Who will "Suck for Luck" the most?
After the first three weeks of the NFL season, we have seen compelling story lines begin to unfold. Teams usually hovering around last place like Detroit and Buffalo are undefeated, playoff favorites have losing records, and everyone is throwing so much it is leading to historic scoring. It is becoming evident which teams are actually good and which are inevitably bad.
Those who are seemingly unlucky in their quest to find wins could find luck at the end of the year. Such luck comes in the form of a six-foot-four-inch quarterback from Stanford. Andrew Luck, who would have been the number one pick had he entered the draft in April, will most likely be the top prospect next year after earning his degree. In a quarterback-driven league, having Luck on your side would be very helpful.
Through the first three weeks of the season, there are three teams leading the charge to #SuckForLuck. These three teams, based on performance, schedule, and injuries, look to have the best odds at landing the number one pick in the draft next April. Surprisingly, all three teams are in the AFC, and two were division leaders last year. Here are my breakdowns of each team and their chances of finding Luck thus far.
In third place in the “Suck for Luck” sweepstakes, we have the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins, as each of these three teams has, have started the season with an 0-3 record. Head coach Tony Sparano’s job was on the line before the season began, and will he will ultimately be out in January. A new coaching staff would mean a change in personnel, especially at the quarterback position. Unfortunately for Chad Henne, he has not proven to be an elite passer in the league and would be better off trying to resurrect his career elsewhere. For now, the Fins are an average passing team, ranking fourteenth in the league so far this season. While the passing game is not completely anemic, it has been far too long since Miami has had a great quarterback under center, and Luck taking his talents to South Beach would be more than welcome. The Dolphins have a good shot at landing Luck because of the division they play in, the AFC East. The undefeated Bills, offensive juggernaut New England and defensive stalwart Jets bring five more possible losses to the table. the Dolphins must also travel to San Diego, New York (Giants) and Dallas this season. Needless to say, Miami could put themselves in a great position to have Luck on their side next year.
FILE - This Sept. 1, 2011 file photo shows Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning(notes) on the sidelines in the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, in Cincinnati. At rear right is quarterback Kerry Collins(notes). Colts owner Jim Irsay says there is an "outside chance" Manning might return in December. Irsay used Twitter on Monday, Sept. 26, 2011, to update Colts fans on Manning's status after remarks he made during a private breakfast with Super Bowl donors (AP Photo by Yahoo! Sports).
In a close second, we have the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts seem to be the favorite for many fans in the #SuckForLuck campaign due to the Peyton Manning issue. Manning’s neck surgeries have put his season and career in doubt, and drafting Luck would be like deja vu from 1998 for Indianapolis. Who better to replace the likeable and cerebral Manning than the Texas kid with a Stanford degree in Architectural Design and Engineering? The Colts have put themselves in good shape to do just that and have Manning show Luck the ropes while he still can. Indianapolis has done so with a porous offense over the first three weeks. The signing of Kerry Collins was essentially a panic move, as Collins has not produced this season, nor has he for a long time now. Also, everyone else seems to be getting hurt. Linebacker Gary Brackett and safety Melvin Bullitt have been placed on IR, something Indianapolis refuses to do for Peyton Manning. The Colts are currently ranked twenty-seventh in passing and have only scored 46 points. It seems as if this team has completely fallen apart due to the Manning injury. Aside from playing Houston again, the Colts must travel to Tampa Bay, New Orleans, New England and Baltimore later in the season. Obviously, a strong leader at quarterback is needed for this franchise to succeed, and Luck can be that man after Manning is done.
The leaders heading into week four of the NFL season are the Kansas City Chiefs. To put it bluntly, this team is falling apart quick and rapidly turning into a disaster. The Chiefs’ two best players, safety Eric Berry and running back Jamaal Charles, are both out for the season with ACL injuries. Their first round pick, wide receiver Jon Baldwin, has yet to play due to his broken thumb sustained after fighting with teammate Thomas Jones. The Chiefs are now left with players like Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali on defense, and Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe on offense, to carry the team the rest of the way. Only Hali is truly an all-star talent, and Kansas City needs far more than the handful of good players remaining. On top of this, the Chiefs also rank thirtieth in total yards averaged, thirty-first in passing, and last in points. They have only scored 27 points while allowing 109 over three weeks. I could be wrong, maybe their losses to Buffalo and Detroit were simply proof that both teams are true contenders this season. At this rate, however, the Chiefs will be placed in a prime position to get lucky. As the division rival Raiders continue to improve, their schedule does not help, as they also must face the rest of the AFC East. There are three true tests to see how bad this team is this year, and they come in the form of games against Minnesota, Indianapolis and Miami. If Kansas City loses to two of those three teams, no one else will gain in the “Suck for Luck” campaign.
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