Andrew Luck is the Colts’ franchise quarterback, but he’s not their team leader.
Reggie Wayne recently said he considers Luck the team president, while Wayne considers himself the vice president. But Luck said on Mike & Mike that he believes Wayne, who arrived in Indianapolis 11 years before Luck, still deserves to be considered the leader.
“I still defer to Reggie Wayne as the leader of our offense,” Luck said. “But I think as a quarterback there’s a natural progression of leadership, the older you get. I definitely feel more inclined this year to share my opinion if I feel like it’s necessary, or to talk in front of the guys, or what have you. As a quarterback you assume a natural leadership role.”
What Luck can do, he said, is help his teammates understand the Colts’ new offense. New Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton was Stanford’s offensive coordinator during Luck’s final season in college, so Luck knows the offense better than his teammates.
“Not that it’s easier, but there’s definitely a much higher comfort level,” Luck said. “We are technically in a new offense, but I -- having played with it in college -- makes it so much easier to help teach it, and that is a big part of playing the position.”
But when it comes to naming one team leader, Luck will still defer to Wayne, the team’s 34-year-old elder statesman.