It’s been so widely assumed that Andrew Luck will be the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft that a lot of people have forgotten that Luck still has another year of NCAA eligibility and could choose to return to Stanford next season.
But Stanford coach David Shaw says he doesn’t see any way he’ll coach Luck next year. And he’s already talking Luck up as a future NFL star.
“I don’t think so,” Shaw said when asked by Dan Patrick if Luck could come back next year. “Only if I try to kidnap him and hold him in my house until after the draft. . . . The guy has accomplished so much in college football, he’s getting his degree, which is what he set out to do. Last year, physically he was ready, I think even emotionally he was ready, but he felt like he wasn’t done with college football.”
Shaw also said that Luck is far more advanced than other college quarterbacks in his understanding of an offense, noting that Luck essentially functions as Stanford’s offensive coordinator.
“He’s a guy that is deciding what plays we run,” Shaw said. “This is Terry Bradshaw, the guys back in the 70s, who call their own plays at the line of scrimmage, which is unheard of nowadays with the complexity of the defenses. Here’s a guy that reads it and decides what to do. Other systems that other people have success in, I’m happy for them. But our guy does not turn to the sideline to look for the next play.”
And so the Indianapolis Colts may go from one first overall pick who has complete control of the offense to another first overall pick who has complete control of the offense.