expert view on Andrew Luck

I read there are many scouts in love with him. Arizona for one. I think he is a future pro bowler--potentially. Mallet has issues, Newton reminds some of Vince Young and the risk/reward ratio is high, Ponder has not had a good year, etc. I think, with a rookie cap, the pick becomes more valuable than the #1 pick has been in many years.

The jury is still out on Clausen, so who knows what we will do. The Cardinals are desperate for a QB. Free agency is not the place to find one. They give up a second and a first in 2012 to get Luck. Buffalo, Cincy, Jax, Tenn, Washington (yes, the skins), Oakland, Minnesota are among teams who need immediate help at QB. You would trade up to have your pick of the litter. To get the best QB in the draft, one many say is better than Bradford, one that is NFL ready, they will move up.

 

There's been nothing but good things said about Luck's intangibles and character. When a top QB prospect has that going for him, he's usually a can't miss.

If we do have the #1 pick, it's not even a debate. Clausen can go fuck himself and hold a clipboard.

IF he decides to enter the draft. If I were him, I'd feel obliged to avoid this mess.

 

i'd wager he's better than clausen.

 

Luck probably is better than Clausen. But you have to look at the difference between Clausen and Luck and decide if that difference is worth the difference between Ed Johnson and Nick Fairley with a second rounder and a 2012 first rounder thrown in.

Clausen has disappointed me too, but who would be good here with rookie WRs, an OL with 3 scrubs playing, Injuries to the top 2 rbs, a stupid OC and a lame-duck coach.? Not the best place to cut your teeth as a rookie qb. Give Clausen a good line and some talented WRs, he is probably going to be better than DelHomme. Luck is being compared to Brady and Manning. Clausen will never be that. We compare Clausen to the QBs who step up early, like Bradford or even Colt McCoy. However, the big picture tells us that QBs take time to develop.

ON the bright side, Clausen is developing a rapport with Gettis and Lafell. Before, all passes were to RBs and TEs. Smith is still disappointing, but the Clausen to Smith 40 yard pass was a pro throw.

Luck has had great results with a head coach who was a QB. He plays in a very weak PAC 10. 2 of the top 4 QBs do. So did Matt Leinart, Kyle Boller, AKili Smith, Ryan Leaf, Carson Palmer, Joey Harrington, etc. --All first rounders who are having or had shaky careers in the NFL. All once heralded as future NFL star QBs.

 

the panthers and maybe mike ditka are probably the only ones dumb enough to make that trade and we cant trade it to ourselves. so unless mike ditka gets back in a front office, we'll probably be making the first pick. i tend to agree with you about the value/cost/need for multiple players but i figure we will probably be stuck with it. and it could be worse, you get a franchise qb, which we have never drafted, and you are Atl, GB, Indy, TB, etc.

 

Here's some scouting reports I posted on another site. They're pretty indicative of anything else you'll find out there on Luck.

http://newerascouting.com/2010/andre...outing-report/

Height: 6’4 | Weight: 235 | Stanford

Accuracy:Very good accuracy in the 5-15yd and 15-25yd ranges. Throws the ball to an area that the receiver will be in the best position to make the catch. Does a good job putting enough touch on the ball, so the ball is never thrown too hard or too soft. Can over throw receivers past the 30 yard range, especially to his right. Will look effortless as times throwing routes under 25 yards. Has great short accuracy but will let a few float deep. Would prefer to see him completing a higher percentage of throws past 25 yards.

Arm strength: Has shown the ability to push the ball down field. Luck has consistently connected on deep passes over 50 yards. There are no concerns about his ability to throw deep routes. Luck can spread the ball outside the hashes and deep up the seam. Stanford does run a pro system that does not ask Luck to throw deep often, preferring more of a West Coast attack. However, in workouts and few game opportunities, Luck has looked sharp throwing deep. Throws come out with a very tight spiral and do not flutter as they gain height or depth.

Decision making: Generally makes the decisions you would want him to make. Luck will improvise when the opportunity is there. Does a good job making line calls and audibles. Is a very smart player, on par with Peyton Manning and Matt Ryan as college players. His decision making skills are everything you would want in a franchise quarterback. The biggest knock on Luck will be his lack of game experience. He has been a two-year starter at Stanford, but does not have 30+ starts. He will make mistakes and try to force plays. This is a sign of his immaturity in the position and not a flaw in his mechanics or intelligence.

http://nflmocks.com/2010/06/30/2011-...luck-stanford/

Andrew Luck- QB- Stanford

Pros:
I am not sure if I can remember a redshirt Sophomore getting so much NFL Draft attention but Andrew Luck is gliding along on the hype train. Some draft experts are proclaiming Luck the next Peyton Manning and have settled with Luck being their top prospect. When you watch Luck there is a lot to like about the 6-4 quarterback prospect. The thing that impressed me the most was his poise and pocket awareness. Luck seemed unflappable in what was a pressure situation during this first season as a full time starter. Luck makes quick and smart decisions which is an obvious result of the tutelage from Coach Jim Harbaugh. Luck’s technique is exceptional with great footwork and no wasted motion in his throwing delivery. He gets the ball out quickly which is a very important skill to have in the NFL. Luck combines his technical skills with a strong arm and good accuracy. While watching some film I noticed that Luck is very accurate while on the run and rolling out of the pocket, which are two things he will be expected to do in the NFL.

Cons:
It is really hard to find many flaws in Luck’s game. He has all the physical tools coupled with the proper techniques. However, there is such a small sampling and he needs to prove he can maintain his high level of play over a longer stretch. It’s a known fact that quarterbacks need game experience to develop properly. They need to be able to encounter different defensive packages and schemes, so this will be something weighing on the minds of NFL scouts and GMs. Something else that is going to be closely watched this season is the way Luck responds after losing Heisman candidate Toby Gerhart. There is going to be a lot more pressure placed on the shoulders of Luck.


http://draftace.com/blog/2010/05/12/...n-andrew-luck/

- Another quality that stands out immediately is his arm strength. Stanford didn’t throw the ball down field a lot, but when they did Luck was able to make all the throws.

- Perhaps the most important quality that impressed me about Luck was his decision making. In this respect he is already well ahead of Jake Locker in his development. Unlike most college quarterbacks, Luck shows the ability to go through his reads and make the right decision. That’s a quality that you simply don’t see in many young quarterbacks at the college level.

http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/feed...r-all-the-time

Sporting News draft expert Russ Lande and his team of former NFL scouts identify the players whose stock is rising and falling for the 2011 NFL draft:

Often when scouting NFL prospects, the more we see an elite player the more we're able to spot chinks in his body of work. That doesn't seem to apply to Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

The more we see of Luck, the more impressive he becomes.

Luck has looked like an NFL quarterback in every game we have evaluated, but his performance in Stanford's 37-35 win over Southern Cal was one of his best. He looked poised and confident in the pocket and showed great accuracy throughout the game. Nearly every pass he threw was on target.
Luck answered every USC comeback. He showed great composure and clutch play in driving Stanford down the field for the game-winning field goal in a minute.

He shows the arm strength to make every NFL throw and consistently makes accurate passes even with defenders in his face or throwing into tight windows downfield. Luck, as a redshirt sophomore, is eligible for the '11 draft and he no doubt will be the No. 1 overall pick whatever year he chooses to leave Stanford.

http://www.nfldraftbible.com/Players...drew-Luck.html

Pros: What stands out immediately about Luck is that he has one of the quickest throwing motions since Dan Marino. When Luck lets it fly his passes are laser fast and accurate—truly beautiful. Aside from that, Luck has quintessential NFL measurables; he is 6’4” and 230-plus pounds, very intelligent and instinctual. The red-shirt sophomore has wonderful footwork in his drop backs and when throwing the football. Luck has light and graceful feet that give him unexpected mobility, allowing him to almost glide through the pocket to avoid would-be sackers (he was sacked only six times in 2009). At Stanford, he is currently playing in a pro-style offense and getting pro-style coaching under Head Coach and former NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh. That gives him a leg up on prospects that play in spread offenses with everything called from the sideline. Luck also has “it”, the ability to play well in big games and in big moments, which is a must for NFL quarterbacks. In other words, Luck does not just feast on weak Pac-10 opponents; he saves his best for the likes of USC and Oregon. Luck has a very strong arm, he is not all release; he can easily drive the ball down the field and has little trouble fitting the ball into tight windows. Not only did the Stanford signal caller put up some impressive numbers (13 touchdown passes, four interceptions), including leading the Pac-10 in passing efficiency (143.47), he won games (eight) and directed the Cardinal to their first winning season since 2001. The Texas boy also has the intangibles. The high school valedictorian is one of the brightest student athletes in the nation and despite his youth, Luck displayed leadership skills from day one, which he backs up with work ethic and toughness.

Cons: The biggest issue with Luck is his awkward throwing motion. He has a windup that causes him to drop the ball below his waist before he throws it which, unlike Tim Tebow’s, doesn’t appear to add momentum to Luck’s passes. In many ways the windup is separate from his actual throwing motion; Luck simply has to learn to cock the ball and throw. He was injured towards the end of the Cardinal’s season and will have to prove he is healthy—surgery on an injured finger in his throwing hand forced the quarterback to sit out the Sun Bowl. Luck also has to do a better job of going through his progressions before running or locking onto a single receiver. While the Stanford man had incredible moments during his red-shirt freshman year, he still needs to be more consistent. Luck’s release point is a bit to the side even under the best of circumstances.

 

The only way i personally would want Luck with the #1 overall is if Jimmy Harbaugh is Carolina's new HC, and that's a loooooong shot. Lucks best shot at pulling a Bradford is with the guidance of his ol' coach. I agree that he should be the best rook prospect for a franchise QB, but the unlikelihood of most hyped "future franchise" QBs becoming a Tom or Peyton has already been mentioned. Guess I'd rather have Skids fairytale dream come true since that is probably more likely to happen than the Harbaugh/Luck package deal. First of all Skid, this franchise trades UP by GIVING away future picks . . . not the other way around.)

 

This guy sounds very impressive.

Hard to tell about Clausen, given the clusterfuck the rest of the offense is, but I am not really sold.

Might be good to take the plunge. OTOH, we sure could use a second round pick.

 

Clausen--whether it's on Fox, Rip, Davidson--just doesn't have 60 good minutes of football in him. Moore showed several times that he does, and then spazzed.

Still have to go out there, compete, and hope your 2nd round investment shows he can go the distance. But, yes, if Luck is as gifted as most say, then you take him and don't look back.

We're in a division littered with amazing 4th quarter play by QB's. We need it, or flashes of it, to get back in contention next year.

We suck, but we're a couple tweaks away from not sucking. Firing Davidson would be step 1. Like, today.

 

Honestly, fire Hurney, Davidson, Scherer, let Fox quit if he doesn't like it.

The extensions, tags, etc., JR could be involved in so I won't put that all on Hurney. But I am, and really have been for a few years, tired of Hurney and his draft day trades. Get him out before he fucks up the nice picks we'll end up with, that he hasn't already given away