Andrew Luck Retires from the NFL

Rough Carrigan

reasons within Reason
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
It only takes a small portion of the fans to be obnoxious and boo. Every fan base has some obnoxious fans. This scenario is nothing like Gronk because, as pointed out, Gronks retirement was rumored and not completely out of the blue. He would’ve been booed anywhere by some fans, including some who, after reflecting on it, would’ve realized how horrible it was
This is so true. 10% or less of a fan base can be assholes of some particular kind and the other 90% are all labelled based on them. As Sox fans, it was frustrating to hear that a black player had been called a racial slur at Fenway and the other 35,000 in the park and the whole fan base in the region gets labeled as that based on two assholes from southie or whereever. It almost empowers the two assholes to make them the story. I bet a majority of the Colts fans at the game felt some combination of disappointment, regret, frustration with the guy, etc and said nothing. But the 10% who somehow decide that he's not gung ho enough for their vicarious standards become the story. It's unfair but there's no way around it.
 

BoSox Rule

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
2,343
I’m not gonna bad mouth the guy. With the injuries he had, and the O-line and team he’s been on, I’m confident in saying he’s one of the toughest players to have played.
 

Captaincoop

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
13,487
Santa Monica, CA
I’m not gonna bad mouth the guy. With the injuries he had, and the O-line and team he’s been on, I’m confident in saying he’s one of the toughest players to have played.
This is a league where guys have played defensive line in playoff games with broken arms, and had fingers amputated to avoid missing a game.

I would contest any application of superlatives here.
 

snowmanny

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 8, 2005
15,667
Meh Frank Reich did this too.

In Luck’s one AFCCG he went 12-33 126 2 INT and lost 45-7.
He had some very good games, beat Rodgers a couple times, beat Peyton a couple of times. Won two division titles and made the playoffs four times . Going 0-6 against NE with 12 INTs and a point differential of, um, -127 is going to color our view a bit.

Ed: not necessarily inaccurately.
 

Granite Sox

Member
SoSH Member
Feb 6, 2003
5,055
The Granite State
It's not so much that they booed - I think a lot of fan bases may have in that moment, maybe - but Colts fans have this holier-than-thou attitude (they got it from their head coach! ha), so fuck them.
It really is the epicenter of white Christian privilege and smug self-righteousness.
I’ve mentioned it before, but I was an embedded Pats fan living in Indianapolis from 2003-2016. The height of Manning/Dungy/Polian all the way through SpyGate, Suck for Luck, and DeflateGate. These two quotes are 100% spot on. Indianapolis is actually a nice place to live, but Colts fans are awful for the reasons stated above.

They are doing all kinds of pretzel-twisting claiming that a few bad apples don’t represent the whole fan base, but if it walks like a duck...
 

Seels

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2005
4,948
NH
Luck was at best twice a top 10 QB in the league. His draft status left him chasing a reputation he never lived up to. By any/a he was top 10 once, by passer rating twice. By DVOA once, last year. He's been bad in the playoffs.

The Hall of Fame trajectory talk for him is way off base. He was a good, not great qb, that rode his draft stock for a long time. Maybe the Colts could have given him more help, sure, I can buy that. But my immediate reaction would be to point to Russell Wilson who has had even less on offense and put up significantly better numbers. People had been predicting Luck to have a top 5 season for a while, but it never happened, and I don't buy that it would have necessarily ever happened.
 

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
SoSH Member
Sep 27, 2016
21,759
Pittsburgh, PA
His 28- point playoff comeback against the Chiefs is his signature moment, and it’s a damn good one.
This is fair, he played very well that game. It's just not nearly significant enough to be the foundation of a HOF credential, especially being in the WC round. If he wasn't going to drag a good team into becoming a championship contender anytime in his first 7 years, he probably wasn't going to suddenly do so in the next 7, particularly once his team no longer had the benefit of having him on a rookie contract.

Russell Wilson is likelier to end up in the HOF than Luck was had he continued, even assuming average injury status going forward for the next decade. He played the exact same 7 years as Luck, never failed to start a game (112/112) won a title, came within a Belichick brainstorm of winning another, had the good fortune of having excellent coaching and defense, and doesn't throw a lot of INTs (1.9% to Luck's 2.5%). He has racked up counting stats galore, with rate stats that aren't much to sneeze at, and you and I can easily think of a half dozen famous moments he made, starting with that insane 2-point play to beat Rodgers. 13 playoff starts in 6 seasons, out of 7 played (Luck: 8 starts, in 4 seasons out of 7). And given that his hype train has had to take a back seat to the 3 contemporary inner-circle HOFers competing brilliantly into their late 30s and beyond, he frankly might be underrated.

Luck would be behind a lot of other contemporaries in line, absent some total change in his career arc (like, Steve Young-grade). There's almost nothing to point to if you want to support an argument that he was not merely good but great. The idea that he was on some HOF track, before the pain of rehab and setbacks sapped his will to compete, seems ludicrous to me.

edit: dammit Seels.
 
Apr 24, 2019
1,278
I agree completely. If David Price had retired from the Red Sox at the end of spring training in 2016 or 2017, do people think Sox fans wouldn't have booed him? Shit, they were already booing him. If I'm sitting in the old Foxboro Stadium for a preseason game, in 2000, and they put on the 39 inch television that passed for a jumbotron, that Drew Bledsoe announced his retirement, you bet your ass I would have booed him.

This isn't Gronk retiring after winning 3 championships, and having to play football looking like a giant padded bionic man, at one of the most physical positions on the field. Andrew Luck was the highest paid player in the NFL at one point, and proceeded to literally not play football for almost 2 years, while making amassing the GDP of a small country. The team, and the fans stood by and waited for him to come back, and he returned last season and played great. Now, he's got an ankle sprain, and he's done? Fuck that. As a fan, I'd be fucking pissed when just as my team is about to turn the corner from mediocrity to an actual contender, he blows it all up, ten fucking days before the season? GTFO with that. To me, he sounds like a guy who simply didn't enjoy the daily grind anymore, or the bumps and bruises, and training camp bit him in the ass and he quit. He is, of course, well within his rights to do what he wants, but the fans are just as well within their rights to boo him and his decision.

As far as I'm concerned, they all deserve each other. The Colts organization, Andrew Luck and the Colts fans. They can all go back to irrelevance .
Whoa whoa whoa - David Price? David Price is easily one often most reviled world series winning Red Sox of all time. How is this an apt comparison to Andrew Luck? I hate that guy NOW, hated him last October while being thrilled that he pitched well a few very important times. Luck is a beloved figure, generally speaking, who did things “right” and with humility and sportsmanship, and who performed pretty damn well. David Price is, to a lot of us, a necessary evil and an undeniable dick.
 

E5 Yaz

Transcends message boarding
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 25, 2002
90,017
Oregon
[B]Troy Aikman[/B]‏Verified account @TroyAikman
That’s total bullshit Doug. What qualifies you to decide how someone should live their life? So you’re now the authority on what motivates Andrew Luck? And if his decisions don’t fit into what you think is best for him then you rip him? Guess that keeps you employed on FS1. Nice
 

Van Everyman

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2009
26,993
Newton
It's also pretty clear that Gronk was beaten up and was closing in on the end of the road. Sure he could play for two or three more years but he was clearly not the same player he was just a few years ago.
Not to drag this off topic but I don’t necessarily buy this. Gronk obviously wasn’t the same receiver during the regular season in 2018 as he had been – but the year before he was every bit as great as ever. It’s entirely possible, poss. even likely given that he had a really good postseason, that he’d have been the Gronk we knew this season had he chosen to come back. He just didn’t want to put himself through it.

And that’s really the point. These guys shouldn’t have to continue playing this game according to our priorities but theirs. Which is partly why I look at Brady as some kind of machine. If your body hasn’t broken down after 20 years, it’s hard to believe your mind and will to continue hasn’t.
 

mauf

Anderson Cooper × Mr. Rogers
Moderator
SoSH Member
[B]Troy Aikman[/B]‏Verified account @TroyAikman
That’s total bullshit Doug. What qualifies you to decide how someone should live their life? So you’re now the authority on what motivates Andrew Luck? And if his decisions don’t fit into what you think is best for him then you rip him? Guess that keeps you employed on FS1. Nice
Wow, I guess Fox doesn’t have the same rules ESPN does about employees not criticizing one another publicly. (Or maybe they do, and Aikman decided in this case he’d accept whatever admonishment comes his way.)
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,619
CT
The booing by Colts fans is disgusting and Luck acknowledged during his press conference he heard them and was hurt. Say what you want about his stats not living up to his draft status and hype, the dude was a tough SOB that played hurt constantly, putting the team before himself.

Reminds me a lot of Ricky Williams. Another dude that took a physical beating and was vilified for smoking weed to deal with physical pain and anxiety. In retrospect, he was probably a decade ahead of his time.

Good for Luck for walking away and being able to live his life. He’s a millionaire many times over. He doesn’t need to play football anymore to make a living or provide for his family.
 

johnmd20

mad dog
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2003
61,996
New York City
SoSH has a weird vested interest in diminishing the other quarter backs in the league. Luck was never given a chance because Ryan Grigson put him behind a line that left him as a QB who got hit more than any other QB in the league. People do this with Aaron Rodgers, too. It's weird. Rodgers throws an INT and it's like, "The GOAT with another great pass." It's baffling.

Complimenting another player does NOT mean Tom Brady isn't the best QB of all time. Respecting their skill doesn't mean Tom Brady doesn't have the fastest release and best decision making process. It's fine. It's ok. Luck dragged this crappy team to 4 playoff wins. That's pretty impressive. How did the Browns do in the same time frame? The Titans? The Giants? Miami? Houston? Tennessee?

Pointing to the Pats murdering the Colts is hilarious, because the Pats murder everyone. If that is the standard, every team is terrible. And maybe they are.
 

pappymojo

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 28, 2010
6,667
SoSH has a weird vested interest in diminishing the other quarter backs in the league. Luck was never given a chance because Ryan Grigson put him behind a line that left him as a QB who got hit more than any other QB in the league. People do this with Aaron Rodgers, too. It's weird. Rodgers throws an INT and it's like, "The GOAT with another great pass." It's baffling.

Complimenting another player does NOT mean Tom Brady isn't the best QB of all time. Respecting their skill doesn't mean Tom Brady doesn't have the fastest release and best decision making process. It's fine. It's ok. Luck dragged this crappy team to 4 playoff wins. That's pretty impressive. How did the Browns do in the same time frame? The Titans? The Giants? Miami? Houston? Tennessee?

Pointing to the Pats murdering the Colts is hilarious, because the Pats murder everyone. If that is the standard, every team is terrible. And maybe they are.
The guy just retired. I think it's okay to talk about his career. Others simply disagree about how good Andrew Luck truly was.
 

johnmd20

mad dog
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2003
61,996
New York City
The guy just retired. I think it's okay to talk about his career. Others simply disagree about how good Andrew Luck truly was.
Luck was great. He was better than good. His teams were horrendous for basically the duration of his career. His offensive line was offensive. The Colts were 4-12 in 2017 when Luck was out. They were 10-6 last year and won a playoff game.

That's Luck. Not luck. Diminishing Luck's career because his team was poorly managed is tough to take and arrogant. He literally took the most hits of any QB for years. We know how much of a toll that can take.
 

Byrdbrain

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
8,588
Luck was great. He was better than good. His teams were horrendous for basically the duration of his career. His offensive line was offensive. The Colts were 4-12 in 2017 when Luck was out. They were 10-6 last year and won a playoff game.

That's Luck. Not luck. Diminishing Luck's career because his team was poorly managed is tough to take and arrogant. He literally took the most hits of any QB for years. We know how much of a toll that can take.
I agree it's dumb but it isn't unique to SOSH or Pats fans in the slightest.
There are plenty of people on twitter who are fans of other teams who bash Brady(system QB, product of BB, lucky) in a ridiculous attempt to elevate their guy which lately seems to be mainly KC fans and Mahomes.
It seems to be something at a small subset of fans need to do for whatever reason.

Edit: I guess I should say something about Luck since it is a thread about him.
I think "great" is a little strong but much of that is due to the circumstances he found himself in. He was a potentially great QB who in the end had a very good but short career.
 

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
SoSH Member
Sep 27, 2016
21,759
Pittsburgh, PA
I really don't think it's bashing the guy to say that, looking at his career in retrospect, he wasn't on a HOF track. Which is what got us started on his career rather than the retirement itself.

Yes, he was a good QB and made his team, particularly his OL, look better than it was. So does Matt Ryan. But I think you can put at least 8-10 contemporaries ahead of Luck, and I really doubt a quarter of the league is starting HOF talent at QB at any given time.

Nobody mentioned any comparisons to Brady, or was taking umbrage at praise of Luck. Heck, I praised him too. Assuming that any critical word about any player is somehow a defensive reaction is pretty dumb too, but I guess that's standard fare on BBTL.
 

Byrdbrain

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
8,588
To be clear my statement was just a generic reply to the statement of SOSH bashing other QBs, I wasn't calling any particular post in here dumb just the natural reaction of some fans to belittle anyone but your guy.
 

johnmd20

mad dog
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2003
61,996
New York City
I really don't think it's bashing the guy to say that, looking at his career in retrospect, he wasn't on a HOF track. Which is what got us started on his career rather than the retirement itself.

Yes, he was a good QB and made his team, particularly his OL, look better than it was. So does Matt Ryan. But I think you can put at least 8-10 contemporaries ahead of Luck, and I really doubt a quarter of the league is starting HOF talent at QB at any given time.

Nobody mentioned any comparisons to Brady, or was taking umbrage at praise of Luck. Heck, I praised him too. Assuming that any critical word about any player is somehow a defensive reaction is pretty dumb too, but I guess that's standard fare on BBTL.
Well, considering you're the only person who "predicted" (in hindsight) that Andrew Luck was retiring, I would grant you the fact that you are the foremost authority on this subject.
 

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
SoSH Member
Sep 27, 2016
21,759
Pittsburgh, PA
Well, considering you're the only person who "predicted" (in hindsight) that Andrew Luck was retiring, I would grant you the fact that you are the foremost authority on this subject.
You mean in the post where I said "I wouldn't say I predicted it, but I wasn't surprised"?

Do doctors still need to be able to read, or just talk at people?

edit: and just to add substance to this, I'd like to point out that the football commentariat has been echoing around similar sentiments.

Deadspin:
Luck was always a prime candidate to cut his own career short, given both his injury history and—GASP!—his open affection for outside interests, namely architecture.
SI MMQB:
Eighteen months ago, I remember being with a bunch of coaches and scouts at the NFL combine, and a buddy of ours who has known so many of these quarterbacks forever, threw out that he thought Luck might not come back from the shoulder injury. It wasn’t that this guy had inside info on what was bothering Luck. He just had knowledge of who Luck was.

Ultimately, he was wrong about that, since Luck came back to win the 2018 Comeback Player of the Year award, but had the right idea—that Luck didn’t need football the way so many other guys do.
USA Today:
Not only does the sport hurt on a play-to-play basis, but it can cause injuries which end up causing life-long pain to the player and, in some cases, to those around that player. So while Luck’s retirement came as a shock to some, the truth is that it’s not surprising. The Indianapolis Colts quarterback has made $97 million, and is leaving the NFL to pursue a more full life. He has the choice to step away from work, retire young, travel the world and diminish the amount of daily pain he endures.
Plenty of people were taken utterly by surprise, but a fair number were not, for reasons both personal (Luck's outside interests) and professional (injuries).
 
Last edited:

bakahump

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jan 8, 2001
7,520
Maine
Good for luck.

But dont forget there are also 1000s of Military who joined for college or lack of any another opportunity. They risk injuries just as bad and worse up to and including death. All for much less compensation and a much grimmer future.

So while I wont argue its good that he is retiring and living the life he created, I personally am not gonna give his thoroughly charmed life a second thought after this post.

I wonder if Luck could take some counseling from Vets who have been spit on or refused service at restaurants in dealing with the boos.

Sorry....P&G thoughts.
 

Dogman

Yukon Cornelius
Moderator
SoSH Member
Mar 19, 2004
15,180
Missoula, MT
On topic please. Personal and passive aggressive stuff should be left at the door or for printing on banners and hung at Lucas.

Thanks.
 

Ralphwiggum

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 27, 2012
9,826
Needham, MA
Good for luck.

But dont forget there are also 1000s of Military who joined for college or lack of any another opportunity. They risk injuries just as bad and worse up to and including death. All for much less compensation and a much grimmer future.

So while I wont argue its good that he is retiring and living the life he created, I personally am not gonna give his thoroughly charmed life a second thought after this post.

I wonder if Luck could take some counseling from Vets who have been spit on or refused service at restaurants in dealing with the boos.

Sorry....P&G thoughts.
This is just such a bizarre take. We are on a sports message board largely dedicated to talking about dudes (and sometimes women) who can play kids games at the highest level, and get paid millions of dollars for it. Lots of them lived very charmed lives, and have wealth and privileges that the average person, veteran and non-veteran alike, can't begin to dream of. Literally nobody is comparing Andrew Luck to anyone in the military, or anyone else in the world who wasn't blessed with freakish athletic talents. And he certainly did nothing to insinuate that he is more deserving of sympathy than a veteran who got spit on.
 

snowmanny

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 8, 2005
15,667
SoSH has a weird vested interest in diminishing the other quarter backs in the league. Luck was never given a chance because Ryan Grigson put him behind a line that left him as a QB who got hit more than any other QB in the league. People do this with Aaron Rodgers, too. It's weird. Rodgers throws an INT and it's like, "The GOAT with another great pass." It's baffling.

Complimenting another player does NOT mean Tom Brady isn't the best QB of all time. Respecting their skill doesn't mean Tom Brady doesn't have the fastest release and best decision making process. It's fine. It's ok. Luck dragged this crappy team to 4 playoff wins. That's pretty impressive. How did the Browns do in the same time frame? The Titans? The Giants? Miami? Houston? Tennessee?

Pointing to the Pats murdering the Colts is hilarious, because the Pats murder everyone. If that is the standard, every team is terrible. And maybe they are.
My objection is the plenty of times he was felt to be a top 5 or, more to the point, a top 3 or top 2 quarterback. That always seemed based on potential and wishes than actual production. Too many interceptions, too many other guys who accomplished more. The Steelers suck without Ben, the Seahawks would suck without Wilson, the Saints would suck without Brees, the Packers suck without Rodgers, the Patriots sucked with Brissett, the Texans aren't the same without Watson. He was a top 10 guy for sure, probably a little better than that, which is very very good.

As for your last question, the Texans made the playoffs the same number of years, won four division titles to the Colts two, and won three playoff games.
 

Doug Beerabelli

Killer Threads
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
I think it's understandable for some fans to boo Luck (not "right", certainly not classy, but understandable) in reaction to the shocking news that had just been found out. Regardless of Luck's motivations and sincerity, his decision pretty much torpedoed their playoff/SB run - that would certainly lead to an initially upset reaction of some, or even many in the concentrated sample size of Colts fans in the stadium.

I personally don't agree with that response, and certainly would hope the reaction of most Colt fans after the "heat of the moment"is long gone would be more measured, understanding and appreciative.
 

Captaincoop

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
13,487
Santa Monica, CA
This is just such a bizarre take. We are on a sports message board largely dedicated to talking about dudes (and sometimes women) who can play kids games at the highest level, and get paid millions of dollars for it. Lots of them lived very charmed lives, and have wealth and privileges that the average person, veteran and non-veteran alike, can't begin to dream of. Literally nobody is comparing Andrew Luck to anyone in the military, or anyone else in the world who wasn't blessed with freakish athletic talents. And he certainly did nothing to insinuate that he is more deserving of sympathy than a veteran who got spit on.
It's kind of surprising that more guys don't quit around the age that Luck is quitting.

The Y.A. Tittles of the world kept putting up with the brutal NFL grind year after year because they had to in order to ensure their future ability to eat and live in a house. Quarterbacks today make enough money in five years to never work again.

To keep getting smashed by juiced up cyborgs and then recovering, and then working feverishly all offseason to get in shape to get smashed again...when you already have $50m in the bank? You have to be addicted to football like it's heroin.
 

dcmissle

Deflatigator
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Aug 4, 2005
28,269
I think it's understandable for some fans to boo Luck (not "right", certainly not classy, but understandable) in reaction to the shocking news that had just been found out. Regardless of Luck's motivations and sincerity, his decision pretty much torpedoed their playoff/SB run - that would certainly lead to an initially upset reaction of some, or even many in the concentrated sample size of Colts fans in the stadium.

I personally don't agree with that response, and certainly would hope the reaction of most Colt fans after the "heat of the moment"is long gone would be more measured, understanding and appreciative.
I think you put it in context well. My first reaction to the booing was, dirtbags.
 

Super Nomario

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 5, 2000
14,012
Mansfield MA
My objection is the plenty of times he was felt to be a top 5 or, more to the point, a top 3 or top 2 quarterback. That always seemed based on potential and wishes than actual production. Too many interceptions, too many other guys who accomplished more. The Steelers suck without Ben, the Seahawks would suck without Wilson, the Saints would suck without Brees, the Packers suck without Rodgers, the Patriots sucked with Brissett, the Texans aren't the same without Watson. He was a top 10 guy for sure, probably a little better than that, which is very very good.
I think the unfortunate part (or one of them) of Luck's career is that we were just about to find out to how good he really was. I don't think there's any dispute that he had a subpar supporting cast - the Colts went 2-14 the year before he got there, and 4-12 two seasons ago when he missed the season - but it was starting to come together. Between a better offensive line and more short passing, Luck got sacked the least and posted his highest completion percentage and passer rating in 2018. With Ballard and Reich and some young talent, things were trending in the right direction. But now we'll never know.

Prior to 2007, Brady's numbers were not really that special. Obviously he had the Super Bowl rings, but there were plenty of people who saw him as carried by the D. Others pointed to a middling set of receivers he had to throw to. Then Brady got weapons commensurate with his peers and started putting up MVP-type numbers, proving the Brady backers right. Imagine if had torn his ACL the first week of 2007 rather than 2008 and never was able to work his way back, and we never really saw what he was really capable of? I'm not saying Luck is Brady, but I am saying injuries and supporting cast cheated us out of seeing how good/great he could have been.
 

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
SoSH Member
Sep 27, 2016
21,759
Pittsburgh, PA
Here's some additional context from B-R's Mike Freeman that could probably go in the Future of Football thread, too:

Just hours before Luck stood on a podium Saturday and told the football world he had no choice but to leave the NFL because football was wrecking his body, Le'Ron McClain went to social media and pleaded for help for a wrecked mind.

"I have to get my head checked," McClain tweeted. "Playing fullback since high school. Its takes too f--king much to do anything. My brain is f--king tired...@NFL I need some help with this s--t. Dark times and its showing. F--king help me please!! They don't care I had to get lawyers man!

"Need to tell my story of how my head is crazy and how football did it.... Please someone help me get this out the @NFL puts paperwork in our faces and thats it. Yes its programs f--k all that I need help now I need a plan..... F--k Man. They dont f--king get it man."

It was a public cry for help. And even if Luck didn't indicate he's had any such issues, you know this must have been a big part of why he left a sport he loves so early. It's the fear of becoming McClain—maybe not McClain specifically, but the idea of him. It's the fear of becoming like a legion of former players who can't walk straight. Whose knees are gone. Whose brains are failing because of thousands of hits.
It goes on, and might be hard to read, but that's Luck's context, that's his day to day backdrop.

Also makes me wonder what happened in the 70s, 80s etc, long before Jovan Belcher, long before Junior Seau. Were they just not reported-on? Were suicides just not something that was discussed, because it was viewed as a character flaw? Were former non-HOF players just forgotten about and nobody cared? It's not like the game has gotten substantially more punishing in any regard since those days, and players just weren't getting battered the same way.
 

Captaincoop

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
13,487
Santa Monica, CA
Historically, NFL players prior to recent years committed suicide at something like 50% of the frequency of the general public.

In the last 20 years that may have changed.

The game has changed a lot as well, so it's probably hard to say why the suicide rates are what they are. Guys are bigger and faster now, and until very recently the high impact hits were way more common than they were in, say, the 60s.

Also, we talk a lot about the head trauma, but not as much about drug use, which considering how common PEDs are in the NFL, is another factor to think about, and one that probably started in earnest in the 70s.
 

Jimbodandy

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 31, 2006
11,405
around the way
There's no need to tear the guy down, especially since he's retiring. But the eulogizing here is a bit heavy handed. The guy accumulated pedestrian numbers in the age of the QB. A lot of that wasn't his fault.

Good that he didn't feel the need to keep punching the clock when his heart wasn't in it. Shame on those calling him out for retiring.
 

E5 Yaz

Transcends message boarding
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 25, 2002
90,017
Oregon
There's no need to tear the guy down, especially since he's retiring. But the eulogizing here is a bit heavy handed. The guy accumulated pedestrian numbers in the age of the QB. A lot of that wasn't his fault.

Good that he didn't feel the need to keep punching the clock when his heart wasn't in it. Shame on those calling him out for retiring.
As pointed out earlier, his "pedestrian numbers" were comparable after 6 seasons to QBs named Montana and Brees
 

dcmissle

Deflatigator
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Aug 4, 2005
28,269
I think the unfortunate part (or one of them) of Luck's career is that we were just about to find out to how good he really was. I don't think there's any dispute that he had a subpar supporting cast - the Colts went 2-14 the year before he got there, and 4-12 two seasons ago when he missed the season - but it was starting to come together. Between a better offensive line and more short passing, Luck got sacked the least and posted his highest completion percentage and passer rating in 2018. With Ballard and Reich and some young talent, things were trending in the right direction. But now we'll never know.

Prior to 2007, Brady's numbers were not really that special. Obviously he had the Super Bowl rings, but there were plenty of people who saw him as carried by the D. Others pointed to a middling set of receivers he had to throw to. Then Brady got weapons commensurate with his peers and started putting up MVP-type numbers, proving the Brady backers right. Imagine if had torn his ACL the first week of 2007 rather than 2008 and never was able to work his way back, and we never really saw what he was really capable of? I'm not saying Luck is Brady, but I am saying injuries and supporting cast cheated us out of seeing how good/great he could have been.
This is a very interesting and provocative way of viewing his career. I agree. I also tend to think we have see the last of him in uniform.

The roster construction there during his pivotal years was basically criminal. This may not account for all the injuries, but it leaves a giant what if.
 

Leather

given himself a skunk spot
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
28,451
Here's some additional context from B-R's Mike Freeman that could probably go in the Future of Football thread, too:

Also makes me wonder what happened in the 70s, 80s etc, long before Jovan Belcher, long before Junior Seau. Were they just not reported-on? Were suicides just not something that was discussed, because it was viewed as a character flaw? Were former non-HOF players just forgotten about and nobody cared? It's not like the game has gotten substantially more punishing in any regard since those days, and players just weren't getting battered the same way.
I imagine there was a lot of self-medicating through alcohol, and any subsequent decline was blamed on the booze and not the football.
 

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
SoSH Member
Sep 27, 2016
21,759
Pittsburgh, PA
As pointed out earlier, his "pedestrian numbers" were comparable after 6 seasons to QBs named Montana and Brees
Leaving aside the fact that the similarly scores are based 100% on year-by-year AV, which makes their value for anything fairly questionable, the top names for career-long comparison purposes are Aaron Brooks (who also appears top-3 on 3 of the 4 limited-years lists), Danny White, and David Garrard, and the rest of the career-long list isn't any more distinguished.

AV-wise, Luck has the legitimate distinction of having a very consistent good AV number all 5 of his healthy playing years (13, 15, 16, 16, 15). So what you're seeing in those 6-year comparisons are players whose 5 highest AV-years were pretty similar to his when ranked in descending order, and whose 6th-highest was closer to the 4 from Luck's 2015. Why that happens to match Montana best through their top-6 years I'm not sure, because Montana's 6th-best year by AV was a score of 14. So when doing career-long comparisons, Luck's 0 in 2017 helps match the 0 that Aaron Brooks put up the last year of his 7-year career (and Brooks' 6th-best AV of 7 in his first year is a lot closer to Luck's 4).

The list explicitly doesn't compare anything about style, just about "career shape in terms of value", so that players with slow-and-steady contribution are differentiated from those who burned bright for a few years and then burned out. You'd have to get to Montana's 14th-best season before he put up a number as low as 4. So to the extent that the similarity-score list tells us anything, I think the "career" line is the only thing that says anything useful at all.