How will Andrew's luck fare in Indianapolis?

When Indianapolis drafted quarterback Andrew Luck with the overall number one pick, it was not new territory for the Colts. In fact from their six previous number one picks four have been quarterbacks starting with George Shaw in 1955 and most recently Peyton Manning 14 years ago. So let's take a look at how those four fared.

George Shaw was selected as the first player in the 1955 draft by the then Baltimore Colts. He quickly became the starting quarterback but early the following season suffered a broken leg and was replaced by rookie Johnny Unitas. Unitas went on to have a legendary career including two NFL Championships and a Super Bowl win with the Colts. Shaw remained in Baltimore for two more seasons as Unitas' backup before being traded to the New York Giants in 1959.

Next on the list is two-time Super Bowl winner John Elway who was drafted by the Colts in 1983. Elway was wary of playing for the Colts though, one of the worst teams in the league, and particularly for their coach Frank Kush. Having played minor league baseball for the previous two years he threatened to join the New York Yankees full time unless the Colts traded him. Colts owner Robert Irsay eventually gave in and traded him to the Denver Broncos. The rest is history.

Seven years later the Indianapolis Colts were back at number one in the draft and went for home town quarterback Jeff George rewarding him with the richest rookie contract in NFL history. However the relationship went sour from the start and in the four years until his trade to the Atlanta Falcons he had fallen out with coach Ted Marchibroda and the Indianapolis fans.

Finally the Colts found a number one pick quarterback to bring them success in 1998 when they drafted Peyton Manning. The team quickly turned around to become a force in the AFC, winning the Super Bowl in 2007 and reaching another three years later. Manning has now become one of the leading quarterbacks in NFL history.

So what does the future hold for Andrew Luck? Well if the above are anything to go by he has a 50% chance of winning a Super Bowl and an even greater probability of ending up in Denver someday.

I won't predict a Super Bowl for him but I think he's going to be a success, althought the Colts look like they need quite a decent rebuilding job he has the reliable experienced WR in Wayne plus Collie can put up decent numbers if healthy and then he has two very dangerous TE's in his favourite target Fleener and Allen. The running backs don't impress me which means they are probably going to be throwing it a lot so it could be a tough year for him. Also apart from Freeney and Mathis on the defense there isn't really anybody overly impressive so they could end up playing catch up quite often.

He will do well in Indy because he is a quality NFL style QB and he has the smarts, dedication and talent to make it.

For this year however I don't expect much. Something like 6 wins would probably constitute a success for them as they are in a major rebuild and the defence practically all sucks. Even with a low win count I'm pretty sure Luck can do enough to show the media and the city that he is "the guy".
As Derby points out it's all about the TE's. If they have truly hit with the two of them then Luck has weapons to build around and become comfortable with and that will aid his development immensely. Can't underestimate the teaching power of Reggie Wayne as well... if he had gone this offseason i'd have predicted even more cautious win total.

I think he will end up being a very good player for Indy

2012 season will a rough learning curve though as Colts are poor team in most positions
Think they will be lucky to win 4 games