Luck gives fans reason to be happy

“Mr. Luck better have a lot of magic in that arm today.”
That thought is what I posted early Saturday evening, when the Indianapolis Colts were as icy as the overnight wind chill.
They seemed primed for another first-round playoff exit. They looked like a disaster. They would need their quarterback to summon the combined powers of Houdini, Copperfield and Blaine just to have a chance.
He did.
••••••••••
Two years ago I made the trip to Indianapolis Colts training camp. I stood next to ESPN’s John Clayton among a group of reporters, watching the team practice from a distance.
Indianapolis was coming off its worst season in more than a decade. With Peyton Manning hurt, Colts were stuck watching Curtis Painter, Kerry Collins and Dan Orlovsky under center. The team won two games.
So upon returning from training camp, I was met with just one question: How good is he?
Luck was the No. 1 pick in the draft. Better than that, he was the consensus No. 1. Few people would have argued for anyone else.
But we’ve seen No. 1 picks fail before. (Tim Couch, anyone?)
So it was a legitimate question. How good would this kid from Stanford be?
Now, I’m no scouting expert. Far from it.
But from what I saw at that one practice on Friday afternoon in August, I was sold.
The kid threw perfect spirals all over the field.
He made sub-par receivers (Donnie Avery) look like potential Pro Bowlers.
And, most impressively, he commanded his teammates on the field. That’s not something everyone can do. It was especially impressive to that kind of leadership from a rookie.
Andrew Luck was the real deal. He would be a star.
On Saturday, he fulfilled that promise.
••••••••••
There really hasn’t been much doubt about Luck being a star.
He had a tremendous rookie season, leading a Cinderella Colts team to the playoffs. He even broke the NFL record for passing yards by a rookie, long held by Peyton Manning and broken a year earlier by Cam Newton, in the process.
And, while sandwiched around some depressing losses, he had led Indianapolis to wins over some of the best teams in football this season.
But Saturday, that is what stars are made of.
Although Luck certainly had his issues as Indianapolis fell behind by 28 points to the Kansas City Chiefs — it’s hard to ignore three interceptions — he was magnificent in leading the second-greatest playoff comeback in NFL history.
Luck expertly led the Colts up and down the field to finish with 443 yards and four touchdowns, including the 64-yard game-winner to T.Y. Hilton (13 catches, 224 yards, two touchdowns) with 4:21 remaining. He did it at a blistering pace, running the no-huddle offense to perfection and leaving the Kansas City defense gasping for air.
The most impressive play of the day though, came from his legs rather than his arm. When Donald Brown fumbled in the red zone, Luck snatched the bouncing ball, stepped forward and lunged over the goal line for the TD that pulled Indianapolis to within three.
Was there some luck involved in that play? Sure. But it’s also the kind of play an athlete has to be ready to make when the opportunity presents itself. Many players — most players — would have botched the fumble recovery before even having a chance to scored the TD.
Even after Hilton’s touchdown to take the lead, the Chiefs still had plenty of time to mount drive and pull ahead again. But, at that point it seemed a foregone conclusion that if there was any time left, Luck would simply lead an Indy stampede back into range for a game-winning Adam Vinatieri field goal.
Thanks to an interception, it didn’t come to that. But Andrew Luck was going to win that game, one way or another.
And that’s why, regardless of what happens Saturday night in New England, Colts fans should be nothing but excited for the future.
Luck is their franchise for the next decade. He’s a leader. He’s a star.
And it certainly seems like a good bet that there’s a Lombardi Trophy in his future.[[In-content Ad]]