In 1998 Peyton Manning was drafted #1 out of the University of Tennessee and brought the Indianapolis Colts to the forefront of the AFC for over 13 seasons. Manning became the epitome of a franchise quarterback while playing in Indianapolis, winning 8 division titles, 2 AFC championships and one Super Bowl title in 2007. His knowledge of the game of football at the highest profile position has become legendary.
Nicknamed “The Sheriff” Manning underwent his first neck surgery after the 2011 season, which eventually caused him to not play a single game for the Colts in 2012. They finished at 2-14 without their All Pro QB, which led the Colts to make one of the more difficult decisions, let Peyton Manning go to play the remainder of his career for a different team. Colt fans were shocked and after the dust settled there was another franchise QB waiting to be drafted #1 again, enter Andrew Luck.
Andrew Luck had a stellar career at Stanford University, setting records for his near perfect efficiency rating during his senior season of 2011. While some teams are lucky to get a chance to draft one franchise QB in their entire franchise history, the 2012 draft put the Colts in position to draft their second franchise quarterback. A quarterback that could lead them for another decade or more, Andrew Luck was an easy #1 draft choice.
Andrew grew up in the spotlight as an athlete, being the son of a former NFL quarterback himself (just like Peyton) he grew up around the game of football and he thrived in that environment. However, to follow a future Hall of Famer like Manning was a daunting task and to gain the Colts fans’ confidence was not going to be easy. In his brief career he is already showing Colts fans and football fans everywhere that he has the smarts and skills to continue exceeding expectations. This showdown between Manning and Luck has NFL fans everywhere ready to enjoy an epic battle between two incredibly gifted players on one field in prime time.
Andrew Luck knows 4th quarter comebacks, 9 already in only 21 games NFL career games. He won 11 games during his rookie year with the Colts, Peyton Manning only won 3 games. That is solid proof of his emergence out of the lofty shadows of Peyton Manning in Indianapolis. The spotlight is bright on Andrew Luck and Colts fans could not be happier with their new leader.
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