David Shaw believes Colts did not build around Andrew Luck properly at all
In this story:
It is not everyday that a generational prospect walks away from the sport that they are believed to be one of the best at, but that is exactly what Andrew Luck did when he retired from the NFL at 29.
The former No. 1 overall draft pick, four-time Pro Bowl selection, and NFL Comeback Player of the Year retired after just seven seasons in the NFL. Something that shocked the sports world as Luck was on a historic pace with a 53-33 record, and his 171 touchdown passes trailed just Dan Marino, Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre for the most in the first 100 starts of a quarterback’s career. The reason for his early exit, injuries.
Luck missed over 20 games, and was simply a sitting duck every time he dropped back to pass behind that Colts offensive line. Something that Stanford head coach David Shaw eluded to on The Athletic's recent podcast about why one of the sport's top players and prospects walked away.
Shaw was Luck's offensive coordinator in college and knew firsthand how dominant he could have been had the Colts built around him properly, something he felt they didn't as he explained:
“This is a lot for me, ‘cause I’m a college head football coach,” Shaw responded. “But that’s the most loaded question that I’ve ever been asked. The answer is absolutely not.”
The Colts have since cycled through quarterbacks, never quite finding one that can take them over the mountain top that Luck had them so close to. There have been efforts to lure Luck back to football, but it seems that era has passed for him. Luck on the other hand rarely makes public appearances, and is living life with his young family.