Andrew Luck vs Ryan Tannehill: Part Two
When you are discussing the topic of the top quarterback drafts in the history of the National Football League you might bring up the 83’ draft that had talents such as John Elway and Dan Marino or maybe even the 2004 draft which included Eli Manning and Phillip Rivers. Even though it might be a little bit early to rate the 2012 NFL quarterback draft class they easily have the potential to be one of the best quarterback draft classes. With great young players such as Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill and Russell Wilson, very few will be surprised if one or more of these players ends up retiring with a ring on their finger.
Last season we had the opportunity of seeing some of these two young quarterbacks play each other. During the 2012 preseason, we saw Andrew Luck and the Colts take on RGIII and the Skins’. Throughout the season we also saw Ryan Tannehill take on both Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson. Tannehill was able to top Wilson, however, Luck was able to get the better out of the two.
In honor of the second battle between Andrew Luck and Ryan Tannehill this Sunday, let’s take a look back at their battle last season and look forward to their battle this season.
When these two gladiators went at it last season, we were honored to see two great competitors go at it. Luck, who came out of the game with a win, finished the game going 30-48 for 433 yards and two touchdowns, while the loser, Ryan Tannehill finished the game going 22-38 for 290 yards and a lone touchdown. Despite the fact that both of these quarterbacks excelled, Luck clearly got the better of Tannehill. Although Luck had the better statistics, what truly set him apart in that game, was his game winning drive in the fourth quarter to defeat Miami.
Coming into this season, not only have both of the quarterbacks improved, but both their respective teams have as well. The Colts went out this past offseason and improved their defense by signing safety Laron Landry and Bjoern Werner. They also added a couple of offensive pieces to help Andrew Luck, signing Darius Heyward-Bey and Ahmad Bradshaw. Instead of just adding another piece or two such as the Colts, the Dolphins went out and bolstered their receiving corps, signing Mike Wallace and Brandon Gibson. They also went out and transformed their defense by signing Dannell Ellerbe, Phillip Wheeler and drafting Dion Jordan.
With both of these teams much improved and with Luck and Tannehill also greatly improved, this matchup should be just as exciting as last years. I don’t know about you, but I am really excited to see what an extra year of experience could do to for this matchup. With RGIII and Russell Wilson both playing in the NFC, hopefully Luck and Tannehill could develop a rivalry in the AFC over the next few years.
It will be interesting to see if the Dolphins offense can get over their week one struggles. After a dreadful week one and controversy coming out of the Dolphins locker room with Wallace not being too thrilled, the Dolphins better hope that they can turn it around. Struggling on the offensive side of the ball is not something that you want to drag on. It is imperative that Tannehill continues to grow week in and week out and hopefully he can keep Wallace a little happy this weekend.
As far as the Colts go, they just need to not turn the ball over and give up sacks. The Dolphins defense completely dominated the Browns last week, forcing three turnovers and sacking Brandon Weeden six times. Sure, the Colts are going to be a completely different test for Miami’s defense; however, Miami’s defense is still one of the best in the league and can disrupt any offense in the NFL. I hate to sound cliché, but ball security is the biggest key to a Colts victory this Sunday.
It’s difficult to predict a score and a victor for this game since both of these teams are virtually similar to each other. Despite being a Dolphins fan, I am going to stay away from a bias opinion and pick the Colts to come out victorious yet again. Both Luck and Tannehill will both have very good games and I think that it will be a very similar result as last seasons’ game. If I had to throw out a score prediction, I would say the Colts will win by a score of 23-17.