The Suck for Luck saga may be over for the Miami Dolphins.
Stanford University’s Andrew Luck, undoubtedly considered the No. 1 prospect for next year’s NFL draft, has changed the culture for bad professional teams this season.
Miami and Indianapolis are sure to be in the running. Even St. Louis, who drafted potential franchise quarterback Sam Bradford with the first pick in the 2010 draft, may still make a bid for Luck this offseason.
But there’s just something fishy about losing to “win.”
How can we be so sure that Andrew Luck is going to be as great as everyone is predicting?
There’s no doubt that Luck will be a franchise quarterback. But is it really worth purposely losing games in order to secure that elusive No. 1 draft pick?
The answer is simply no.
Suck for Luck is a stupid campaign that, primarily because of its nice rhyme and flow, became a media hit and nationwide sensation. NFL teams don’t lose on purpose. These guys are competitors. They want to win.
Until knocking off the Chiefs 31-3 last weekend, the Miami Dolphins seemed like primary contenders to finish at the bottom of the league and secure the team’s second No. 1 pick in the last five years.
Miami killed Kansas City. They embarrassed them in front of their home fans. It was a great day for Miami Dolphins football, even though it was the team’s first win of the season.
But fans were upset. Upset!
It doesn’t make sense to me. Why would you want to see your team finish last?
Granted, Miami’s quarterback situation has been pretty ugly since the departure of Dan Marino, but even so, I’d never root for the team to lose just to secure a QB with a lot of potential.
Plenty of quarterbacks in this year’s draft class have potential. As of today, Boise State’s Kellen Moore has thrown for more than 13,000 yards in his four-year career, tossing 128 touchdowns against just 24 interceptions. Moore’s Broncos are in line to run the table again, and, as expected, are set to crash the BCS for the third time in the last six seasons.
Houston’s Case Keenum has put up even more absurd numbers, throwing for more than 17,000 yards in four years with the Cougars. As of Friday, he’s thrown 97 more touchdowns (141) than interceptions (44).
Without Peyton Manning, Indianapolis now looks like the favorite in the Andrew Luck stakes, but in the unpredictable NFL, even the Colts could string together a few wins.
Luck could be the next John Elway, but I’m not hopping on the bandwagon. If Miami happened to secure the No. 1 pick, then take him, but don’t play for the future, play for the now.
I’m too dedicated to this team to root for them to lose. That’s despicable.
The Dolphins aren’t playing their way out of the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. They’re playing to win, just as they should be.