2012 NFL season: QB Andrew Luck - the saviour of Indianapolis Colts – NFL Feature
Indianapolis Colts’ owner Jim Irsay went against the tide of opposition to end a 14-year association with quarterback Peyton Manning in March this year. He had envisioned a change at the QB position for his franchise the moment the Colts
came out of the 2011 National Football League (NFL) season with only two wins (2-14).
Almost the entire football community, particularly the fans, warned him against taking a step as far as letting Manning go. He did not heed to those concerns. After all, this was what the Colts had done at the time they had parted ways
with their former QB Jim Harbaugh in 1998. They had replaced him with Manning. They repeated the history this season, replacing Manning with Andrew Luck in the same fashion.
Since the change, the stakes have become higher for the owner. He has to prove his decision was worth making. Although the future is going to bear witness to the credibility of the owner’s decision, he needs Luck to perform wondrously.
The rookie has to prove that the owner’s bet on the young horse was worth made. He preferred him over Manning. It was mainly due to the fact that the opportunity had presented itself to the Colts. Had the team done better in the past season
they would not have qualified for the top draft pick this year and the rookie would have ended up landing somewhere else; Cleveland Browns, St. Louis Rams or may be the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Having secured that opportunity the Colts aim to capitalise on it. The team sees Luck as their saviour. The situation is similar to the one they had in 1998, when the owner had been fiercely opposed about hiring of Manning, and letting
Harbaugh go.
The plus for the owner is that Luck is as rich in talent and potential as Manning. As a matter of fact, a number of commentators see Luck to be an even better player in some areas. For example, he seems to be more mature and handling situations
more professionally than Manning had done during his rookie year. He is witty, quick, sharp and with better reflexes. He has great judgement and on-spot decision making skills. He is rated to be a true leader, leading the offence sensibly and impressively.
Luck impressed everyone at training camp despite the fact that he had a hectic schedule after his arrival in Indianapolis. He had to rush back to college to finish remaining courses as per the league’s rules, and was left behind in the
playbook rules learning.
Since his graduation he has taken all training activities very seriously. In fact, he had worked extra with his colleagues just before training camp to make up for the lost time. This reflects the rookie also has a great amount of enthusiasm
and does everything with complete focus and energy.
The Colts' coaches are convinced of his abilities, and so is the owner. It now remains down to performance of the rookie in the real game environment that will endorse all hopes and optimisms. If he manages to maintain the level of form
as being anticipated from him, everything will quickly move out of Peyton Manning’s shadow and work in the Colts’ way. On the other hand, Manning’s shadow might start haunting the owner again if the rookie fails.
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