What To Do With The First Overall Pick [Mega-merge]

[jedi.creech]

You're also assuming Luck will be a flop and these '3 -4 great players' won't. What if the Colts pass up on Luck and draft '3-4 great players' and they flop? Just playing devil's advocate here.

I can see that argument... But I think there's a better chance of one person being a flop compared to all 4 being one... Especially one that has soooo much hype...  

[OllyDawes]

Andrew Luck might want to consult a former Stanford QB legend about how to handle the NFL draft.

Twenty-nine years ago, John Elway refused to play for Bob Irsay’s Colts, forcing a trade to the Denver Broncos. Luck, Stanford’s latest can’t-miss passer, may want to avoid playing for Jim Irsay’s Colts, the team with the top pick in the 2012 draft.

That is not written to analogize Irsay father to Irsay son in regards to football ownership. Jim Irsay, while quirky, has established a solid reputation as an NFL owner and restored a measure of respectability to a last name best known for a midnight abandonment of Baltimore.

Nope. Luck should consider avoiding Irsay and the Colts to avoid the seemingly inevitable bad fate that awaits the franchise.

Indiana’s football bubble is bursting.

Full Story

Wondering what people think about this. I can't see Luck declaring for the draft with the Colts at 0-13 if he didn't want to play for us...

[BmoreColt]

How can you not be impressed with 27/31? What more do you want?

What does that mean? Tomy Brady had a great completion percentage last year... his offense was horizontal dink and dunk not down the field... stats can sometimes be misleading..

[presto123]

We will not win another SB with Manning. There I said it. Makes taking Luck and starting the rebuild a lot easier doesn't it? Just kidding. It's not going to be easy but I think the best thing for BOTH sides might be to let Manning go to a playoff team with what little time he has left and start our rebuild NOW. It will be a tough decision and probably not a popular one but I think probably the right one.

[tonychen]

From what Luck said in his postgame interview yesterday he had no issue playing for a team with the worse W-L record, while he would not be as happy if he was asked to sit and wait.

[WSO]

I didn't know the Colts had such a prepetually dominate run game? You mean Trent Richardson with say the #4 pick... Dennard at #25.. and say Jeffrey at #37 isn't a better Colts roster? That could mean freed up cap space from cutting ties with Brown/Gonzo and a restructure of Addai and Wayne back cheap.

How would adding a WR and RB help the Colts win the SB with Manning short term? On top of that offense has never been a problem for the Colts. I would love for the Colts to take a CB early but WR and RB don't make sense considering t here are far bigger holes in the secondary, defensive-line, and offensive-line.

[GoColts8818]

I saw someone do a write up on ESPN that pretty much said under the new CBA players don't have nearly as much power to demand trades going into the draft as they once did.

Also Luck needs to first make it offical that he's going to be in the draft and then needs to go threw the process and see exactly what the Colts plans are. We might bring in a new GM who says rebuild starting with Luck and ship Manning out of here. As hard as that would be for a lot of fans, myself included, to see it's a possiablity at this point.

As per normal the next good story Whitlock writes will be his first. I am just a little shocked he didn't work in that Indianapolis didn't deserve Peyton Manning in the first place again or something about how we were being racist looking at Luck as the top pick and not RGIII. Those are his normal agendas.

[KyFan18]

I don't share Whitlock's pessimism about the direction of the Colts organization, I guess. I could see Luck not wanting to come here because he didn't want to sit behind Manning, but not because he doesn't feel we will be very good for a while. Heck, isn't that the whole premise of the draft?

[Superman]

Don't read Whitlock. It's bad for your brain.

[smittywerb]

Apples to cinder blocks.

I understand that they are two different situations, but Young was willing to sit after having a successful college career, signing a record contract, and running his own for three years (even if the organization was crap). Now I understand that we live in a different generation but I'm just saying that the "sitting" thing has happened. Maybe with not as high of a draft pick, but it has happened.

So what, Oklahoma State has an average at best defense.. Two TD's and you are ready to declare this guy the next Peyton Manning? Case Keenum played better yesterday, that's who I was impressed with.

I don't want to compare college to the NFL, but most NFL defenses nowadays are average at best. Give a QB with good tangibles time to adjust to the NFL and he will perform. It's only a handful of teams in the NFL that really have great defenses.

[Dan]

What does that mean? Tomy Brady had a great completion percentage last year... his offense was horizontal dink and dunk not down the field... stats can sometimes be misleading..

So what's your argument here? That Andrew Luck is just as bad as Tom Brady? God forbid we end up drafting someone equal to Tom Brady!

I'm sorry but most people in football have said he had an amazing game. 27/31 and 347 yards is good whatever way you look at it. I don't see how you can say otherwise.

[BmoreColt]

How would adding a WR and RB help the Colts win the SB with Manning short term? On top of that offense has never been a problem for the Colts. I would love for the Colts to take a CB early but WR and RB don't make sense considering t here are far bigger holes in the secondary, defensive-line, and offensive-line.

I agree with you, its not my first choice of positions, but its the principle... getting a bounty of players that will help the team in the short and long term!

[ConBro]

I honestly cannot believe people think we would not draft Luck. Yes, trading the pick would be a STELLAR idea if the best available athlete was Terrelle Pryor or somebody (which was a strong possibility before Pryor entered the Supplemental Draft). However, you simply do NOT pass up on a guy of Luck's caliber. Yes, I know, all prospects are unproven in the NFL, he could be a bust, etc. But the world is supposed to end this year too, right?

What I mean is, say what you will and speculate on what we do with that pick all you want, but Indy will NOT trade that pick away. As for Peyton, He restructured his contract before, as Irsay wanted to make him the highest paid player in the NFL over Brady. However, Peyton took less money so we could resign some veterans. Also, PEYTON was the one who structured the deal where Indy could opt out on the contract this March if his neck was not fully healed.

Jump to the TNF game vs. the Texans. We got our first win of the year that night, but before the game, Irsay sat with Eisen and the gang. He talked about Peyton's future a bit, and said that "if he's healthy, he will be in Indy next year". Personally, I don't believe that Irsay thinks money is an issue. The people who bring up Elway walking out on us need to remember something; Bob Irsay was a LOT more stingy with his money toward this franchise than Jim is. I have faith that Irsay will do everything in his power to keep Peyton AND Luck on this roster.

As for "sitting for 4 years", I do not see Peyton Manning playing FOOTBALL for another 4 years. The rehabilitation and healing process has been much slower than prevuiously anticipated (6-8 weeks). Also, Peyton, who will be 36 this Spring, has 2 kids now. I think that if he is healthy to play, he restructures his contract once more for 2 more seasons. If he is not 100% heathy, he retires from the game. He is the kind of guy who wants to devote 100% of his attention toward something; remember last season he delayed contract negotiations because he wanted to focus on the season. He would want to do the same for his young family in my opinion, especially after 3 neck surgeries.

After watching the Fiesta Bowl last night, it was SO obvious what sort of talent this kid Luck has. It would be a darnED shame to watch this kid in a Cleveland Browns uniform for the next 17 years. And I am SURE that a lot of the pundits on these forums who swear adamantly that we should trade the pick would be the same people complaining about what was lost, what we COULD have had.

Sorry for such a long post; hopefully you bore with me and agree with some of my points.

[WSO]

So what, Oklahoma State has an average at best defense.. Two TD's and you are ready to declare this guy the next Peyton Manning? Case Keenum played better yesterday, that's who I was impressed with.

I never declared him the next Manning but to say you aren't impressed with his performance simply based on another teams defense doesn't make sense. I'll remember the next time Manning throws 3 or 4 TD's and check the stats of the defense he went against to discredit his accomplishments.

[BmoreColt]

I never declared him the next Manning but to say you aren't impressed with his performance simply based on another teams defense doesn't make sense. I'll remember the next time Manning throws 3 or 4 TD's and check the stats of the defense he went against to discredit his accomplishments.

Lol cool....Whatever makes you happy!

[presto123]

So what's your argument here? That Andrew Luck is just as bad as Tom Brady? God forbid we end up drafting someone equal to Tom Brady!

I'm sorry but most people in football have said he had an amazing game. 27/31 and 347 yards is good whatever way you look at it. I don't see how you can say otherwise.

Plus Luck is doing that without any good WR's! It's mainly just TE's he's been throwing to all year. Imagine if he had a burner at WR that can get open.

[GoColts8818]

I don't share Whitlock's pessimism about the direction of the Colts organization, I guess. I could see Luck not wanting to come here because he didn't want to sit behind Manning, but not because he doesn't feel we will be very good for a while. Heck, isn't that the whole premise of the draft?

sssh you are using logic to get in the way of Whitlock's Colts hating...

[Dan]

Plus Luck is doing that without any good WR's! It's mainly just TE's he's been throwing to all year. Imagine if he had a burner at WR that can get open.

Very true. I was impressed with Owusu as a deep threat but obviously injury problems have messed him up.

[Hoosier]

Jason Whitlock is an inveterate Colts hater. I wouldn't put much (any) stock in what he writes about the team.

[Moose Of Woe]

We will not win another SB with Manning. There I said it. Makes taking Luck and starting the rebuild a lot easier doesn't it? Just kidding. It's not going to be easy but I think the best thing for BOTH sides might be to let Manning go to a playoff team with what little time he has left and start our rebuild NOW. It will be a tough decision and probably not a popular one but I think probably the right one.

Agreed. Not with this terrible team. (Thanks Polian)

Manning and his helpers might drag the trash to the playoffs again, but that's about it.

[Restored]

I honestly cannot believe people think we would not draft Luck. Yes, trading the pick would be a STELLAR idea if the best available athlete was Terrelle Pryor or somebody (which was a strong possibility before Pryor entered the Supplemental Draft). However, you simply do NOT pass up on a guy of Luck's caliber. Yes, I know, all prospects are unproven in the NFL, he could be a bust, etc. But the world is supposed to end this year too, right?

What I mean is, say what you will and speculate on what we do with that pick all you want, but Indy will NOT trade that pick away. As for Peyton, He restructured his contract before, as Irsay wanted to make him the highest paid player in the NFL over Brady. However, Peyton took less money so we could resign some veterans. Also, PEYTON was the one who structured the deal where Indy could opt out on the contract this March if his neck was not fully healed.

Jump to the TNF game vs. the Texans. We got our first win of the year that night, but before the game, Irsay sat with Eisen and the gang. He talked about Peyton's future a bit, and said that "if he's healthy, he will be in Indy next year". Personally, I don't believe that Irsay thinks money is an issue. The people who bring up Elway walking out on us need to remember something; Bob Irsay was a LOT more stingy with his money toward this franchise than Jim is. I have faith that Irsay will do everything in his power to keep Peyton AND Luck on this roster.

As for "sitting for 4 years", I do not see Peyton Manning playing FOOTBALL for another 4 years. The rehabilitation and healing process has been much slower than prevuiously anticipated (6-8 weeks). Also, Peyton, who will be 36 this Spring, has 2 kids now. I think that if he is healthy to play, he restructures his contract once more for 2 more seasons. If he is not 100% heathy, he retires from the game. He is the kind of guy who wants to devote 100% of his attention toward something; remember last season he delayed contract negotiations because he wanted to focus on the season. He would want to do the same for his young family in my opinion, especially after 3 neck surgeries.

After watching the Fiesta Bowl last night, it was SO obvious what sort of talent this kid Luck has. It would be a darnED shame to watch this kid in a Cleveland Browns uniform for the next 17 years. And I am SURE that a lot of the pundits on these forums who swear adamantly that we should trade the pick would be the same people complaining about what was lost, what we COULD have had.

Sorry for such a long post; hopefully you bore with me and agree with some of my points.

Thank God someone with a brain decided to post these points. Couldn't agree more!

[Bleedin Blue]

Are you kidding? He was 27 for 31 347 YDS and 2 TDS. Even with that INT he finished with a 196 rating which is incredible in college football. He lead the team to a potentially game-winning FG as well. He played absolutely brilliant last night.

And that doesn't even take into account the "stat-less" things that Luck did last night. He adjusted to what the defense threw at him. He created time for receivers to get open when he was flushed from the pocket, he leveraged his run game to keep the defense guessing. He arched passes over defenders and soft-pawed the ball with great "touch" when the receivers were close and on the run (Whalen towards the end of the game on the left side-line). Please review the video and pay attention to the small details!

[Malakai432]

The fact that the polians' were canned is enough to end this 'DRAFT LUCK' nonsense.This is proof that LUCK isn't going to be a COLT after all.So you can go ahead prepare your mock with all the trade downs.I know i am.

That doesn't make any sense, after all doesn't Polian do the opposite of what everyone thinks??????? Very possible Polian might see more in RGiii than Luck.

[WSO]

And that doesn't even take into account the "stat-less" things that Luck did last night. He adjusted to what the defense threw at him. He created time for receivers to get open when he was flushed from the pocket, he leveraged his run game to keep the defense guessing. He arched passes over defenders and soft-pawed the ball with great "touch" when the receivers were close and on the run (Whalen towards the end of the game on the left side-line). Please review the video and pay attention to the small details!

exactly, I hate to say this and may get some hate but he looked like a college version of the NFL Manning. Adjusting the offense, changing plays, etc.

[bavanlan]

I stopped at "by Jason Whitlock".

[ConBro]

exactly, I hate to say this and may get some hate but he looked like a college version of the NFL Manning. Adjusting the offense, changing plays, etc.

Yes he did. And even the commentators said "Who does he remind you of? Peyton Manning". RG3 did not have NEARLY as good a bowl game as Luck did. I watched both games before somebody like Jay goes after me; RG3 had 1 pass td and 1 rush td. His runningback had 5 touchdowns. I'm not here to say who is better, but going on what I saw of each of their playstyles, Luck managed the pocket MUCH better than Griffin. Griffin was also sacked more times than Luck, which I know is semantics-- 2 different offensive lines and 2 different defenses, but hey.

[smittywerb]

exactly, I hate to say this and may get some hate but he looked like a college version of the NFL Manning. Adjusting the offense, changing plays, etc.

And that's what I want in a QB. RG3 is good but he's not the good I want. He has good tangibles (not as much as Luck) but he uses his physical strengths (legs, arm, etc.) more than mental (changing plays, reads, etc.). I feel Luck will be more of a fit for what we do than RG3. We do not run the type of offense that calls for scrambling and buying time. Our offense is built on timing and being as close to perfection as possible.

[WSO]

I'm surprised anyone still reads Whitlock's stuff no offense to the OP but stay away from him!!

[Revis FL]

So, Luck should demand a trade because Indiana is a basketball state? What? That was a terrible article.

[Malakai432]

All this media stuff is crap, on one hand everyone including Irsay it's time to rebuild. Others are saying Manning and Luck can't coexist, but there is NO WAY you trade a healthy Manning. So apparently the Colts are in rebuilding mode, but can't have two great QB's one for the present/near future, and one for the future coexist, . All this media crap makes my head spin. I think it's neccesary to bring in a high value QB prospect and have him learn behind Manning THIS YEAR, whether its RGiii or Luck. RGiii is bigger, more atheltic & smarter that Vick IMO thus if the Colts can trade Luck for a wealth of picks + Griffin I wouldn't have a problem with that. Just my opinion in that matter. However I would still like to see Luck learn behind Manning if he's WILLING to do that. However a wealth of Picks + Griffin would also be nice.

[ConBro]

From what Luck said in his postgame interview yesterday he had no issue playing for a team with the worse W-L record, while he would not be as happy if he was asked to sit and wait.

Where do you get the indication that he "would not be as hapy if he was asked to sit and wait"? In the video he says "I sure it would be great" and "such is life". If you mean his demeanor, it MAY have something to do with the fact that he got his team in a position to win MULTIPLE times, and his kicker missed 3 field goals.

[ALuck12]

I'd be pretty happy to learn from the best QB in the game. I think Andrew Luck will be very happy in Indianapolis, if that's where he ends up.

[Coltsagent]

Whitlock says he has an inside track, knows this team from growing up here but then states Polian brought in Dungy? Sounds like somone who just wants people to think he knows more than what he really does

[jskinnz]

I saw someone do a write up on ESPN that pretty much said under the new CBA players don't have nearly as much power to demand trades going into the draft as they once did.

Also Luck needs to first make it offical that he's going to be in the draft and then needs to go threw the process and see exactly what the Colts plans are. We might bring in a new GM who says rebuild starting with Luck and ship Manning out of here. As hard as that would be for a lot of fans, myself included, to see it's a possiablity at this point.

As per normal the next good story Whitlock writes will be his first. I am just a little shocked he didn't work in that Indianapolis didn't deserve Peyton Manning in the first place again or something about how we were being racist looking at Luck as the top pick and not RGIII. Those are his normal agendas.

Whitlock is a tool. His reasoning is essentially karma.

[JoKeR]

I saw someone do a write up on ESPN that pretty much said under the new CBA players don't have nearly as much power to demand trades going into the draft as they once did.

Also Luck needs to first make it offical that he's going to be in the draft and then needs to go threw the process and see exactly what the Colts plans are. We might bring in a new GM who says rebuild starting with Luck and ship Manning out of here. As hard as that would be for a lot of fans, myself included, to see it's a possiablity at this point.

As per normal the next good story Whitlock writes will be his first. I am just a little shocked he didn't work in that Indianapolis didn't deserve Peyton Manning in the first place again or something about how we were being racist looking at Luck as the top pick and not RGIII. Those are his normal agendas.

Luck has made it official, early infact.

Lol about Whitlesses agenda.

[ruksak]

Eli did it, Elway did it, why wouldn't Luck do it if he had the chance? It's kind of like an interview setting (going off your work analogy). If the interviewer told me the job consisted of rubbing poo on my face, am I going to give him a political answer just to not rub him a certain way and suffer with rubbing poo on my face? Going off history (not speaking for a player), players tend to be vocal. Yes, there are political answers and professionalism, but this is not the NBA, NFL players tend to be upfront when it comes to demands.

No they didn't.

They didn't abstain due to competition within the team. They abstained due to indifference with the perspective franchises.

[icf]

Don't read Whitlock. It's bad for your brain.

agreed....no good can come from reading anything he writes.

[JerodMayo51]

This is what I would do if I were GM.. trade the pick to hopefully Cleveland for their two first and their second this year... and at least their first and second next year.. and a first the following year. And if Barkley went #1 and the Colts had #3.. trading up wouldn't be too difficult, as the ammo would be there. But I think every year there is talent at the QB position.. I like Case Keenum as a late pick this year! That's someone who could sit four years and learn under Manning.. and not waste a #1 draft pick!

lol you think you're going to get four 1st round picks and two 2nd round picks for the #1 overall pick? Keep dreaming. You would get two 1st round picks at the most for that trade, with some 2nd and 3rd rounders thrown in.

I think the Colts need to trade out of the #1 spot to get more picks to build their team, going for Luck would be a mistake in my opinion. They can always draft a QB in the later rounds that they can develop for a few years until Manning hangs it up, you don't need a bonified #1 overall pick to run your team.

[deadman]

Can Luck be successful without a strong running game in Indy?

[MAC]

John Elway was able to demand a trade for the sole and simple reason that he was already under contract with the Yankees, and so his threat was very real. He didn't need the Colts. Aside from when the AFL (or USFL) was bidding for people, what NFL player in the history of the sport has ever had a choice? If he doesn't want to sign with the Colts, his only other choice is to get a real job at a fraction of the salary. It doesn't seem very likely.

And before anyone mentions Eli, I don't think that it's the same thing at all. He voiced his objections, but had no leverage whatsoever. If the Chargers wanted him they could have told him to shut up and sign. The thing is, the Giants wanted him more, and the Chargers didn't feel like dealing with a player with a potential attitude problem. The Chargers actually made out better then the Giants in my opinion. And I've always suspected that the lynchpin of the deal was Ernie Accorsi of the Giants. He was the COLTS GM who was forced to trade Elway, and something tells me that he badly wanted to be on the other side of history.