The 2011 “Suck for Luck” Campaign
When the Indianapolis Colts entered this season with Kerry Collins at quarterback, there was much uncertainty as to whether the Colts would be successful without their franchise quarterback Peyton Manning.
When the announcement came that Manning would miss most of the season after undergoing a third neck surgery, both the league’s and fans’ perspective on the Colts shifted to negative, and for good reason. No one had started for the Colts at quarterback since Manning’s rookie season in 1998, and the quarterback had run one of the most prominent offenses in the history of the NFL.
Cartoon by Abby Gross
When Collins was first asked to fill this role and learn the entire offense in three weeks, my first thought was that there was no way anyone, let alone Collins, could take on such a daunting task, no matter how willing he was to do so. I was right.
As anticipated, the Colts started the season with an 0-5 record, making many fans wonder if the Colts could possibly be the NFL’s worst team, and whether or not picking up Collins was the right move.
Sure, many could argue that it would take longer than a month for Collins to learn a system that took Manning his whole career to build.
Let’s be honest, Collins is 38 years old, and his days of being a franchise-qualified quarterback are far behind him.
Although the season is only five weeks old, if the Colts continue to perform at a level incapable of winning football games, this could become a long and difficult season for the team and its fans. Odds are, the Colts will not make the playoffs this year, but they will hopefully win at least a few games against equally weak opponents such as the Jacksonville Jaguars.
One thing that will be similar to past seasons, though, is that the Colts will be in a race. This time, the race won’t be for a Super Bowl, but for the rights to Andrew Luck, the junior quarterback at Stanford University and projected first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.
With staggering numbers in his first three years at Stanford University and the athletic ability of a future franchise quarterback, Luck could possibly become the next Peyton Manning, if he carries that same success into the NFL.
Although this sounds all well and pleasant, the price for Luck may be the sacrifice of an entire season for the Colts. It may be a lot to accept, but if the Colts look at it this way, they are a below-average team without Manning on the field. The start of this season more than proves that. So really any effort and hope of a playoff berth looks dim, and the bid for a guy who could possibly be the next Manning looks brighter.
If the Colts do earn the right to win the Luck sweepstakes and draft the young quarterback, it could possibly take four years for fans to see Luck’s amazing talent. Manning is injured, but if Colts fans know anything, it is that Manning cares too much about this franchise and will do everything in his power to get back on the football field.
If I am not mistaken and this proves to be true, the Luck era in Indianapolis will just have to wait for now. But is that a bad thing? Take for example when Brett Favre was in Green Bay. Favre seemed to have been the face of the Packers forever, and many of the Green Bay fans feared the day when anyone else would step in under center. Favre had owned all the records, brought a Super Bowl Title home and had the longest active starting streak in the league, just like Manning and the Colts.
When Favre retired (well, from the Packers), Aaron Rodgers, who had been under Favre’s wing since being drafted, stepped in to take over the position. One Vince Lombardi trophy later, that did not seem to be a bad move after all. So if the Colts are searching for a way on how to handle the situation they are in, the way the Packers handled it is clearly the best to follow.
It is no secret the that Colts are not the same team without Manning on the field. Manning is one-of-a-kind, and more than likely there will never be another like him. Yet the day will come when he will retire, and the Colts need to start preparing for it and hope to draft this promising young quarterback. If they do, although Colts fans may not see it, the future of this franchise and it’s community looks hopeful for years to come.
