by Jordan Lauterbach
This is not an anti- Andrew Luck column. It’s a calm down plea.
There is little doubt that the Stanford quarterback is one of the better pro prospects College Football has seen in years. His numbers clearly indicate that. This season alone, Luck has thrown for over 1,800 yards and 20 touchdowns. He is the likely winner of the Heisman trophy- if for nothing else, a tribute to a career that is probably finished.
He’s been a great college player. No one would deny that. But here is something that Luck is not- an NFL legend.
At least not yet, anyway. But you wouldn’t know it by the way he’s talked about in both college and NFL circles. It’s as if Johnny Unitas himself rose from the dead, laced up his high-tops, and enrolled in Stanford.
As both the NFL and college seasons progress, the chatter about Luck being the “can’t miss” of all “can’t misses” has gotten so fast and furious that it borders on lunacy.
Two incidents from this past weekend set the Luck love machine into hyper speed, enough to make even the most ardent of supporters of the quarterback chuckle and scratch their heads.
First, bad losses by both the Dolphins and Colts provided fodder to those who actually buy the insane premise known as “Suck for Luck.” This phrase is nothing but a clever ryme. If you’re unfamiliar- consider yourself lucky. But, for purposes of transparency, know that “Suck for Luck” refers to the idea that teams are throwing games with the conscious goal of locking up the worst record in the league, giving them the opportunity to draft America’s next great hero.
Goodness forbid these teams are just putrid and poorly coached. They must have an ulterior motive.
Take the Dolphins first- In a league that is so fickle and unstable, why would any professional put their jobs and reputation on the line for an organization that could cut them tomorrow? After all, most of those players are part of the problem. In all likelihood, very few will be around to see the fruits of their futility.
So why would they bother? Why would they care?
Tony Sparano sure doesn’t. After all, he only has a job because Luck’s former Head coach, Jim Harbaugh, decided to go elsewhere. Sparano is a dead man walking. Losing games purposely is like handing your killer a hand written suicide note, a weapon, and the keys to your gassed up car.
Luck is the last thing on Sparano’s mind. Job applications? Maybe. Luck? No way.
The same goes for Indianapolis. They already have Andrew Luck. His name is Peyton Manning. At 35, Manning could have up to five more good and eight more solid years. It’s doubtful that Luck would see the field as a Colt before 2015.
By that time, Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne and the like will be retired, close to it, or somewhere else. Lifespan in the NFL is not long enough for players to become free thinking executives on the field.
Also, who’s to say Luck doesn’t pull a John Elway or Eli Manning and try to beat the draft system? Maybe he doesn’t like the heat or the pressure of having to be the next Dan Marino. Maybe he doesn’t want to sit on the bench for a few years only to be the guy who replaces Manning.
In a far more unlikely scenario, Luck returns to Stanford for his final year of eligibility, either to win a national title or take one more chance at landing in a more desirable NFL city. If Sam Bradford taught us anything, it's that getting hurt as a senior doesn't always mark doom.
Too many factors exist for throwing games to be seen as a plausible possibility.
Sometimes, teams are just bad. They aren’t conniving. They are untalented.
The Luck madness doesn’t end there.
ESPN anchor Stuart Scott tweeted this on Saturday night: …”…I’ve talked to NFL folks…Andrew Luck is the real deal and better than 20 NFL (QB’s).”
This isn’t a shot at Scott. The reality is that his opinion isn’t that far off from that of others. But, just as it’s ridiculous to say that the best team in college would beat the worst team in the NFL, it’s hard to compare college talent directly with NFL talent, given the large gap in the NCAA.
The difference between the best and worst player in college is lightyears larger than it is in the NFL. It’s just simple mathematics. There are 32 teams in the NFL. There are over 100 on the NCAA. That’s a lot of football players, and most of them won’t ever get tickets to an NFL game, much less play in one.
There are no Dukes, UCLA’s, Colorado’s, or San Jose State’s in the NFL. But there are on the Stanford schedule.
What’s more- the numbers Luck is putting up against these opponents are really good- but they aren’t legendary. Entering week nine, he isn’t leading a single major statistical quarterback category, and that's after playing the aforementioned opponents. How could he be better than 20 NFL quarterbacks when he isn’t statistically better than Robert Griffin III?
Again, it’s not an anti-Luck stance. Saying that he has the tools to be a top 10 quarterback in the NFL is fine. It’s probably correct. But saying he’s already there is not.Follow Jordan on Twitter @jlauterbach1
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