Whatever The Reason, Andrew Luck Made The Right Decision

Andrew Luck has decided he’s going back to Stanford for another season.

The Cardinal’s stud quarterback, unquestionably set to be the No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, is passing up millions upon millions of dollars and the surefire opportunity of a lifetime to wear maroon and hit the books next year.

Some, like ESPN’s Ron Jaworski or the Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan, will talk about how refreshing his decision is and that despite how great of a quarterback he is, Luck is an even better person.

That’s great. I bet you all could guess that Jaws was the one to provide that stellar bit of information on Luck’s personality.

Unfortunately, no one will care about what a great person he is if he stinks it up between the lines once he finally does grace an NFL field.

Joey Harrington was a much better person then football player and how do people view the former Oregon great’s NFL career? Exactly.

Anyway, I digress. Most people will talk about how stupid Luck is for returning and babble on about all of the negatives. A number of fans, namely Carolina Panthers supporters, will be upset with his decision.

Here is a text message I received shortly after the news broke Thursday from a college buddy who lives in Charlotte and is a diehard Panthers fan:

“(Expletive) Luck. I hope he tears an ACL. (Expletive) idiot. You work your whole life to become the No. 1 pick. I hope the Bills or Raiders get the 1st pick next year. Maybe he’ll go to grad school.”

While I understand this display of anger and fury, here’s a newsflash for my friend and all the other haters out there: Luck doesn’t have to explain his decision to you or me or anyone, really. He made the best decision for himself and that’s all that really matters.

The kid is going to graduate from Stanford University with a degree in architectural design, which means he is really smart. Can’t we assume that he took the time to carefully consider his options in the biggest decision of his life?

I would also assume that Luck knows himself really well and, while every scout and draft analyst on the planet thinks he is NFL ready, he must have come to the conclusion that he isn’t ready for the next level.

What’s more important: What Mel Kiper, Jr. thinks or what Luck himself believes?

In hindsight, there are a number of quarterbacks that decided to forgo a year or two of college for the fame and fortune of the NFL that maybe should have taken a step back to evaluate whether or not they were as ready for the elite competition as they were the monetary gain.

Ryan Leaf. Akili Smith. JaMarcus Russell. Think they wish they could do it all over again?

Maybe Luck was being totally honest when he said in his statement that he was going back because he was committed to receiving his degree; or he believes Stanford is a legitimate contender for the 2011 National Championship and wants an opportunity to cross that off his list of career accomplishments; or maybe he just wants to go back to get chased by the abundance of California tail that also calls Stanford home.

Now, who’s the fool?

Whatever the reason may be, I say best of luck. Pun intended.

For the record, I tend to agree with those who believe Luck is making the wrong decision for a variety of reasons.

First and foremost, he is a lock to be the No. 1 pick this spring which means his stock can only go down. Give scouts an extra year to nitpick and they’ll find some flaw in your game—just ask Matt Leinart, who was a lock to be the top selection in 2005 before deciding to return to USC for his senior year. Leinart had another great season, but slipped to No. 10 in 2006.

It’s also a bad business move. Even if he is taken as the top pick in 2012, Luck is losing an estimated $10 million by passing on the NFL in 2011. The next collective bargaining agreement is sure to implement a rookie pay scale to put an end to first year players being handed outrageous amounts of guaranteed money before they participate in their first rookie minicamp.

So while Luck would be in line to receive more than the $50 million in guarantees that were given to last year’s top pick, Sam Bradford, he instead will be rewarded with whatever amount the league deems reasonable.

There’s no telling what that number will be, but all indications are it will be significantly less than what he would get this year.

There’s also the risk of suffering a career-ending injury which, in football, can always happen on the next play; the fact that by ESPN’s count, Stanford is losing 12 of 22 starters from this year’s team and it’s very likely that Head Coach Jim Harbaugh will leave for the pros.

Like the majority, I believe Luck should follow his coach.

That might mean something if he gave a damn what I think.

For more, visit my website at www.pointbartemus.com, a sports forum.