Just seven days ago, the Indianapolis Colts were 0-13 and many believed Indy was on its way to a 0-16 record. The Colts would then get the number one overall pick, draft Andrew Luck, let Luck learn from Peyton Manning, and then dominate the AFC South for the next ten to fifteen years with another great franchise quarterback. However, Indianapolis managed to pull themselves together with a 27-13 win against the Tennessee Titans thanks to a huge rushing performance by Donald Brown. Then they had to turn around and face the division-leading Houston Texans on a short week. No one expected the Colts to win against one of the top defenses and rushing attacks in the league. With late game heroics from Dan Orlovsky and Reggie Wayne, the Colts pulled off the upset in the final minute to win consecutive games for the first time all season. While the Colts organization and all of Indy's fans must be thrilled that they finished the season strong, the team may have played its way out of Andrew Luck.
 |
| Courtesy of http://everyjoe.com/sports/andrew-luck-is-stupid/ |
The Indianapolis Colts never would have expected that they would have to "compete" for the number one pick. The Colts are 2-13 with the Minnesota Vikings and St. Louis Rams also having two wins on the season. It is very unlikely that the Vikings would draft Andrew Luck since they selected quarterback Christian Ponder with their first round pick last year and he has had a lot of experience from this season. Plus, Minnesota has two winnable games left--at the Washington Redskins and at home against the Chicago Bears. The Rams, on the other hand, could really use Andrew Luck. Sam Bradford is struggling in his second year in the NFL, completing just over 50% of his passes, barely broke the 2,000 yard mark this season, has had twice as many turnovers as touchdown passes, and is too prone to injury. The Rams have also tested A.J. Feely and Kellen Clemens at quarterback but neither one is a long-term solution to their quarterback problems. St. Louis plays the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49'ers, both playoff-bound teams, in their final two games, which are almost guaranteed losses. If the Rams finish the year 2-14 then they have a shot at drafting Luck. The Indianapolis Colts have one game left in Jacksonville against the Jaguars, which will decide the future of Andrew Luck as well as the AFC South and NFC West for the next fifteen years. The only way the Colts can guarantee the #1 overall pick is to lose on New Year's Day. If I were Jim Caldwell, I would tell the defensive coordinator to draw up new schemes that the Colts players have no experience with and try them against the Jags. Then, "accidentally" punt the ball on third down because you "thought" it was fourth down. Maybe they should play very conservative and run on 3rd & 11 to not run the risk of throwing an interception. Whatever the in-game solution is, Indy needs to lose on purpose but disguise it very well so that there is not serious backlash. The best case scenario for the Colts is for Jacksonville to come out strong so that Indianapolis could not win the game even if they tried their hardest. But then, why should the Jaguars try at all? They know if the Colts lose, then they have to face Andrew Luck twice a year until the mid-2020's and I doubt they want that. I'm not sure who would want to watch Indianapolis play at Jacksonville in the first place, but I would strongly recommend against watching them in Week 17, because it will be a game with both teams trying their hardest to lose.
The Indianapolis Colts need Andrew Luck. Peyton Manning is 35 and his best years are behind him. The owner of the Colts, Jim Irsay, said that Manning would play next season if he's healthy, but what if he's not. Or even if he is, there is no guarantee that he will throw for 4,000+ yards and 30+ touchdowns. The Colts have a solid receiving core, their backfield is above average, and they drafted offensive linemen with their first two picks in last year's draft. Now all Indy needs is a quarterback to lead them back to the Super Bowl. Andrew Luck has gone to Peyton Manning's football camps and they have had interactions in the past, so it would be ideal for Manning to teach Luck the in's and out's of the NFL so that Andrew Luck is the next Peyton Manning. The Indianapolis Colts are in a very rare situation where they can have two All-Pro, franchise quarterbacks and draft the second when the first's career is winding down. They need Andrew Luck, which means they need to lose at all costs against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even if the St. Louis Rams and the Minnesota Vikings finish 2-14, the Colts have a statistically easier schedule, so they will have the advantage and get the number one draft pick.
No comments:
Post a Comment