When making a list of your top ten quarterbacks, the first couple of spots are easy. Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Matt Ryan have the first three spots locked up. After that, it gets iffy. Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, the list goes on and on. However, one name that gets left out more often than not is Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts. But why? Let’s take a closer look.
The Curious Case of Andrew Luck
Let’s be honest. Almost all of Andrew Luck’s criticism is because of what happened during the 2015 season. In a short season, Luck averaged 267 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions per game. He threw 15 touchdowns, but he also threw 12 interceptions over an injury-shortened seven game season. That kind of touchdown/interception ratio isn’t what some would call elite. However, those numbers hardly tell the whole story.
Andrew Luck was injured. How hurt was he? Dr. Lewis Jacobson said that Luck had a lacerated kidney partially torn abdominal muscle, and that his injuries were similar to those of a car accident victim. That’s not hyperbole, he said the injuries were consistent with a car accident.
But for some critics, that’s not enough. Despite the fact that Andrew Luck threw for 4,700 yards and 40 touchdowns the year before on a team where his leading receivers were T.Y. Hilton and a 35 year old Reggie Wayne. Oh, the leading rusher? Trent Richardson, with a whopping 519 yards on the ground.
What Have You Done For Me Lately?
But who cares about 2014, it’s 2017. If Luck isn’t going to rebound from his injury, why should anyone care? Why? Because last year, he threw for 4,200 yards and 31 touchdowns in 15 games. Those are great numbers, right? Well take that piece of information, and then factor in that he was pressured on nearly 44% of passing plays this year, easily the most in the NFL. Oh, and this year? He didn’t even have Reggie Wayne, he had Hilton and draft bust, Phillip Dorsett.
Under pressure and throwing to no-name receivers, he had a passing season that would’ve been the second best in the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Andrew Luck tried to singlehandedly carry a garbage Colts team, and people bury him. They praise Derek Carr, Dak Prescott, Philip Rivers, Cam Newton, and other quarterbacks, but Luck is overrated because his team never wins. It’s hilarious.
Unlucky
The reality is that Andrew Luck is the most underrated player in the NFL today. He’s got the brain of Tom Brady, the body of Cam Newton, and the luck of a Detroit Lions fan. Andrew Luck is this generation’s Archie Manning, and unless the Colts get dramatically better, he’ll become this generation’s Dan Marino.
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