Andrew Luck: What Quarterback's Return To Stanford Means for Everyone Involved
With the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers select...Andrew Luck!
Wait...what's that? He's not in the draft? WTF, mate?
Okay, so maybe draft day won't go quite like that, but there were definitely some serious shock waves sent through the world of football, college and NFL alike, when Andrew Luck, everyone's All-Everything quarterback and the biggest reason Jim Harbaugh is going to break the bank, announced that he will return to Stanford for his red-shirt junior season.
Luck's decision has evoked a gamut of emotions around the country, from jubilation in Palo Alto to frustration in Charlotte, from disappointment in Berkeley to confusion just about everywhere.
That being said, let's have a look at the fall-out from The Decision 2.0, and what Luck's decision means for everyone with an interest in it.
Andrew Luck: No Money, No Problems
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What better place to start any discussion of Andrew Luck than with the man, the myth, the legend himself.
Some would say that Luck's decision to return is admirable, while others would say it's foolish.
On the one hand, Luck will have the chance to finish his degree course and graduate from Stanford, a noble accomplishment in and of itself, while continuing to play college football, a sport that he seemingly loves.
On the other hand, by declining to enter the 2011 NFL Draft and be taken first overall by the Carolina Panthers, Luck is potentially forfeiting $40-60 million right off the bat.
Granted, Luck may still prove to be worthy of the No. 1 overall pick in 2012, but with the prospect of a rookie salary cap as part of the next collective bargaining agreement, he'd be unlikely to land anything close to the kind of money given to Sam Bradford last year and to Matt Stafford the year before that.
Matt Leinart: Go, Luck, Go!
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Of course, college football fans have seen this story before.
Remember, not too long ago, there was a Pac-10 quarterback who looked destined to go No. 1 after guiding his team to a blow-out win in the Orange Bowl?
Remember? Matt Leinart, anyone?
Leinart looked NFL-bound after winning the Heisman and the BCS National Championship in the same year, but decided to come back for a shot at a second Heisman/national championship season.
And because he wanted to brush up on his ballroom dancing.
Leinart and the Trojans had another very good year, reaching the BCS National Championship Game for the second year in a row but this time losing to Vince Young's Texas Longhorns at the Rose Bowl.
Additionally, Leinart finished in the Heisman voting behind teammates Reggie Bush and was selected 10th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft.
Since then, Leinart's career has been something of a bust story, losing the quarterback battle to Kurt Warner and then Derek Anderson before being cut.
Thus, Leinart may offer a word of warning to young Andrew Luck:
Congratulations on your decision, but beware that your professional career may amount to nothing more than back-up duty in Houston now that you've been struck by (bum bum BUUUUUMMMMM!) the Leinart Curse!
The Student-Athlete: I Do Exist!
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As was the case with Leinart's, Andrew Luck's decision grades out as a win for the ever-fading notion of the student-athlete.
Back in the good ol' days, it was rare for any college athlete, major or otherwise, to even think about leaving school for the pros before graduation.
The story has changed quite a bit over the years, with semi-amateur athletes becoming part-time students and treating their college careers as obstacles on the way to big professional paydays.
Of course, it's unfair to criticize any athlete for doing so these days, what with all the money that the universities and their corporate sponsors make at the expense of their athletes while offering them relatively little in return.
As jaded as many fans may be, at least some can take comfort for a day or two in the notion that there are still some pre-eminently talented athletes out there, like Andrew Luck, who value their education and are still okay with a system that screws them royally.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Stanford Cardinal: Paradise Not Lost
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Perhaps nowhere in America is the notion of the student-athlete still most prevalent then at Stanford, where the football players have to take real course loads like everyone else.
As such, it's not every year that the Cardinal find themselves firmly entrenched in the top five spots in the polls as they did in 2010, as most of the top high school football talent tends to prefer attending schools that are less rigorous academically.
Apologies to Florida, Oklahoma, USC, Texas, Alabama and whoever else is likely offended by that statement.
That aside, though the 'Furd will still miss the likes of Doug Baldwin, Ryan Whalen and Konrad Reuland, having Andrew Luck around will certainly soften whatever blow those losses might render, as Luck is more than capable of making stars out of whoever is left to throw to in Palo Alto.
And if Luck can continue his stellar play next year, the Cardinal will have to be considered one of the favorites to win the Pac-12, if not the BCS National Championship, in 2011-2012.
Jim Harbaugh: Should I Stay or Should I Go?
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Of course, Andrew Luck's return might not mean much if Jim Harbaugh isn't around to guide Stanford's footballing youngsters in 2011.
As of now, Harbaugh is invariably the hottest name on the coaching market, with any and every college and NFL team with an opening (and some with head coaches) having Harbaugh at the top of their wish lists.
Having already met with the San Francisco 49ers to discuss their vacancy, Harbaugh is reportedly set to accept an offer to coach the Miami Dolphins, despite the organization already having Tony Sparano in that position.
Furthermore, though Harbaugh's NFL coaching experience is limited to a short stint as the quarterbacks coach of the Oakland Raiders in the early 2000s, he may still command anywhere from $6 million to $8 million per year thanks in large part to the reputation of his father Jack and the success of his brother John in Baltimore.
However, might Harbaugh be inclined to let the NFL wait another year now that Andrew Luck has decided to do so?
Or will Harbaugh do the (actually) smart thing and strike while the iron is hot?
Carolina Panthers: I Thought We Had a Deal!!!
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Perhaps no one, outside of Andrew Luck himself, will be more adversely affected by this decision than the Carolina Panthers.
After all, the Panthers spent all of 2010 tanking and even went through the trouble of firing long-time head coach John Fox just so they could start over with Luck under center.
In short, all the pain of a 2-14 season without the presumed light at the end of the tunnel.
Now, it looks like Carolina will either have to stick with Jimmy Clausen or start anew with a slightly-less Golden Boy.
Ryan Mallett: Cash Rules Everything Around Me
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Now that Andrew Luck is off the board, it looks as though there is a void atop the 2011 NFL Draft.
Who will step in to fill Luck's shoes, to be the next great franchise player/potential bust to be taken with the No. 1 overall pick?
Enter Ryan Mallett.
Though it's still far from a guarantee that Mallett, a junior, will declare early for the draft, such a decision would seem to be a no-brainer now that he would likely be the first quarterback taken.
And, yes, the Panthers still need a quarterback.
However, there's also a strong possibility that Mallett will return to Fayetteville for his senior year.
For one, he can't be too happy with his team's 31-26 loss to Ohio State in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
More importantly, he can't be too happy with the way he played in front of the entire country, completing only 24 of 47 passes for 277 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against the Buckeyes' defense.
NFL scouts have long expressed concern over Mallett's ability (or lackthereof) to throw accurately when his feet aren't set, both within and without a clean pocket.
Thus, despite an absolute cannon for an arm, Mallett would be far from a sure thing to go as high as most once thought should he make the lea, as most expect he will.
Oregon Ducks: So You're Saying the Pac-12 Title Isn't a Foregone Conclusion?
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Meanwhile, back on the West Coast, the Oregon Ducks are preparing to take on the Auburn Tigers in the BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Arizona on Monday.
And what, pray tell, does that have to do with Andrew Luck?
Well, win or lose, the Ducks looked like the odds-on favorites to finish atop the Pac-12 in its first season with Utah and Colorado as members.
Though Oregon is set to lose some talented players, especially on defense, they will still have Darron Thomas and LaMichael James to guide the flock to victory in 2011.
And though Luck returning to Stanford doesn't necessarily negate Oregon's ability to win the school's third conference crown in a row, it certainly makes the task that much more difficult.
Then again, it's not as though Luck has ever stopped the Ducks from winning before.
Cal Bears: Awwww, C'mon! Really?
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While the Ducks may be displeased with Luck's choice as a potential obstacle to accomplishing bigger goals, the Cal Bears are just downright dreading their next face-off with Stanford in the 2011 edition of the Big Game.
The Bears did fine against the Cardinal in Palo Alto in 2009, pulling out a thrilling 34-28 win to narrow the all-time series to 55-46-11 in Stanford's favor.
However, the story was quite different in 2010, to say the least, with Luck plucking apart Cal's suspect defense with pinpoint passes to lead the 'Furd to a dominating 48-14 win in Berkeley.
Not exactly the best way for the Bears to close out their stay at Memorial Stadium until renovations are complete.
And now that Luck will be back, Jeff Tedford's team may not get much of a reprieve playing at AT&T Park in San Francisco.
Pac-12: Still The Conference of Champions
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Overall, though, the newly-minted Pac-12 has to be pleased that Andrew Luck will be back for its expansion in 2011.
Had Luck left Stanford, the conference might have been looking at maybe two or three actually good teams, with Oregon, Utah and maybe Arizona looking down at nine or 10 markedly inferior squads.
Now, the conference will have Cardinal available in its arsenal of legitimate, BCS-worthy teams to challenge the likes of the SEC, the Big Ten and the Big 12 (if you can figure out which is which!).
Then again, there's still no guarantee that the Cardinal will be able to recapture the magic of the 2010 season in 2011, especially if Jim Harbaugh bolts to the NFL.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
