Andrew has Peyton's 'computer"

[oldunclemark]

You'll like this....... :yes:

Luck, a Step Ahead as a Rookie, Hits Stride With Colts

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

On Sunday, in his fourth game, Andrew Luck led a second-half comeback against Green Bay.

By JUDY BATTISTA

INDIANAPOLIS — It was just a few practices into Andrew Luck’s professional career, during the Indianapolis Colts’ rookie minicamp in the spring, when Clyde Christensen turned on the tiny camera and microphone attached to Luck’s helmet.

Christensen, the Colts’ quarterbacks coach, had gotten his first sense of how quickly Luck absorbed information after the scouting combine, when the team gave him the portion of the playbook that included the five-step passing game. By the time Luck, the top pick in the draft, got off his flight in California on his way back to Stanford University, he reached out to the Colts.

“O.K., good, what’s next?” he said, shocking coaches who thought that was a few weeks’ worth of work.

At the minicamp, the camera Christensen turned on was supposed to enhance his understanding of where his quarterback was looking before throwing a pass. Luck’s camera did not work well. But the microphone provided an aural revelation of how the player one college football official called “a human computer” would process his transition to the N.F.L.

“You give him the play; you’re talking to him; he’s asking questions, feeling out the call,” Christensen said. “He’s walking up to the line of scrimmage, and it’s almost like ‘Rain Man’: he just repeats everything; he’s talking to himself about who had which assignment.

“All of a sudden, he gets into the huddle, and he’s just a different guy. He went from ‘Is that the one?’ to ‘O.K., here it is.’ Like you’re just meeting someone for the first time, but then you introduce them like they are a long-lost friend. He gave a good fake appearance — that huddle wasn’t going to know if he had doubt.”

Luck, when told that his teammates were struck by the command of the huddle he had from the beginning, said with a laugh: “Well, I managed to fool them. I was swimming on a lot of things. That’s part of playing the position, just being able to step into a huddle and confidently say” — and here Luck rattled off an unintelligible play — “without it sounding like Swahili to you, even if you’re not sure. What is it — never in doubt, hardly correct? We’ll take a little of that attitude.”

He will not have to take it much longer. In the first month of his first season, Luck — perhaps the most heralded player to enter the league since the person he succeeded, Peyton Manning — was outplayed by Washington’s Robert Griffin III, who was drafted No. 2. With the benefit of more experienced offensive teammates, Griffin has completed 69.1 percent of his passes, compared with Luck’s 54.2 completion percentage.

But on Sunday, in his fourth game, Luck crafted the first frame of his career highlight film. He led a second-half comeback from an 18-point deficit against Green Bay in the Colts’ first game since Coach Chuck Pagano left the team to receive treatment for leukemia. A dazzling 80-yard drive in the closing minutes included Luck’s sliding away from Clay Matthews to fire a 15-yard strike to Reggie Wayne — one of the few remaining holdovers from the Manning years, whom Luck said he was honored to throw to — on a third-and-12 near midfield.

The enormous banners of Manning that had loomed from the side of Lucas Oil Stadium were removed long ago, in the days just before the Colts selected Luck in April. But inside the building, the win over the Packers was the moment that Luck’s unobtrusive arrival was complete. Luck has purposefully chosen to be low-key in his entrance to the N.F.L., and if a first overall draft pick can fly under the radar, he has managed to do it.

He has filmed a commercial for a soccer video game, but that is about it for high-profile endorsements. That is in part because Luck’s aw-shucks personality does not mesh well with the limelight. But it is also because Luck’s father, Oliver, a former N.F.L. quarterback who is now West Virginia’s athletic director, has encouraged his son to keep his life simple for the first couple of years as a professional, the better to focus his attention on the field.

Luck is able to go to dinner with teammates near his downtown Indianapolis home and dine relatively undisturbed.

[Smonroe]

Fans from about 25 other teams (maybe more) have to hate us for the luck (npi) we've had with QBs. I know it's early but this kid could end up being the best one. Unitas, Jones, Harbaugh, Peyton, Andrew. Not a bad run!

My poor buddies in Cleveland....

[BleedingBlue]

saw that commercial. he is sitting on a couch as the camera pans by him playing Fifa 13. He is basically playing a guy sitting on a couch. an extra as you would have it. Very odd use of him.

[Qwiz]

Awww shucks! Guy knows what he's doing...I think lol

[Smonroe]

saw that commercial. he is sitting on a couch as the camera pans by him playing Fifa 13. He is basically playing a guy sitting on a couch. an extra as you would have it. Very odd use of him.

And just think, after we win the SB next year, he's going to have to host SNL. I see a neck beard sketch coming!

[oldunclemark]

And just think, after we win the SB next year, he's going to have to host SNL. I see a neck beard sketch coming!

Here's the sketch..Luck will be walking down the street in a $1,000 suit with cheerleaders on each arm and they'll walk up on this homeless guy living in a cardboard box...holding a tin cup

..Andrew will put a $100 bill in the cup..the homeless guy will look up...and it'll be Peyton Manning..

I would pay to see that.

[SilentHill]

Anyone who has watched Luck play this season, if you had no knowledge of his past, there is no way you label him as a rookie.

[JoKeR]

I'd like to see a commercial of Luck playing Black Ops 2 multiplayer and he's cussing at the other players and taunting them. Maybe it can be a SNL skit.

[Flash7]

I always wonder how he's treated in the locker room. When he first arrived, I'm sure he was treated like a rookie. However, after four games--and how well he's performed in those games--I'm sure no one treats him like a rookie anymore.

I don't foresee a "friar Tebow" haircut in his future.

[Smonroe]

Here's the sketch..Luck will be walking down the street in a $1,000 suit with cheerleaders on each arm and they'll walk up on this homeless guy living in a cardboard box...holding a tin cup

..Andrew will put a $100 bill in the cup..the homeless guy will look up...and it'll be Peyton Manning..

I would pay to see that.

That's just wrong. But I can see Peyton going along with the gag.

[FastStarts]

With this guy, we will win 4th place!

No seriously, we will go 19-0.

[ColtsVsTheWorld]

Andrew is a different model than Peyton. We'll see in the end which one is more effective, but just because one is great, and one looks to one day be great doesn't mean they are equal. I'd love it if one day Luck is considered the GOAT, but they are different in good ways.

[oldunclemark]

Andrew is a different model than Peyton. We'll see in the end which one is more effective, but just because one is great, and one looks to one day be great doesn't mean they are equal. I'd love it if one day Luck is considered the GOAT, but they are different in good ways.

Its not different. You may have missed the point.

its like playing the piano. they can teach you the keys but the speed and mistake-free dexterity at which you can play is a gift

The QB 'computer', to me, is something you cant teach....

the mental ability to rolodex through plays and options with precsision and accuracy.

that's what this article says Andrew Luck has..an advanced one....Its why they make kids QBs ini high school

Great athletes dont neceessarily have it...Its not intelligence....its just the gift of decision-making speed and accuracy...

.....The best way to describe it is that its a high speed computer..

Guys like Jay Cutler and Micheal Vick dont seem to have it and they are making a lot of cash in the NFL...

Manning has it. That's why he works at his game so hard. He knows that he can think fast enough and make enough correct

decisions to defeat any defense he's studied long enough.

That's why he looks so hard at time lapse photos on the sidleines while Jay Cutler blows off hs coaches..

I juts hope Luck realizes what he has to the extent that he has it and is willing to sacrifice the time it takes to maximize this gift..

there's no limits to what he can accomplish on the field

[McGrit]

Yeah, I do like that. Thanks OUM!

This team is in a remarkable position. All new players. All new coaches. No OL. Brand new rookie QB. Tons of rookies and cast-offs. And somehow Luck and Reggie and Freeman and Bethea and Allen and Pagano and Arians and Grigson are making it happen.

Good things in store for the future.

[McGrit]

I juts hope Luck realizes what he has to the extent that he has it and is willing to sacrifice the time it takes to maximize this gift..

there's no limits to what he can accomplish on the field

I think he gets that loud and clear. Every interview he speaks about how much he still has to learn and how far he has to go. He doesn't seem like the type to look at the enormity of the task at hand and begin to fold-up and dispair. He is a fighter who relishes a challenge.

I like the bit in the article about Luck's father advising him to avoid the spotlight for the first few years. This will pay dividends down the road. It's the complete oppisite of the Redskins new Crash Test Dummy QB. It's like when you get a new job. When you are new it's a good idea to work as much as you can, learn as much as you can. It seems like Griffin thinks he has everything he needs already on lockdown. He, to some degree, is buying into his own hype. With Luck I get the opposite impresion. Luck is under no illusions about how far there is to go, but it seems like he also understands how to get there.

[FanFromtheWasteland]

Yeah, I do like that. Thanks OUM!

This team is in a remarkable position. All new players. All new coaches. No OL. Brand new rookie QB. Tons of rookies and cast-offs. And somehow Luck and Reggie and Freeman and Bethea and Allen and Pagano and Arians and Grigson are making it happen.

Good things in store for the future.

Just like Irsay tweeted after last season

[ColtsVsTheWorld]

Its not different. You may have missed the point.

its like playing the piano. they can teach you the keys but the speed and mistake-free dexterity at which you can play is a gift

The QB 'computer', to me, is something you cant teach....

the mental ability to rolodex through plays and options with precsision and accuracy.

that's what this article says Andrew Luck has..an advanced one....Its why they make kids QBs ini high school

Great athletes dont neceessarily have it...Its not intelligence....its just the gift of decision-making speed and accuracy...

.....The best way to describe it is that its a high speed computer..

Guys like Jay Cutler and Micheal Vick dont seem to have it and they are making a lot of cash in the NFL...

Manning has it. That's why he works at his game so hard. He knows that he can think fast enough and make enough correct

decisions to defeat any defense he's studied long enough.

That's why he looks so hard at time lapse photos on the sidleines while Jay Cutler blows off hs coaches..

I juts hope Luck realizes what he has to the extent that he has it and is willing to sacrifice the time it takes to maximize this gift..

there's no limits to what he can accomplish on the field

I totally understand what you meant... I just see a different model. I think we've seen Peyton's max performance, and as great as he is, Luck has potential to be even better if, like you say, he is willing to sacrifice the time it takes to hone his skills. I think that's why everyone tells him to be Andrew, because Peyton is a known factor, while Andrew has no upper limits in sight.

[Corndog]

I didn't know Luck was even in the FIFA 13 commercials. I wonder if he actually plays the game? I know Snoop Dogg does. I have a feeling if he does, he is very good.

[ruksak]

I'm not comfortable with any comparisons of Luck and Manning, not like this. Luck is an awesome find for us and we're incredibly fortunate to have him. He's going to be one of the greats. But Manning was unique, there will never be another Peyton, ever.

Remember remember the 7th of March, the quarterback, treason and plot

I see no reason why the quarterback, treason should ever be forgot.

[luckyblue]

Only time will tell if Andrew can even come close to being like Peyton. By the time Peyton is through playing(if he stays healthy) he will have set every record in the book! A couple of people on here said Andrew will be better than Peyton, how can people say things like that, my God he's only played 4 freakin games, and your saying he's going to be better than the best quarterback that ever played the game!!! Yes we are extemely fortunate to have Andrew, who has the potential to be an elite quarterback for the Colts for many years, but him being better than Peyton is not very realistic at all! I think in time if Andrew can be compared somewhat to Peyton, all us Colt fans would take that!

[GrizzColt]

I think we can all agree that Peyton is the better actor of the 2. Football wise, we already see Luck doing physical things Peyton could never do. It's going to ultimately be his will to win that matters.

[NewColtsFan]

I didn't know Luck was even in the FIFA 13 commercials. I wonder if he actually plays the game? I know Snoop Dogg does. I have a feeling if he does, he is very good.

For what it's worth, Luck spent some of his formative years growing up in Europe. I think his father was the commissioner of NFL Europe.

The point is Luck LOVES soccer. He plays it. He follows it. I'm sure he plays the video game version. Soccer is a real passion for him AWAY from football. Really, really loves it. But it's more a recreation, a hobby, it's not a distraction to football.

[shakedownstreet]

personally i think luck is just playing out his rookie contact so he can cash in on his next BIG payday, then suddenly he'll turn into ryan leaf

[John Dee]

Luck is able to go to dinner with teammates near his downtown Indianapolis home and dine relatively undisturbed.

Not for much longer....

[Qwiz]

Only time will tell if Andrew can even come close to being like Peyton. By the time Peyton is through playing(if he stays healthy) he will have set every record in the book! A couple of people on here said Andrew will be better than Peyton, how can people say things like that, my God he's only played 4 freakin games, and your saying he's going to be better than the best quarterback that ever played the game!!! Yes we are extemely fortunate to have Andrew, who has the potential to be an elite quarterback for the Colts for many years, but him being better than Peyton is not very realistic at all! I think in time if Andrew can be compared somewhat to Peyton, all us Colt fans would take that!

I agree. Manning was a different player, a different competitor. 12 is going to be good, but to even suggest that he will be better than Manning, and I'm not saying that he has to be, at this point in time, is just not right.

[Warhorse]

Not a negative to this thread, but I think comparisons to the two will always cost one or the other in someone's eyes. Better to just let them be themselves, as different QB's.

I celebrate them both, always will.

[LJpalmbeacher2]

For what it's worth, Luck spent some of his formative years growing up in Europe. I think his father was the commissioner of NFL Europe.

The point is Luck LOVES soccer. He plays it. He follows it. I'm sure he plays the video game version. Soccer is a real passion for him AWAY from football. Really, really loves it. But it's more a recreation, a hobby, it's not a distraction to football.

You seem to know a little too much about him.Lol.

[Tark The Shark]

I always wonder how he's treated in the locker room. When he first arrived, I'm sure he was treated like a rookie. However, after four games--and how well he's performed in those games--I'm sure no one treats him like a rookie anymore.

I don't foresee a "friar Tebow" haircut in his future.

I thought it spoke volumes during the NFL Replay of the Colts vs Packers game that when Luck was driving for the TD, Redding said," I am glad he is on my team"

I think the vets realize how good this kid is

[FanFromtheWasteland]

personally i think luck is just playing out his rookie contact so he can cash in on his next BIG payday, then suddenly he'll turn into ryan leaf

I think there is a higher percentage that this will happen with Bob3 before it happens with Luck (which it wont by the way)

[FanFromtheWasteland]

For what it's worth, Luck spent some of his formative years growing up in Europe. I think his father was the commissioner of NFL Europe.

The point is Luck LOVES soccer. He plays it. He follows it. I'm sure he plays the video game version. Soccer is a real passion for him AWAY from football. Really, really loves it. But it's more a recreation, a hobby, it's not a distraction to football.

I saw a short interview where luck said that he played intramural soccer in collage and that the football coaches didn't know about it. The bad boy side of Andrew

[PrincetonTiger]

interesting

[ruksak]

I didn't know Luck was even in the FIFA 13 commercials. I wonder if he actually plays the game? I know Snoop Dogg does. I have a feeling if he does, he is very good.

The only thing worse than kicking a ball around for hours is pretending to kick a ball around for hours.

[FanFromtheWasteland]

The only thing worse than kicking a ball around for hours is pretending to kick a ball around for hours.

I wonder if soccer fans think the same thing about the NFL and all the people that spend mega-hours playing Madden

[ruksak]

I wonder if soccer fans think the same thing about the NFL and all the people that spend mega-hours playing Madden

Things happen in NFL football, like stuff and lots of junks and things. Like plays, catches, fumbles etc. Soccer is back and forth shin kicking better suited for heavily sugared children.

Those zany Brits....here's what they did before they invented the ball.....

It's like soccer without the running.

[FanFromtheWasteland]

Things happen in NFL football, like stuff and lots of junks and things. Like plays, catches, fumbles etc. Soccer is back and forth shin kicking better suited for heavily sugared children.

Those zany Brits....here's what they did before they invented the ball.....

It's like soccer without the running.

lol. "NFL..........for when you can only get Your regional sports."

[BrentMc11]

This is why I love Indiana....we have seen racers, basketball players, baseball players come and go for all of these years......

Most people give them their space and a polite hello...even at the grocery or a restaurant.....What is it about being 'star-struck?' I remember going to the fairgrounds and sitting talking to Roger Brown, Mel Daniels, and Freddie Lewis about what was for lunch...just hanging out....AJ Foyt....Al Unser...Mario Andretti....Hello!

This is the BEST: "Luck is able to go to dinner with teammates near his downtown Indianapolis home and dine relatively undisturbed"

Is this not a nice concept?

[braveheartcolt]

lol. "NFL..........for when you can only get Your regional sports."

It's Ultimate Fighting for English Farmers. Don't knock it til you've tried it....

[braveheartcolt]

Back on topic, Luck is still playing a good portion of his games as a rookie. He is making very questionable throws a lot of the time, like ROOKIES do. Stop hailing him the GOAT already, it's stupid. In fact, let him hold a winning record first, and we can praise that!

Not a knock on Luck, a reality check for those placing him the HOF after 4 games, and a 54% completion %.

[NewColtsFan]

You seem to know a little too much about him.Lol.

That's what I get for being a long time Stanford fan! lol

[oldunclemark]

Not a negative to this thread, but I think comparisons to the two will always cost one or the other in someone's eyes. Better to just let them be themselves, as different QB's.

I celebrate them both, always will.

I agree totally.....as long as they arent facing each other..

...I want both to play well and win every week...

I've been very surprised at how much, as a fan, I've been able to adopt and accept all the new Colts immedaitely (winning helps)

AND..at how I've been able to adopt 'Indianapolis Southwest' better known as the Denver Broncos.

I look forward to their games as much as I do Indy games

Maybe in 15 years when Peyton owns the Tennesse Titans and the Colts release Luck...that Peyton will sign Andrew,,

a circle of life thing