I have watched a lot of Andrew Luck over the last 3 college football seasons. I was banging his drum a month before the Chilean minors got rescued from their underground hell, so it’s safe to say that I have a pretty solid understanding of his body of work as a collegiate quarterback.
Andrew Luck has phenomenal accuracy. When the ball leaves his hand, it’s just as likely to sprout wings, a beak and fly away as it is to end up a “duck.”
Perfect mechanics lead to a tight spiral time and again, while Luck has the footwork and pocket presence of a seasoned veteran.
Always balanced, Luck puts himself in position to make every throw and has the athleticism to escape pressure. Standing 6’4”, the Cardinal quarterback looks the part while possessing maturity, preparedness and smarts. With a Stanford education in his back pocket, I’d venture to guess Luck would score higher blindfolded on the Wonderlic test than Terrelle Pryor did. (A seven? C’mon bro…)
Picking Andrew Luck with the first overall pick in the NFL draft is an absolute no-brainer, but I’ve got news for everyone…
Andrew Luck is going to be a bust in the NFL.
Not a Ryan Leaf. Not a JaMarcus Russell. Not an Akili Smith. But a bust none the less.
Phil Simms, who knows a thing or two about playing quarterback in the league, doesn’t think that Luck can make all the NFL throws. He’s right. Luck lacks the big time arm strength that so many NFL teams have coveted in the past. The first time Luck under-throws a go route or lets a deep out sail, the critics will be watching, and they’ll beat that dead horse until it evaporates.
This time next year, you’ll be as sick of hearing about Luck’s lack of arm strength as I am of hearing about the Eagles “Wide Nine” defense. Thanks a lot, Schefter.
The arm strength isn’t the only problem. The PAC-12 ain’t exactly a gauntlet of staunch defenses and Stanford’s out of conference schedule is a bigger joke than the title of Jerry Sandusky’s autobiography.
Luck beats up on the Duke’s and the Colorado’s of the world, but against a team like Oregon it’s a different story. In fact, fellow Pac-12 signal caller Nick Foles of Arizona had better numbers than Luck against both Oregon and USC. Will a conference that defends like the French be proper grooming for the likes of NFL defenses?
Regardless, the main detriment to Andrew Luck’s success is one that he will never line up against across the football field, nor one he can improve on in the gym. His NFL pedigree, nor his pending Heisman Trophy can shield him from this demon.
His main deterrent is the mainstream media monster that has been created. No matter how great Andrew Luck turns out to be, he can’t be as big as ESPN wants him to be. They are setting him up for failure, just like they did with LSU and Alabama a few weeks back. Problem is, if he flops as bad as the “Game of the Century,” people won’t let it slide. (On a side note, if THAT was the game of the century, the next ninety nine years will prove to be quite uneventful.)
The NFL is a very hard place to win, and Andrew Luck is immediately being compared to fellow Stanford quarterback and two time Super Bowl champion John Elway. What an unfair comparison.
Luck will be drafted onto a putrid team, likely Indianapolis, and asked to do something that even Peyton Manning couldn’t: win multiple Super Bowls. Those are not easy cleats to fill, nor is that an easy task to conquer. With minimal playmakers around him, an inept head coach, and a defense that is used to playing with a lead, Luck will be asked to be as good as advertised right away, which is not likely to happen.
Speaking a 22 year old kid’s name in the same breath as Elway and Manning and Marino isn’t fair. It’s unfair to Luck, to the team that drafts him, and to the legions of NFL fans who gobble up every word that is spoken on NFL Live.
The poor kid is being set up to fail by the same mouths that will him to succeed every time the cameras roll.
Andrew Luck has the skill set to be a Pro Bowl quarterback in the NFL for the next decade, but unfortunately for Oliver’s son, that won’t be good enough. “Andrew Luck the player” will never be as good as “Andrew Luck the story”. That is why he will be an NFL bust…
…and THAT is a damn shame.
► Read more articles written by DT.![Andrew Bogut Falls Horribly on His Elbow [Video]](http://cdn.jockpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Andrew-Bogut.jpg)
![The NFL Quarterback Countdown: From Worst to First [2010]](http://cdn.jockpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/nfl-quarterbacks.jpg)
Very well written and accurate. Espn tends to overhype EVERYTHING and I hope this kid doesn’t get stuck under the pressure and crack because he has talent to be special
hahahaha the wide 9 is the worst – those dudes need to shut it
Nice article, but I have to kind of disagree with the “bust” sentiment. While I don’t think that he’ll be the next HOF QB that ESPN and all the other pundits are writing. I do see him ending up as being more of a Chad Pennington type smart uber game managing QB that can win a lot of games. In the end, I don’t think that his arm strength matches up with the premier QB’s in the NFL today.
Hey DT your a fukin stupid dumbass ni gger. Play a sport before you talk about one you little puny piece of s**t. You’re talkin about one of the best qb’s we have seen last 15 years… Luck and Barkley are in a class of their own this year. So before you go s**t yourself fag, look in the mirror and shoot yourself.
Oh yeah one more thing you dumbf**k. His 2 best wr are hurt and he has not athletes around him. Put any big10 12 or sec against USC or Stan and see how they will easily will own them. You know what a prostyle offense is or you just one of these dumb fukin dips**ts that think the worthless high school dumb nigger any qb can run spread offense is cool.
Someone’s not a Stanford student…. (^)
I’ve personally heard scouts say that he has better arm strength than Peyton Manning. I’ve personally seen him make 60 yard throws, and mainly to TE’s who have spped, but not nearly the speed of someone like, Chris Owusu, who’s the only deep threat Stanford has. And by threat, I mean threat. Not weapon. He’s not Marquise Lee, nor Robert Woods.
You’re essentially being contrary to be contrary, or in media terms, pulling a ‘Skip Bayless’.
“He has upper-echelon arm strength. Gets very good zip on deep outs and can fit the ball into tight spots beyond 15 yards.”
“Luck unable to show off all he can do given the talent around him, but he is the total package. Arm strength, size, smarts, demeanor. Still a safe bet to be No. 1 overall”
Stay classy DTisadumbs**t. The proof WILL be in the pudding.
And I have personally seen Luck make a mediocre tapioca.
@DTisadumbs**t, I didn’t know trailers have wi-fi. did you just finish having sex with a family member? that’s why inbred should be executed. off ya go, to clean your trailer.
yo dawg rg3 is gon be so much better than luck the f**k. he is so quick and so nasty and HEISMAN baby
As long as Luck plays better than Sanchez I’ll be satisfied
As a Colt fan I am sick and tired of hearing about the guy. I have never seen anyone more overrated in 44 years of watching NFL football. I’ll come right out and say it. This man will be a titanic bust. We have been promised God’s Gift to Quarterbacking and what we will get instead is tarps in LOS and blacked out local games. I will not be at all surprised if he totally destroys what Manning built here.
I am also a Colts fan…
With that said, this was a very well written article and you make some very valid points in regards to the hype surrounding Luck.
ESPN is building him up to be something that he isn’t….YET!! Andrew Luck is hands down one of the greatest quarterback prospects to come along in years, I know you’re sick of hearing, I am too but there is a reason we keep hearing it, because its the truth. I’m not even going to try an arugue a case for him because its pointless… You couldn’t ask for more out of a quarterback. His intangibles are off the chart and honestly I think he’ll be just fine after a few years in the NFL. He’ll never be Peyton Manning, and thats absolutely fine because he doesnt need to be. Truly great players create their own paths to greatness, and Luck has everything you could ever want in a player. He isn’t perfect, but he is one hell of a football player and I think we can all agree on that. RG3 is equally amazing, just a better fit in Washington, and the Colts happen to have the #1… Stop looking for flaws and let kid play football. It’s unfortunate what has gone down in Indianapolis this year, but whats done is done. Before you decide to throw Luck under the bus, at least wait untill he’s played an actual NFL game.