Week seven leaders in NFL “Suck for Luck” campaign

STANFORD, CA - OCTOBER 08: Andrew Luck #12 of the Stanford Cardinal throws the ball during their game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Stanford Stadium on October 8, 2011 in Stanford, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Six weeks have passed in the 2011 NFL season, and things have been as exciting as ever. Teams are overachieving, coaches are fighting, but the focal point of this blog entry is how bad certain teams are. As everyone knows, there is a certain lucky gift given to the worst team this season at the end of the year. The question is, who is the worst team thus far, and therefore, the leader in the “Suck for Luck” campaign?

Coming in at third place are the Minnesota Vikings. Yes, I know the St. Louis Rams are win-less while the Vikings have won once, but the Rams are so blindly in love with Sam Bradford that I think they’d be foolish enough to pass on Andrew Luck. Then again, Vikings fans could say Christian Ponder is the future in Minnesota. My response to such a statement would be this: NO. If Bradford cannot hold a candle to Luck, Ponder wouldn’t even be allowed to be near a lucky presence. With or without Luck, Ponder is not the answer for the Vikings. Should the team be so lucky as to have the number one pick, they would be smart to admit their mistake and draft the Stanford quarterback. It’s obvious Donovan McNabb is done in Minnesota, and perhaps in his career. The Vikings have produced a pitiful passing offense this season, relying too heavily on Adrian Peterson to run the ball. With Luck under center, Minnesota would have it’s best quarterback since Fran Tarkenton, and a well-balanced offense.

At second place in the “Suck for Luck” race, we have the Indianapolis Colts holding down the spot. The Colts are 0-6, but have shown signs of life in more than half of their losses. Quarterback Curtis Painter has done a decent job after taking the reigns from Kerry Collins. Painter is no Peyton Manning, but he’ll have to suffice for the time being. The defense still has a productive pass rush to keep them in as many games as possible, and the wide receivers have contributed greatly to the limited success on offense. The biggest reason the Colts remain in second place for Luck is because of the situation the young quarterback would enter: backing/following Manning. If the Colts drafted Luck and Manning returned next season in full form, the quarterback controversy would make headlines each and every week. When the time came for Luck to become the starter, all hell would break loose. Imagine the Aaron Rodgers-Brett Favre controversy times 10. I would compare it to Steve Young and Joe Montana in the early 1990’s; the media gobbled up every bit of it, fans were irate, and no one fully accepted Young until he won a Super Bowl. No high draft pick, especially Andrew Luck, should have to deal with immediately replacing Manning. I daresay that if the Colts land the number one pick, Luck may decide to stick around Stanford another year.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 17: Bart Scott(notes) #57 of the New York Jets, Mike Pouncey(notes) #51 and Vernon Carey(notes) #72 of the Miami Dolphins help up quarterback Matt Moore(notes) #8 of the Miami Dolphins after he was sacked during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium on October 17, 2011 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Charging to the forefront of the “Suck for Luck” campaign are the 0-5 Miami Dolphins. ESPN insider Adam Schefter seems to agree. Miami is falling apart quickly and has no severe threat on offense (or defense for that matter). There is talent with players such as Reggie Bush, Davone Bess and Brandon Marshall, but they need someone to get the ball to them quickly and accurately. Outside of that talented bunch, there isn’t much to get excited about on this roster. Chad Henne’s injury means he will be out in Miami, as well as coach Tony Sparano. Quarterback Matt Moore is nothing more than a bandage unable to stop the Dolphins from bleeding, just like Sage Rosenfels. It’s a shame the Dolphins didn’t trade for Kyle Orton when they had the opportunity at the end of the lockout. It’s also unfortunate that Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown was too stubborn to trade Carson Palmer (who is now a Raider) to Miami. This league revolves around quarterbacks these days, and Miami will continue to spiral without one. The Dolphins need a true leader to turn this team around, and Luck can be that man. Luckily for Luck, the Dolphins have had such terrible quarterbacks since Dan Marino, no one would expect him to replace the legend; all Luck would have to do is win.

Leaders in NFL “Suck for Luck” campaign

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.