Just read an informative article titled " Ignore the Raw Numbers, Andrew Luck Had a Great Rookie Season", by Scott Kacsmar on Bleacher Report. It was written on Jan. 9th, 2013, right after Luck's 2012 rookie season. I tried to copy and paste the link, but it's not working. It's easy to find, though. Google "Andrew Luck's Rookie Season", and you'll find it.

 

It made me aware of several things that can be easily misconstrued by simply looking at raw statistics. Luck had a rather pedestrian season based on raw stats, and it's oversimplistic to compare those stats to Bortles and come to the conclusion that Bortles is on a trajectory to stardom.

 

For example, Luck lead the Colts to 7 game winning drives in the fourth quarter, a record. Although his pass completion percentage was average, a great majority of his throws were longer than 10 yards downfield. He was sacked and knocked down a lot, so his pass protection was sub-par. He had a probable hall of fame receiver, but the rest of his receivers were young and inexperienced. His running game was nothing to brag about.

 

A short excerpt from the article:

 

<p class="">"The Colts were 11-5, and the main reason surely was not dependent on:

• Offensive line—This disastrous unit was a source for constant pressure, as no quarterback was hit or hurried more in 2012 than Luck.
  
• Running game—Excluding Luck’s runs, the ground game produced 378 carries for 1,416 yards (3.75 yards per carry). Luck had one fewer rushing touchdown (five) than his backs combined.
  
• Receivers—While everyone knows about Reggie Wayne, this unit was filled with rookies and the Donnie Avery reclamation project. Unable to create much separation, Luck’s receivers generated 39.5 percent of his yards after the catch (YAC), which was below the league average.
  
• Defense—Allowed the most points (387) ever for a team with at least 11 wins in NFL history and ranked 23rd in points per drive allowed. The Colts tied the 2011 Steelers (12-4) for the fewest takeaways (15) ever by a team with at least 11 wins."
  

Read it and give your thoughts.

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