Andrew Luck and the Colts

[Jules 98]

I would not mind some opinions on him from fans of other teams.

 

Me? I love the guy! I find him extremely likable as a person, smart and he has a good head on his shoulders. I said before last season started I was not going to be too fussy when it came to stats from him or the overall team. I wanted to see intangibles/leadership and signs he was the right "one." And I believe I saw what I wanted.

 

I think pressure is mounting a bit earlier then expected though which concerns me at times since this is supposed to be a rebuilding phase, but it's normal for this club where making the playoffs is supposed to be a given. Going to be a tough division ride though with Houston being Houston, the Titans looking to improve and the Jaguars are often sneaky vs. the Colts.

 

A new OC again this year, but one Andrew knows well. I am not sure what to expect, his interception numbers SHOULD go down. Pass protection was often poor last year, the run game was inconsistent and while I will miss Bruce Arians I preferred him as a HC/motivator over an OC. I did not often love his play calling, too boom or bust and I did not feel we had a good enough o line for the big plays he prefers. Sometimes I felt it was a miracle we survived the year without a Luck injury. The kid is sturdy as a rock....

 

Personally, I don't think Andrew will have a sophomore slump even though some expect it. I think his numbers WILL go up. He was sacked/hit a lot last year and threw a lot of interceptions. I think when people speak of a slump they are thinking more of a team slump/win total slump. And that is a fair argument since matching/exceeding 11-5 will be difficult.

 

This team has a lot to clean up on but the talent/potential is there. I think the world of Pagano too and pray he stays healthy and cancer free.

 

Last season was ridiculous and exciting to watch. So many comebacks, clutch moments and emotional rides. It's going to be tough to match in 2013. We need to improve as a road team too, at home I like our chances to overcome a lot but we showed a lot of inexperience/shakiness on the road.

 

Needless to say I feel so fortunate at times. Going from Manning for all those years to the potential of Andrew Luck. Not comparing the two, you can't...for me they are too different and it's not fair to Andrew yet. Just saying I am pretty pleased we seem to hit on another good QB who hopefully will be here for many many years.

Edited May 21, 2013 by Jules

[Thanatos 2,847]

Last season he was the 3rd-best rookie QB.

 

This season, I expect him to be the best second-year QB and I don't expect it to be close.

[Glanvilles Grits 142]

I just think that Luck needs to limit the turnovers he creates a little more. He had so many clutch moments where he led his team back to win the game, but when you look back, he was also the reason they were in the situation to begin with. He's definitely a franchise quarterback, and I think the interceptions will start to thin out as he gets more and more NFL experience.

[Jules 98]

Kids got "Jim Harbaugh angry eyes" on the field. A few of us Colts fans have recognized this in comparison to the old Captain Comeback here.

 

Which is funny since off the field he is so calm and polite.

[Jules 98]

I just think that Luck needs to limit the turnovers he creates a little more. He had so many clutch moments where he led his team back to win the game, but when you look back, he was also the reason they were in the situation to begin with. He's definitely a franchise quarterback, and I think the interceptions will start to thin out as he gets more and more NFL experience.

 

Yep. I think the interceptions should go down too. Or they sure the heck better.

 

I expected ups and downs but I did not expect so many wins. I personally had us at 9-7 though going into last season while many told me I was being unrealistic. :ghey:

 

An underrated aspect of last season for us was REGGIE WAYNE. He was unreal from start to finish as a leader and playmaker.

[AllYouNeedIsLovie 377]

An underrated aspect of last season for us was REGGIE WAYNE. He was unreal from start to finish as a leader and playmaker.

Yep, I thought his career was going to be pretty much done after Peyton retired. His amount of production last year amazed me seeing as he's in his mid 30's now and had a rookie QB throwing to him (after having one of the best ever throwing to him his whole career).

 

Anyways, I think Luck got a little overrated last year, but I think this kid will be very special. The turnovers will definitely start to go down as he gets experience and as the Colts offense gets more balanced. Remember, the Colts threw the ball more than almost any team in the NFL last year so Luck was asked to do a lot. Not to mention, I believe their o-line was pretty suspect too so he got hit a good amount.

 

 

The guy has that killer instinct to come up and clutch and get the win though which is very crucial for a potential franchise QB.

[.AirMcNair. 1,232]

He made some of the most ridiculous plays last season, things that would be hard to expect from even QBs like Brady and Manning...but at the same time he made some of the dumbest throws I've ever seen as well. He had 14 dropped interceptions, as well, which led the league. His adjusted INTs would be 30 when taking away tips and hail marys/end of 4Q throws and adding dropped interceptions. That's not acceptable in the slightest, and was quite a bit worse than his fellow rookies (Griffin's adjusted INTs being 10, Wilson's being 12).

 

He now has to deal with a switch in offensive coordinators(Hamilton was Luck's OC at Stanford, but it'll still be interesting to see if the change effects him). It'll be interesting to see how he responds. He'll have to improve his inconsistency otherwise it's gonna get ugly..he's not gonna have another year where defenders drop 14 interceptions. He and Weeden are the only two who went over 10.

Edited May 22, 2013 by .AirMcNair.

[UndecidedFrog 12]

Last season he was the 3rd-best rookie QB.

 

This season, I expect him to be the best second-year QB and I don't expect it to be close.

 

 

I think he was the best rookie last season. I cannot imagine RG3 or Wilson matching his performance if either of them were put into the Colts starting QB position. The Colts did not have a high caliber running offense, or a high caliber defense to support the QB last season.

 

It is unheard of to think a #1 QB overall draft pick could start and win 11 games in his rookie season.

[Jules 98]

I think he was the best rookie last season. I cannot imagine RG3 or Wilson matching his performance if either of them were put into the Colts starting QB position. The Colts did not have a high caliber running offense, or a high caliber defense to support the QB last season.

 

It is unheard of to think a #1 QB overall draft pick could start and win 11 games in his rookie season.

 

Welcome Frog!!!

 

Personally I got sick of arguing with the RGIII/Wilson thing on the other forums. If people think they were better so be it but I think Luck overcame more and people often just look at the numbers. It is what it is. RGIII/Wilson were both very good don't get me wrong but I still feel Luck had to overcome more during the season.

 

I would have given him rookie of the year but again I am not too big into those awards which I think are heavy popularity contests to begin with.

Edited May 22, 2013 by Jules

[UndecidedFrog 12]

Welcome Frog!!!

 

Personally I got sick of arguing with the RGIII/Wilson thing on the other forums. If people think they were better so be it but I think Luck overcame more and people often just look at the numbers. It is what it is. RGIII/Wilson were both very good don't get me wrong but I still feel Luck had to overcome more during the season.

 

I would have given him rookie of the year but again I am not too big into those awards which I think are heavy popularity contests to begin with.

 

 

Hi Jules!

 

Yeah, it is all hypothetical conjecture and personal opinion. I am happy that Luck is healthy, and has shown his potential as a star franchise QB. I look forward to seeing his improved performance as he gains experience, and grows with his improving team.

 

I also hope RG3 rehabs well. He has come back from major knee surgery in his collegiate past. However, he did miss most of his sophomore season, for which the NCAA granted him a medical redshirt.

[Jules 98]

Yep, I thought his career was going to be pretty much done after Peyton retired. His amount of production last year amazed me seeing as he's in his mid 30's now and had a rookie QB throwing to him (after having one of the best ever throwing to him his whole career).

 

I said it a few times last season but I often felt like Reggie wanted to also prove he can do it without Manning too, that he was not just this product of Peyton.

 

It used to irk me when people said those things about Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne.

 

Don't forget, many used to blame Wayne too instead of Manning for the pick 6 at the end of the SB vs. the Saints. The wrong route argument even though to this day I can see Peyton staring down Wayne and Porter reading it like a book.

[Jules 98]

Hi Jules!

 

Yeah, it is all hypothetical conjecture and personal opinion. I am happy that Luck is healthy, and has shown his potential as a star franchise QB. I look forward to seeing his improved performance as he gains experience, and grows with his improving team.

 

I also hope RG3 rehabs well. He has come back from major knee surgery in his collegiate past. However, he did miss most of his sophomore season, for which the NCAA granted him a medical redshirt.

 

I like RGIII as well and hope he comes back strong. He grew on me as the season went on too, cool guy.

 

Needless to say we are all pretty excited about the upcoming season and how all this gels again. New pieces are added and the rooks last year have a year under their belts. I want to see what Werner can do as well.

 

Last season was pretty magical but I think the team needs to clean things up so they don't have to just rely on the cardiac style of wins too. Although I still suspect we might have a few of those games since it seems to be in our blood a lot.

[Dutch 874]

 

 

I think Luck was better then all 3 rookie QBs and here's why.

 

 

When you look at the numbers, it's easy to put Luck at the bottom of the barrel. Put in all actuality, Luck had WAY less to work with; hence him being picked 1st overall in the draft.

 

You look at RG3's situation, he had a STELLAR running game having the #1 ranked rushing attack in the league. Alfred Morris was the 2nd leading rusher with 1,613 yards as a ROOKIE which is simply amazing and had the 3rd most attempts in the league. That was a HUGE reason for their success accompanied by RG3's god given talents. The Redskins also made some great FA moves adding Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan to their receiving core to tag along with Santana Moss. While none of them are super stars, they are all serviceable play makers.

 

You look at Russell Wilson's situation, he has arguably a top 5 RB pounding the bricks down defenses legs. Russell Wilson was also fortunate having a running game; the 3rd ranked rushing attack at his disposal which is a rookie QB's best friend. The running game opens up everything on offense. Lynch was a huge part of the Seahawks success on offense. Wilson played lights out as well making great plays and showing resilience orchestrating long drives in must win games. Don't forget that Russell heavily benefited from having the best defense in the league being #1 in least points allowed. They kept the game close for him. A top rated defense and a running game... yeah.

 

Now for Luck, he didn't have the luxury of a 1,500 RB or a stellar defense (Wilson). Luck was the sole focal point of his offense and had way more pressure on him then RG3 and Wilson on taking that franchise QB role. His numbers aren't as pretty as RG3 or Wilson. He was tied for the most interceptions (18) in the league tied with Drew Brees as to where RG3 only have 5 ints and Wilson 10. His completion percentage is about 10% lower then RG3 and Wilson but Luck threw 234 more times then RG3 and Wilson! Luck attempted 627 throws which was 5TH most in the NFL and he's a ROOKIE! You are going to get more mistakes / turnovers when your rookie QB is asked to carry a team the way Luck had to; the life of an 1st overall. Luck also was 7th in the league in yards with over 4,300 yards breaking the nfl record for most yards by a rookie QB. Because of the pass happy offense, he also took more of a beating then RG3 and Wilson; 4th most sacked QB in the league being sacked 41 times. Luck had to win through his arm without the luxuries that RG3 and Wilson was fortunate to have. With that said, Luck had four 4th quarter come backs and seven game winning drives through his arm. Imo, Luck did more with less compared to RG3 and Wilson. From worst team in the league to a play off team. Luck had to embrace the role of a franchise QB at a much harder level then RG3 or Wilson did. He carried his team.

 

[RazorStar 4,025]

Andrew Luck was the epitome of the YES YES OH GOD NO, YES! YES! QB last year.

 

Brett Favre in the making.

 

I'm preparing my shiv.

[RANGA+ 1,210]

Luck is only going to get better with experience. He's got a solid arm and has all the intangibles you look for in a franchise QB. If the Colts can get their playcalling together and develop a scheme that Luck is more comfortable in, he will crush it.

[Jules 98]

Andrew Luck was the epitome of the YES YES OH GOD NO, YES! YES! QB last year.

 

Brett Favre in the making.

 

I'm preparing my shiv.

 

lol funny you say this. There is this guy I know who is A HUGE Favre fan...reason he got into football way back. And he said all last year that he thought Luck reminded him of a young Favre. And he was so happy over it too.

 

Hmmm.....

 

 

But, who knows how Luck develops in coming years but that's funny.

 

I used to say Luck reminded me of some of the retired QBs more then the current ones too. I don't know....can't put my finger on it at times, he gives me old school vibes?

Edited May 22, 2013 by Jules

[Jules 98]

We'll see this season with a new OC though if Luck throws as many picks. Bruce Arians had a fetish for throwing the ball and then some and going deep even if pass protection sucked. I am sure Steelers fans know about this too. Some Colts fans were concerned that Luck would develop some bad habits last season. I liked Arians as a HC but sometimes his play calling baffled me.

 

When Pagano returned for the final game of the regular season vs. Houston the offense seemed to tone it down some and was a bit more conservative.

 

 

Time will tell.....

Edited May 22, 2013 by Jules

[Nitrofish 1]

He made some of the most ridiculous plays last season, things that would be hard to expect from even QBs like Brady and Manning...but at the same time he made some of the dumbest throws I've ever seen as well. He had 14 dropped interceptions, as well, which led the league. His adjusted INTs would be 30 when taking away tips and hail marys/end of 4Q throws and adding dropped interceptions. That's not acceptable in the slightest, and was quite a bit worse than his fellow rookies (Griffin's adjusted INTs being 10, Wilson's being 12).

 

He now has to deal with a switch in offensive coordinators(Hamilton was Luck's OC at Stanford, but it'll still be interesting to see if the change effects him). It'll be interesting to see how he responds. He'll have to improve his inconsistency otherwise it's gonna get ugly..he's not gonna have another year where defenders drop 14 interceptions. He and Weeden are the only two who went over 10.

 

This kind of sums it up pretty well. Luck was a turnover machine, and luckily for him. 14 others were dropped. This is not to say he cannot be great this year, or any year, but you gotta be realistic and give allot of credit to Bruce Arians offense. He is gone now an as the poster above mentions Luck gets his OC from college in place of Arians, but this is not college, and I see a drop off if the Colts do not keep throwing deep as much as they did last season.

 

I think more than anything it was Arians offense, and the whole ChuckStrong thing that led to so many wins last year. That won't be the case this season IMHO. Arians is a much better coach and OC than Pagano IMO, and we will see it in both the Colts and the Cardinals play this season.

[Thanatos 2,847]

I think he was the best rookie last season. I cannot imagine RG3 or Wilson matching his performance if either of them were put into the Colts starting QB position. The Colts did not have a high caliber running offense, or a high caliber defense to support the QB last season.

 

It is unheard of to think a #1 QB overall draft pick could start and win 11 games in his rookie season.

 

The only difference is that the Colts had an absolute cheesecake schedule. And if you look at advanced stats, in addition to the INTs he threw, the defense dropped another 14-17, don't remember the exact number, putting Luck at upwards of 30+ balls he threw that should have been picked off. Compare that to Wilson's numbers and INTs.

 

To me, Wilson was clearly #1.

 

RG3 and Luck are debatable which is 2 and which is 3.

Edited May 22, 2013 by Thanatos19

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

I really don't think there's a valid argument for Luck being the best rookie QB. Switching coordinators was probably the best move because Luck's talents don't fit that of Arian's offense.

 

He'll play better this season. And will probably dodge the "softmore slump" for the majority of the season.

[Thanatos 2,847]

Ah here is the site I was talking about:

 

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2013/adjusted-interceptions-2012

 

Luck has 30 adjusted INTs.

[CampinWithaMissingPerson 2,025]

You're gonna see those INT numbers drop in Hamilton's offense as opposed to Arians'.

 

I just think it's unfair you guys went from Manning and just so happen to tank the year Luck comes out.

 

 

 

No but seriously...

 

 

Bridgewater 2014.

[.AirMcNair. 1,232]

You're gonna see those INT numbers drop in Hamilton's offense as opposed to Arians'.

 

I just think it's unfair you guys went from Manning and just so happen to tank the year Luck comes out.

 

 

 

No but seriously...

 

 

Bridgewater 2014.

 

Don't worry, bro.

 

Jake Locker and Blaine Gabbert are gonna make Luck look bad and make Peyton a distant memory.

 

...

 

 

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[Jules 98]

The only difference is that the Colts had an absolute cheesecake schedule. And if you look at advanced stats, in addition to the INTs he threw, the defense dropped another 14-17, don't remember the exact number, putting Luck at upwards of 30+ balls he threw that should have been picked off. Compare that to Wilson's numbers and INTs.

 

To me, Wilson was clearly #1.

 

RG3 and Luck are debatable which is 2 and which is 3.

 

Well we did have the last place schedule. So take advantage!

 

So did a lot of teams who had good records though beat up on cupcakes IMO. Heck the Colts still beat 3 playoff teams at home; Packers/Vikings/Texans. We struggled on the road though I will give you that.

 

The Broncos pretty much blew vs. the best teams they played last year but they were SB favorites heading into the playoffs. The Pats had a cake walk schedule in 2011 when they made the SB.

 

People say again the Colts schedule is easy since it's ranked one of the lightest. I guess we'll see..

Edited May 22, 2013 by Jules

[Jules 98]

This kind of sums it up pretty well. Luck was a turnover machine, and luckily for him. 14 others were dropped. This is not to say he cannot be great this year, or any year, but you gotta be realistic and give allot of credit to Bruce Arians offense. He is gone now an as the poster above mentions Luck gets his OC from college in place of Arians, but this is not college, and I see a drop off if the Colts do not keep throwing deep as much as they did last season.

 

I think more than anything it was Arians offense, and the whole ChuckStrong thing that led to so many wins last year. That won't be the case this season IMHO. Arians is a much better coach and OC than Pagano IMO, and we will see it in both the Colts and the Cardinals play this season.

 

 

I think you have to give more credit to Pagano too even though he was not there for enough games to really get enough on him. He was the voice the Colts bought into from day 1 when he arrived in the offseason and the man they still wanted to win for all year. We were completely dead in 2011 and he revived us. Pagano is the one who got them shirts with "#32" on the back to wear in preseason due to their rankings. Pagano made all the big inspirational speeches since he got here....

I do prefer Arians as a HC though over OC. But, I still love Pagano as our HC too. I felt blessed last season since I loved both men. They are different and time will tell with Pagano since we did not have enough games with as HC too.

 

The Arians offense was a mixed boom or bust bag. The big plays either worked or they didn't. It was one reason why Luck did well and also did badly at times and it put us in a hole.

 

Personally I don't think the offense Arians runs was the right fit for us and it did add to Luck's interception totals. Our o line is not good enough for a lot of those big plays he wants. When they work it's great but when they don't work it's a disaster.

 

Next year the offense will still incorporate some of the Arians offense I read but also much of what Hamilton wants to do.

 

And don't get me wrong, I am not a big fan of the total Arians offense but you could say the same for him, that he was living off of the Chuck story too and he won't have this with Arizona as well as having a QB as talented as Andrew Luck.

 

I think Arians was a great motivator and I appreciated him here and hope he does kick butt in Arizona. I also think Pagano is a great man and motivator too. I wanted to keep Arians but at the same time I did not want the same offense run here either full time since Luck was often getting killed......

 

We got more conservative on offense in the final week vs. Houston when Pagano returned. In the playoff loss to the Ravens though Arians was in the hospital and we really didn't have our OC either which made it difficult. Not that I am making excuses, the Ravens were the better team and deserved to win. We had our expiration date last season, I knew this.

 

I think it's tough for many to predict the 2013 Colts and it us understandable. I think we have a lot of talent and potential but we have to see it on the field first too.

Edited May 22, 2013 by Jules