Andrew Luck Retires

[whaler11]

Basic rule in life: If this is a sentence you're saying, you're wrong.


Andrew Luck owes nobody anything. He loved football, it broke his body. He gets to enjoy his life and his family. Anyone booing him can go right to hell. He is voluntarily walking away from nearly $60,000,000. Its one of the bravest things I've ever seen. You criticizing him is funny because there's a 0% chance you'd ever do anything like that. I wouldn't do it either. He did. I've rarely respected a pro athlete more than him for doing this.

Colts fans should boo the crappy GM who didn't protect him.

What Ronnie Lott did was incredibly stupid and the worship of it has made lives worse for dozens of football players trying to live up to that idiotic example.


It's football. It isn't rocket science. We aren't ending hunger or doing surgery.

creating surgery though

 

[whaler11]

You can see a real deliniation between generations in the reaction to this news.

I’m still an NFL fan and will remain one - at this point the players know the risks and choose to take them.

A lot of people about 35 and younger seem to just be turned off by the violence and have slowly disengaged with the league.

I doubt this is going to become a deluge of guys walking away from big money but really what good is 50 million in the bank if you can’t remember your ATM code.

McClain on twitter the other day was scary. He’s only 34.

Le'Ron McClain on head injuries: 'I need help'

The former Alabama standout tweeted about his struggles with head injuries and frustration with the NFL on Saturday.

www.al.com

 

[whaler11]

Ha....Andrew Luck “the hero”, you can church it up all you want, in the end, the man quit on himself and his fellow brothers two weeks from the start of the season over a sore ankle. And you can only wish you were half the man of Ronnie Lott, would love for you to tell him that face to face and figure out who has the biggest nutsack. But by all mean play keyboard tough guy, you’re good at it my man

lol yeah nfl teammates are brothers. that’s what professional sports are like.

 

[storrsroars]

post/avatar?

@August_West @8893 ??

I never thought of it that way, but sure. It's a big Cheeto. However, I want to go on record as not suggesting or implying that Cheetos give one the squirts.

 

[UC1995]

Gotta agree with Gottlieb

This whole younger generation is so damn soft. “My ankle hurts, the mental stress is too much” please... Ronnie Lott got his finger tore off mid game, taped up the nub and went back out on the field. Plus you can’t even breathe on QB today without a flag.... We are witnessing the steady progression of the emasculated male. Either that or we’re give these players too much money. My mind is blown. He def deserved some of those boos.

Rant over

If you choose a game over your health I would be deeply surprised.

 

[upstater]

Griegson was a total disaster of a GM and barely helped the OL. He did not draft 9 guys early. He drafted 3 bad ones of note. You are using 7th rounders to grease the numbers- 98% of those guys don't pan out. Its like buying a Ferrari and trying to run it on basic unleaded.

No, I'm not using 7th rounders. Look it up. Your facts are just wrong.

By the way--a 3rd through 5th round pick on an interior linemen is considered high. These players rarely get picked with premium picks. Look around the NFL, most are mid-rounders with plenty of UDFAs even playing.

But you can easily look up what they did to shore up the OL in Indy:

1st Rounder Ryan Kelly
1st Rounder Quenton Nelson
2nd Rounder Jack Mewhort
2nd Rounder Braden Smith
2nd Rounder Hugh Thornton
3rd Rounder LeRaven Clark
4th Rounder Zach Banner
4th Rounder Khaled Holmes
5th Rounder Joe Haeg
6th Rounder Justin Anderson
7th Rounder Austin Blythe
7th Rounder Denzelle Good

They also brought in starting FAs like Satele, Cherilus, UConn's Donald Thomas, Herremans, Slauson.

The above numbers also leave out the fact that they drafted Castonzo in the 1st round the year prior to Luck and he was the left tackle all along.

The Colts have actually expended more draft capital than most teams on their OL. There are plenty of starting late rounders around the league, UDFAs even. Last year the Patriots, for instance, had this: 7th rounder, 5th rounder, 4th rounder, 3rd rounder, UDFA. No one drafted in the first 2 rounds started for the Patriots. The Patriots are not uncommon.

Usually interior lineman go 3-7 rounds, tackles are the premium players.

 

[Deepster]

I feel like he did quit on his teammates.

He said it was mental anguish not physical and his list of medical issues was not such that would “tear down his body”.

That said, it’s his decision. He walked away from 60m and he has every right to make that call for himself.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

No, I'm not using 7th rounders. Look it up. Your facts are just wrong.

By the way--a 3rd through 5th round pick on an interior linemen is considered high. These players rarely get picked with premium picks. Look around the NFL, most are mid-rounders with plenty of UDFAs even playing.

But you can easily look up what they did to shore up the OL in Indy:

1st Rounder Ryan Kelly
1st Rounder Quenton Nelson
2nd Rounder Jack Mewhort
2nd Rounder Braden Smith
2nd Rounder Hugh Thornton
3rd Rounder LeRaven Clark
4th Rounder Zach Banner
4th Rounder Khaled Holmes
5th Rounder Joe Haeg
6th Rounder Justin Anderson
7th Rounder Austin Blythe
7th Rounder Denzelle Good

They also brought in starting FAs like Satele, Cherilus, UConn's Donald Thomas, Herremans, Slauson.

The above numbers also leave out the fact that they drafted Castonzo in the 1st round the year prior to Luck and he was the left tackle all along.

The Colts have actually expended more draft capital than most teams on their OL. There are plenty of starting late rounders around the league, UDFAs even. Last year the Patriots, for instance, had this: 7th rounder, 5th rounder, 4th rounder, 3rd rounder, UDFA. No one drafted in the first 2 rounds started for the Patriots. The Patriots are not uncommon.

Usually interior lineman go 3-7 rounds, tackles are the premium players.

He tried but was probably the worst GM in football. He whiffed on such a tremendous amount of early picks.

 

[JohnFSilver]

I dont blame indy fans booing him at all. You are poised for a season you are a SB contender...then your best player decides to quit 2 weeks before the season. Because its "too hard". Boooo

Really?

Is there a green front around here? Sarcasm I am missing?

 

[Walker11]

Quitting on your teammates is driving home during halftime and retiring cus your team sucks.

 

[UKemba15]

Lol I love the meatheads making the argument that “tough” is when you play sports to the point that you wreck the only body you’re given to such a degree that by the time you’re 30 you’ve seen an operating table more times than many surgeons have. Because SPORTS!!!! Sports are macho!!!!

Lol, if you seriously care that much about sports that you think other people should put themselves through this for you, a. You need to find more things you enjoy in life, and b. You need to re-evaluate who tf you think you are. You are nobody. Other people don’t need to fit themselves into your definition of “tough.” Why are you so f’ng arrogant that you think anyone should give what your opinion is on their retirement?

People make choices in the best interest of themselves and their family. Andrew Luck made the right choice for Andrew Luck and Andrew Luck’s family. I’m sure it wasn’t easy. And I’m also sure that anyone who can’t just shrug and say good luck to him is a loser. Why do you care so much that a man decided he doesn’t want to play a sport anymore? It’s just sports. It’s not that big a deal. You need a new hobby. Those “fans” in Indy should be ashamed.

Thanks Peter for another edition of:

PS - I agree with your post...I just couldn’t help but picture this while reading it.

 

[upstater]

He tried but was probably the worst GM in football. He whiffed on such a tremendous amount of early picks.

That may be at other positions, but at OL, Kelly, Mewhort and Haeg became starters. Castonzo had the other position. Obviously last year they brought in Quenton Nelson and Braden Smith too and you definitely can't all them busts. Nelson was considered a top pro as a rookie. So he had a lot of support.

I'd even look at the Donald Thomas situation. He went from being fantastic in New England, signing a big contract with the Colts, losing his starting spot, and then having a big injury. It really is wild to think he was doing so well, then made a lot of money, and suddenly he was a scrub.

 

[zls44]

He tried but was probably the worst GM in football. He whiffed on such a tremendous amount of early picks.

As a Giants fan, I can't properly judge bad GMs, we're trapped in our own universe of awful rn

 

[Waquoit]

The Colts fans booing just confirms he made the right decision.

 

[Walker11]

I'd even look at the Donald Thomas situation. He went from being fantastic in New England, signing a big contract with the Colts, losing his starting spot, and then having a big injury. It really is wild to think he was doing so well, then made a lot of money, and suddenly he was a scrub.

I think your overall point seems to be that his O-line wasn't bad, but looked bad because he held the ball too long, or something. I am not going to wade through the PFF rankings but that is the only way you will convince anyone of anything. One of your problems is that you compare everything to the Pats. Your point on Thomas shows me that you get "it" somewhere deep down in your brain. Maybe Thomas was bad but looked good when he was blocking for unarguably the Goat quarterback and was under the tutelage of arguably the Goat line coach

 

[Blaneylover]

The fact that he is leaving the sport after working for his entire life to get to where he is shows you how awful these last four, injury filled, years have been for him. He's made his money. He's choosing mental and physical health over Sunday glory. Good luck to him. A truly courageous decision.

 

[AntG168]

See guys, UConn fans can be complete jokes too.

I wouldn’t have boo’d him because I totally get wanting to preserve your quality of life. But if we’re being honest it was extremely ill timed. Why not give the franchise an opportunity to replace you via draft or free agency? Again he had to make a decision best for him regardless of timing, but I totally get the fans frustration. If Aaron Judge decides to up and quit baseball right now I’d be frustrated as hell too

 

[UconnU]

I don’t blame him he has been in this injury-rehab-play a half a season-repeat cycle for a number of years now. My sense is that he already has another lucrative career opportunity lined up and he will re-evaluate his playing career in a year or two since he’s only 29 and QBs play into their 40s in today’s game.

 

[upstater]

I think your overall point seems to be that his O-line wasn't bad, but looked bad because he held the ball too long, or something. I am not going to wade through the PFF rankings but that is the only way you will convince anyone of anything. One of your problems is that you compare everything to the Pats. Your point on Thomas shows me that you get "it" somewhere deep down in your brain. Maybe Thomas was bad but looked good when he was blocking for unarguably the Goat quarterback and was under the tutelage of arguably the Goat line coach

We'll never know about Thomas. He only had one year to prove it and he did well. Then he got injured.

As for Luck, I admire that he was gritty. He was never afraid of punishment. Held the ball to the last second. But now he's done. I mean, I don't really want Joe Kapp back there. I'd rather have a wussy. Remember, "Brady is a lady."

 

[Waquoit]

I feel like he did quit on his teammates.
He said it was mental anguish not physical and his list of medical issues was not such that would “tear down his body”.

So mental reasons are less legitimate than physical ones? I don't agree, especially in football. If you're not all-in mentally you're going to get hurt. And I just watched his announcement, he talked abut being in pain throughout.

 

[navery12]

I wouldn’t have boo’d him because I totally get wanting to preserve your quality of life. But if we’re being honest it was extremely ill timed. Why not give the franchise an opportunity to replace you via draft or free agency? Again he had to make a decision best for him regardless of timing, but I totally get the fans frustration. If Aaron Judge decides to up and quit baseball right now I’d be frustrated as hell too

And if you booed Aaron Judge I'd have the same reaction that you're a bad guy

 

[mauconnfan]

We'll never know about Thomas. He only had one year to prove it and he did well. Then he got injured.

As for Luck, I admire that he was gritty. He was never afraid of punishment. Held the ball to the last second. But now he's done. I mean, I don't really want Joe Kapp back there. I'd rather have a wussy. Remember, "Brady is a lady."

Did this end up about Brady?

 

[WhereistheDove?]

That may be at other positions, but at OL, Kelly, Mewhort and Haeg became starters. Castonzo had the other position. Obviously last year they brought in Quenton Nelson and Braden Smith too and you definitely can't all them busts. Nelson was considered a top pro as a rookie. So he had a lot of support.

I'd even look at the Donald Thomas situation. He went from being fantastic in New England, signing a big contract with the Colts, losing his starting spot, and then having a big injury. It really is wild to think he was doing so well, then made a lot of money, and suddenly he was a scrub.

It’s not a great sign for Grigson that two of the guys you mentioned (he had been fired by the Nelson draft) have been largely middling starters on bad lines through their career (hard to judge Haeg at this point given his very small sample size). He just whiffed constantly and took some bad gambles on picks. Bottom line, Luck has to carry one of the least talented teams in football during much of his career. There were a handful of seasons where they made the playoffs but likely wouldn’t have sniffed 5 wins without him.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

As a Giants fan, I can't properly judge bad GMs, we're trapped in our own universe of awful rn

As a Texans fan, I was a big Ryan Grigson fan....

 

[Shine33]

Oh that’s right because everyone who plays football has Alzheimer’s.... would love to see the actual percentage and see if that argument still holds true.

Here’s an idea, let’s just ban all sports that involve physical contact....

Story time:
My father has an outlook very similar to yours. I’m 30 years old now, but my dad was my football coach through high school. I only played from youth through high school. He taught me to always hit harder than the man across from me. So I did. I was always one of the hardest hitting “toughest” on the team. Not big enough for college football nor did I ever want to take it that far. But I put guys on their butt that went to try out for nfl teams later their careers.

2 years after high school I couldn’t even sit in class to study because of severe neck pain. I had X Rays and the disc degeneration in my neck was similar to a 50-60 yo neck at 20 yo. I have lipping and spurring on my anterior vertebral bodies that literally look like spurs coming off a cowboy boot because my neck was calcifying and bracing for high impact. I used my head and shoulders as a battering ram and no adult, including my dad, was educated enough to tell me “hey this might hurt later on in life”. Instead I always received praise and respect for being tough.

Well it’s not so tough to try and figure out how you are going to get through the rest of your life without pain killers at 20 years old. Because of my experience I am now studying to be a chiropractor bc it is the only thing that has helped me and has kept me off medication. I don’t necessarily regret what happened to me bc it lead me to becoming a doctor. And I forgive my dad bc he was raised a different way and didn’t know any better. I also learned many valuable life lessons from football. It’s a beautiful sport in that it teaches life lessons.

But we can teach kids life lessons without having them run into each other full speed and causing repetitive trauma to their spine and surrounding structures.

As someone who used to love football and was very good at it myself...I can no longer stand by the attitude that you and many like you within the culture possess. It’s simply pride over intelligence. Kids and young people are out their hurting each other and causing life long damage to their one and only body they will ever be given and we glorify it and praise them. When you really think about it on a deep level. It is just dumb, and i will not let my kids play. Matter of fact I plan on advocating against it and educating parents and their kids about the dangers and the damage it causes to spinal and cerebral health.

I want to help people not watch them try to kill each other. And I don’t want kids to end up suffering the way I have if it can be avoided. And sadly many have suffered much worse than me after their football careers ended and some have literally died due to brain damage. If your pride for watching a sport is greater than your empathy for the well-being and quality of life for others, then that my friend is a problem, and imo the main problem with football culture in this country.