Andrew Luck has been recognized as an exceptional talent for as long as he has been playing quarterback.
The former Stanford player became the first overall pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2012, succeeding future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. Luck wasn't simply replacing a retired Manning; the Colts released the Super Bowl-winning, aging quarterback in favor of building their franchise around Luck.
By any measure, that decision has proved to be a very good one.Luck himself has put up phenomenal numbers for a player who has started at the most difficult position from Day 1, while the Colts have now won two AFC South titles and will make their third successive appearance in the playoffs at the end of this season.
The combination of physical gifts and mental acumen Luck displayed in college was comparable to the greatest quarterback prospects throughout history. However, that would mean nothing if Luck couldn't live up to his exceptionally high expectations once he stepped onto an NFL field.
Luck has surpassed expectations by enjoying a record-setting start to his career, but the scariest part of his play is that he can still get better.
Many of Luck's struggles in the NFL, of which there have been relatively few, are a result of the porous offensive line and complete absence of consistency from the running game that shares the field with him. Even more can be shrugged off based on how much he must compensate for an inconsistent and often extremely ineffective defense.
The 25-year-old quarterback has 12 fumbles and 14 interceptions this season. While his production largely overshadows his turnovers, those numbers are still significant. Luck is tied for third in interceptions thrown this year, and 12 fumbles in 14 games is obviously a huge number.
Luck's turnovers have been regularly evident throughout the season, but the number has spiked at times.
During the first four weeks of the season, when the Colts were 2-2, Luck had just four total turnovers. Each turnover was an interception. In the following four weeks, he compiled seven total turnovers with two lost fumbles and five interceptions. Luck had just a two-game reprieve that resulted in one interception before he began his current stretch of inconsistency.
Over the past four games, Luck has lost four fumbles and thrown four interceptions. Not all of the turnovers have been his fault, but they do reflect the overall erraticism in his play.
A recurring issue for Luck a few weeks back was his severe lack of ball security when in the grasp of a defender behind the line of scrimmage. This first became apparent against the Jacksonville Jaguars, when he lost two fumbles in the first quarter. One of those fumbles was understandable, but the other was all on the quarterback.On 3rd-and-8, the Jaguars sent a blitz after Luck. Luck was obviously thinking about getting the first down, but he missed an open receiver in the flat when he turned away from the pressure and looked to run out of the pocket.
His open receiver wasn't a guaranteed first down, but he would have had a chance with yards after the catch because the defensive backs closest to him were running with their receivers downfield.Instead of completing the pass to Fleener, Luck threw an interception to Texans safety Kendrick Lewis. Luck initially appeared to simply miss Fleener as a result of the Texans' blitz threat, but instead, it looks as if there was miscommunication between the quarterback and his tight end.
Fleener would have been wide open if he had sat down in space against the Texans' zone coverage.Luck actually made the right read, but Fleener kept moving so that he ran right into one of the other dropping defenders. Fleener showed no awareness of how to counter zone coverage on this play, and that is what led to Lewis' pick-six.
On the following drive, Luck slightly overthrew Donte Moncrief on a play that could have gone for an 81-yard touchdown.
After that play, Luck's intensity and effectiveness skyrocketed. He finally erased the Colts' zero on the scoreboard with a touchdown pass to Hakeem Nicks on the very first play of the second quarter. Luck completed 6-of-6 passes on that drive for 74 yards and a touchdown.
Only a fool would suggest that Luck isn't one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now. For a third-year quarterback, that is a phenomenal feat.
However, it should also be noted that Luck isn't completely playing to the potential of his skill set. The number of turnovers he has generated this season is a testament to that. He is still a developing player, even in his third season.
As much as Luck has accelerated the process of his acclimation to the NFL, he still has some work to do. It is fair to wonder if Luck's responsibilities within the offense have caused him to develop these inconsistencies.
Constantly playing behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league while being burdened with so much responsibility can have a negative effect on any signal-caller. Luck's teammates aren't protecting him the way Andy Dalton's or Colin Kaepernick's have in their young careers.
From his first day in the NFL, Luck has had one of the toughest roles of any player competing at this level. That is undoubtedly going to lead to inconsistent play and some bad habits.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2299795-andrew-lucks-inconsistent-play-holding-him-back-from-reaching-true-potential
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