Andrew Luck returning to Stanford for 2011

I admire Andrew Luck. His Dad went to school here in Cleveland at St. Ignatious high school.

My guess is his decision was made by who owned the first pick in the draft. He had veto power over that and he employed it.

just asking ... but does Luck's decisions mean that he, and his advisors, consider an NFL lock out more likely than not?

quote:

Originally posted by CABBallFan:
just asking ... but does Luck's decisions mean that he, and his advisors, consider an NFL lock out more likely than not?

Very possible.

quote:

Originally posted by ClevelandDad:
I admire Andrew Luck. His Dad went to school here in Cleveland at St. Ignatious high school.

My guess is his decision was made by who owned the first pick in the draft. He had veto power over that and he employed it.

Is Carolina a bad place to play? Their fans aren't rabid. But it's a good organization located in a very nice area to live as long as you're not looking for a big city. Bill Cowher lives in North Carolina. If I was Luck I'd casually ask if Cowher is being considered for the head coaching position.

If the goal is becoming a professional and earning a living I don't get it if the scouts think he's ready. Matt Leinert stayed in college one year too long. His senior year cost him in the draft and financially. Going to Arizona didn't work for him, not that he didn't have an opportunity. Plus Harbaugh's departure could have an effect on Luck.

There is no, absolutely no comparison between Leinert and Luck. That particular risk is non-existent.

Leinert was supposed to be the top pick in the draft had he come out. That's the similarity I'm discussing. If the goal is to turn pro and earn a living I don't get not coming out when the time is right (first pick)? He can't get better than #1. He can get a lot worse. He could also get hurt. I read an article on liability insurance. The premium for 60M is too outrageous to consider.

Barring catastrophic injury, Luck will be an NFL superstar in the mold of Peyton Manning. Leinert had significant flaws. The two are not comparable.

If there is a catastrophic injury (career ending), he just earned quite a few million with his 'golden boy' status with the Stanford alumni network by his decision...he's going to have a very nice life regardless.

quote:

Originally posted by justbaseball:
Barring catastrophic injury, Luck will be an NFL superstar in the mold of Peyton Manning. Leinert had significant flaws. The two are not comparable.

If there is a catastrophic injury (career ending), he just earned quite a few million with his 'golden boy' status with the Stanford alumni network by his decision...he's going to have a very nice life regardless.

First there are no guarantees of being a superstar at the next level. The side of the road to the Hall of Fame is littered with can't miss prospects.

I was comparing their draft status and money related to that draft status. They were both in the same position. The only place Luck can go now is down just as Leinart did. And Luck could get injured. Football is a tough sport.

That's the craziest thing I've ever heard. Hope he doesn't break an arm or something. The point of a college degree is to increase your earning potential (I know, I know, there are other side benefits, blah blah). $50 million is a lot of potential.

You have to wonder if Luck spoke with Jake Locker prior to making his decision? Locker was projected to be a top 3 draft pick last year had he come out, instead he chose to return to University of Washington this year. You have to respect their decisions, hopefully it doesn't hurt them in the long run.

If this were my son, I would be telling him he's nuts. Everything to lose, nothing to gain. Your college coach is even likely to leave. Come out, sign the deal, and you and several generations of your family are set for life. He has a lot of years in the future to goof off.

Go back and look at the experiences of the last 2 #1 QB picks out of Stanford and the physical/mental battering one of them experienced in New England.
Elway used baseball to avoid a possibly similar fate and risk which severely impacted Jim Plunkett.
Andrew Luck will have a Stanford degree in architectural design.
Financially, he has a bright financial future if he never plays in the NFL.
Leave that for the worst offensive team in the NFL, a team in limbo and without a head coach, and in the face of a work stoppage.
I think we are underestimating the input and guidance Luck is probably receiving.
On the other hand, it seems ironic that many posts castigate baseball players and Boras for leveraging to the max dollar and here some are castigating or ridiculing(?) Luck for, possibly, not going that direction.

quote:

Financially, he has a bright financial future if he never plays in the NFL.

He has a guaranteed financial future if he turns pro. I went to college to put myself in the best position to eventually secure a financial future. A financially secure lifetime is facing him today. Or should I say is staring him in the face. If his objective is to be a pro quarterback come out for the draft. His future couldn't be brighter than right now. If his goal is to become an architect stay in school and get his degree. The Panthers are a decent organization. Assuming he's the top pick next year it could be for a worse organization.

I'll never buy Elway used baseball to avoid the Colts. If the Colts hadn't budged he would have signed eventually. He wanted to be a football player.

quote:

Originally posted by infielddad:
On the other hand, it seems ironic that many posts castigate baseball players and Boras for leveraging to the max dollar and here some are castigating or ridiculing(?) Luck for, possibly, not going that direction.

I found this ironic as well.

Luck has his whole lifetime to be a professional, and get beat up. Perhaps that is just not want he wants right now and that is his perogative.

I'll bet he's the type that the team (who picks him) is more important than the pick. I admire the fact that he has decided to remain at school, for whatever reason. I am sure he is getting advice from the best. It's not like he would have to wait 4-5 years to get more salary (as in baseball).

Now, what about you coach, Miami?

quote:

Originally posted by RJM:

quote:

Financially, he has a bright financial future if he never plays in the NFL.

He has a guaranteed financial future if he turns pro. I went to college to put myself in the best position to eventually secure a financial future. A financially secure lifetime is facing him today. Or should I say is staring him in the face. If his objective is to be a pro quarterback come out for the draft. His future couldn't be brighter than right now. If his goal is to become an architect stay in school and get his degree. The Panthers are a decent organization. Assuming he's the top pick next year it could be for a worse organization.

I'll never buy Elway used baseball to avoid the Colts. If the Colts hadn't budged he would have signed eventually. He wanted to be a football player.

RJM,
I played a round of golf with Jim Plunkett last May.
What a wonderful person.
Physically, that battering he took in New England leaves him in daily pain. He has multiple joint replacements and all that goes with it.
If Andrew Luck or any player wants to maneuver for a better NFL playing situation, I will cheer them every step of the way.
Money can be important, but it isn't everything.
Why be so persistent Luck needs to choose the NFL vs becoming an architect?
Why not cheer him on for having the goal and will to "choose" to do both, on his terms? I sure am!!!

I don't think it has anything to do with who has the first pick in the draft. But thats just my opinion. I don't think a kid turns down the opportunity to bank that kind of cash because he is concerned about the team that is going to be giving him that cash. I think its all about him as a person. I think the young man wants to get his degree. He wants to finish the job at Stanford. They have a shot to win a NC next year. I think he is very loyal to his team and his program. I think he believes another year will better prepare him for the jump to the NFL. And I think its a simple case of him knowing what he really wants to do and is comfortable with doing that.

I admire him for the decision. He has the rest of his life to chase his dream in the NFL. He understands that what he has now will never be there again if he leaves now. He wants to stay another year and I applaud his decision. Good for him. And I hope he has a great year and then moves on to the NFL and has a great career there as well. I know he is close with his head coach. But we all know players become part of a family in a program like this. Regardless of what his HC does his family will still be at Stanford.

Oh and by the way. The Panthers will probably have the first pick next time around as well. lol

quote:

If Andrew Luck or any player wants to maneuver for a better NFL playing situation, I will cheer them every step of the way.

There isn't a lot of manuevering. He could be drafted by a worse organization next year. Like the Bills. I see the stars aligned to leave. He's at the top of his draftability. He's healthy. There's the CBO agreement likely changing in a negative way for incoming drafted players. The Panthers would be a good organization to be drafted into. Chances are his coach is leaving. The only positive is playing college ball next fall if the NFL has a lockout. I'm not rooting for or against him. His decision doesn't make sense to me.

I was happy to hear it and am hoping the Redskins have first pick next year.

quote:

Originally posted by LHPMom2012:
I was happy to hear it and am hoping the Redskins have first pick next year.

Why? They will screw him up.

quote:

Originally posted by Coach_May:
I don't think it has anything to do with who has the first pick in the draft. But thats just my opinion. I don't think a kid turns down the opportunity to bank that kind of cash because he is concerned about the team that is going to be giving him that cash. I think its all about him as a person. I think the young man wants to get his degree. He wants to finish the job at Stanford. They have a shot to win a NC next year. I think he is very loyal to his team and his program. I think he believes another year will better prepare him for the jump to the NFL. And I think its a simple case of him knowing what he really wants to do and is comfortable with doing that.

I admire him for the decision. He has the rest of his life to chase his dream in the NFL. He understands that what he has now will never be there again if he leaves now. He wants to stay another year and I applaud his decision. Good for him. And I hope he has a great year and then moves on to the NFL and has a great career there as well. I know he is close with his head coach. But we all know players become part of a family in a program like this. Regardless of what his HC does his family will still be at Stanford.

Coach May - Based on everything I know from people who know him...I think you hit the nail squarely on the head. I heard this would probably happen BEFORE the Orange Bowl for exactly the reasons you stated.

I genuinely admire someone who knows and chooses what he wants...despite the naysayers.

I am more a fan of Andrew Luck, the person than of Andrew Luck, the quarterback.

RJM - There has not been more of a sure thing in college football since Peyton Manning. That opinion is widely held by nearly everyone in pro football.

There's no such thing as a lock. The player has to get to the next level and prove himself. Plenty of the following did not become Hall of Fame players.

Some of the younger players it's too soon to tell. Some have already flopped or are ordinary. The odds against quaterbacks is higher due to more variables.

First selections in the draft ....

2010 Sam Bradford QB Oklahoma St. Louis
2009 Matt Stafford QB Georgia Detroit
2008 Jake Long OT Michigan Miami
2007 JaMarcus Russell QB LSU Oakland
2006 Mario Williams DE North Carolina State Houton
2005 Alex D. Smith QB Utah San Francisco
2004 Eli Manning QB Mississippi San Diego
2003 Carson Palmer QB USC Cincinnati
2002 David Carr QB Fresno State Houston
2001 Michael Vick QB Virginia Tech Atlanta
2000 Courtney Brown DE Penn State Cleveland
1999 Tim Couch QB Kentucky Cleveland
1998 Peyton Manning QB Tennessee Indianapolis
1997 Orlando Pace T Ohio State St. Louis Rams
1996 Keyshawn Johnson WR USC N.Y. Jets
1995 Ki-Jana Carter RB Penn State Cincinnati
1994 Dan Wilkinson DT Ohio State Cincinnati
1993 Drew Bledsoe QB Washington State New England
1992 Steve Emtman DT Washington Indianapolis
1991 Russell Maryland DT Miami (FL) Dallas
1990 Jeff George QB Illinois Indianapolis
1989 Troy Aikman QB UCLA Dallas
1988 Aundray Bruce LB Auburn Atlanta
1987 Vinny Testaverde QB Miami (FL) Tampa Bay
1986 Bo Jackson RB Auburn Tampa Bay
1985 Bruce Smith DE Virginia Tech Buffalo
1984 Irving Fryar WR Nebraska New England
1983 John Elway QB Stanford Baltimore
1982 Kenneth Sims DT Texas New England
1981 George Rogers RB South Carolina New Orleans
1980 Billy Sims RB Oklahoma Detroit
1979 Tom Cousineau LB Ohio State Buffalo
1978 Earl Campbell RB Texas Houston
1977 Ricky Bell RB USC Tampa Bay
1976 Lee Roy Selmon DE Oklahoma Tampa Bay
1975 Steve Bartkowski QB California Atlanta
1974 Ed (Too Tall) Jones DE Tennessee State Dallas
1973 John Matuszak DE Tampa Houston
1972 Walt Patulski DE Notre Dame Buffalo
1971 Jim Plunkett QB Stanford New England
1970 Terry Bradshaw QB Louisiana Tech Pittsburgh
1969 O.J. Simpson RB USC Buffalo
1968 Ron Yary T USC Minnesota
1967 Charles (Bubba) Smith DT Michigan State Baltimore
1966 Jim Grabowski RB Illinois Atlanta (N)
1966 Tommy Nobis LB Texas Miami (A)
1965 Tucker Frederickson RB Auburn N.Y. Giants (N)
1965 Joe Namath QB Alabama Houston (A)
1964 Bob Brown T Nebraska San Francisco (N)
1964 Dave Parks WR Texas Tech Bos. Patriots (A)
1963 Terry Baker QB Oregon State L.A. Rams (N)
1963 Buck Buchanan DT Grambling Kansas City (A)
1962 Ernie Davis RB Syracuse Washington (N)
1962 Roman Gabriel QB North Carolina State Oakland (A)
1961 Bob Gaiters RB New Mexico State Minnesota (N)
1961 Tommy Mason RB Tulane Buffalo (A)
1960 Billy Cannon RB Louisiana State Los Angeles
1959 Randy Duncan QB Iowa Green Bay
1958 King Hill QB Rice Chi. Cardinals
1957 Paul Hornung RB Notre Dame Green Bay
1956 Gary Glick QB Colorado State Pittsburgh
1955 George Shaw QB Oregon Baltimore
1954 Bobby Garrett QB Stanford Cleveland
1953 Harry Babcock E Georgia San Francisco
1952 Billy Wade QB Vanderbilt L.A. Rams
1951 Kyle Rote B Southern Methodist N.Y. Giants
1950 Leon Hart E Notre Dame Detroit
1949 Chuck Bednarik C Pennsylvania Philadelphia
1948 Harry Gilmer QB Alabama Washington
1947 Bob Fenimore B Oklahoma State Chicago
1946 Frank (Boley) Dancewicz QB Notre Dame Boston
1945 Charley Trippi B Georgia Chi. Cardinals
1944 Angelo Bertelli QB Notre Dame Boston Yanks
1943 Frank Sinkwich RB Georgia Detroit
1942 Bill Dudley B Virginia Pittsburgh
1941 Tom Harmon B Michigan Chi. Bears
1940 George Cafego B Tennessee Chi. Cardinals
1939 Ki Aldrich C Texas Christian Chi. Cardinals
1938 Corbett Davis B Indiana Clev. Rams
1937 Sam Francis B Nebraska Philadelphia
1936 Jay Berwanger B Chicago Philadelphia

Useless information RJM.

You don't have the capability to look at it like he does. Your makeup is different and you are driven by different things than he is.

No need to argue with it, just respect it.

History isn't useful?

If a coin flips to heads 10 times in a row, does it have a greater chance to be tails on the next flip? Do you bet on red if black has landed 5 times in a row?

The only relevant facts are that a young man, with some of the best possible advisors of nearly any player in memory (more or less equal to the Mannings who stayed through their senior years) knows what he wants and isn't afraid to do just that even in the face of others who are incapable of comprehending.

I respect and admire that.

Peyton Manning wasn't a lock entering the draft either. He had a great Junior year and everyone thought he would be great. As a Senior he struggled...had a TON of interceptions (kind of like this season). As a result there were a lot of questions about him. It turned out ok for him, obviously...but he slipped his senior year.

When you're playing king of the mountain and you're on top, where is there to go but down? Obviously he doesn't care, and doesn't care about the financial impact of slipping off the top of the mountain. I think he's getting bad advise...sure hope he stays healthy.

Someone just told me that ESPN is reporting that in addition to his father and coach, he sought and received advice from Manning and Bradford.

No doubt he also received advice from Jim Plunkett and probably John Elway too.

Bad advice (advisors)? I highly doubt it. Unlike possibly any player in history, he had a very clear picture laid out in front of him from some of the best and he made his own decision.

These are some of the qualities of a leader and help (in part) to explain why is he such a great player.

Hope he's got a Yahtzee in him!

I am not sure of the rules but doesn't Luck have more time to make his decision? Coming out publicly about staying would be a pretty dang good negotiating chip. All he would have to do is have the team that gets him refurbish the Stanford stadium and his teamamtes will forgive him. Unless his family is well off, I am betting on his entering the draft.

He is the best QB I have seen in quite some time. He has everything you would look for to be successful at the next level. And the most important thing he has going for him in my opinion is his decision making ability. And this decision proves that for me. He is not in awe of himself. He is not in awe of this whole situation he finds himself in. He is willing to finish one task before taking on another in spite of the potential risks. He is willing to put aside what others would not be willing to put aside in order to accomplish "first things first." I think this decision proves more what type of person he really is than anything else. I bet his team mates in the NFL are going to find him to be a tremendous leader and a guy they can count on. I wouldn't bet against this guy. He is going to be a very special player in the NFL. It is very refreshing imo. This is the kind of guy I would love to have as the face of my team. Good luck to him.

There are no guarantees he will be successful in the NFL. There are no guarantees he will be successful if he chooses to put his highly regarded degree from Stanford to use. Either route he takes will need him to work his tail off. I think it's a safe bet that he knows this and I think he realizes that either route he goes will open many lucrative doors if he does the work necessary. We don't know the reasons that went into his decision and frankly it's none of our business. He's choosing what he thinks is best for him and I wish him nothing but the best.

quote:

Originally posted by justbaseball:

quote:

Originally posted by CABBallFan:
just asking ... but does Luck's decisions mean that he, and his advisors, consider an NFL lock out more likely than not?

Very possible.

I thought about this too. But that is a heck of a gamble.

Stu

in my opinion, you can never duplicate the college atmosphere. pro fans aren't the same. money will be there no matter what he chooses.

great choice, i think anyway.

I wouldn't read anything into the likelihood of a lockout or it's length from this. Ryan Mallett from Arkansas is coming out.

The one thing that history does tell us, is that standing on the outside, we have no way of knowing any truths, only what is told to us. History is replete with examples of fair haired boys that were cold and calculating and liars (see the recent discussion of Raffy Palmiero). Not saying Luck is this, but we really know nothing.

Here's a possible scenario. The kid loves playing football. He's looking at the possibility of both labor unrest screwing up next season, and the institution of a rookie salary cap. He doesn't want to be left standing on the outside, drafted and unsigned, with no season to play or no riches to be made. The better option is to stay, get a degree, play football and be drafted after the dust is settled.

If anyone thinks that this topic hasn't filtered its way through the conversation, they're nuts.

I personally am not going to applaud or condemn the man because I only know what I am told, and that's not enough to base this decision on.

quote:

quote:
Originally posted by LHPMom2012:
I was happy to hear it and am hoping the Redskins have first pick next year.


Why? They will screw him up.

But they usually take over-the-hill vets and overpay them. They could do well with a young, fresh hungry QB. Unless the ghost of Jack Kent Cooke really has cursed the team.

quote:

Originally posted by Tx-Husker:
Hope he's got a Yahtzee in him!

Kind of like Matt Purke? Nutty kid too, huh.

For anyone that thinks he's doing this to finish his education... If he was going in the 3rd round and signing for $500k, I suppose he could blow through that in a few years and not be able to pay for his final year.

But for $50 million, he could buy a small college. So, he's not doing this in order to finish out his last year. Many people get their college degree later in life and do well. Plus, Andrew Luck will never need to work as an architect anyway.

Also, he's obviously not doing this for money, because he could get hurt and lose the $50 mil.

So, what is this really about?

Andrew Luck's father has a great quote concerning the decision of his son and the public reaction to it. He described the decision and reaction as a type of public "Rorschhach" test.
Reactions and responses will reflect the value of those expressing their opinions.
Andrew Luck will never be an architect?.
The guy playing behind Luck at fullback, Marecic, is a two way player, likely to get drafted, who is pre-med, with around a 3.5 GPA, while working two jobs at Stanford. Is Marecic not going to medical school?
Seems like his Dad, a former NFL QB who is the AD at WVU, has a pretty good sense of things based on the variance in opinions and values reflected here.