Naptown's Finest » robert griffin iii

Was Andrew Luck Robbed of Rookie of the Year?

J.M. Nicholas — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 04:48:32 +0000

The 2012-13 NFL season brought about one of the most impressive classes of rookies quarterbacks in pro football history. With those record-breaking rookies putting their respective teams back on the map, it made the Rookie of the Year choice that much more difficult to decide. With all the successes of the top-three rookie quarterbacks in the league, also came a closely-contested race for which one of these young signal callers would be honored as the best in the league.

Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck, and Russell Wilson became the first triad of rookies quarterbacks to all lead their teams to the NFL Playoffs in their first season. Wilson was the only one of the three to win a postseason game this year, but all three rookies had amazing statistics, and helped their teams improve in impressive fashion. In the end, Griffin went away with the award, but it could have easily went to either Wilson or Luck.

Andrew Luck not only took over the worst team in the league from the 2011-12 season, he was also asked to do more than the other two Rookie of the Year contending quarterbacks. Luck’s 18 interceptions were the most out of the three, but part of that was due to how much he had to throw the ball. Luck’s 4,374 passing yards were a rookie record, and his 433 yards in week 9 were also a record. His 23 passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns were both rookie records for his team.

Not only did Andrew Luck help lead his team to an 11-5 record, but the nine-game win increase was one of the best single-season turnarounds in NFL history. All of the success came from Luck having to fill the shoes of Peyton Manning, as well as taking this Indianapolis franchise back to prominence. Robert Griffin III may have won the Rookie of the Year title for this season, but Andrew Luck certainly did nothing to lose it.

Horseshoe Hero: Avery, Hilton Bolster Ailing Colts in Washington

Catie Staszak — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 16:49:33 +0000

Colts 17 – Redskins 30

The main storyline of Sunday’s preseason contest between the Colts and the Redskins was the much-anticipated quarterback duel between Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, the first and second over all selections in this year’s NFL draft. But the more obvious storyline as Sunday’s game in Washington unfolded was far more concerning: The Colts lack depth. Injuries on both offense and defense revealed the true, sky-high value of the Colts’ starting lineup as some back-up offensive linemen crumbled under pressure and the defense failed to stop the run. Without some major assets, the Colts will need to do some scrambling before settling on their final 53-man roster. The fact that they have first priority on the wavier wire helps. But in a veteran’s absence, two fresh faces did provide glimmers of hope at a key position: wide receiver.

Yes, this week there are two Horseshoe Heroes: Donnie Avery and T.Y. Hilton. Both are entering their first seasons with the Colts, one his first season ever in the NFL. With Austin Collie day-to-day after suffering his third (at least) concussion in the past 22 months, the Colts needed their backup wideouts to step up. These two seemed glad to do so.

Donnie Avery had 6 receptions, making him the second-most targeted WR from either team, for a total of 38 yards. Avery’s early presence was especially notable, because the game was his first outing of the preseason (He had previously been nursing a thigh injury sustained during training camp). Avery has become notorious for being injury-prone throughout his 5-year career. In fact, he missed the entire 2010 season after tearing his ACL. However, he is talented, and he was the first wide receiver taken in the 2008 draft. If he can stay healthy, Avery could prove to be a great option for Luck. It was nice to see an immediate chemistry and comfort-level between the two.

Rookie T.Y. Hilton was also impressive in Collie’s absence, pulling in 4 receptions for 54 yards, including a beautiful 31-yard touchdown pass from Luck. Hilton caught my eye on several plays, particularly on a first and 10 play at the Washington-45 in which Luck’s short pass right was tipped. The play easily could have gone the other way, but Hilton got his hands on the ball and turned the almost-turnover into an 8-yard gain down the sideline. Hardly rookie-like. Hilton was the team’s third pick in this year’s draft (3rd round, 92nd overall). He’s proving to be deserving of that selection.

Note: Griff Whalen, another rookie WR and former teammate of Andrew Luck, caught a game-high 8 passes for 66 yards. While he didn’t play with the first team, he showed he belongs in Indianapolis and probably secured himself a spot on the team, at least on the practice squad. An undrafted free agent, Whalen is one to watch in the future.

While the new wide receivers were the heroes of the game, the offensive linemen were not. The run game was practically non-existent, and Andrew Luck had to scramble on several occasions to avoid being clobbered by the Washington defense. In his final series, Luck took an especially brutal hit by linebacker London Fletcher that was downright scary to watch. While both the Colts and the Redskins executed 27 rushing plays, the Redskins almost tripled Indianapolis’ rushing yardage, 147-53. Sophomore left tackle Anthony Castonzo seemed to be the only strength of the line, while right guard Seth Olsen gave up two sacks in the same series. The injured Ben Ijalana and Mike McGlynn are sorely missed.

The Colts’ final preseason game will take place at home against Cincinnati on Thursday (8/30) at 7:00p.m. It’s likely the starters will not play much, if at all, for the final preseason contest is commonly used to evaluate players who may be on the bubble of making the team. A hero will still arise, though, and he will be revealed the following day right here on Naptown’s Finest. Be sure to check back to find out who it is, but until then, you can follow me on Twitter at @catierae08 for more frequent Colts updates and commentary. Don’t forget: According to Jim Irsay, there are still some pretty fierce trade winds blowing! A blockbuster could be thrust upon Colts Nation at any moment.

Washington Redskins Defeat Indianapolis Colts 30-17 in Third Preseason Game

J.M. Nicholas — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 16:06:31 +0000

There were a few fireworks at FedEx Field on Saturday afternoon, but not as many as may have been expected. With all the hype around the first-ever meeting between Andrew Luck’s reloaded Indianapolis Colts and the Robert Griffin III-led Washington Redskins, it felt more like a playoff game than a preseason game.

Neither quarterback exploded while on the field, but both looked good, playing with stability and few mistakes. Griffin was unleashed early and often, taking three deep pass attempts in the first half of the game. None of his long bombs were completions, but Griffin ended the day with a well-rounded stat line of 11-17 for 74 yards and a touchdown.

Luck wasn’t able to open the floodgates too often, and chose rather to use most of his passing attempts on short slant routes. His one deep shot ended up being the play of the day for the Colts. On third-and-seven, Luck launched a perfect 31-yard sideline pass to rookie wide out T.Y. Hilton, resulting in the team’s first score. Luck ended the day with a serviceable outing, going 14-23 for 151 yards and the one score. Neither quarterback played past the first series in the second half.

The stars of the day were the Redskins’ running backs. Washington took to the ground attack early and often, racking up over 100 yards in the first half alone. The Colts’ offensive line and defense didn’t seem very in sync for much of the game. The defense was getting gashed a lot early in the game, and the offensive line was not giving Luck much time to work with. The young quarterback was on the move for much of the first half, as the Redskins defense brought pressure to the line and hugged tight on the Colts receivers. With much work yet to be done, it may have been beneficial to let this newly-formed first-string offense get a bit more game time to gel. Still, with Luck being under fire constantly by the Redskins, he may have not lasted much longer without getting banged-up.

This game was just a small sample size of what to expect from these two rookie quarterbacks, but if their poise in the preseason is any indication, then both of these top draft picks will continue to grow and prosper (and be compared to one another) for a long time to come.