Andrew Luck is the new 140 Million dollar man and highest paid player in the NFL. His new contract extension has raised a lot of eyebrows around the NFL. Even before his massive new deal, Andrew Luck has had his fair share of critics throughout his short NFL career, many of whom stem from the sheer amount of hype that surrounded him from his days as the top QB in the nation at Stanford. The way scouts and NFL personalities around the league drooled over everything he did from throwing passes into the wind to simply tying his shoes both polarized him as well as brought out criticism (No matter how unfairly) from people who I can only imagine were just sick of hearing his name. Some NFL players even went on record to say in so many words that Luck wasn't the best QB in his draft class. Broncos standout CB Chris Harris is one of those players, and said in a post game interview on the heels of a 26-20 overtime loss to the Seahawks,that Wilson is a better QB than Luck. 

Keep talking up Andrew Luck," Broncos cornerback Chris Harris said Sunday, per Vic Lombardi of KCNC-TV. "Russell Wilson is better than Luck. No question.

Luck has been under fire and unfairly criticized for his play last season. Most of the negative opinions have been misguided at best because there are several contributing factors that weren't taken into account as to why he had such a bad year, like the fact that he has been playing behind one of the worst O-lines in the league ever since he arrived. That gamble by the front office finally backfired on them last season as Luck missed the majority of the season with an assortment of injuries. Although at times when he did play he was a turnover machine, he also didn't have the kind of running game or defense that Russell Wilson has in Seattle either. For all of the adulation thrown Wilson's way, the fact that he hasn't been in a situation where he needs to carry the team on his back by himself gets lost in translation. Lets be honest here. The Seahawks have been a well oiled machine from the moment Wilson arrived and had enough pieces already in place to be a force regardless of who their QB was. Luck hasn't had that luxury and therefore it's unfair to judge him off of what Wilson has been able to accomplish during their time in the league when Luck hasn't had the same level of talent to work with that Wilson has. I know some will make the argument that Wilson plays in a tougher division and that by contrast Luck has had the benefit of playing in what many view as the weakest division in football. Still, Luck has beaten the best teams in the league when facing stiffer competition with the only team he hasn't cracked the code yet being the Pats. 

Outsiders have even gone as far as to say the Texans will win the AFC South this year with the addition of Brock Osweiler. I for one am sticking to my guns and saying that if the Colts O-line is improved, not only will they be able to play with anyone, but will also be a SB caliber team. Recognizing the importance of having a capable O-line is paramount to becoming an elite team in the NFL. The league has a long standing history of this simple rule of thumb. The Steelers of the and Bears of the 80s. The Cowboys, 49ers and Giants of the 90s. All of these teams had offensive lines that could protect them along with the running game to back them up as a bye product of the talent they had up front to play with. When you have an elite QB to play with an above average O-line, that puts you head and shoulders above the competition that can't match you in those two categories. The Colts are going to surprise a lot of people this year. Luck and his new O-line will be the main reasons why.