Scott Brown, ESPN Pittsburgh Steelers reporter 9y

Know the enemy: Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor has been sidelined since breaking his forearm in a 37-19 win at Carolina on Sept. 21.

But Taylor has stayed close to the team, traveling to road games and attending meetings and serving as a de facto assistant to Steelers' defensive backs coach Carnell Lake as the 12th-year veteran works his way back from injury.

Taylor has watched plenty of film of Andrew Luck and to say he is impressed with the Indianapolis Colts quarterback is an understatement.

"He has an arm like Aaron Rodgers. He's athletic and mobile enough like [Ben Roethlisberger] and he studies like Peyton Manning," Taylor said.

Taylor may be laying it on a little thick but not by much.

Luck leads the NFL with 333 passing yards per game. The third-year veteran has thrown for more than 300 yards in five straight games. If Luck does it again Sunday at Heinz Field he will break a Colts record for consecutive 300-yard passing games held by Manning.

Here is what the Steelers are saying about Luck, and yes there is more from the loquacious Taylor.

CB Brice McCain: "He's good with his feet. You've got to tackle him when he tries to move and don't let him throw the ball when he's got people wrapped on him. Sometimes you get wrapped up on him and he still throws the ball. Sometimes it will be dumb passes but we've got to capitalize off that. If he [makes bad decisions] we've got to pick them balls. We can't let him complete those balls or let the ball hit the ground."

Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau: "I think when Coach [Bruce] Arians was over there he had a quote, ‘This is the best young quarterback I've had.' Well, he had a guy with a name of Peyton Manning. We coaches always tend to live a little bit in the present [such as] ‘Our newest guy is the best one.' But still when you get that kind of praise from a man who's seen those type of players, we know he's good.

He's a combination of the athletic guys who can run and pick up a first down or keep the play alive and he has really good accuracy within his throws."

S Troy Polamalu: "You guys see what we see. He's smart, he's accurate, he's got great escapability. He's got two super-talented wide receivers, he's got two tough backs that run the rock hard and he's got a defense that does a good job of getting off the field fast."

Coach Mike Tomlin: "What he's able to do as plays break down with his legs I think creates an interesting discussion of problems for you from a defensive standpoint. They're problems that quite frankly [Manning and Tom Brady] don't present and probably have never presented. He's his own unique animal."

Taylor: "Just watching him reading his progressions from one to three or even one to four that's rare for a third-year guy but he went to Stanford so there you go with that. He's very competitive, he's bigger than what you think, he's more mobile than what you think. We've been watching tape and seeing guys just fall off of him -- and we've seen guys on him -- and he still make throws. He's a heck of a quarterback."

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