After Colts owner Jim Irsay took it upon himself to gut the
entire organization from the front office to the players, the Patriots welcome
the new-look Indianapolis Colts into town. With QB Andrew Luck at the helm,
this proves to be a rather intriguing matchup.
The number 1 overall
selection in the 2012 NFL Draft has conducted himself in a Manning-like manner
– promoting hard work, and quickly taking on a leadership role. Despite
Andrew’s skills, as well as his will to win at the next level, it is hard to
believe that there will be much luck at Gillette on Sunday.
Exceeding his expectations out of Stanford, Luck has drawn
comparisons to Peyton Manning from every angle. While it is impossible to
compare a rookie to a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Luck hasn’t quie fallen short of
the outline set before him.
At 6-3, Luck has been a pivotal factor in each of
Indianapolis’ victories – exhibiting heroic leadership along the way.
Be that as it may, Andrew Luck has the insurmountable task
of going punch for punch with the one and only Tom Brady. It is because of this
that his attempt at heroism in Foxboro will ultimately be unsuccessful.
While Luck is fully capable of carving up the Patriots’
secondary like a Thanksgiving turkey, the old adage stands: Rookies make rookie
mistakes. Just a theory here, but with Colts RB Donald Brown questionable, the
Patriots may be in the fortunate (perhaps unfortunate?) position of forcing Luck
to pass more often by stifling the run. If the defense can exhibit more of a
zone-blitz scheme than last week, the Patriots can pressure Luck into those
second and third reads that rookie QBs often struggle to make. Containing
Indy’s receiving corps – Reggie Wayne, in particular – will be of chief
importance to make this plan work. While
the secondary catches a lot of heat for the defenses’ woes, a victory on Sunday
will be up to the front seven and their ability to pressure Luck.
For a matchup vs. a rookie quarterback, this one will
probably be closer than expected. The Patriots have just enough firepower on O
to keep Andrew Luck at bay
.
Prediction: Patriots
31, Colts 23 (7-3)
No comments:
Post a Comment