What Indianapolis Colts Quarterback Andrew Luck Can Learn from Matt Hasselbeck

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is a superstar. 

Sure, he didn't play well to start this season before injuring his shoulder in Week 3, but Luck is as recognizable a young quarterback as any in the league. Going No. 1 overall in the draft, receiving months and months of hype, setting numerous rookie records, winning several memorable playoff games and leading the league in touchdowns will do that. 

Of course, that doesn't mean he's perfect. 

Luck will be the first one to tell you that he learns from other, older players who have come before him. One of the key reasons the Colts signed backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck back in 2013 was for him to serve in a teaching role for Luck.

T.Y. Hilton said as much just before Hasselbeck was signed, per Dan Hanzus of NFL.com: "I think that would be a great move to have a vet to back up Andrew [Luck] and just teach him some of the fundamentals of the game. To have a guy like that would mean a lot to our team."

By this point, however, it would seem that Luck has the fundamentals down. This is, after all, the quarterback who led the Colts to the AFC Championship Game last season after leading the league in passing touchdowns. He kind of knows what he's doing.

But that's not the quarterback the Colts got to start the season. At least, Luck didn't look like the 2014 version of himself in any way, shape or form.

Hasselbeck, on the other hand, looked much better than most expected him to, especially after a horrible preseason that had local media members fuming. That's not to say he was particularly good, as he averaged just six yards per attempt and the offense averaged just 4.4 yards per play on the day, but he managed the offense to a few scores, enough to win at home against an awful Jacksonville Jaguars team. 

Let's be clear: Luck shouldn't be trying to emulate Hasselbeck's play. But there were things in the game plan and in Hasselbeck's decision-making that the Colts could take away as positives from the win over Jacksonville, things that should be a part of the game plan going forward. 

For one, Hasselbeck released the ball much quicker than Andrew Luck has been. 

Player	Time to Throw	Rank	Percentage of Plays Going 2.5 seconds or less	Rank	Average Depth of Target	Rank
Andrew Luck	2.60 seconds	23rd	54.6%	23rd	10.1 yards	10th
Matt Hasselbeck	2.37 seconds	6th	72.0%	3rd	8.7 yards	15th

Part of Luck's charm is how he loves to push the ball downfield, extend plays in the pocket and always look for explosive plays. But that also can get him into trouble, especially with a below-average offensive line against blitzing teams like the Buffalo Bills or New York Jets.

Hasselbeck and his game plan are much more limited than what Luck can give you, which is a big reason why the ball came out so much earlier. However, when teams are being aggressive, sometimes a quarterback has to take those easy throws early in order to get into a rhythm. 

Making decisions quickly is a key sign of a great quarterback, and it's something that Luck has not done well to start this season. Hasselbeck made his decisions quickly on Sunday, and it largely paid off. 

NFL.com

On this particular play, for example, tight end Coby Fleener was open in the middle for just a blink of an eye, but Hasselbeck pulled the trigger as soon as he saw Fleener flash between the inside linebackers. Both defenders converged on the ball quickly, but Hasselbeck's fast trigger allowed Fleener to catch the ball and turn upfield between the linebackers, picking up 15 yards on the play. 

To some extent, this is an offensive shift as well as an individual shift. 

For example, going through the entire loss to the Jets in Week 2, I couldn't find a single play where somebody flashed open in the middle so quickly, but the Colts almost exclusively used those kinds of plays against the Jaguars. Even if it wasn't the No. 1 target on the play, every play had one or two safety valves across the middle. 

With Luck, the Colts often went long stretches without giving him those kinds of options, sending everybody deep or just running safety valves into the flats. But utilizing the middle of the field gives players more room for yards after the catch and is an easier throw to get the quarterback in rhythm, especially when his fast outside options are stretching the field and clearing space. 

Of course, this also means that Luck has to do a better job of diagnosing the defense prior to the snap. This was an issue against the Jets and Bills, as the Colts routinely allowed free rushers who disrupted timing plays.

With an offensive line that will allow quick penetration, Luck needs to do a better job of identifying where blitzes are coming from and where the best option will be to take advantage of empty space. 

Obviously, the levels of opposition are different, as the Bills and Jets were much better at covering their weak spots behind blitzes than the Jaguars were, but Hasselbeck still provided a few good examples. One was on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Jaguars blitzed on the right side, and Hasselbeck found Hilton crossing from right to left for 18 yards. 

Hasselbeck also discovered a huge weakness in overtime when he found Coby Fleener going one-on-one with a linebacker on an out-and-up on the game-winning drive. 

It's not like Luck can't do these things. 

He's done them before, even during this season. But he needs to be more consistent with it this year, and offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton needs to put him in a better position to execute it as well. 

Hasselbeck limited the Colts' game plan on Sunday, and the Colts should not run the same game plan for Luck, whether it be Thursday night or going forward. 

But there were certainly elements of the "Matt Hasselbeck" game plan that would have given Luck and the offense a better chance to succeed earlier in the year. Even if the Houston Texans defense has struggled this year, it has a few terrorizing pass-rushers who will give the Colts pause in their film preparation. 

In order to protect Luck and give him some easy throws to get loose, let's see if the Colts can emphasize a quicker trigger and plays that create space over the middle for the team's playmakers to work with.