The Biggest Takeaways From Andrew Luck's Retirement

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From once being touted as a lock, future Hall of Famer, to early retirement at the young age of 29, the seven year career of Andrew Luck will unfortunately stand in time as the latest addition to a list of promising NFL careers cut short and utterly wasted. By now you've probably become familiar with how it all went down:

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After a dismal 2-14 season in 2011, with then franchise quarterback Peyton Manning sidelined with a career threatening neck injury, the Indianapolis Colts were presented with the rare opportunity to transition from one game-changing QB to another. The team proceeded to draft Andrew Luck with the 1st overall pick in 2012, allowing Manning to move onto greener pastures in Denver with the Broncos. Indy believed themselves to have made the right choice, as the stud prospect Luck would prove believers in his promise right, leading the Colts to three consecutive 11-5 seasons to start his NFL career, reaching the AFC championship game at their peak. Sadly, such successes would never again be achieved for the remainder of Luck's career, as thanks in large to the Colts declined defensive unit and offensive line, Indy would fail to make the playoffs for the following three seasons. It was not until the general manager and head coach of the team at that point were eventually fired and replaced, and a proper rebuild was done, were the Colts able to garner any success and return to the postseason last year. By then, however, most of the damage had already been done to Andrew Luck, both physically and mentally.

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In his first five years in the league, you would have been hard pressed to find any quarterback that had been hit more often than Andrew Luck. With the Colts offensive line in such a lacking state for several years, defenses were practically given free reign to hit, tackle, and sack Luck however they pleased. They responded accordingly. As a result, Luck was forced off the field for extended periods of time, even having to miss an entire season in 2017 to rehab and recover from injuries sustained in the seasons prior. To the Colts credit, it was the right move, as when he did eventually return for last season. Luck turned back into the superstar he was always projected to become. In fact, Luck and the Colts had such a resurgent year that they were considered by many to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender going into this season. But as we know now, another injury sustained in the offeseason pushed Luck over the proverbial edge, leading him to opt into retirement.

As we sit here today, looking back his career, it seems pretty clear who is to blame for Luck's ultimate downfall. Former Colts general manager Ryan Grigson failed miserably to put the necessary pieces around Andrew Luck, and for years let him go out onto the field to get mercilessly and excessively pummeled by opposing defenses.

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Jim Irsay, the Colts owner, is also richly deserving of blame for Luck's early retirement. It's almost impressive how you could have two can't-miss QB prospects lead your team in the form of Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck for the better part of the last twenty years and come out of it all having won a grand total of one world championship. And I know you've had to go through the likes of the Patriots, Steelers, and Ravens to even get to the big game, but one title? Like damn dude. More specific to Luck, Irsay simply let Grigson, and for that matter former head coach Chuck Pagano, stick around for far longer than he should have. Had they been let go of sooner things might have turned out differently, but I guess now we'll never know.

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If I'm being honest, I think Andrew Luck deserves some blame for himself as well. The Colts organization took advantage of him for years, and he let them do it. Don't get me wrong, staying loyal to the team that drafted you is rarely (if ever) frowned upon in sports, especially in the NFL. However, there is something to be said for that team not giving you the help you clearly needed and seemingly never speaking up or out about it. Had Luck done that, or flat out ask to be traded elsewhere, it's possible that things would have worked out for the better of his career and overall health. But again, we'll never know.

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Now the biggest question is "what does everyone take away from this?" For current players and future prospects (especially quarterbacks) I believe this should influence them to put things in perspective as it pertains to playing this game and in this league, reminding them to keep their health and overall morale as a high priority, no matter the financial or contractual commitments they have or may soon make. Moreover, this should encourage players to take ownership of their careers, not only by trying to make as much money as possible, but also to get themselves onto teams whose goals and values align with their own and gifts them the best opportunity to compete for championships. Because I assure you, had Luck in the midst of all the hierarchical turmoil with the Indianapolis Colts instead been with the Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, or maybe even the Tennessee Titans competing for championships, he wouldn't have retired last week. For team executives and front office groups of the present and future NFL, Andrew Luck's early retirement should emphasize that even when you have an all-pro, hall of fame caliber talent at quarterback, it doesn't matter if you give him an elite wide receiver like Odell Beckham, a stud running back like Ezekiel Elliott, or a top notch tight end like Rob Gronkowski, without a solid offensive line good enough to protect that quarterback, the ball will only move but so far up the gridiron. As for the Indianapolis Colts organization, there really isn't much to do at this point except maybe sign a backup quarterback, and use this season to figure out what you have in Jacoby Brissett to determine where to go from here. For future reference though, should a quarterback as talented and/or promising as Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck fall to your laps again (given your luck I'd say it's likely), I'd advise you not to make the same mistakes you made with Luck.

How did you react to Andrew Luck's retirement? Who do you think is most responsible for his career ending so shortly? Where do you see the Colts going from here? Feel free to comment down below or reach us on Twitter (@WeAreSPRTSVille) or Instagram (@sportsville1) to share your opinions with us.

We want to wish Andrew Luck all the best moving forward!