Oregon vs Stanford: Was Phil Simms Right About Andrew Luck?

The Stanford Cardinals needed a different kind of luck on Saturday as they failed to slow down the Oregon Ducks' potent offensive onslaught in a 53-30 loss, where turnovers proved to be the Cardinals' downfall, putting the ball into the Ducks' hands five times.

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions that proved critical in the Ducks pulling ahead, with the Cardinals failing to keep up with the Ducks' unpredictable, fast-paced offense.

For all of Stanford's defense being unable to stop Oregon running back LaMichael James and the speed of Oregon, especially in open space, all eyes were on Andrew Luck and whether he could pass this test after his clutch performance against USC—a game that truly tested his worth as a quarterback.

Of course, many finally saw Luck slowed down by an underrated Ducks defense that managed to force its share of turnovers and turn them into successful points afterward.

Many, including both football analysts and fans, are in the "Andrew Luck sweepstakes," betting that Luck will be the top pick in the NFL Draft, and has a bright future in the NFL.

But, Phil Simms is one of the few who have not quite entered into these sweepstakes, saying that Luck does not quite have the ability, yet, to fully contend in the NFL, saying that Luck "doesn't make big time NFL throws."

And with the way Luck played on Saturday, while we can't be certain if Simms is completely right about Luck's ability , we do know that Luck is as vulnerable as any quarterback, and that he may not make the big splash that everyone is expecting him to make.

Being a successful NFL quarterback can take time, and Luck may not be ready to take on an NFL franchise in his first year, as he has weaknesses that could do more harm that good—especially with his arm, which Simms say is not necessarily as strong as many make it out to be.

And, despite what everyone may say, Luck could do with a couple of years on the sidelines to become that franchise quarterback.

But for now, we must wait and see whether Luck can prove Simms wrong about his ability to throw the football, and hope that Stanford's loss against Oregon is not an indicator of how Luck performs in big games against bigger competition.