It could be argued that Andrew Luck, Stanford’s quarterback and the Heisman trophy favorite, is making more headlines in the NFL than college football right now.
Luck is the best quarterback prospect John Elway and it’s assumed he’s the automatic first overall pick unless you’re on some high-quality hallucinogens.
The “Suck for Luck” campaign has been well documented. After Week 7 we’ve still got three winless teams and two one-win teams.
But now we’re hearing whispers that Luck might pull a move made famous by another one-time Cardinal quarterback, John Elway, and put into practice most recently by Peyton Manning’s little brother Eli.
The “I ain’t going to your shit-bag team so don’t bother drafting me” move.
That got me thinking. Which team(s) is on the prodigy’s no-go list?
Off the three teams still seeking win No. 1, the Rams appear to be the least likely to draft Luck. Sam Bradford was drafted first overall just a year and a half ago.
That leaves the Dolphins and Colts left of the winless bunch, two franchises that don’t share much in common other than their embarrassing win-loss records this season.
Indianapolis is maybe the most stable franchise in the league. Bill Polian has been the GM since ’98, they still run Tom Moore’s offense and Tony Dungy’s defense even though both coaches left the franchise. And of course they still have Peyton.
Miami, on the other hand, has gone through coaches and front-office types and even different owners in the last decade with limited success. The Dolphins are expected to do another house cleaning this offseason, with head coach Tony Sparano likely the first to be shown the door.
Still for all Miami’s faults there are some bonuses, like Jake Long. You know, that mountain of a man who holds the fort down on the left side of the line. Some consider him the best left tackle in football and he’s only 26 years old. It’s got to be a nice feeling knowing Long’s blocking your blindside.
The young talent doesn’t stop there. DB Vontae Davis, WR Brandon Marshall and OL Mike Pouncey are all on the right side of 28.
You could even make a case that Miami has more above-average players than the Colts, thanks to two or three consecutive bad drafts by Polian.
And then of course, if you go to Miami, you’ll start right away. Indy can’t make the same type of promise. Manning is expected to be healthy – although who can say for sure – by next season and he hasn’t hinted at retiring anytime soon.
Some might say that sitting and learning from a guy like Peyton could do Luck a world of good, but who’s to say Manning would welcome a mentor role. Brett Favre didn’t with Aaron Rodgers. Manning may seem like a nice guy and a good teammate but he’s never had his status on the team threatened.
The coaching and front-office structure is in a mess in Miami, but getting Andrew Luck should create a Field of Dreams scenario. If you draft him, they will come.
Miami's the better of the two destinations in my opinion. What do you guys think?