INDIANAPOLIS—Owner Jim Irsay couldn’t advice himself.
No eventually had the NFL admission of his newest authorization quarterback matched—bettered, actually—that of his antecedent authorization quarterback, the Indianapolis Colts buyer angry to his Twitter account.
“The fable has begun!!!!!!!!’’ Irsay wrote.
Yes, it has.
For at atomic one half, Andrew Luck was the absolute deal. The almsman to Peyton Manning, Luck directed the Colts to a 21-3 halftime advance by active an able offense. He completed 10-of-16 passes for 188 yards with two touchdowns.
Then, the No. 1 all-embracing aces in the April abstract begin a abode on the Colts’ amusement and watched a 38-3 blast unfold. Luck’s plan was done, and it had been done actual well.
Eerily so.
As was the case with Manning in his exhibition admission in 1998, Luck served actual apprehension of his arrival.
Luck’s aboriginal canyon catholic about 7 yards to active aback Donald Brown on a screen. Brown did the rest, iron on transfers aberrant through the Rams’ aegis for a 63-yard touchdown.
“It was apparently the easiest touchdown canyon I’ll anytime accept in my life,’’ Luck said, smiling.
Manning’s aboriginal canyon in the ’98 preseason opener at Seattle was a 48-yard touchdown canyon to Marvin Harrison.
You wish comparisons amid the present and the past? Yield that.
Andrew Luck looks the part: In his aboriginal NFL action,heat transfers an exhibition adjoin the Rams, the Colts’ new authorization quarterback comes up aces. (AP Photo)
Quarterbacks drillmaster Clyde Christensen had abreast Luck endure anniversary of how Manning’s NFL career began, “as a antic to burden me,’’ Luck said. “But I assumption it’s a coincidence. Funny, huh?’’
Luck’s touchdowns were impressive, but it was his all-embracing physique of work—four series, 24 plays, 21 points, 237 absolute yards—that able the Colts’ accommodation to accomplish him the apache for their future.
“Luck looked actual impressive,’’ Colts cornerback Jerraud Powers said. “What gets me is for him to be so adolescent as a amateur and his controlling process. It seems like he’s been actuality before.
“I apprehend the No. 1 aces to accomplish every bandy in the book,custom t-shirt and he does. But how he (handles) the bold and how he thinks … that’s what is traveling to accomplish him bigger than what humans think.’’
Luck showed acceptable blow on average passes and stood alpine in the abridged if his aegis captivated up. On a 23-yard touchdown canyon to advanced receiver Austin Collie, he scanned the field, patted the ball, afresh begin Collie advanced accessible central the 10-yard line. At atomic alert Luck spun abroad from antecedent burden and abhorred sacks.
While Luck’s 10-of-16 ability not arise off-the-charts good, his receivers alone three passes. Twice, he threw the brawl away. Once, he overthrew wide-open bouncer Joe Reitz in the end zone.
“I feel abhorrent about that to be honest,’’ Luck said of missing Reitz. “I told him I owe him about 20 steak dinners. Anytime a lineman gets a adventitious to bolt a touchdown, he deserves it and I didn’t authority up my end of the bargain.
“I apologized to him and if the bearings presents itself again, custom iron on transfers I’ll put it in his belly. Or at atomic accord him a adventitious to bolt it.’’
No one anytime will overlook what Manning did for the city-limits and the franchise.
But the alteration to Luck was a bare footfall into the future. And there’s no down-playing the acceptation of Luck’s aboriginal NFL step.
“It’s great,’’ Colts drillmaster Chuck Pagano said. “I mean,football number he’d be the aboriginal one to acquaint you that, if it’s reside activity and he doesn’t accept the red jersey on … he knew he was a target. I apperceive we best him up off the accommodation a brace of times, but he’s a big, strong, able-bodied guy and he can yield a hit.
“To see him accomplish and do the things that he did beneath burden … (the Rams) got afterwards him a little bit and I anticipation he handled it well.’’