ANDERSON – All week, Andrew Luck heard the rave reviews.
They came from former Colts coach Tony Dungy, Pro Bowl receiver Reggie Wayne, veteran defensive lineman Cory Redding and Adam Vinatieri, the best clutch kicker in NFL history. The consensus: Luck is no ordinary rookie.
Luck, the No. 1 overall draft pick, disagrees.
Its always very nice when two guys of such high caliber (Dungy and Vinatieri) say those things, but I feel like a scrub rookie every day, so far, he said.
Scrub rookie?
Luck, the $22.1 million man, took most of the snaps at practice this week, a trend thats likely to continue throughout camp and the regular season – and something few rookies get to do.
Dungy praised Lucks decisiveness on the opening day of camp, saying Luck looked like a third- or fourth-year player. Safety Tom Zbikowski, a former Notre Dame standout, made it clear Luck certainly doesnt act like a rookie. Wayne applauded Lucks ability to throw a strong ball, and almost universally, players and coaches believe Lucks intelligence is off the charts.
Andrews going to be good. Hes going to be really good, Wayne said. Hes really smart. He knows whats going on around him. He understands the concept; he understands the terminology. He understands it all.
Luck appreciates the compliments, but hes just trying to be realistic. Like most rookies, his early performances have been up and down.
Reporters who charted Lucks throws through the first six practices pointed out he was 122 of 162 with seven touchdowns in team drills. In Sundays workout, he was 28 of 41 with five TDs.
Luck, who has been hyped as the most NFL-ready quarterback to enter the league since the Colts took Peyton Manning with the No. 1 overall pick in 1998, is worried about another number – five interceptions.
So when asked to grade his performance in Week 1, he responded bluntly: Too many interceptions.
He didnt throw any Sunday.
To correct the mistakes, the Stanford grad has been working overtime to review practice video and read defenses better. Hes gotten a full immersion into how to play against the complicated 3-4 defense. Hes spent countless hours memorizing the playbook and working with receivers on timing.
Yes, Luck has carved out a little time for a few other things.
He signed hundreds of autographs for gleeful fans when practice ended. He spent some time with his father, Oliver, when the West Virginia athletic director made an impromptu appearance Friday at Anderson University, a Division III school about 30 miles northeast of the team complex in Indianaplis. And, of course, there was that singing exhibition.
Otherwise, Luck has been a workaholic.
After a dismal 2-14 season, team owner Jim Irsay cleaned house. He brought in Chuck Pagano, a first-time head coach; Ryan Grigson, a first-time general manager; and released Manning to give Luck a clear path to the starting job.
But Luck isnt the only player learning how to do things with these new-look Colts.
Of the 90 players on the current camp roster, 32 played with the Colts last season and some of those returnees, such as Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, are lining up in new places.
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