Thursday, October 27, 2011

Should the Colts enter the Andrew Luck Sweeps?

With the recent injury to Peyton Manning,  the Indianapolis Colts are in line for their first losing since 2001.  With a glimpse of what life after Peyton Manning will be for the Colts, is it time for the Colts to begin planning for the future?  Is Andrew Luck on their radar?  If not, should he be?
Personally I think this would be a heaven sent opportunity for the Indianapolis Colts. Not saying that I think Peyton Manning is done. Not saying that I think he will return from his injury and play poorly. Their season is lost. The Colts have to view this season as a waste. They will not win anything, and they're not proving anything. If they were a young team on the rise, then I would not be saying this. But they're not. The Colts of the recent years have hinged on Peyton Manning. Their team is built around him and thrives when he is in the lineup. Without Manning...well, can all see the results. In order to salvage something from this season, they should use their terrible record to their advantage. They will have a terrible record at year's end. They should do everything possible to take this opportunity to plan for the future. Now, I don't believe that any NFL team would ever intentionally tank games in order to receive a higher draft pick. Nor am I suggesting that they should do so. I'm simply stating that due to their poor record, they will have a high draft pick. This pick should be used to begin planning for life without Manning. He is aging. He is still very good. He has several good seasons ahead of him. He will teach anyone sitting behind him how to be an exceptional quarterback. I for one can not think of a better person to sit my rookie quarterback behind then a future hall of famer like Manning. They may not be able to land a prospect of the talent of Andrew Luck, but they should take the high pick to begin to rebuild. They have an opportunity to not only begin the rebuilding process, but to continue to be competitive while they do it. This is a situation akin to Green Bay's in the twilight of Brett Favre's career. The Pack drafted Rodgers in the first round and groomed him as their heir. Now he ranks among the NFL elite. The Indianapolis Colts have a similar opportunity. They would have to use a higher pick on Luck than the Pack did when drafting Rodgers (Rodgers was selected with the 24th pick). But the dividends could be impressive. Luck is already being touted as the most NFL ready quarterback in college in many, many years. This also provides insurance if Manning's injury has long-term effects. And if Manning is healthy, then Luck learns what he can from arguably the greatest on the field mind in NFL history. Perhaps even attempt to persuade Manning to enter a role as a quarterbacks coach when he finally does hang up the cleats. If everything were to break right for Indy, they could have another franchise quarterback up to speed and ready to lead them for another decade as one of the NFL's premier offensive teams.

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