Indianapolis Colts: Full Breakdown and Depth Chart Analysis at Quarterback

The most important position in the National Football League is quarterback, there is no debate on that.

Fortunately for the Indianapolis Colts, there is also no debate on who will carry the team at that position for 2015, as well as for years to come.

Andrew Luck is, for all intents and purposes, the franchise. As he goes, so go the Colts. While most franchises are dictated, to some extent, by the quarterback position, Luck has been in a bit of a unique position over the last three years, bearing a weight of both responsibility and expectation that few others have faced.

Though he has his weaknesses, Luck has handled said responsibility with remarkable aplomb, and the Colts have gone to the playoffs and advanced further in each of the last three seasons. Luck has cemented himself as the premier young quarterback in the league, and there are zero doubts on whether or not he can lead a franchise.

So what can we expect from the quarterback position in 2015? What is the plan, and will it matter if Luck goes down with an injury? What kind of fantasy projections does Luck fit in 2015?

The Fourth Year

Last season, Andrew Luck had his big breakout season. It was the year that Luck was supposed to establish himself as a top-five quarterback in the league, the clear best young piece to surround with a team when building for the future. While he may not have been the most efficient quarterback last season, he was one of the most productive while maintaining above-average levels of efficiency.

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

Luck led the league in touchdown passes last season and was third in yards while maintaining top-ten numbers in passer rating and yards per attempt. In adjusted net yards per attempt, which includes factors for interceptions and sacks taken, Luck finished fifth in the league.

While Aaron Rodgers is currently head and shoulders above the rest of the league (outside of maybe Peyton Manning when healthy), Luck is about to embark in just his fourth season and is rapidly approaching Rodgers' levels of capability. Luck showed tremendous ability to hit any throw last season, with remarkable control over his throw speeds and the athleticism to pull the trigger from any angle in the pocket.

While he does have areas to improve, namely his consistency and turnover tendencies, Luck does far more good than he does bad, and he carried the Colts' one-dimensional offense to great heights last season.

The most exciting part about all of it is that Luck has only just finished his third season.

Player	Year	Yards	TDs	INTs	ANY/A
Peyton Manning	2000	4413	33	15	7.22
Tom Brady	2002	3764	28	14	5.54
Drew Brees	2003	2108	11	15	3.91
Tony Romo	2006	2903	19	13	7.19
Ben Roethlisberger	2006	3513	18	23	4.97
Eli Manning	2006	3244	24	18	4.99
Aaron Rodgers	2007	218	1	0	6.90
Matt Ryan	2010	3705	28	9	6.23
Joe Flacco	2010	3622	25	10	6.39
Matt Stafford	2011	5038	41	16	6.98
Cam Newton	2013	3379	24	13	5.69
Russell Wilson	2014	3475	20	7	6.72
Andrew Luck	2014	4761	40	16	7.28

With the peak years of most quarterbacks coming between the fourth and 10th seasons, the 25-year-old is just now entering his prime, and he is certainly still on the upswing. With an upgrade of weapons in 2015 and an increase of pre-snap control, progressions and understanding of defenses, Luck has a chance to take another big step in 2015.

We saw the increase in production as offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton let Luck loose last season, now we're looking for him to continue that stellar production with an increase in efficiency. At a young age, Peyton Manning mastered this, not seeing a dip in production while maintaining high efficiency. Matthew Stafford did not, regressing after a stellar third season.

The Backup Plan

With Matt Hasselbeck backing up Luck, the Colts might have the two best quarterbacks in the AFC South.

It's a cruel joke, but not one that's far from the truth.

Perhaps Blake Bortles or rookie Marcus Mariota have more upside, but Hasselbeck has 16 years of experience under his belt.

Regardless, the Colts have not shown enough talent on the rest of the roster to be considered a contender, or even a playoff team, without Andrew Luck. It's not quite 2011 levels of ineptitude, but losing Luck for an extended period of time would likely spell doom for the Colts' 2015 season.

*Violently knocks on wood*

Make no mistake, Hasselbeck still fills a role on this team, albeit a lesser one than he likely could have found elsewhere. But the veteran returned to Indianapolis in 2015 because it's his best chance to win a Super Bowl, even if it's in a reduced role.

With his experience, he can see things that Luck sometimes misses. He's a valuable piece for the offensive coaching staff to work with and bounce things off. And, most importantly, he could potentially manage the Colts offense (especially with the current levels of weaponry) at an adequate level if Luck were to miss a game or portions of one.

But don't plan on him leading a Luck-less team to the Super Bowl.

The Colts do need to start looking for a backup to take over after Hasselbeck presumably retires next offseason, but for 2015, the spot is in good hands.

Fake Football

One of the season-changing pieces in fantasy football last season, Luck is poised to be the top quarterback of the 2015 fake football season as well.

His weapons have been upgraded to a massive degree, with Andre Johnson and rookie Phillip Dorsett joining T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief at wide receiver, and Frank Gore and rookie Josh Robinson joining Dan Herron at running back. At tight end, the duo of Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener return, with Allen potentially at peak health for the first time since 2012.

It's hard to describe how much the Colts' weapons have improved from 2014, but it's kind of like going from a good hamburger to a top-notch steak. They're both beef, there are similar elements, but the quality is on a completely different plane.

With a strong mix of youth and experience, Luck is primed to repeat, if not improve upon, his outstanding 2014 performance.

As Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports makes the case, Luck as the QB1 of 2015 doesn't make for an outlandish top selection in redraft leagues: 

"

Luck is like grandma's spaghetti, he's good nearly every serving. In each fantasy regular-season contest (Weeks 1-13) last year, he registered at least 21 fantasy points, eclipsing 32 big ones seven times. And he accomplished that with fantasy cesspool Hakeem Nicks and petrified wood Reggie Wayne. Rodgers, meanwhile, failed to reach the 20 fantasy point mark five times. ...

At some point soon, possibly as early as this year, Luck will join Tom Brady and Peyton Manning in the 50-TD club. He's a unique talent blessed with a fantastic setup who's just now entering the prime of his career. There's room for his 0.56 points per dropback in 2014 (No. 4 among QBs) to grow. Even if his numbers remained unchanged or he experiences a slight decline this fall, he would still net a Round 1 value. If you're after security, there simply isn't a better option.

"

 Of course, if we're talking dynasty start-ups, Luck's in a whole different category from everybody else.

Full Steam Ahead

There are many questions and concerns about the Colts roster heading into 2015 and beyond, but they don't exist at the quarterback position. 

With so many teams around the league continuously searching for the franchise guy, the Colts have hit the jackpot for a second time with Andrew Luck. It's a position that every team in the league is envious of.

Now they just have to take advantage of it.