by Kent Sterling
Covering the St. Louis Rams last year, I didn’t get a chance to watch Colts quarterback Andrew Luck as much as I would have liked. After moving back to Indianapolis, I watched all of his snaps, and I thought he was outstanding in his rookie year and potentially the best in the NFL if the offensive line could keep defensive ends from killing him.
So when I went to lunch with one of the best respected defensive coaches in NFL history at Wolfie’s in Noblesville, I asked about just how good Luck is and how good he can be.
Venturi isn’t just an excellent football mind, but a superior communicator. He knows the game, and he’s great at explaining how the game works to people who don’t know nearly as much about it as he does.
The key to rebuilding for the Colts as the group the won the Super Bowl showed wear and tear was replacing Peyton Manning, and that would require sucking at exactly the right time. When Manning had his back surgeries and needed to sit out 2011, they went 2-14 at the perfect time to get the next generational quarterback in Andrew Luck.
It may be a stretch to issue Lunk his link in the chain of Baugh to Unitas to Bradshaw to Marino to Manning to Luck. After a rookie year that was among the most successful ever, he has the potential to be the next.