



Across the Indianapolis Colts' lost autumn of 2011, with Peyton Manning recovering from spinal fusion surgery and his ability to return to an elite level very much in doubt, owner Jim Irsay zeroed in on Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

Indy was en route to a 2-14 season and with it the No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft. The decision was high stakes. Do you gamble on the old franchise quarterback returning to glory or a new one ever reaching it in the first place?

Luck could throw. He could run. He could lead. He was smart. He was tough. He was as close to a can't-miss prospect as the league has seen. He was the son of a former NFL quarterback (Oliver) and was coached for three years by a former NFL quarterback (Jim Harbaugh).

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"Guys like that come along so rarely," Irsay told Yahoo Sports as early as October of that season, discussing both Manning and Luck, the wheels already spinning.

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There were just a few things no one could measure.

Could Luck handle the pressure of replacing a legend? And if, yes, what if that legend returned to greatness with another team, offering a weekly reminder to players and fans back in Indianapolis of what they were missing, what they had let go?

What no one could imagine was the possibility that Manning might not only return to form, but actually be better than ever – as he's been this season in Denver. Or, to take even further, to play the position better than anyone has ever played it.

What kind of a young player could handle that?

As it turns out, Andrew Luck.

Luck's ability to play immediately at a high level, both in Manning's considerable shadow and under the constant reminders of an epic season thus far, is one of his most important attributes. This isn't just replacing the legend. It's replacing the legend who is now an even bigger legend. Even good, self-confident NFL quarterbacks would crumble in such situations.

Maybe they'd press too hard, doubt too much, bristle at the talk of the old icon.

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Luck just keeps smiling and slinging.

The Colts are 4-1 after a dramatic 34-28 victory over Seattle on Sunday that would have gotten a lot more attention if not for Denver's dramatic 51-48 victory over Dallas that pushed the Broncos to 5-0.

And that's the point, the two teams and two quarterbacks are inevitably linked. And if you're being compared, in any way, to Manning and the Broncos right now, it probably won't turn out well.

Consider that Luck threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday. Nice line, except Manning threw for 414 and four (and he rushed for another).

Yet it hardly matters. No one compares to what Manning is doing. Not a current player, not even someone in the Hall of Fame. He has thrown 20 touchdowns against one interception and done it by playing the game with an awareness and intelligence that is unfathomable.

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