Andrew Luck is one of football’s most compelling players. Not only is he a great quarterback, but he is much more than just that. He is the most pro-ready quarterback to come out of college in years, but he also knows how to make the most out of every possession and scramble and run for first downs. Despite those instincts and qualities, he has been the most inconsistent quarterback in his two-year career.
What makes his play even more interesting is that he knows how to win. Surrounded by one of the worst rosters in the NFL and a coaching staff and front office who do nothing but put obstacles in his way, Luck has compiled back-to-back 11-5 seasons at the helm of a team that was 2-14 the year before he arrived. Many of those wins have been by one touchdown or less.
Luck and the Colts were 9-1 in one- touchdown games during his rookie season and followed up his next year with 5-1. But does Luck deserve credit for these close wins? The running game is not what is fueling these wins and although the defense is impressive, Luck has contributed to the offense producing at least 17 points. On five different occasions, Indy’s defense has allowed 27 points or more in one-touchdown games. They’re 5-0 in those games. And of course, all close games have a story of their own. Some are close contests that are decided during the final snap, while others amp up the volume only late in the fourth quarter, after a mostly meaningless game. Out of these 16 close colt games, how much credit can be given to Luck?
He actually deserves a lot of credit. The Colts seemed to be dependent on Luck to get them through most of the fourth quarter, make a big stop on defense and finish up the game with a first down shortly after. Of Luck’s 16 close contests as a pro, only five are packed in, like the Broncos game in which Matt Prater kicked a field goal with 17 seconds left to turn a 39-30 scoreline into a 39-33 contest.
If the Colts continue to be dependent on close games for half of their wins this season, they will be in trouble. Although Luck proved the numbers wrong in 2013, they won’t be on his side for the rest of his career. Whether his initial run was random or a stroke of luck, he can not expect wo win over 85 percent of his close games as his career continues.
from Lee Krahenbuhl’s History and Sports Page http://ift.tt/1sZxMDs
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