Andrew Luck: What Colts QB Must Do to Build on Impressive Debut vs. Steelers

For those Indianapolis Colts fans worried that the team prematurely ended the Peyton Manning era in favor of an ill-fated drafting of Andrew Luck as the No. 1 overall draft pick in April, at least some of their concerns vanished after Sunday's 38-3 victory over the St. Louis Rams.

In his first taste of NFL action, the Stanford product went 10-of-16, throwing for 188 yards and two touchdowns while not getting sacked once against the Rams defense.

Since Sunday, Luck's performance has been hailed as one of the great preseason debuts of all time, leaving one particular owner ready to anoint the new face of the franchise as a legend already.

"

Historic beginning!!!!!!!!!!!!! The legend has begun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) August 12, 2012"

But Luck is still a 22-year-old rookie quarterback with plenty of room for improvement. Looking ahead to the Colts' second preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday, Aug. 19, at 8 p.m. on NBC), here are a few ways Luck can build on his debut.

Look More Downfield

If there is one criticism you can give of Luck's brilliant performance against St. Louis, it's that he didn't look down the field enough.

While his 11.8 yards per attempt suggest otherwise, most of the youngster's yardage came in shorter check-down throws. Luck's longest completion, a 63-yard touchdown throw to running back Donald Brown, came on a designed screen on the game's first play.

Outside of that throw, Luck's only deep completion was a 32-yard strike over the middle to Quan Cosby on a 3rd-and-10 situation.

Whether that restraint was by design or simply Luck making the proper reads, it would be nice to see him air it out a little against Pittsburgh.

Find a Connection With Reggie Wayne

Even at 33 years old, veteran wide receiver Reggie Wayne comes into this season as Indianapolis' top target.

Though that may say more about the Colts' weakness in the wide receiving corps than anything, Luck will need a big year from Wayne if he hopes for one himself.

Wayne played sparingly in the preseason opener and will likely do so again against Pittsburgh to avoid injury, but Luck needs to make a concerted effort to target Wayne more than the one time he did against St. Louis this week.

The preseason is meant for building rapport and finding game rhythm. So, if it's necessary to force a few early-game balls Wayne's way, then so be it. The Colts need their top receiver in sync by the time the regular season starts. If not, a lack of chemistry could lead to a disappointing regular season for both parties.

Prove He Can Be Great Against a Top-Level Defense

Look, no one expects Luck to come out and drop another 142.7 quarterback rating on the Steelers.

Regardless, the biggest key for Luck heading into the game against Pittsburgh is simply not falling off the cliff.

The Rams, while actually pretty good against the pass last season, came into the matchup against the Colts with last season's 22nd-ranked defense and didn't play starters extensively.

Any quarterback, even Akili Smith, can look great against questionable competition.

But, the Steelers come into their matchup against the Colts returning the league's best defense, which led the NFL in passing yards against at just 171.9 yards per game.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin will likely keep the first-team defense on the field through at least the first quarter, giving Luck his first look at defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau's intricate blitz schemes.

If Luck is able to perform well against Pittsburgh, he'll prove to teammates that he isn't a one-shot preseason wonder.

And considering Luck looked like the best pure pocket passer to come out of the draft since a guy with the initials P.M. against St. Louis, I would expect nothing less than the best from Luck.