We're a little under two months away before the NFL Season kicks off and myself, along with a number of Football fans are beyond excited. So many stories are tied together in this upcoming season: Can the Giants repeat, how will Peyton Manning fair with the Broncos, what will Tim Tebow do on the Jets, how will the Saints be this season, but this next one really intrigues me: who will have the better rookie season: Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III?
I don't think there's been this much hype surrounding two young QB's since the Peyton Manning/Ryan Leaf affair back in 1998. But in this new age, these two young guys have a completely different skill set.
Let's start with Andrew Luck. The man the Indianapolis Colts traded almost their entire team for by picking him #1. The man that arguably has the biggest shoes to fill in Peyton Manning.
But is he really worth it? The Colts must think so if they let go of Peyton Manning. Look back at last season. The Colts won 2 games without Peyton Manning. But now, they have a new General Manager, new Head Coach, and defensive coordinator as well. They couldn't wait to clean house and give Luck the best team possible. But how will he fair in a division with the Texans, Titans, and Jags that have powerhouses on defense?
One of Luck's strengths is his ability to throw on the run, and keep himself mobile in the pocket. I believe he's better as an on the run passer than a pocket passer. Then again, these are just some of things he can fix in training camp. He's got the size and the strength and he's got receivers like Reggie Wayne and Austin Collie. The Colts are notorious for having a poor offensive line and you can't let your QB get demolished in the backfield. The thing with Peyton Manning is that he could release the ball so quickly that he could mask the faults of his offensive line. This is something Luck is going to have to adjust to if he's going to make it past two games. Hell, he's going to need it in his very first game.
The Indianapolis Colts open the season on the road against.......The Chicago Bears. Good Luck. Jay Cutler just got his favorite weapon in Brandon Marshall back and Urlacher and Co. can't wait to get at the young boy.
And now, we have Robert Griffin III. This man has pretty much been billed as "The Next Big Thing." He's on almost every Football related commercial. He's obviously a pretty big deal.
The one misconception people have with RG3 is they think he's like Michael Vick, but he's the opposite. Michael Vick's strength has always been the ability to use his speed and feet to get out of sticky situations. Now, although that's what RG3 does most of the time, that's not his first priority. He's a pocket passer first and a runner second.
There's both good and bad with this RG3 signing. The good is that he already has a pretty damn good team around him. If Rex Grossman can put up the numbers he did, RG3 should be able to pass that and then some. You've got guys like Santana Moss, Brandon Banks, Pierre Garcon coming over from The Colts, Chris Cooley, and a solid defense. Added to that, you've got Mike Shanahan who could be a great mentor. RG3 has the skills, the mobility, the accuracy, the arm strength, and everything else in between. The hype around him has surpassed Andrew Luck, but can he deliver? All eyes are on him. I think the kid has what it takes to be big.
Here's where it gets a little bad. He plays in one of, if not, the toughest divisions on Football: The NFC East. He's going to see Michael Vick and Desean Jackson twice a year along with the Dallas Cowboys and the defending Champion New York Giants. RG3 has his work cut out for him indeed. How's he going to fair against teams this elite with defenses that are so aggressive and nasty? Or in this case, how will me match against an already elite QB?
Case in point, RG3's first game will be against.....Drew Brees and The New Orleans Saints in the SuperDome. Drew Brees is still Drew Brees no matter how you slice it and The Saints have seemingly been unstoppable in the SuperDome.
The Saints have had controversy surrounding them all offseason with the bounty scandal and all the suspensions, so this could be the chance for an upset, or a really, really bad debut for RG3 and Co.
Guys like Matt Ryan and Cam Newton have set a new standard for rookie QB's. If you aren't successful, make an impact, or at least put up big numbers in your first year, then you're automatically deemed a failure, or bust by the "experts." Andrew Luck and RG3 have some big money and some big hype to live up to. I know I'll be watching them all season to see how they do.
The only time we're going to see these two guys go up against each other will be in the preseason. RG3's Redskins take on Andrew Luck's Colts on August 24th at 4 p.m. on the NFL Network.
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By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete
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