Chris Mortensen reports Colts will draft Luck
Reader gizzardfanny links to tweets initiated by Chris Mortensen and confirmed by Adam Schefter that the Colts intend to draft Luck with the first pick.
These tweets are the first substantial rumors, at least to me. Mostly because it comes from Mort who has gained some credibily when it comes to Colts related rumors.
Chris Mortensen:
#Colts @JimIrsay, the poetry man, won't pass on Andrew Luck. Dad dealt Elway in '83, 15 yrs later, Jim took Manning & now it's his Luck.
Adam Schefter:
As @mortreport reported on Sat edition of NFL Countdown, Colts plan to use the No. 1 pick on Stanford QB Andrew Luck.
It's not really surprising. Maybe it's a little surprising that it comes this early in the process.
Personally, I hope it's no more settled than it still depends on the status of Manning on March 8th. Coming at this point, it increases my fear that Irsay will go with both Manning and Luck.
Who knows if there is actually any truth behind this rumor, but it would be nice if we had a GM in place before some of these decisions are made. If Irsay is deciding whether or not to keep Peyton and who we are drafting first, it would seem that whoever ends up being the GM is going to have to be in agreement with these decisions. If there is any truth to this it wouldn't suprise me to see Telesco land the job. I have a hard time believing that an outside GM would come in with the biggest decisions already being decided. Furthermore, it would be hard for an outside guy to even have an opinion on the draft without being able to fully evaluate the Colts current roster. If you're already making decisions on the draft , then I would think you also have a good idea of what free agents you plan on retaining, and the overall direction that you see the franchise moving in. This would lead me to believe that Irsay already trusts the voices in the room and Telesco is the guy. Or it means that Jim Irsay is going to be Jerry Jones Jr. and doesn't care what anyone thinks. Or maybe Mort has no idea what he is talking about. This is going to be a loooooooong offseason.
I don't see them splitting time. What I see is a wildcat variant with two QBs--silly to not have the two "greatest QBs ever" on the field at the same time, right? Remember what we all said a decade ago, that the only guy who could stop Freeney his rookie year was Dungy? Let's not have THAT again! This scheme is a little tough on Saturday, admittedly, but the backfield has Addai/Brown five yards right behind C and Manning and Luck split to either side--only the Colts know who the snap is going to. Manning makes all the chicken dance calls, but the ball could go to him, the RB, or Luck.
Let's see the defense game-plan for that!
Now I sit back and wait for Clyde Christensen to call for more pearls of wisdom.
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Luck attended more than one Manning camp and was evaluated by Manning himself. While playing in the house that Manning built, I am sure that Peyton is mature enough to be a most gracious host. I can easily see them splitting time. He does not seem nearly as selfish as Farve was. Imagine Peyton being your personal coach while telling you all the ins and outs of defenses he has disected. To me, it is a dream come true!
@gizzardfanny I can see it happening in plenty of instances where we have gained a decent lead. If a game goes to the wire, then Manning should stay in, but there are plenty of games where that has not been the case.
@gizzardfanny I'm sorry, Gizzardfanny, I meant to say non-critical games. I had an injection in my back today and am highly medicated at this point. manning is the perfect mentor for Luck in that Luck can soak up and probably put into practice all that Manning can divulge to him. He did go to Stanford and that says a lot about his ability to digest intelligent quarterback realities then put them to use on the field.
@Geohdeis So know you want Luck playing in critical games too? Then why not let him be the full time starter?
How is Manning the perfect mentor?
I fear that you are right about Irsay both keeping Manning and drafting Luck. I don't think it will be pretty.
@gizzardfanny When Irsay and Manning meet, there could possibly be talk of Luck playing in perceived critical games. We just don't know at this point, but Irsay has stated that Manning will retire a Colt. They may have to re-write his contract, and I personally do not think Manning is beyond that. The empire that is Irsay owes a vast majority to the man called Manning. He is one of the pillars that Irsay used to build that empire. I don't think Irsay will dump Manning because he has meant so much over the years. Manning is also the perfect mentor for someone like Luck.
I completely agree that Peyton would be a gracious host and teach whoever a lot about the game... and I completely disagree about him splitting time.
Manning is a perfectionist... he absolutely took every single snap with the first team possible (practice, camp, after practice, game, or otherwise). I doubt he'll give up the opportunity to perfect the timing and the routes and communications with his receiver so his backup QB who won't be playing a snap can learn.
That isn't about either one's talent or accommodation... it's about Manning (and I would imagine luck too) being a perfectionist and wanting to perfect his game
@mshah9008 I guess we'll see when it comes to that point, about the splitting time and all. I can only imagine the rest of the teams in the NFL shaking in their cleats imagining another 17 years of losing to the Colts because they can contend with neither Manning nor Luck.
@mshah9008 I know that Manning has towed the company line being that the company put so much into him with their long term vision of the franchise. I believe that Luck would also honor that view. He understands at this point, if drafted, that he will be the face of the franchise into the future. I don't believe that playing time will be much of an issue when Peyton leaves. But for them to work together, the strength of the franchise will be all but assured for the next decade and a half. Both Manning and Luck understand the value of working as a unit instead of everyone for themselves.
@Geohdeis I didn't see Manning when he was in college so I guess i can't compare the two there. I can only compare him to the Manning I know.
So if that's the case, then sure, it might be worth it.
I mean yes, Irsay and Polian probably have a great deal of insight into the guy. They definitely have the resources to know what the guy's got and doesn't have. So if they do draft him I expect it to be the right decision... i just don't know if I still believe it to be the right one to keep both.
One also has to consider whether Luck will want to start right away or not
@mshah9008 I have watched a few of Luck's games and his command of the game is what I saw when Manning was at the same level. It is my thought that Manning probably said to Irsay, after a couple of those camps, that he was the next big thing. Once you see all of the intermingling of acquaintances along the way, with Polian's son being at Stanford, with Harbaugh being the coach at Stanford, with Manning's dad and Luck's dad knowing each other, with Luck going to Peyton's camp, it just adds up to too much to negate that reality happening for me to disregard outright. Sorry for the run-on sentence.
@Geohdeis Well I personally don't see what everyone is saying in Luck being the next Manning... I moreso see him being the next Matt Ryan.
Which isn't a bad thing, but it's hardly worth "shaking in cleats"
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If you are rebuilding, the rebuild with Luck and trade Manning, or Trade the number one pick for a boat-load of picks, that is the hard decision the gm will have to make. I do not want Irsay becoming Jerry Jones on personnel decisions, stay out or you will mess this up.
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@horseshoe19 Trading Manning is not an option. Cut Manning and draft Luck, or go with Manning and trade the pick.
I don't like that Irsay is trying to control everything about this team...Granted I've felt Manning isn't coming back for a while, and the pick would be logical based on that premise...hmmm.
I don't think there is anything to fear. We will simply gut the defense in order to make room for both Manning and Luck, then when Manning's career comes to. An end, we will have the money to rebuild the defense. Until then, we will make a very strong offense.
@Geohdeis If we gut the defense and aren't competible anyway, then why on earth do we keep Manning?
@gizzardfanny To teach Luck the wisdom of the ages. We were only not competitive Manning's first year.
@gizzardfanny We'll see what comes from Manning and Irsay's meeting coming up. They may trade Manning, but to me that would be a horrible thing. Maybe Manning has another position to play other than quarterback. Maybe he's going to play quarterback for a couple more years. But whatever the finality, I hope and pray that it includes Manning teaching Luck in some sort to fashion.
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@Geohdeis@gizzardfanny If he's not your guy now, he's not your guy. Then you draft your next QB when Manning really is done. I don't want the 1st overall pick sitting on the bench for two years. Cutting Manning next year puts us in a cap hell that will hinder our continued rebuild.
@gizzardfanny He is not my guy until he has learned from Manning for at least a year or two.
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@Geohdeis We can cut Manning for free this year. If you have already decided that Luck is your guy, he's your guy.
@gizzardfanny We already have a lot of money tied up in Manning, though I am sure we owe him a good bit more because of the house he enabled Jim Irsay to build. One does not simply discard either your golden goose nor the egg that is Golden gosling we call Luck.
@Geohdeis Then we'll have a whole lot of money locked up in Manning that won't come to any use. What good is that?
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The flaw in keeping both Luck and Manning argument - money apart - is what happens after a year when Manning is still playing lights out and Luck is ready to takeover. If Luck is as good as is advertised he should not be just a bench warmer (people who compare Rodgers/Farve forget that Farve started his retirement saga and only then the Packers drafted Rodgers).
P.S. If you have "just" Manning, you already have more than potent offense!
And Peter King reports that Manning is willing to move the deadline for the bonus pay back.
Manning as absolutely no reason to do this, he looses all leverage.....
EXCEPT... unless he knows he's coming back. Irsay's already said that if Manning's healthy, he's coming back and starting... and I'll take his words over all the reports
this was pretty clear from the beginning. The question, and thats the real one, is how long can manning and luck coexist? until luck proves his value? 1 year? Maybe 2?
Here's the article: http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2012/story/_/id/7435726/indianapolis-colts-draft-andrew-luck-stanford-cardinal-no-1-pick-sources-say
I'm with those waiting to hear it from Irsay. "Sources" can go pound sand.
@squirrel Something like this ESPN wouldn't usually go with unless it's pretty solid. Irsay might do damage control and deny it but I imagine there is truth to it.
@squirrel I would be of the same opinion if it was anyone else reporting it. Mort has earned himself a solid reputation when it comes to breaking Colts rumors.
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One has to consider the possibility of raising the value of the Pick too.
Obviously, Mort has become a credible source on Colts' rumors, but we still have to consider the possibility that Irsay leaked it to raise the value. That man's up front enough with the fans and the media that I won't really believe anything as "certain" about it until he or the next GM comes out and says it.
@mshah9008 I already feared that Irsay was leaning towards having both. This has only increased that fear. I honestly don't trust Irsay making personel decisions.
Fixed and put on front page. Thanks GF. I was about to write this but you got to it first :) @gizzardfanny
