Tag: Andrew Luck

Fleener excelling as Luck’s safety net

Colts, Rookie Notes
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The Indianapolis Colts drafted Coby Fleener, at least in part, due to his connection to Andrew Luck. And so far, the strategy has worked. Fleener has developed into Luck’s safety net – when all else fails, Luck checks down to Fleener.

According to Pro Football Focus, Luck has attempted 33 passes between 0 and 9 yards down the field. Of those 33, eight have been targeted at Fleener and seven were caught.

This is exactly what the Colts had in mind when drafting Fleener. He hasn’t been a serious threat in the passing game, but he’s done just enough to make sure Luck’s comfortable. Even if Fleener doesn’t develop into an elite tight end, he has already serving his purpose in Indy.

Luck relies heavily on Fleener in debut

Colts, Rookie Notes
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The Indianapolis Colts spent their first two picks in the draft on college teammates in hopes that it would ease their transition to the NFL. And so far, it seems to have worked. Andrew Luck was shaky in his debut, but he definitely looked comfortable working with Coby Fleener.

While Reggie Wayne was understandably Luck’s go-to receiver, he also targeted Fleener 10 times on Sunday. The two connected on six of those plays for 82 yards.

There’s obviously still a lot of work to be done in Indy, but it’s encouraging to see Luck and Fleener developing a connection early in their NFL careers.

Colts fans, keep your expectations under control

Colts
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Andrew Luck was impressive in his preseason debut, there’s no denying that. But Indianapolis Colts fans may be taking their praise a little too far.

According to Derek Schultz, who hosts a radio show on WNDE in Indy, callers have talking about a potential trip to the playoffs in 2012, or even a Super Bowl run.

Needless to say, this is absurd. While rookie quarterbacks have taken teams to the playoffs in recent years, they’ve always been along for the ride more so than driving the truck. The Colts, however, are only going as far as Luck takes them – in 2012 and beyond. No matter how great Luck looks in preseason action, he will make mistakes in the regular season and he will cost them some games.

Not that this argument really needs to supported by any evidence, but just in case you’re among those taking Luck’s preseason debut a little too seriously, here’s all you need to know. The first line of an AP article on August 10, 1998 read: “Ryan Leaf didnt look at all like a rattled rookie in his NFL debut. At times, Peyton Manning sure did.”

I rest my case.

 

Draft Grades: Indianapolis Colts

Colts, Draft Grades - 2012
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The Colts clinched a solid grade from this draft class the minute the regular season ended. But new GM Ryan Grigson took their development to a new level with a strong draft class which should allow this team to emerge as contenders again in the not-so-distant future.

Obviously the addition of Andrew Luck was franchise-changing move. He’ll step into a starting role from day one, and should be the face of this franchise for the next 10 years and beyond. He won’t right the ship in one season, but he has all the tools necessary to make this team a Super Bowl contender again within the next three to five seasons.

I’m not as high on Coby Fleener as most, but this was a no-brainer for the Colts. Every young quarterback needs a go-to receiver, and who better to play that role for Luck than his college teammate and close friend?

Some have criticized the Colts for drafting two tight ends, but Fleener and Dwayne Allen are very different and both should play significant roles. Fleener is really more of an oversized receiver, while Allen is more of a traditional tight end. The Colts offense will likely feature sets with Fleener lined up in the slot and Allen on the line.

T.Y. Hilton is an explosive deep threat and should also contribute on special teams. He’s not a No. 1 or No. 2 receiver, but he’ll be a weapon that opposing defenses need to account for at all times.

Josh Chapman is a prototypical nose tackle. As with most 320-pounders, stamina is an issue, but he should see the field for 20-25 snaps per game even if he doesn’t win a starting job as a rookie.

Vick Ballard will likely fight with Deji Karim for the third-string running back job. His upside is limited due to a lack of explosiveness, but he could be an effective short-yardage back.

LaVon Brazill is an intriguing developmental prospect. Don’t expect to see much of him early in his career, but the Colts could keep him around as a 5th receiver and develop him for the future.

Justin Anderson is a physical lineman who could provide depth at guard and right tackle. And if he impresses early, he could push Joe Reitz for playing time.

Tim Fugger played defensive end at Vanderbilt and should be a nice fit in the Colts new hybrid defense. He has the athleticism to play both end and linebacker depending on the defensive set.

Chandler Harnish, Mr. Irrelevant, will compete with Trevor Vittatoe for the third-string quarterback job.

The Colts left a lot of holes unfilled, mainly on the defensive side of the football, but I love the fact that they surrounded Luck with a ton of talent. Too many teams addressnz their need for a quarterback and only halfheartedly fill the holes around him. The Colts are clearly making sure that Luck is given every opportunity to succeed.

Andrew Luck scouting report

Scouting Reports - 2012
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Andrew Luck QB Stanford
Ht: 6’4″
Wt: 235
Strengths:
Has all the physical tools necessary to excel at the next level. Prototypical size for a true pocket passer. Does a great job standing in the pocket and reading the field. Very patient for a college quarterback. Has the arm strength to make all the necessary throws. Best attribute may be his touch; knows just how much to put on each throw; throws a very catchable ball. Accuracy is already on an elite NFL level and should allow for a smooth transition to the next level. Decent mobility, especially considering his size; a threat to pick up yards on the ground. Above-average intelligence on and off the field; a hard worker. A true team leader on and off the field; respected by teammates and coaches.
Weaknesses:
Suffered a broken finger in 2009. Overaggressive with the ball at times; will need to learn to throw it away more often at the next level.
Comments:
There is very little to criticize about Luck’s game. He is as polished as any prospect – not just quarterbacks – to enter the draft in at least a decade. As with any quarterback there will likely be a learning curve once he enters the league, but he has all the tools – both mental and physical – to be the face of a franchise for the next 10+ years. Any team with the slightest concern about their long-term future at quarterback needs to consider making a run at Luck.
School Bio
Continues Stanford’s long tradition of excellence at the quarterback position…Davey O’Brien and Heisman Trophy hopeful finalist is making a strong move up the school’s various career passing charts…already ranks seventh in passing yardage (5,626), despite having played just 24 career games…his 41 career touchdown passes rank tied for fifth all-time with Todd Husak (1996-99)…has already compiled 6,418 yards in total offense, which ranks sixth all-time…Stanford boasts an 19-5 record in his 24 career starts, including a 16-4 Pac-10 Conference ledger…has quarterbacked the Cardinal to a 4-1 record vs. Top 25 competition…has been under center for two of the most prolific offensive teams in school history…helped Stanford amass a 461 points in 2009 as a freshman and a school-record 484 points as a sophomore.
2010
Finalist for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback and Maxwell Award for National Collegiate Player of the Year…has helped Stanford to a 11-1 record and a No. 5 ranking in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches’ Top 25 polls…the 11 wins and eight conference victories are both school records…has been red-hot over the last seven games, completing 152-of-201 (.756) of his passes for 1,792 yards and 15 TDs against USC, Washington State, Washington, Arizona, Arizona State, Cal and Oregon State…Stanford has won all seven of those games, marking its longest winning streak since the 1991 season…quarterbacks the nation’s eighth-highest scoring offense that is averaging 40.33 points a game…Stanford has scored 30 or more points in 11 of 12 games this season…Stanford is 19-5 with Luck as a starter…has completed 245-of-349 passes for 3,051 yards and 28 touchdowns on the season…his 28 touchdowns are Stanford single-season record, surpassing the previous mark of 27 held by John Elway (1980) and Steve Stenstrom (1993)…is just the fourth Stanford quarterback to pass for over 3,000 yards in a season, joining Steve Stenstrom (3,627; 1993), John Elway (3,242; 1982) and Todd Husak (3,092; 1998) as a member of Stanford’s elite 3,000-yard club…also set a new single-season standard with 3,489 yards in total offense, eclipsing Stenstrom’s previous mark of 3,398 set in 1993…is also on pace to set single-season records for completion percentage (70.2) and passing efficiency (166.10)…has used 17 different receivers this year, including eight players who have caught 10 passes or more…a total of 10 different players have caught TD passes…ranks first in the Pac-10 and eighth nationally in passing efficiency at 166.10…dual threat quarterback who has rushed 448 yards on 51 carries (8.6) and three TDs this season to rank as Stanford’s second leading rusher…his rushing total is the highest single-season total by a Stanford quarterback…has three runs for 50 yards or more this season (58 at Cal; 52 TD vs. Wake Forest; 51 TD at Washington)…completed 17-of-23 passes for 316 yards and four TDs in the season opener against Sacramento State…threw for 301 yards and four TDs in the first half alone…four TDs were a career high and the most by a Stanford quarterback since Trent Edwards threw for touchdowns against San Jose State in 2006…his passing total was the second highest of his career behind his 423-yard effort at Arizona in 2009…among his four TD strikes was an 81-yard bomb to Doug Baldwin in the first quarter, which ranked as the eighth longest touchdown pass in school history…completed 11-of-24 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns in Stanford’s 35-0 victory over UCLA at the Rose Bowl…connected with Ryan Whalen on a 16-yard TD pass to open the scoring and Coby Fleener on a three-yard score with 8:38 remaining in the fourth quarter…also rushed for a career high 63 yards on seven carries…completed 17-of-23 passes for 207 yards and four TDs in a 68-24 win over Wake Forest…also rank for a touchdown on a career long 52-yard run at the 7:42 mark of the second quarter…led Stanford to touchdown drives in all eight of his possessions…point total tied for the fourth highest output in Stanford history…also marked the fourth time as a starter Stanford had scored 50 or more points in a game…threw for 238 yards against Notre Dame, leading Stanford to its first win in South Bend since 1992…completed 19-of-32 passes and one TD vs. the Irish…connected with Coby Fleener on a 16-yard TD pass at the 3:37 mark of the first quarter to erase a 3-0 Notre Dame lead…completed 29-of-46 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns in a 52-31 loss to fourth-ranked Oregon in Eugene…the completions and attempts were both a career high while the yardage was the second highest single-game total of his career… connected on TD passes to Griff Whalen and Coby Fleener and also ran for another score… completed 20-of-24 passes for 285 yards and three TDs in Stanford’s 37-35 victory over USC… engineered the game-winning, 62-yard, seven play scoring drive over the last 1:02 which culminated in Nate Whitaker’s 30-yard game-winning field goal…threw a pair of touchdown passes to Doug Baldwin and another to Konrad Reuland as Stanford posted its second straight win over USC…completed 20-of-28 passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns in Stanford’s 38-28 victory over Washington State… connected on scoring strikes to Doug Baldwin, Ryan Whalen and Coby Fleener… completed 19-of-26 passes for 192 yards and one TD at Washington… connected with tight end Zach Ertz on a three yard TD pass in the third quarter…the touchdown pass was his 20th of the season, moving him into a tie for fifth on Stanford’s all-time single-season list…led Stanford to its eighth straight game of scoring 30 or more points, a school record…completed 23-of-32 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns in Stanford’s 42-17 victory over 13th-ranked Arizona…the passing total was the fourth highest of his career… Stanford improved to 4-1 against ranked teams with Luck at quarterback… completed a career-high 33 passes on 41 attempts for 292 yards in a win over Arizona State in Tempe…rallied Stanford from a 13-10, fourth quarter deficit as the Cardinal pulled out a 17-13 victory… was razor-sharp in a 48-14 victory over California with Stanford legend John Elway watching from the sideline…completed 16-of-20 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns as Stanford scored its most points ever against California in the 113th edition of the Big Game… Stanford scored on all eight of its possessions with Luck under center…also rushed for 72 yards on three carries…ran for a career long 58 yards on a first quarter carry that set up Stanford’s first touchdown of the game… closed the regular season with an outstanding performance against Oregon State… completed 21-of-30 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns in leading the Cardinal to a 38-0 victory over the Beavers…marked the third time this season he had thrown for four touchdowns in a game (Sacramento State, Wake Forest)… became the first quarterback in school history with three, 4 TD games in one season… connected with running back Tyler Gaffney on a 52-yard swing pass in the fourth quarter for his school record 28th touchdown pass of the season, breaking the previous single-season mark of 27, held by John Elway (1980) and Steve Stenstrom (1993).
2009
Earned freshman All-America honors by CollegeFootballNews.com, Scout.com and Sporting News…first team all-freshman offense selection by Phil Steele…named national freshman of the year by Scout.com… also named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman team by Phil Steele, ESPN.com and Sporting News…enjoyed a sensational campaign in his first season at Stanford’s starting quarterback…became the first freshman quarterback to start a season-opening game since Kyle Matter in 2002 at Boston College…was the first freshman to win the starting quarterback job in fall camp since Chad Hutchinson in 1996…was at the helm of the highest-scoring offense in school history in terms of total points (434)…set a Stanford freshman passing record with 2,575 yards…only an injury, which forced him out of the Sun Bowl, stood in the way of cracking Stanford’s single-season top-10 list for passing yardage…tossed 13 touchdowns, which were the most by a Stanford frosh since Steve Stenstrom fired 15 scores in 1991…accurate passer who led the conference in passing efficiency (143.5)…ranked second among conference signal callers in total offense (244.1) and fifth in passing yards per game (214.6)…threw just four interceptions on the year, the lowest mark in the Pac-10…dual threat who also rushed for 354 yards on 61 carries (5.8)…his rushing total was the most by a Stanford quarterback since Gene Washington ran for 362 yards in 1966…his 2,929 yards in total offense ranked fifth on Stanford’s single-season charts, 459 yards shy of Steve Stenstrom’s record of 3,398, set in 1991…threw for 200 yards or more in six games, topped off by a career-high 423-yard effort at Arizona…made his collegiate debut in the season-opener at Washington State and completed 11 of 23 passes for 193 yards and one touchdown…first career TD pass was a 63-yarder to Chris Owusu at the 11:54 mark of the second quarter, which ranks as Stanford’s longest pass play of the season…completed a season-high 23 passes including two touchdowns on 34 attempts for 276 yards at Wake Forest…both touchdown passes went to Ryan Whalen…was an efficient 9 for 12 for 170 yards and one touchdown against San Jose State…completed 7 of 14 passes for 103 yards in Stanford’s win over No. 24 Washington…completed 112 of 205 passes (54.6) for 1,833 yards and nine TDs over the final eight games of the season…included in the stretch was a spectacular, 423-yard, three-TD performance at Arizona, which ranked as the third-best passing game in Stanford history in terms of yardage…became the first Stanford quarterback to throw for over 400 yards with fewer than 25 completions (21)…completed three passes of 40 yards or more in the game…totaled 443 yards in total offense which ranked second on the school’s single-game list…came back the following week to complete 17 of 28 passes for 236 yards in a 33-14 home win over Arizona State…played with poise beyond his years in engineering upsets of No. 7 Oregon and No. 11 USC in back-to-back weekends…completed 12 of 20 passes for 251 yards with two touchdowns against the Ducks…was 12 for 22 for 144 yards and two touchdowns in Stanford’s 55-21 victory over USC at the Coliseum…closed out the regular season by completing 14 of 20 passes for 198 yards in Stanford’s 45-38 win over Notre Dame…broke his right index finger in the fourth quarter against Notre Dame and was sidelined for the Sun Bowl contest vs. Oklahoma…first team All-Pac-10 academic selection…recipient of the Dewsarte-Eller Award honoring the team’s top sophomore.
2008
Redshirt freshman.
High School
Graduated from Stratford High School in Houston, Texas…ranked as high as the No. 4 quarterback in the nation by Scout.com, the No. 5 overall recruit in Texas and the No. 47 overall recruit in the nation…Rivals.com tabbed him No. 1 on its list of the most accurate quarterbacks in the country, as well as No. 4 on its list of pro-style QB’s, the No. 9 overall recruit from Texas and No. 68 overall player nationally…a SuperPrep All-American who ranked as the publication’s No. 10 player in Texas and No. 7 QB nationwide…passed for 7,139 career yards and 53 touchdowns in three prep seasons, completing 488 of 824 passes (59.2%)…also added 2,085 career rushing yards…threw for 2,684 yards and 19 TDs while completing 196 of 338 passes as a senior in 2007 to earn second team All-Texas honors for Class 5A teams…was named the 19-5A District MVP and added a spot on the Rivals.com All-America team for juniors only in 2006 when he threw for 2,926 yards and 27 TDs on 176 of 257 passing…added 1,529 yards and seven TDs as a sophomore when he completed 116 of 229 throws…complemented his throwing exploits with rushing totals of 671 yards as a senior, 714 in his junior campaign and 700 during his sophomore season…son of former Houston Oiler and West Virginia quarterback Oliver Luck, who currently serves as the athletic director at West Virginia…served as the valedictorian of Stratford’s graduating class of 2008…majoring in architectural design.