Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck Should Give Confidence to Fans, Fantasy Owners

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck dealt with injuries and subpar play in 2015, but he’s back and ready to reclaim his title as an emerging elite talent.

The 2015 season was a disastrous one for Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. Not only did he deal with a series of injuries—limiting him to just seven games—but his play on the field when healthy was far from ideal.

Luck completed just 55.3 percent of his passes in 2015 and committed 13 turnovers while throwing only 15 touchdowns. Thus, his passer rating for the year was a career-low 74.9. Pro Football Focus rated Luck as the fourth-worst quarterback in the league last season.

First of all, Luck’s injuries and poor play left the Colts struggling to stay competitive in the AFC South. However, it also left fantasy owners (like myself) cursing the decision to draft the Stanford product early.

It’s fair to wonder what kind of quarterback Luck is going to be this season. As a passer, he can put up some impressive numbers. But he has never been the most efficient signal-caller out there. He takes chances far too often—55 interceptions and 115 sacks in three and a half seasons—and he has never posted a passer rating above 100.0.

“I guess you could sit there and look for something that’s not there, but I’m just saying he’s going to be ready for the game this weekend.” – Ryan Grigson

The fact that Luck is coming back from an injury-marred season only provides more reason for doubt. On top of everything, Luck was recently listed as limited in practice with a shoulder injury in preparation for Week 1.

Fans and fantasy owners shouldn’t worry, though. It appears that the former No. 1 overall pick is healthy and ready to go, after all.

“He’s all good. I mean the guy’s thrown a zillion balls,” Colts general manager Ryan Grigson said of Luck, per Andrew Walker of the team’s official website. “The media’s seen it. (He was) in Anderson day in and day out throwing a ton of balls with a lot of velocity—even knocking some guys over. I don’t know. I guess you could sit there and look for something that’s not there, but I’m just saying he’s going to be ready for the game this weekend.”

From a physical standpoint, an NFL team couldn’t ask for more at the quarterback position than a healthy Luck. The guy is a physical specimen with a rocket arm, uncanny accuracy and elite mobility. As a result, he offers a total-package in that regard.

For Luck to get to the next level, though, he must start making better decisions on the field. His tendency to gamble has led to many a turnover. Similarly, his desire to stand tall in the pocket has led to a plethora of sacks, hits, and injuries.

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Fortunately, it seems that the young gunslinger is finally starting to realize that he needs to dominate the game with his mind, not just his arm. Staying healthy is the first step.

“He’s not going to take the egregious hits anymore,” Colts head coach Chuck Pagano said, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today. “He’s sliding. He’s perfecting that. Coming out of college, that was his deal: He had a linebacker mentality playing the quarterback spot, and it’s kind of how he got himself going, like everybody got themselves going when they played. They get that first hit out of the way, and then they were fine. The butterflies were gone and then you’re good. Playing that spot, you can’t do that. He’s learned a lot.”

We only have two preseason games to examine right now, but Luck seems ready to return to a high level of play. He completed 80.8 of his preseason passes and posted a rating of 99.5. Therefore, if he really does take better care of himself and the football, he’ll be ready to take a massive leap forward as a quarterback.

Of course, it helps that the Colts have taken the steps to revamp their offensive line. The new-look unit features rookie first-rounder Ryan Kelly at center and was one of the better lines during the preseason—Pro Football Focus rated the Colts fourth in pass blocking. Subsequently, that area of improvement should benefit Luck.

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Expect Luck to have better protection, make better decisions and take better care of the football this season. As a result, Indianapolis should return to playoff contention and should help plenty of fantasy owners on their path to faux football glory.

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