another infamous INT where his lack of competitiveness showed too.
Say what you will about Riley, but he was a fierce competitor and football player and that's why he beat out Heaps. Riley also had a much better feel for the game. That's why he understood that he needed to extend the play or just throw it up where the Hoff had a chance. Heaps meanwhile would try and drill or execute precision passing and sail the ball 10 yards over the WR head. Clearly Riley was willing to sit in and take a hit and sacrifice his body too.

I wish fans would stop posting negative stuff about Riley. I guess the same could be said with Heaps. I don't mean my post to be critical of him. Clearly effort and desire to be good was there and it just didn't work out for him in college ball.