Colts Are More Than Lucky

by Becky

It didn't come as much surprise when the Indianapolis Colts chose Andrew Luck with the first pick in the NFL draft last year. After a dismal season and dumping the large contract of Peyton Manning, most sports experts knew the Colts would arm themselves with the skills of Luck for the 2012 season. Luck showed his NFL capabilities while still playing for Stanford, but he's proven that he can handle the NFL a little better than most expected.

The first pick for the Colts was certainly going to be a quarterback and most had it narrowed down to Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III. Griffin III is another soaring rookie in the NFL, currently playing for the Washington Redskins, but he simply wouldn't have fit with the way the Colts play football. Indianapolis made the right selection with Luck because he fits within same pro-style offense as Manning does.

Stanford ran a pro-style offense while Luck was the quarterback and this helped to attract the Colts. He fits in very easily with the style of offense Indianapolis prefers and the veterans already know. If they had chosen another quarterback, they would have needed to build a new offense, which the veterans would need to learn, as well.
Inserting Luck into this leadership role was a bit bumpy, at first, but after an impressive comeback win against the Green Bay Packers, he proved to be the right pick for the Colts. The game was a big turning point for Luck and the entire team. They came back from an 18-point deficit at halftime to win the game behind the arm of Luck and the receiving skills of veteran Reggie Wayne. Even though many Packers fans were able to get Indianapolis Colts tickets for the game, they left disappointed, as Luck gave Colts fans their first real taste of what he's capable of.

What the Experts Say?

Many NFL experts believe Andrew Luck is doing more with less than he is doing any other starting rookie quarterback in the NFL. This year is a bit of a unique year with many rookies starting at the quarterback position, including Robert Griffin III, Brandon Weeden (Cleveland Browns), Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) and Ryan Tannehill (Miami Dolphins). Never in the history of the NFL, have so many rookies started at the position.

Even with all five showing tremendous skill and transitions very well, many experts believe the top rookie quarterback honors belong to either Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III. They also believe the skill-set Luck brings to the Colts will make them successful again. It's no secret the Colts don't have much around him with only an average defense and an offensive line that could certainly use a little work.

As the Colts build for future seasons, they won't need to worry about the quarterback position. Fans can go back to the days of Manning and finally believe in their leader again. Luck has started with a better record than Manning did and the rebuilding process is well underway in Indianapolis.