Early comparisons between Luck and RGIII

[Mouthfire]

For all of you who watched both preseason games, what's your early opinion? All homerism aside, of course.

Robert Griffin III

4-of-6 passing

70 yards, 1 TD

145.8 QB rating

Andrew Luck

10-of-16 passing

188 yards, 2 TD

142.6 QB rating

To me, it looked like the Redskins were easing RGIII in (lots of short, dump off passes), whereas Luck had full command of the offense from the onset. Griffin seemed to manage the game fairly well, I thought. Also, while Luck's arm strength is pretty darn good and way better than people have given him credit for, Griffin really does have that elite arm that everyone is always talking about. Even on non-chalant, medium range passes, that ball just flies off his hand.

It'll be interesting to see how things are by mid-season.

[Andy]

I think they'll both have great rookie seasons, but I think we'll see as the seasons pass, Luck will only get better and smarter, whereas RG3 won't progress as much due to the coaches and players around him.

I don't think we should really be talking about RG3's performance. He had 6 passes. I'd like to see more from him, but what I saw did impress me. Luck, however, look much better, but he played longer.

[TKnight24]

RG3 is just the "I want Big Plays" All the Time Player. Luck is more Conservative, willing to wear the Defense down. Today, Luck did that, but Arians let him take the Chances deep and he Delivered! But RG3 shouldn't be compared to Luck anymore. He's more like Vick & Luck is more like Rodgers

[Qwiz]

RG3 is just the "I want Big Plays" All the Time Player. Luck is more Conservative, willing to wear the Defense down. Today, Luck did that, but Arians let him take the Chances deep and he Delivered! But RG3 shouldn't be compared to Luck anymore. He's more like Vick & Luck is more like Rodgers

Ironically enough, Rodgers is known more for "big plays" recently than Vick is...Either way, both quarterbacks did well, but this is still the preseason. I think we are going to see impressive numbers from both of them.

[TKnight24]

Ironically enough, Rodgers is known more for "big plays" recently than Vick is...Either way, both quarterbacks did well, but this is still the preseason. I think we are going to see impressive numbers from both of them.

Big Play due to Spread Offense. That's what Luck did. When I said that, I meant Luck & Rodgers make the Big Play BEFORE the Ball is Snapped. Going to line changing the play etc. etc. Vick & RG3 are the type to make the Big Play DURING the Play. Ex: When RG3 beat Oklahoma on the play when he ran around and then threw it

[Qwiz]

Big Play due to Spread Offense. That's what Luck did. When I said that, I meant Luck & Rodgers make the Big Play BEFORE the Ball is Snapped. Going to line changing the play etc. etc. Vick & RG3 are the type to make the Big Play DURING the Play. Ex: When RG3 beat Oklahoma on the play when he ran around and then threw it

You don't have to be someone who yells audibles and changes the play 4 or 5 times just to be a play maker. Rodgers makes plays with his feet and his amazing athleticism, and he is definitely more known for that, his unusual precision passes, and his flash than his play calls at the line. Besides, Cam Newton lived off of big plays last year, and we all see where that got him.

[TKnight24]

You don't have to be someone who yells audibles and changes the play 4 or 5 times just to be a play maker. Rodgers makes plays with his feet and his amazing athleticism, and he is definitely more known for that, his unusual precision passes, and his flash than his play calls at the line. Besides, Cam Newton lived off of big plays last year, and we all see where that got him.

Nevermind Forget it

[Jules]

They both might do quite well.

And to be honest, the league needs this. We need new up and coming QBs to get into and enjoy watching.

Hey maybe a Luck vs. RG3 or Cam Newton Super Bowl years down the road!!!

[Balzer40]

I don't think RG3 done enough in his game to be very impressive. He only had 6 attempts. Not his fault, but there wasn't even enough to make a judgement on him in my opinion.

[Qwiz]

I agree Jules. It seems very likely, these are three quarterbacks who are going to be in a Super Bowl sooner rather than later. Each of their teams needs a few more pieces, a few more acquisitions, and then bam...Luck vs. Griffin in Miami, Super Bowl 49.

[JWF]

I thought both were impressive.

The Bills seemed to be playing a very vanilla defense compared to the Rams but they are also better in the secondary than the Rams.

The Redskins O-line def. looked better in pass protection and Griffin really didnt have to move around at all in the pocket but again the Bills didnt bring much heat.

[betheafan41]

honestly the colts and redskins would have not done wrong if they picked the other. both RG3 and Luck will be really good this year and years to come. both are athletic, both have strong arms, the only thing luck really has on RG3 is he was already NFL ready. RG3 still has alittle to learn but when he does get to that point he will be right there with luck as one of the best QB's in the league. I like both QB's and wouldnt have been mad if the colts selected RG3 instead. but if Kyle shannahan does not let him play his game he will ruin RG3. thats why i also believe the shannahans are on the hot seat this year. if they dont improve then their canned.

Reason i say that is because, last year Rex Grossman and their backup could have won more then 5 games if they did not make the mistakes they made. they almost beat new england almost beat dallas twice and those three games right there were losses due to QB and kicker mistakes. so that easily could have been 8 wins right there. and they should not have lost to the teams that sucked. i think miami was one of them ( i could be wrong on that one). RG3 is a big improvement compared to the two QB's they had last year. and i dont see him making the same mistakes as those two. i have said it since draft day, with RG3 or Luck they are a playoff team with the additions they made, and im sticking to it. and if they dont make the playoffs they will win atleast 8 games, then shannahans will be fired.

Luck had a great game throwing 188 yards 10/16 2 TD's 0 INT's and if he can keep that up then the colts winning 7 or 8 games is not really unrealistic at all.

my predictions for both teams

Colts - 7-9 (rebuilding team)

Redskins 9-7 win division but 1 and done in the post season.

in the end both QB's exceed expectations (not by much) but help their teams get records better then what everyone is expecting. basically another Andy Dalton success with the bengals, no one believed the bengals would even win 7 games and they made the playoffs and almost won the division. think they lost it by 2 games. again im not 100% sure on that.

[Bleedin Blue]

For all of you who watched both preseason games, what's your early opinion? All homerism aside, of course.

Robert Griffin III

4-of-6 passing

70 yards, 1 TD

145.8 QB rating

Andrew Luck

10-of-16 passing

188 yards, 2 TD

142.6 QB rating

What's funny to me is that about 4 of those 6 incompletions occurred when the ball hit the receivers in the hands and they dropped them. He could have been 14 of 16 passing. RG-III wasn't given enough chances to really shine in the passing game...we'll surely see more of that later in the preseason or as the season rolls on. I care more about how Luck manages the short passing situations and converts on 3rd down. His turn-overs need to be low also...long passes are certainly fun to watch and they can often change the tide of a game, but so much of the work is in keeping drives moving.

[GrizzColt]

Luck and RG3 won't play enough to have a rivalry, but could meet in a Super bowl one day. Kind of like Joe Montanna and Dan Marino. They were always hyped as 2 of the best but met in a SB once and almost never played each other. I personally think Vick and RG3 will have the rivalry. They are compared to each other often and play twice a season with each game being very meaningful. AFC South doesn't have great QB's. Locker won't be good enough, so I think Luck and Big Ben will have one. The whole Bruce Arians thing will make for great drama.

[Coltsman1788]

The difference to me is that the Colts took the reins off of Luck and let him play for virtually a whole half. Skins had RG3 on a short leash...perhaps too short as they only let him play 3 series. Both had nice showings but at this point there is just no comparison between the two outings. RG3 flashed a glimpse of his talent. But Luck put his pro readiness on full display.

[Indyboy757]

Well after weeks of hearing how RG3 has the edge over Luck mostly because of RG3s abilty to run and the lack of talent around Luck

today was the the first time I heard analyst on NFL network say they would take Luck over RG3 and truly praise the Colts. This just goes to show alalyst dont always know what they are talking about..

[coltmb]

honestly the colts and redskins would have not done wrong if they picked the other. both RG3 and Luck will be really good this year and years to come. both are athletic, both have strong arms, the only thing luck really has on RG3 is he was already NFL ready. RG3 still has alittle to learn but when he does get to that point he will be right there with luck as one of the best QB's in the league. I like both QB's and wouldnt have been mad if the colts selected RG3 instead. but if Kyle shannahan does not let him play his game he will ruin RG3. thats why i also believe the shannahans are on the hot seat this year. if they dont improve then their canned.

Reason i say that is because, last year Rex Grossman and their backup could have won more then 5 games if they did not make the mistakes they made. they almost beat new england almost beat dallas twice and those three games right there were losses due to QB and kicker mistakes. so that easily could have been 8 wins right there. and they should not have lost to the teams that sucked. i think miami was one of them ( i could be wrong on that one). RG3 is a big improvement compared to the two QB's they had last year. and i dont see him making the same mistakes as those two. i have said it since draft day, with RG3 or Luck they are a playoff team with the additions they made, and im sticking to it. and if they dont make the playoffs they will win atleast 8 games, then shannahans will be fired.

Luck had a great game throwing 188 yards 10/16 2 TD's 0 INT's and if he can keep that up then the colts winning 7 or 8 games is not really unrealistic at all.

my predictions for both teams

Colts - 7-9 (rebuilding team)

Redskins 9-7 win division but 1 and done in the post season.

in the end both QB's exceed expectations (not by much) but help their teams get records better then what everyone is expecting. basically another Andy Dalton success with the bengals, no one believed the bengals would even win 7 games and they made the playoffs and almost won the division. think they lost it by 2 games. again im not 100% sure on that.

I would put money on the redskins not winning THAT division. Gaints, eagles, and Cowboys(ugh) are in that division.

[unitaswestand]

I honestly still cannot believe these two are mentioned together. IMHO, Luck is the best pro prospect to come along since Manning or Elway. RGIII, I would put in the Alex Smith/Matt Ryan prospect area, if that. I wish RGIII well but I think a big part of him is hype. I think the gap between these two will someday be very large. I think RGIII will definitely be a top 25 QB in the NFL.

[SilentHill]

FWIW, the thought of comparing Luck and RGIII is becoming more of an after thought. Luck is on an entirely different level of play from what I've seen so far.

[FireJimCaldwell]

Whether one feels they deserve to be in the same conversation or not(that's up to personal opinion), since they were drafted 1 & 2, they are going to be tied together for the rest of their career. I'm sure each local paper will have a weekly chart comparing the two like the OP did here. It will likely happen on the Skins boards, and will likely happen on Colts boards.

If Leaf wouldn't have flamed out and had an average NFL career, there would've still be comparisons being made between Manning/Leaf with both of them on the field a lot like people were comparing Elway/Marino/Kelly 14-15 years later.

It is just how it is.

[Smonroe]

Whether one feels they deserve to be in the same conversation or not(that's up to personal opinion), since they were drafted 1 & 2, they are going to be tied together for the rest of their career. I'm sure each local paper will have a weekly chart comparing the two like the OP did here. It will likely happen on the Skins boards, and will likely happen on Colts boards.

If Leaf wouldn't have flamed out and had an average NFL career, there would've still be comparisons being made between Manning/Leaf with both of them on the field a lot like people were comparing Elway/Marino/Kelly 14-15 years later.

It is just how it is.

Agreed. They need something to write about when there's nothing to write about. How RG3 (or Peyton) plays has no bearing on Luck's success. IMHO people who need to see one fail in order to validate the other are just being petty.