After parting ways with four-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning in the off-season, the Indianapolis Colts headed into the 2012 NFL Draft with every intention of selecting quarterback Andrew Luck out of Stanford with the first overall pick.
Although debate began to swirl about whether or not Heisman trophy winner Robert Griffin III was the better pick at No. 1, the Colts were unfazed by all the talk and speculation surrounding the Baylor product and chose to go with Luck as they had initially intended.
Fortunately, the pick has worked out in their favor thus far with Luck as advertised leading Indianapolis to five wins in the first eight games. Griffin may be putting up solid numbers both on the ground and through the air, but in terms of success, Luck is leading the pack amongst rookie quarterbacks.
Recently, Luck was asked how he would grade his rookie season thus far and gave a surprisingly critical answer via ESPN.com:
“A ‘C’ is average, so I think I’d give myself a `C’,” Luck said when asked for a grade.
Much Manning and a lot of other top tier quarterbacks in the league, Luck is as about as critical as they come in terms of rating his own performance. Although the No. 1 overall has got to be happy with the results of the season in terms of games won, the 23-year-old only sees flaws that need to be corrected and will not be content without a pursuit of perfection.
An admirable trait from a rookie fresh out of college and already showing signs of success on the NFL level, but it will be interesting to see how the rest of the rookie season ultimately pans out for the future face of the franchise in Indianapolis.
In eight games so far this season, Luck has thrown for 2,404 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Although his passing yards total is impressive, Luck still struggles with turnovers as he’s also fumbled six times in these first eight games and has a passer rating of 79.0.
