Dolphins appear to be 'Lucky' team
By now, you’ve heard some of the catchy names for the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes, which the winner will be the biggest loser in the NFL this season.
Luck has been labeled as the No. 1 pick hands-down for the 2012 draft. Heck, he would have been the No. 1 this past spring, but he decided to stay another year at Stanford University.
Instead, Cam Newton, the quarterback who led the Auburn Tigers to the national championship, went No. 1 to the Carolina Panthers and is already setting a record pace for yardage by an rookie.
From that, you can eliminate the 1-4 Panthers from the race next year. They’re happy with Newton and believe they can build around him
But, who is going to get the golden boy, the polished son of former West Virginia University and NFL quarterback and current athletic director at WVU Oliver Luck?
Also remember, Washington quarterback Jake Locker was going to be the No. 1 two years ago, but returned to the Huskies and he fell to eighth overall to the Tennessee Titans after his senior year.
Luck, however, continues to build on his collegiate legacy. The Heisman Trophy runner-up last season to Newton has completed 106 of 145 passes for 1,383 yards, 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions in leading the Cardinal to a 5-0 record.
This after a 12-1 season a year ago and 8-5 as a sophomore. All told, Luck has completed 531 of 805 passes for 7,296 yards, 59 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
He’s single-handedly made Stanford football relevant.
So, who’s the Lucky team?
Indianapolis (0-5), Miami (0-4), and St. Louis (0-4) have yet to win this year. Peyton Manning’s injured neck is the reason why the Colts have struggled. The team has been competitive in a weak division but still has a chance if Curtis Painter is not the answer and Manning cannot return by next spring.
The Rams have a young talent in Sam Bradford, the 2009 No. 1 pick, so they don’t need a quarterback while the Dolphins lost their starter, Chad Henne, for the year due to injury.
I’m sure Luck will be taking his talents to South Beach and the Dolphins will have their first star quarterback since Dan Marino.
Other teams with an outside shot could be Jacksonville (1-4, but they have a young quarterback now starting in Blaine Gabbert) and Denver (1-4, but it looks as though Tim Tebow is ready to take the reins).
Minnesota (1-4) just won its first game this past Sunday and they have an aging star in Donovan McNabb, but they picked Florida State’s Christian Ponder with their first-round pick this year. And Arizona (1-4) signed Kevin Kolb to a long-term deal.
That’s not to say any team would not draft Luck and trade their current starter or trade the No. 1 pick for more picks.
The guess here is the Dolphins will “win” the right to pick Luck. They just have to deal with playing some poor football to get there.
