[Kathy]

Luck's first NFL pass was for a TD in the Colts' 38-3 win over the Rams. (Last rookie to do that was Peyton Manning in his first NFL game ... with the Colts.)

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/luck-gets-g...--nfl.html

[Kathy]

Luck's first NFL pass was for a TD in the Colts' 38-3 win over the Rams. (Last rookie to do that was Peyton Manning in his first NFL game ... with the Colts.)

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/luck-gets-g...--nfl.html

[FarmBoy]

I watched the first half. Same ol' Luck, but it sure felt weird watching him in whites with blue stripes. His receivers made some nice catches, too, on some balls thrown into tight windows. The commentators were especially impressed by the way he held the safety down in the middle of the field before throwing out to the right on the second TD. It's worth checking out the highlights on NFL.com.

Fleener did not perform as well, with a drop on a very catchable ball.

It's funny to see some Indy fans express admiration, BUT they will never forget the great Peyton Manning. They are so attached to him that they feel like their committing adultery by appreciating the performance of their new QB.

[FarmBoy]

I watched the first half. Same ol' Luck, but it sure felt weird watching him in whites with blue stripes. His receivers made some nice catches, too, on some balls thrown into tight windows. The commentators were especially impressed by the way he held the safety down in the middle of the field before throwing out to the right on the second TD. It's worth checking out the highlights on NFL.com.

Fleener did not perform as well, with a drop on a very catchable ball.

It's funny to see some Indy fans express admiration, BUT they will never forget the great Peyton Manning. They are so attached to him that they feel like their committing adultery by appreciating the performance of their new QB.

[Spiny_Norman]

David DeCastro had a good debut too.  He is now Pittsburgh's starting RG.

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2012/08/rep...ght-guard/

[Spiny_Norman]

David DeCastro had a good debut too.  He is now Pittsburgh's starting RG.

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2012/08/rep...ght-guard/

[Robbie]

Highlights and analysis from ESPN:

http://es.pn/Qt3KSt

over-the-top praise.

[Robbie]

Highlights and analysis from ESPN:

http://es.pn/Qt3KSt

over-the-top praise.

[fullmetal]

I heard Big Ben was chased all over the field this weekend--did DeCastro hold up on his end of the line?  (Didn't see the game)

[fullmetal]

I heard Big Ben was chased all over the field this weekend--did DeCastro hold up on his end of the line?  (Didn't see the game)

[yvonne]

I'm wondering: It looks like Andrew's that good. Maybe that means the naysayers are right and we'll suffer a severe dropoff this year. Originally, I was thinking that the offense would be like Toby's year, but the defense would be better.

[yvonne]

I'm wondering: It looks like Andrew's that good. Maybe that means the naysayers are right and we'll suffer a severe dropoff this year. Originally, I was thinking that the offense would be like Toby's year, but the defense would be better.

[fullmetal]

I think I have subconscious faith in the run game and the defense this year, enough to overcome the lack of a proven passing game.  But I could be wrong.  Maybe we'll become the Baltimore Ravens of college football.  (C'mon, Joe Flacco isn't that good either :p)

[fullmetal]

I think I have subconscious faith in the run game and the defense this year, enough to overcome the lack of a proven passing game.  But I could be wrong.  Maybe we'll become the Baltimore Ravens of college football.  (C'mon, Joe Flacco isn't that good either :p)

[97fan]

I'm wondering: It looks like Andrew's that good. Maybe that means the naysayers are right and we'll suffer a severe dropoff this year. Originally, I was thinking that the offense would be like Toby's year, but the defense would be better.

Haven't we all believed that he was that good all along?

The thing about our 2011 offense was - Luck was extremely overqualified for the job of running it. Don't get me wrong - he did an amazing job, and we certainly won't be a juggernaut now that he's gone. But we would have had a solid offense last year with a game manager running the offense - someone like Greg McElroy from Alabama. That's what we're looking for this year - a solid offense, one that's somewhere in the top half of the Pac-12. I think we can get that.

[97fan]

I'm wondering: It looks like Andrew's that good. Maybe that means the naysayers are right and we'll suffer a severe dropoff this year. Originally, I was thinking that the offense would be like Toby's year, but the defense would be better.

Haven't we all believed that he was that good all along?

The thing about our 2011 offense was - Luck was extremely overqualified for the job of running it. Don't get me wrong - he did an amazing job, and we certainly won't be a juggernaut now that he's gone. But we would have had a solid offense last year with a game manager running the offense - someone like Greg McElroy from Alabama. That's what we're looking for this year - a solid offense, one that's somewhere in the top half of the Pac-12. I think we can get that.

[Hank 91]

Andrew was that good. I think we'll really notice it the first time there's a wide open receiver and the ball is over- or underthrown by five or ten yards. Normal college quarterbacks do that all the time, but whenever Luck threw a bad pass it was an absolute shock. He went entire games without a single bad pass, or even a bad decision in the passing game. There are NFL quarterbacks who don't do that. We've been spoiled rotten for three years. Nunningham will make bad passes. That's how 99% of college quarterbacks operate.

[Hank 91]

Andrew was that good. I think we'll really notice it the first time there's a wide open receiver and the ball is over- or underthrown by five or ten yards. Normal college quarterbacks do that all the time, but whenever Luck threw a bad pass it was an absolute shock. He went entire games without a single bad pass, or even a bad decision in the passing game. There are NFL quarterbacks who don't do that. We've been spoiled rotten for three years. Nunningham will make bad passes. That's how 99% of college quarterbacks operate.

[yvonne]

Yeah, and every time he made a mistake, it was on the news. Thanks ESPN.  :(

[yvonne]

Yeah, and every time he made a mistake, it was on the news. Thanks ESPN.  :(

[FarmBoy]

Luck made it look easy. But the good news is that we were beating teams by 20+ points last year. This year, we just need to beat them by 5-10 points and our improved defense will make the bar for offense even lower.

Still, it will be a shock to the system to remember that in football, every game is a battle with an uncertain outcome. For 8-9 games last year, you knew the outcome before the game started. It was only U.SC, the dux, and kal (anything can happen in Big Game) where there was any drama pre-game. But this year, every game is lose-able. Even Duke or SJSU could pull it out. The security blanket has left the building and every man on the team is going to have to step up.

[FarmBoy]

Luck made it look easy. But the good news is that we were beating teams by 20+ points last year. This year, we just need to beat them by 5-10 points and our improved defense will make the bar for offense even lower.

Still, it will be a shock to the system to remember that in football, every game is a battle with an uncertain outcome. For 8-9 games last year, you knew the outcome before the game started. It was only U.SC, the dux, and kal (anything can happen in Big Game) where there was any drama pre-game. But this year, every game is lose-able. Even Duke or SJSU could pull it out. The security blanket has left the building and every man on the team is going to have to step up.

[Hank 91]

This is dead on. I remember when the basketball team started surging to the top of the rankings in the late 90s and early 00s. My friend and I had a conversation about that very thing -- for the first time in our memories, the talent gap was so wide that there were some games that those teams couldn't lose. They'd be up by twenty or thirty in the first half, and then cruise. Earlier teams, even the Final Four team in 98, couldn't claim that.

I remember last season actually getting bored during the first seven games as I looked forwarded to USC and Oregon. There won't be any boredom this year.

[Hank 91]

This is dead on. I remember when the basketball team started surging to the top of the rankings in the late 90s and early 00s. My friend and I had a conversation about that very thing -- for the first time in our memories, the talent gap was so wide that there were some games that those teams couldn't lose. They'd be up by twenty or thirty in the first half, and then cruise. Earlier teams, even the Final Four team in 98, couldn't claim that.

I remember last season actually getting bored during the first seven games as I looked forwarded to USC and Oregon. There won't be any boredom this year.

[pefloresjr]

I remember last season actually getting bored during the first seven games as I looked forwarded to the University of South Central and Oregon. There won't be any boredom this year.

No, you can't make me pretend that I miss that dull ache in the pit of my stomach.  I was happy having some games in the bag the last few years.  When is Andrew going to get busy and send us a son to restore peace and serenity to the tailgating groves around Stanford Stadium?!  ;)

Cheers,
Pete F.

[pefloresjr]

I remember last season actually getting bored during the first seven games as I looked forwarded to the University of South Central and Oregon. There won't be any boredom this year.

No, you can't make me pretend that I miss that dull ache in the pit of my stomach.  I was happy having some games in the bag the last few years.  When is Andrew going to get busy and send us a son to restore peace and serenity to the tailgating groves around Stanford Stadium?!  ;)

Cheers,
Pete F.

[FarmBoy]

Why wait for a son? I'm hoping that Addison Luck (younger brother entering high school I believe) will exceed his brother and join the family tradition of donning the Cardinal. But if Luck's career continues to mirror that of Peyton Manning, then that means that Addison will end up playing for some mediocre Pac12 team like UofA or Oregon St before going on to become the least interesting Super Bowl winning QB since, well, Eli Manning.

[FarmBoy]

Why wait for a son? I'm hoping that Addison Luck (younger brother entering high school I believe) will exceed his brother and join the family tradition of donning the Cardinal. But if Luck's career continues to mirror that of Peyton Manning, then that means that Addison will end up playing for some mediocre Pac12 team like UofA or Oregon St before going on to become the least interesting Super Bowl winning QB since, well, Eli Manning.

[Farm93]

The NFL Network broadcast was with the Rams' preseason announcers, and their praise of Luck was off the charts good.  The NFL Network just could not contain their praise in their weekend wrap up shows.  And they seemed to have endless comparisons between Manning and Luck at this stage in the game.

I just hope these Luck and Manning similarities continue, and ultimately include that one where the college program does quite well the year after the QB goes pro.

[Farm93]

The NFL Network broadcast was with the Rams' preseason announcers, and their praise of Luck was off the charts good.  The NFL Network just could not contain their praise in their weekend wrap up shows.  And they seemed to have endless comparisons between Manning and Luck at this stage in the game.

I just hope these Luck and Manning similarities continue, and ultimately include that one where the college program does quite well the year after the QB goes pro.

[Spiny_Norman]

I heard Big Ben was chased all over the field this weekend--did DeCastro hold up on his end of the line?  (Didn't see the game)

FM, according the Peter King, the problem was on the left side.

the left tackle Adams, from Ohio State, played 17 snaps over 13 minutes, and allowed either 1.5 sacks or 2.5, depending on if you'd dock him for a sack when Ben Roethlisberger stepped up into trouble in the pocket. So he was involved in three sacks, two of which ended in strip-sacks of the quarterback.

[Spiny_Norman]

I heard Big Ben was chased all over the field this weekend--did DeCastro hold up on his end of the line?  (Didn't see the game)

FM, according the Peter King, the problem was on the left side.

the left tackle Adams, from Ohio State, played 17 snaps over 13 minutes, and allowed either 1.5 sacks or 2.5, depending on if you'd dock him for a sack when Ben Roethlisberger stepped up into trouble in the pocket. So he was involved in three sacks, two of which ended in strip-sacks of the quarterback.

[Bruce Wang]

It's funny to see some Indy fans express admiration, BUT they will never forget the great Peyton Manning. They are so attached to him that they feel like their committing adultery by appreciating the performance of their new QB.

One Lombardi Trophy and they will forget Payme Manning.  Two and they will only remember all the times Commercial Boy choked in the playoffs.

[Bruce Wang]

It's funny to see some Indy fans express admiration, BUT they will never forget the great Peyton Manning. They are so attached to him that they feel like their committing adultery by appreciating the performance of their new QB.

One Lombardi Trophy and they will forget Payme Manning.  Two and they will only remember all the times Commercial Boy choked in the playoffs.

[socalstanfan1]

It's funny to see some Indy fans express admiration, BUT they will never forget the great Peyton Manning. They are so attached to him that they feel like their committing adultery by appreciating the performance of their new QB.

Looking at this from the perspective of AL/Stanford fans, it may seem funny.  I actually think that reaction is perfectly natural.  It's really no different than a lot of 49er fans when Montana was replaced by Young.  Even as Young was achieving great success, he always had to face the, "well, Joe would have done it better; Joe would have taken the inferior team and gotten them to the Super Bowl, rather than just the Championship Game," etc.  Not until Young won a Super Bowl did he escape that chatter.  It will be the same for Luck, even if he is leading an inferior team to the one that Manning took to the SB.  The thing that makes AL such a great player for this situation, in addition to all his physical talent and leadership abilities, is his seeming ability to just shut all that stuff out and focus on playing.  But that focus will be tested, no doubt

[socalstanfan1]

It's funny to see some Indy fans express admiration, BUT they will never forget the great Peyton Manning. They are so attached to him that they feel like their committing adultery by appreciating the performance of their new QB.

Looking at this from the perspective of AL/Stanford fans, it may seem funny.  I actually think that reaction is perfectly natural.  It's really no different than a lot of 49er fans when Montana was replaced by Young.  Even as Young was achieving great success, he always had to face the, "well, Joe would have done it better; Joe would have taken the inferior team and gotten them to the Super Bowl, rather than just the Championship Game," etc.  Not until Young won a Super Bowl did he escape that chatter.  It will be the same for Luck, even if he is leading an inferior team to the one that Manning took to the SB.  The thing that makes AL such a great player for this situation, in addition to all his physical talent and leadership abilities, is his seeming ability to just shut all that stuff out and focus on playing.  But that focus will be tested, no doubt

[FarmBoy]

Personally, I thought 49er fans were acting like a bunch of Cretans during that episode as well. It was shameful the way they trashed Steve Young who did nothing but perform to the best of his ability, which overall was pretty damn high.

So far, the Colts fan seem a bit more level headed. Many of the comments include caveats that they fully expect bumps in the road, 3 pick games, etc. Perhaps that was assisted by having a miserable 2-14 season between Manning and Luck, so expectations have been adjusted downward.

But it still amuses me to see them fall over themselves after complementing and admiring Luck's skill set to clarify that they're still True Blue Manning supporters to the end of time.

[FarmBoy]

Personally, I thought 49er fans were acting like a bunch of Cretans during that episode as well. It was shameful the way they trashed Steve Young who did nothing but perform to the best of his ability, which overall was pretty damn high.

So far, the Colts fan seem a bit more level headed. Many of the comments include caveats that they fully expect bumps in the road, 3 pick games, etc. Perhaps that was assisted by having a miserable 2-14 season between Manning and Luck, so expectations have been adjusted downward.

But it still amuses me to see them fall over themselves after complementing and admiring Luck's skill set to clarify that they're still True Blue Manning supporters to the end of time.

[washingtonismoney]

Personally, I thought 49er fans were acting like a bunch of Cretans during that episode as well.

They sicced the Minotaur on Steve Young? You're right, that's beyond the pale.

[washingtonismoney]

Personally, I thought 49er fans were acting like a bunch of Cretans during that episode as well.

They sicced the Minotaur on Steve Young? You're right, that's beyond the pale.