Can Andrew Luck Still Achieve Greatness?

After his first few season, the Colts‘ Andrew Luck seemed destined for greatness. He was a gunslinger in the mode of a Brett Favre, only without all the interceptions. By the time he led the Colts into Foxboro for the DeflateGate game against the Patriots, Luck had amassed 86 TD passes and some 13,000 yards passing.

Then something happened. The Colts management and coaching staff happened, along with an historically bad offensive line. And now the knocks on Luck’s game — tolerated when the Colts were winning — are becoming a problem. The question is: can Luck turn things around in time to sit someday for his bust in Canton? Can he still achieve greatness?

The Case For Greatness

Coming into the NFL as the 2012 number one draft pick, the Colts’ Andrew Luck was under heavy pressure before he ever ducked under center. Big things were expected from this rangy, strong armed young man from Stanford. And being the heir apparent to the all-world Peyton Manning only added to this figurative pressure.

But for his first three seasons Luck went beyond even these high expectations. His rookie campaign netted the Colts 11 wins and a spot in the playoffs. For his part, Luck was electrifying. He threw for over 4,700 yards and 23 touchdown passes, and led the Colts to several late comeback wins. He ran for five touchdowns more and demonstrated leadership skills far beyond his years.

The next two seasons were essentially more of the same. Despite a tendency to hold the ball too long, Luck improved in most areas. And even behind a leaky offensive line for three seasons, Luck led the Colts to the 2014-15 AFC Championship Game. Unfortunately, the Patriots dealt them a humiliating loss in the infamous DeflateGate game.

The Case Against

It was during this blowout loss that the wheels began to fall of the Colts franchise. And even Andrew look began to look a little wobbly. The 2015-16 season was a disaster, as Luck and the Colts faltered amid Super Bowl expectations. Luck sustained a season ending kidney injury at midseason, but even prior to that he didn’t look the same.

And with almost half of this season almost in the books, things aren’t getting better for Luck and the Colts. Observers fear that the Colts’ atrocious offensive line has made Luck indecisive. He’s holding the ball too long and stays locked in on primary receivers. He’s not playing badly, but the electric moments have been few and far between.

The Verdict

A lot has to go right, but Andrew Luck still has the talent to find his way to greatness. He’ll need to learn to throw the ball away and look off receivers, but with help Luck could still be a hall of famer someday.

Beyond that, it’s up to Colts’ owner Jim Irsay. Most observers feel that both his GM Ryan Grigson is out of his league and needs to relocate as soon as possible. Ditto rah rah coach Chuck Pagano. These two things need to happen if Luck is to fulfill his promise.