Andrew Luck is worth every penny, Colts fans say

If the Kansas City Chiefs end up with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, one of the things we'll ALL be thinking and something everyone will be saying is, "The Chiefs were one year too late getting the No. 1 pick."

It's true. It's so true that it's painful to me.

Last year, the choice would've been Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III. Both of them look like the real deal and KC would've been successful this year taking either of them.

Luck, though, was the perfect fit in Indy after Peyton Manning left. It's just so ... perfect. Like it's from a movie. It makes almost to much sense.

I asked Matt Grecco over at Stampede Blue if Luck is the real deal and the answer will not surprise you.

"He's exceeded expectations already," Matt said. "We're still seeing him make a lot of rookie mistakes, like trying to force a throw when getting sacked, and as of late we've seen him sail some throws, but overall the Colts couldn't have possibly asked for more out of him this year.

"The very easy schedule has definitely helped keep the Colts in a lot of games, allowing Luck to finish them off late, even when he struggled for 3.5 quarters. This team is still in need of a big infusion of talent, which makes this even more remarkable."

People keep pointing to the Colts as a great rebuild. Did they really rebuild the roster in incredible fashion? Or did they get a quarterback who makes up a huge chunk of the difference? I'm leaning towards the latter (and, really, probably a little of both). The Colts roster isn't noticeably better than the Chiefs outside of quarterback, and there's a seven-win difference between the two teams.

Still, give credit to GM Ryan Grigson for bringing in so many new players and (so far) getting it right.

"If you look at just the numbers, both Robert Griffin and Russell Wilson are having better seasons, and it really isn't that close," Matt continued. "However, both of those teams have a considerable advantage in terms of talent, experience, and defensive aptitude, which I think helps explain a little bit of their quick success, while Luck's has a lot to do with the schedule and spectacular play late in games."

Luck leads the league in interceptions but that's not a big deal to me. So did Peyton Manning. He only completes 54 percent of his passes, which is a low number. That's a little concerning but from everything we know about him and his preparation that won't be an issue.

"I looked at this last week," Matt continued, "and only three players on the Colts offense played a snap with Peyton Manning: Reggie Wayne, Donald Brown, and Jeff Linkenbach. His receivers are Wayne, Donnie Avery, two rookie WR, two rookie TEs, and a rookie RB. The other two guys have put up big numbers this season, but going forward I'm glad the Colts have Andrew Luck."

Again I ask: Is it the rebuild of the roster or is it the quarterback?