Mike Wells, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Robert Griffin III's benching proves again Colts made right choice with Andrew Luck

INDIANAPOLIS -- The first regular-season meeting between quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III officially ended before it even started when Colt McCoy was named the starter in Washington on Wednesday.

No Luck vs. RG III. No battle between the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the 2012 draft.

While it’s easy to point to Griffin’s win-loss record and definitely his benching to say the Colts made the right decision in picking Luck, many say it was an easy decision even before commissioner Roger Goodell stood at the podium on April 26, 2012, and announced that Indianapolis had selected Luck with the No. 1 overall pick.

Wednesday’s benching of RG III just validated it.

“Everybody in our building knew there was only player to take,” Colts punter Pat McAfee said. “He had been touted as the next John Elway since his sophomore year [at Stanford]. We were all excited to see how good Andrew Luck was going to be. I think we got really lucky with a legendary quarterback coming out of college and taking the place of some of the biggest shoes ever in Peyton Manning.”

Bill Polian, the Colts' general manager during their 2-14 season in 2011, watched every throw Griffin and Luck made on video during their time at Baylor and Stanford, respectively. One difference, though, is that Polian watched Griffin in person only twice and he watched “at least six" of Luck’s games in person.

What separated the two?

“It was quite close because they were both outstanding quarterbacks, outstanding winners, outstanding people,” said Polian, now an ESPN analyst.  “I told [owner] Jim Irsay we can’t go wrong with either guy in terms of their ability but we should take Luck, two days before I was let go. We wanted the whole template of a quarterback. We weren’t looking for one individual thing and we weren’t looking to replicate Peyton because I don’t think that could be done.”

Irsay preferred Luck too because, according to Polian, Griffin ran too much and he feared  he'd get hurt. Irsay was right, because Griffin’s career changed when he injured his knee late in his rookie season when he won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and led the Redskins to the NFC East title.

Irsay and Colts general manager Ryan Grigson both declined interviews.

Griffin lost some of his athleticism, lost some of his confidence and now he’s lost his job. He's only 4-14 as a starter since his rookie season.

“Some people say it was closer than you think; I don’t really believe it,” ESPN NFL scout Matt Williamson said. “I think RG III, eight out of 10 years is the No. 1 pick. But 10 out of 10 years, Luck is the first pick overall. He’s a special player and I think the gap was pretty wide.”

The Colts were just one victory away from sliding to the No. 2 pick and selecting Griffin, possibly putting them in the same the situation the Redskins are currently in. That possibility ended when Colts closed out the 2011 season with a 19-13 loss at Jacksonville.

Indianapolis is thankful it lost that game to Jacksonville because it got its franchise quarterback for at least the next decade in Luck. All he’s done is win 11 games in each of his first two seasons, and he is in position to lead the Colts to the playoffs for the third straight season and to a second straight AFC South title.

So just like the Colts did when they selected Manning over Ryan Leaf in 1998, they wisely made the right decision in picking Luck over Griffin.

“You have a guy like Luck who has the same attributes as Peyton Manning but can run the ball and move in the pocket,” said Colts running back Trent Richardson, who was the No. 3 pick in 2012. “There was no way [the Colts] couldn’t take him as No. 1. You have a guy like RG III, he is what he is and that’s a playmaker and he makes plays. Everybody knew Luck was that guy from the beginning. He just makes plays.”

^ Back to Top ^