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Andrew Luck produced a dominant rookie season in the NFL last year, leading the Indianapolis Colts to the playoffs under an 11-5 record.
Luck did a great job, showing everything of what it takes to be a great quarterback, displaying strong passing skills, accuracy and leadership.
However, one major thing that is underrated when it comes to Luck is his ability to run the ball. Luck has shown more than enough this past season that he can scramble, and boy is his speed overlooked.
In Saturday's preseason game against the Cleveland Browns, Luck played well and showed he was ready to go this season, looking to break the popular chain of sophomore slumps among most quarterbacks. In that game, Luck threw for 164 yards and two touchdowns, but he also had 20 yards on the ground off of four carries.
After the game, Luck revealed that he didn't really know how to slide quite yet, which is a definite flaw that could lead to injuries. There's already enough evidence among quarterbacks that if you run and don't slide, you will eventually get hurt. Just look at Michael Vick or Robert Griffin III.
Colts head coach Chuck Pagano is definitely worried about this, and said he wants Luck throwing the ball a lot more and running a lot less. In fact, Pagano stated that Luck was running "way too much".
“The only thing is, he’s running way too much. I know that,” Pagano said, via the Indy Star. “We’ve got to do a better job of keeping him clear. But that’s another dimension that people have got to contend, the ability to extend plays and create.”
I don't think Pagano needs to worry much about Luck running. As demonstrated in the past, Luck will only run the ball when he really needs to -- that's it.
Besides, the Colts already have enough issues protecting Luck alone in the pocket, as he was sacked 41 times last year. Luck was sacked once in the game against the Browns.
It doesn't help much adding to the fact that left tackle Anthony Castonzo has a sprained left knee. Indianapolis has signed other tackles and guards this offseason to help with that situation, but if things don't improve, Luck could be in for another long season with his face in the turf.
