Peyton Manning had Colts fans on their feet for years. Playing quarterback for the team from his rookie year in 1998, until injury that led to his eventual release from the team after his last season with them in 2010. Yet it took only until 2012 for the Colts to find yet another quarterback that would later become a “franchise player.” Andrew Luck was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts as the number one overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Andrew Luck has led the Clots into the playoffs four of his seven seasons with the team, and two of the seasons the Colt’s did not get into the playoffs (2015 and 2017), Andrew Luck only started for less than 50% of one season, and none of the other season. It seems Luck has been able to keep up a number of post-season appearances that could relate to Peyton Manning’s prominent placement he made for himself in the playoffs, for the vast majority of his NFL career. The question is…does it still mean Andrew Luck is also as talented of a quarterback as Manning was for the Colts? Can Luck even be considered a Quarterback that is “above the norm?” Let’s take a look at some of his stats and characteristics.

1. Andrew Luck is very injury prone. 

Andrew Luck is shown getting tackled by Denver Broncos Danny Trevathan (59), which resulted in injury that ended his 2015 NFL season. Luck had sustained a lacerated kidney, the kind of injury more commonly found in car crash victims than football players. He returned for the start of the 2016 season.

Andrew Luck has always been known as a tough quarterback. However, with that being said, he has allowed himself to be involved in some very rough tackles over the span of his NFL career. When a quarterback is prone to consistently hard hits, especially when a significant percentage involve blindside tackles, a quarterback will begin to deteriorate in health and skill on the field as a result. One example comes from the career of Aaron Rodgers, and how years of poor protection by his offensive line has led him to continuously be hit. With injuries raging from the head to the foot, his whole body has become a target. Similar to Rodgers, both these quarterbacks have had declines in their abilities due to how prone they seem to be towards injuries. You can see the details relating to all of Luck’s injuries over his NFL career here.

2. Almost all of his passing statistics embody one word…average.

I have never found a quarterback to analyze that would be as easy as Luck. His numbers are like the satisfaction you get from eating an average quality piece of plain, white bread. His completion percentage sits at 60.8%, which the low 60s is where the bulk of decent NFL quarterbacks lie (but not the elites). He throws for an average 7.2 yards per completed pass, has an approximate two to one touchdown to interception ratio, has a passer rating (RAT) of 89.5, and has been sacked 174 times in his career (which would be a problem if he did not have a terrible offensive line over his career).

3. The two statistics that stand out.

Andrew Luck displaying his elusiveness in the pocket, scrambling four separate times to gain a total of twenty seven yards. The Colts went on to win this game, a matchup against the 49ers in the 2015 season.

Even though Andrew Luck does not stand out as a superstar in the pass game, he does have overall skills a QB should possess if they really even want to be a star. The first is that Luck can run the ball, and do so with intelligence. He averages about 4.8 yards per carry, and has carried the ball 332 times in his career. While also showing up with fourteen rushing touchdowns, this shows he has also been a useful runner even when the offense is not in scoring position. His other significant stat, his most important asset, is his QBR. This measures a quarterbacks overall rating, as I have mentioned over and over in past posts, and is proof Andrew Luck is being evaluated at a high level. The only seasons he did not finish top fifteen in this category, was in the 2015 and 2017 seasons when he has suffered his major injuries.

Overall, Andrew Luck has shown to me that he is still an average quarterback. Yet with him being in the NFL since 2012, he has had chances to show a “leap of greatness.” With this in mind, along with how prone Luck is to having another severe injury in his upcoming career, I do not think Luck is right for the QB hype.